Citalopram withdrawal

[Skyp]

Hi. I have been taking 40mg citalopram for over 20 years. Now my gp practice want me to wean of them. So for a month I had to take 30mg.now I'm having to take 20mg for a month. Then down to 10mg then off them. Has anyone else done this. I feel that my legs keep jerking. And my head feels like cotton wool. I'm on propranolol as well

[Skyp]

😮Yes I feel like my brain is twitching. But I suppose I got to expect some withdrawal symptoms over 20 years is a long time on them.

[Dell12345]

Hi Skyp, I'm sorry you're experiencing this. How many previous episodes of poor mental health have you had?

I only ask as GPs sometimes don't know that much about mental illness. If you have had more than a couple of episodes then staying on medication for life is sometimes recommended.

Coming off the medication and then going back on often makes it less effective.

It might be worth checking with a psychiatrist.

X

[bethelbee in reply to Dell12345]

I agree with seeing a psychiatrist for your medication management. They are much more well versed in psych meds than GP's. Why does your doctor want to wean you off?? Is it no longer working? Hope it works out for you.

[Skyp in reply to Dell12345]

Hi many thanks. It came about because a pharmacist rang me to go over repeat medications I'm on. He said once you reach 65.they don't like you being on. Citalopram as it causes heart problems. I already have a pacemaker. Then he arranged a mental health nurse to ring me. She's the one weaning me off them. When she rings in couple weeks time I tell her how I feel x

[Kinlay]

I would let your doctor know. You may want to ask if you can make the steps smaller. I am weaning off of sertraline, and my doctor had me cut the pills in half so that I am only going down 7.5 mg each step instead of 15 mg. I would ask if you can go back up to 25 mg and then wait to wean down again until all withdrawal symptoms subside. Or at least, stay on this dose until things calm down and only go down 5 mg for your next step down. Lower and slower really makes a difference. I know it's hard to wait it out, but it really does make things easier on your body and your mind. Good luck!

[Skyp in reply to Kinlay]

Thank you. When nurse rings me in couple weeks time to reduce it to 10mg I tell her how I feel x

[Lin1944]

Every time i tried to wean off antidepressants I would end up being really poorly with depression. So in the end my GP said I could stay on them forever.

I agree GPS don’t know a lot about depression but in UK if you want to see a phsyciatrist you have to be suicidal which I am not Thankfully.

[Skyp]

Hi. I'm in UK as well. Trying to see gp is hopeless. This all came about because a pharmacist rang me about my repeat prescriptions. He said once you get to 65 citalopram not good for the heart. I already have a pacemaker. Then a mental health nurse rang me. And said to reduce them when she rings again I tell her how I feel. She said the propranolol I'm on helps reduce anxiety /depression and their was me thinking the were high blood pressure pills. I take phenergan at night to supposedly help me sleep. They took me off zopliclone few years back. Gosh I sound like a pill popper🤣x

[14566787]

I've been tapering off citalopram since June as they say it's caused me to have a prolonged QT. I went from 20mg down to 12mg now using the liquid version of citalopram it's still not been easy and when I try to reduce to 10mg I hit a brick wall and feel like a zombie and so out of it it's hard to function on a daily basis.

[Skyp in reply to 14566787]

Hi thank you for reply. Yes it's awful reducing citalopram. I'm trying to tellMyself I'm detoxing my body. I imagine it will take time for citalopram to get out

Of our systems having been taking them for years c

[Skyp]

Update..... Now down to 15mg a day

[HollieLondon in reply to Skyp]

Well done getting down to 15mg from 40mg. I hope you are still progressing well. I tried to reduce mine last year going from 20mg to 10mg which took me 6 months. My anxiety was fine until just before Christmas then it shot up. I went back up to 20mg and have since gone up to 30mg due to possible house move. But I feel unmotivated and lethargic. I am overeating and drinking for the wrong reasons. I am going to restart reducing the amount again. The choice seems to be a life of anxiety or a life of no motivation and tiredness.

[Skyp in reply to HollieLondon]

Hi how you doing? Yes Christmas time I'd stressful I find my anxiety shoots up at times like that

[djchyndman]

My GP wanted me off Citalopram. I said oh no you're not. End of conversation. You're the patient. If it works for you then make that clear, assuming of course you don't want to come off it?

[Skyp in reply to djchyndman]

Hi.they said because I was 65 citalopram can cause heart problems......I said bit late in the day to announce that.i had a pacemaker put in 4 year's ago .now on vortioxine 10 mg