Help Citalopram - Withdrawals

[Drifty]

Hi All,

I recently stopped taking my Citalopram as it was making my depression worse. I was taking it for about 3 months but I am experiencing some pretty heavy withdrawals from it to the point I have fainted.

Does anyone have any tips on how to tackle/overcome the symptoms without taking the medication again? Anything legal will do

 

[marriedindeed]

@Drifty, did you go cold turkey, or reduce the dose gradually over a number of weeks?

 

[Drifty]

@Drifty, did you go cold turkey, or reduce the dose gradually over a number of weeks?

I just went straight into and stopped completely without any gradual reduction, i've done it numerous times, twice being with citalopram

 

[marriedindeed]

I can only suggest you take a small dose to help alleviate the symptoms. Sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear.

 

[UpandDownPrincess]

When I stopped that hellish beast of a medication (ymmv) I had to taper it. I started by filing down some of my pills a small amount. It spent quite a while coming down and it really helped. Citalopram is a tough one to taper since it only comes in a few dosages.

You can always continue your cold turkey method and just take a bit when you feel really awful, but I prefer a straight line, gradual decrease to an up-and-down pattern. Some people do just as well the other way, though.

 

[Epsilon0]

I have tried both cold turkey and gradually decreasing. Both were torturous. I ended up taking them again after a couple of months. In the end I switched to Sertraline, which proved to be a hundred times more difficult to quit.

Anyway, these are pretty much your options:
- take small doses of citalopram and decrease them every couple of weeks
- continue cold turkey and be prepared to suffer
- switch to a low dose of another ssri and hope that one will be easier to taper off

But, listen, I strongly encourage you to call your doctor. Ssri withdrawl is no joke.

I wish you all the best! Take care and welcome to SS!

 

[Drifty]

I have tried both cold turkey and gradually decreasing. Both were torturous. I ended up taking them again after a couple of months. In the end I switched to Sertraline, which proved to be a hundred times more difficult to quit.

Anyway, these are pretty much your options:
- take small doses of citalopram and decrease them every couple of weeks
- continue cold turkey and be prepared to suffer
- switch to a low dose of another ssri and hope that one will be easier to taper off

But, listen, I strongly encourage you to call your doctor. Ssri withdrawl is no joke.

I wish you all the best! Take care and welcome to SS!

Thank you so much for this, very helpful. I am going to go back into another SSRI, probably Sertraline as i've tried everything properly now other than Sertraline and also try and up my dosage of Propanolol too.

I called my doctor and they advised to go to Accident and Emergency but I didn't go.

Regardless, thank you very much for your help!