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Original poster

Comming off Citalopram

17 replies

ChocolateFace · 09/03/2008 20:06

I've been on Citalopram for nearly 2 years(for PND) and am due to see GP tommorow. As I am 100% hunky-dory now, I expect I won't get another prescription. Do they give you a lower dose to wean you off?

I would be quite happy to keep taking Citalopram for ever. I'm terrified I might go back to how I was pre-medication.

Any advice on what happens next?

OP posts:
Original poster
ChocolateFace · 09/03/2008 20:21

Obviously Sunday evening is full of people who have never had PND!

OP posts:
paros · 09/03/2008 20:24

I heard you have to wean yourself off them . BEST OF LUCK YOU CAN DO IT .

dizzydixies · 09/03/2008 20:30

been on them twice and off them twice - just stopped and never weaned myself off them

maybe you won't need to, I just stopped the first time but felt I didn't need them anymore and nobody challanged me on it.

was put back on them after dd2 and stopped now pg with dd3 - no weaning nothing, just told to stop taking them

I can't give you medical advice re this. I can only tell you its been fine for me

good luck

fingerwoman · 09/03/2008 20:33

i came off them when i found out i was pg with ds1. it was fine, but then I felt better than ever before whilst pg, so suspect hormones played a big part in that.

I would imagine they will lower your dose gradually though, to wean you off of it

Emprexia · 09/03/2008 20:33

i think it depends on the dose, obviosuly the higher the dose the more likely you are to need weaning off it.

It may be that they get you to half the dose a bit at a time.

chubbymummy · 09/03/2008 20:34

Just come off them after a year. The doctor was not very helpful I'm afraid, had to muddle through myself with very little advice.
What dosage are you on?

BigBadMouse · 09/03/2008 20:50

Noone should stop them suddenly regardless of the dose you have been on!

Advice on how to come off them seems to vary greatly but I stupidly stopped over the space of 2.5 weeks (from 20mg dose) and had some very bad side effects. You should decrease the dose gradually over time - some docs recommend taking one every other day but my psych says that is not a good idea as it causes far too much fluctuation. Far better just drop from 20mg to 10mg for a good few weeks (the 20mg tabs cut in half easily) then stop.

If you do have side effects from coming off them then you can just inc the dose again and come off more slowly. Most people don't have the side effects I had though.

Suprised to read how many have stopped suddenly and not had any.

btw - see no reason why you can't stay on them, if you have concerns about coming off it sounds to me like you aren't ready to just yet.

dizzydixies · 09/03/2008 20:53

bigbad I was only ever on 10mg at most so am not sure how I could have weaned them out with lower dose but I do agree with you that she needs to see advice from her gp re this

chubbymummy · 09/03/2008 20:58

Like bigbadmouse I was told to take them every other day and had terrible side-effects, in hindsight I should have asked for a lower dose and after I was used to that then consider every other day. I ended up stopping altogether after about 10 days of alternating between all/nothing because I decided that the quicker I got it out of my system the quicker the side-effects would stop. Other people have told me that they came off them very slowly over a matter of months and had no side-effects whatsoever. Talk to your doctor and explain your concerns, Good luck!

Original poster
ChocolateFace · 09/03/2008 21:01

I'm on 20mg. I did stop taking them suddenly when my first prescription ran out after 6 months, and crashed right back down. I was really bad before I started taking them. Morbid thoughts, thought DH and my mother were trying to take children from me, so was considering running away with my baby and leaving my boys. (This notion was totally unfounded)

I'm just so scared things will go back to where they were. We are in financial dire-straits atm, so need to be very clear headed to deal with that. I'm considering begging GP to let me keep taking Citalopram.

OP posts:
BigBadMouse · 09/03/2008 21:03

Really sounds like now is not the time o come off. You need to explain how things are difficult atm and you do not feel you would like to come off right now. Why do you think your doc will make you come off them this time?

Original poster
ChocolateFace · 09/03/2008 21:08

I just presumed when my repeat prescription ran out, that would be my time up, so to speak. I have missed the odd day, here and there, knowing it would mean my supplies last longer.(Although I really noticed a difference on the days I didn't take one) I feel a bit like a drug addict

OP posts:
BigBadMouse · 09/03/2008 21:20

Missing the odd day won't affect you really over the course of a long time. If you missed every other day for a while you might notice a few problems arising. If you missed three days in a row you would probably notice the effects by day 3 IME.

You aren't a drug addict any more than anyone else wo has to take a drug as routine for a medical problem .

Your doc shouldn't tell you to stop if you don't want to. Stopping while things are a bit more stressful than usual is not really a good idea so if your doc suggests coming off now, tell him the reasons why you would rather not right now and he should give you another prescription.

Original poster
ChocolateFace · 09/03/2008 21:50

Thank You Big Bad Mouse!

OP posts:
BigBadMouse · 09/03/2008 21:59

Good luck for tomorrow. Let us know how you get on .

BoysOnToast · 09/03/2008 22:01

no answers for you, but good luck with it anyway. i tried citalopram (for pnd) and didnt like it... glad youre all good now - long may it continue!

BigBadMouse · 10/03/2008 20:57

Hope all went well today and you got what you wanted

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