Withdrawals from Celexa anyone??

[Betty30]

Do people who have been on Celexa (Citalopram) go through withdrawals? I have been on only 10 mg for 25 days, and I have never been so miserable...I know most say 'its tough but just hang in there, its worth it' or 'it may 2 or 3 months to kick in'... Today, I can honestly say, that I have NEVER EVER had such an anxiety ridden horrid day (all day long) as today and I am over 70! Its also the first day that I have actually been afraid of tomorrow, because I do have a strong belief 'we get past it all'...BUT.... I have not had ANY improvement at all from this drug...yes, I know 'only 25 days'...but it seems like a year. I will keep taking it and keep my Dr appt. on May 3rd and tell the Dr but it will be ME...not him...that makes the final decision...

Even taking additional Ativan .5 to counter today's anxiety didn't do any good. First time its never helped at all. Maybe (probably!) most of you are more gutsy then me and could endure this, but I feel, deep down, I should quit... Each day for me has gotten more miserable...Truly, I am not exaggerating. I really WANTED this to work, but THIS is SO much worse than the depression/anxiety I had BEFORE I started on this pill.

Anyway, thanks for putting up with my rant. Have any of you had problems withdrawing from this med? Would really appreciate hearing from you. (Thank you)

[AlexSZfutureRN]

Hey there, I'm sorry things have been so rough recently. Unfortunately, a lot of drugs, including Celexa, can take several weeks to start working. Skipping around within the same class does more harm than good, because all it does is set the counter back to zero; many similar drugs need similar amounts of time to work. In the meantime, definitely do discuss your concerns with your doctor, and ask about non-pharmacological means of coping with anxiety while waiting for the drug to take effect.

[Betty30 in reply to AlexSZfutureRN]

Thank you, Alex...

I would, please, still like to hear from some who stopped the Celexa and if the withdrawals were difficult... Thanks.

[Hidden]

Hi you can come off citalapram for ten days and be ok -they have an half-life.

after that you can go onto something else ( Amitriptyline mit be better for you with citalopram in the morning and amitryptyline at night.

Or just 10mg of amitrityline at night.

I have been on citalapram a while now and I am still not impressed-I think they are a joke !

Go back to your GP and ask to see a consultant or a referal to the mental health team.

i am with the mental health team at the local hospital

God Bless x

[Clazzy78]

Hey, I've tried a few meds recently for depression/anxiety that haven't worked at all. They just made me feel worse. So after about 3-4 weeks on each, I came off them, quitting gradually over the next 2-3 weeks.

It's entirely up to you. Why stay on something that is making you feel worse to the point you need Ativan to help? Doesn't seem logical to me. I know we can get initial side effects from starting new treatment with antidepressants but I refuse to take something that makes me feel so ill I can't sleep at all, no appetite, intense nausea, panic and anxiety. Plus looking after my house and 4 year old twins. No. I need something with side effects I can tolerate until I get to a therapeutic level to help.

I don't blame you at all for not wanting to stay on it.

Personally I have never got on with SSRIs very well.

Have you tried any other SSRIs with any success?

Venlafaxine can work quicker than other tablets as it has low protein binding. That's an SNRI.

Possibly trying another class of antidepressant may be worth a try?

Hope you get some answers and something that works soon, best wishes 💗

[Betty30]

I think people starting on...or thinking about starting on it....really need to sit down with their dr and say to them: TELL me the cold hard facts about this drug. I am thankfully stopping it, (yes, yes, Dr approves of cutting back, etc for so many days) but had I known what I was in for, I NEVER would have started this drug. Hope its ok to post a link. Best one I've read on Celexa (Citalopram)

mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/...