Celexa (Citalopram) is a drug used to help treat symptoms of major depression. It is considered an SSRI (selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitor) which means it influences the serotonin in the brain to help ward off depressive symptoms. It is also used as an off-label treatment for anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). For many individuals, this drug is effective and serves the intended purpose of treating depression.
The problem with Celexa is that many people find that it leads to unbearable side effects including: weight gain and sexual dysfunction. Not only can this drug provoke unwanted side effects, in some cases it just doesn’t work as well as expected. There have also been disputes as to whether the R-stereoisomer of the drug has any effect. Some have argued that it is better to take Lexapro, which is essentially Celexa without the R-stereoisomer.
In any regard, most people that take Celexa will end up wanting to withdraw from it eventually. Most people do not want to be on antidepressants for life in order to cope with depression. There are simply too many side effects and most people notice that the antidepressant effects tend to wear off over time. In any event, if you withdraw from this medication, it is pretty much guaranteed that you are going to experience withdrawal symptoms.
Factors that influence Celexa withdrawal include…
There are various factors that play a role in influencing withdrawal from any psychiatric medication. These factors include things like: time span, dosage, your physiology, and whether you decided to quit cold turkey or conducted a gradual taper.
1. Time Span
How long were you taking Celexa? In general, the longer you take an antidepressant, the more difficult it will be to withdraw from. Your brain becomes accustomed to getting the extra serotonin activity as a result of the SSRI that you are taking. When you stop the drug, your brain isn’t get the extra serotonin that it was getting and may have a tough time readjusting to functioning without Celexa.
2. Dosage (10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg)
Most of the time people are on a 20 mg dose of Celexa, but it can be administered at doses up to 40 mg per day. Some people may be on smaller doses than 20 mg, but in general, 20 mg is considered the standard dose. In most cases, the greater the amount of the drug that you have taken, the tougher it is to withdraw from.
3. Individual Physiology
In many cases, withdrawal symptoms are largely due to individual reactions to the drug. One person may experience extreme withdrawal symptoms that last months, while another person may feel back to 100% after a couple weeks of discontinuation. Many individual factors including: withdrawal sensitivity, environment, social support, and physiology can have an influence. If you experience a more extreme withdrawal than most, it could be largely due to individual differences.
4. Cold Turkey vs. Tapering
How did you quit taking Celexa? Did you stop abruptly without conducting a gradual taper? Or did you conduct a gradual taper over the course of a couple months? In most cases, the more slowly and cautiously you taper off of this medication, the easier it is to readjust to functioning without the drug.
If you quit cold turkey, it leaves most people in a state of mental disarray and chaos and the symptoms may be more severe. If you were on a high dose of Celexa (i.e. 40 mg), the weaning process should take longer than someone on 10 mg.
Celexa Withdrawal Symptoms: List of Possibilities
Below are a list of common symptoms that you may experience upon withdrawal from Celexa. Understand that you may experience a few of the symptoms, none of the symptoms, or most of the symptoms – it all depends on your individual circumstances. This list was created to help people so that they know what may occur during withdrawal.
- Anxiety: The anxiety that you experience during withdrawal may be pretty severe. It may be so severe that you feel nervous everywhere you go and/or have panic attacks. This is a result of your brain being left without reuptake inhibition of serotonin.
- Brain zaps: Most SSRIs can lead to a person experiencing “brain zaps” or electrical shock sensations upon withdrawal. These can be very uncomfortable and actually feel like your head is plugged into an electrical socket. Just know that these will subside the longer you are off the drug.
- Concentration problems: Many people report that they are unable to focus during withdrawal. It may be difficult to complete work-related tasks or school work during withdrawal. In many cases the concentration problems are due to the fact that physical symptoms distract our mental focus. Additionally a person may feel mentally slow and/or foggy when they stop the medication – this is likely due to changes in levels of neurotransmitters.
- Confusion: Your cognitive functioning can become impaired when you quit taking Celexa to the point of experiencing general confusion. This confusion may be a result of memory retrieval problems, but could also just be confused thinking.
- Crying spells: Some people report increased depression to the point of crying spells. Low serotonin can cause people to cry excessively. You may cry more than you have in your entire life during a withdrawal. Know that these spells will lessen in severity and eventually stop.
- Depression: Most people feel significantly worse when they stop taking Celexa in regards to depression. Many people feel as if their depression is actually worse than before they took this medication. This is a result of their brain no longer inhibiting the re-uptake of serotonin to the degree that occurred on the medication. It will take an extended period of time to fully recover from the withdrawal depression.
- Diarrhea: Some people experience an upset stomach to the point of diarrhea during their withdrawal. This is not as common of a symptom as others, but can be difficult to deal with if you are dealing with this. An easy solution for coping with this is to get some over-the-counter Imodium.
- Dizziness: Feeling dizzy is one of the most common symptoms to experience during SSRI withdrawal. If you suddenly stop taking Celexa cold turkey, the dizziness is thought to be longer lasting and more profound than during a gradual taper. Either way, you are likely going to experience some degree of dizziness when you quit. The longer you are off the drug, the more this symptom will improve.
- Fatigue: You may feel excessively fatigued for awhile after you quit Celexa. It may be difficult to get out of bed in the morning or even make it through a work day. The tiredness and lethargy may be pretty severe. Just recognize that this will gradually improve and your energy levels will start to return over time.
- Headaches: This is another classic symptom of SSRI withdrawal. Some people feel minor headaches for awhile, yet for others the headaches are pounding and feel more like migraines. Having a headache with dizziness is certainly uncomfortable – but both of these will gradually improve.
- Insomnia: Since some people take Celexa for treating insomnia, it is no wonder that they may actually experience insomnia when they stop taking it. Additionally even if you have never had insomnia before taking this drug, you may experience it during withdrawal.
- Irritability: Most people report a high amount of irritability in the first few weeks when they discontinue this drug. This is because the brain no longer is receiving the calming effect of the drug and it can be difficult to regulate emotions.
- Memory problems: It is common to experience memory problems to the point that you think you have lost your memory. Although you haven’t likely lost any memory, your thinking may be impaired so that your memory retrieval is impaired. As you recover during withdrawal, this will eventually heal itself.
- Mood swings: It’s very common to have bad mood swings when you stop taking Celexa. One minute you may feel pretty good, the next you may feel more depressed than ever. Just understand that these mood swings are all part of withdrawal. They may persist for a long time, but will eventually subside.
- Nausea: Some people experience nausea when they first quit this drug. You may feel nauseated all day and in some cases, want to vomit. Most people do not have nausea extreme enough to lead to vomiting, but it can be a tough withdrawal symptom to deal with.
- Sleep changes: It is very likely that your sleep cycle will be affected when you withdraw from this drug. You may notice that you have crazy dreams and/or that you aren’t able to get a good night’s sleep. You may sleep during the day and be unable to fall asleep at night. Just know that things will return to normal if given enough time.
- Suicidal thoughts: It is very common to experience suicidal thoughts when discontinuing an antidepressant. Any SSRI that is withdrawn from is likely to lead a person to feeling suicidal. Many doctors view this as a worsening in depression, when in reality it is a result of antidepressants causing suicidality upon withdrawal.
- Weight changes: Most people gain weight when they take Celexa – this is a result of serotonin changes. When a person stops taking this drug, they will likely drop the weight that they gained while taking the drug. For more information read about antidepressants and weight gain.
Celexa Withdrawal Timeline: How long does it last?
Most doctors will tell you that the withdrawal symptoms should subside within a few weeks of withdrawal. If your symptoms subside within a few weeks, consider yourself lucky and in the minority. Most people experience withdrawal effects over a month after they have quit their medication. I recommend giving yourself at least 90 days before evaluating the withdrawal symptoms.
I have gone through my fair share of antidepressant withdrawals – including that from Celexa and have found that three months time is good for re-evaluation. The problem for most people is that the symptoms are so severe in the first few weeks of withdrawal that they feel as if their life will never be the same. During withdrawal it is important to do your best not to get caught up in the symptoms – rather focus on what you can do to recover as fast as possible.
Things that will help you recover quicker include: eating healthy, forcing yourself to get some light exercise, and getting a proper night’s sleep. If you are struggling to come to terms with symptoms and/or cope, be sure to talk to a therapist or professional about what you are experiencing. It can also be very helpful to talk to others on forums that are also going through Celexa withdrawal – many people that have experienced it are better to talk to because they actually “get it.”
Feel free to share your experience with the withdrawal process in the comments section below. This may give someone else some reassurance that they are not alone in dealing with difficult symptoms. I personally have withdrawn from this medication and know that it’s not easy, but I also know that as enough time passes, you will eventually experience a full recovery.
I was on Citalopram at 40 mg. for 7 years. I took 2 weeks off from work knowing it would probably be rough weaning off. In mid January I went from 40 mg. to 20 mg. the first week. The second week down to 10 ml. then completely off the week after. Flu symptoms and brain zaps were bad the whole time. It’s now almost March first and I no longer have the zaps, except very light zaps, but everything still tastes like metal and I have now developed GERD. I have never had digestive problems before and I’m not sure if this is yet another side effect.
They say it takes 90 days to start feeling normal. I hope that is true. It has been around 40 days since I have been off completely so I guess there is hope. I never wanted to be on an anti depressants in the first place. I only wanted xanax on occasion when I had a lot of anxiety. My ex doctor said he would like to see the anxiety go away so prescribed Citalopram. It never took away my anxiety so he was prescribing Citalopram and Xanax. The Citalopram was actually giving me depression… UGH!!!!
These doctors need to learn more about these medications before handing them out like candy. Or perhaps we as patients need to research the pros and cons before even starting them. I wish you all well and hope we have not been damaged beyond repair. Sorry for the negativity but that is how I feel about the whole medical profession regarding anti psychotic drugs. I realize it is a “practice”, but they should learn and listen to their patience before medicating.
Your withdrawal symptoms are a lot like mine. The metallic taste was very strange. I tapered off for about 1-1/2 months and I have been totally off for about 1-1/2 months. I still have days when I don’t want to move, and have no desire to do anything but sit around. Watching TV isn’t even stimulating. I was on Celexa for about 10 years. From what I’ve read, because I was on it for so long, I’m in for a longer withdrawal period.
I am determined to totally get this stuff out of my system and rely on prayer and all the support of my family and friends to stay the happy person that I want to be. I also want to return to not being totally unaffected by any sadness in my life… it’s okay to cry! I’m feeling more normal now that I cry when i hear something sad. The worst part so far is the lack of energy.
I lost about 10 pounds prior to going off Celexa, then when I was weaned off, I was losing a few more pounds, even though I was eating just about anything I wanted. Well don’t get used to that! The weight is starting to come back on, so it’s time to eat consciously again! I’ve learned to make myself be social and stay busy. It keeps your mind off of yourself and your own problems. Get involved in helping others. Hang in there everyone!
Hi, everyone. So I have taken citalopram for about 5 years now, on 40 mg for several years. I have been trying to taper per doctor’s advice of going down to 20 mg once a day for one week and then 20 mg every other day for a week. Now I’m 1 week completely off the drug. I have been having many of the common symptoms (head zaps – or what I refer to as a maraca inside my head, extreme irritability, crying spells for no particular reason, mood swings, dizziness, out of body feeling, difficulty concentrating) and aside from being at my wit’s end, it’s scaring my husband!
I called my doctor today to ask how much longer she thought this would go on or if there was anything I could do to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms. She advised that I go back on the 40 mg dose for 1 week, then to 20 mg daily for 1 week, then 20 mg every other day for 1 week, and then 20 mg once every 3 days for a week. I am really afraid to go back on the meds again. Has anyone had this experience? Any advice on if I should just stick it out or go back and do another taper? This sucks!
I wonder if anyone else has experienced this. My withdrawal symptoms seem to become more severe when I am stressed. This kind of makes sense if I think that brain is looking for the Citalopram to deal with the stress which it is now not getting. Hence the withdrawal symptoms. Has anyone noticed this? Also in order to deal with the constant fatigue I have been using blue-light therapy which I believe does help give me energy.
I am weaning off of 40 mg of Citalopram per day for seven years. Experiencing these withdrawal symptoms has convinced me that getting off of them completely is the right thing to do. Good luck to everyone in their treatment and please continue to post your experiences. You are helping many people by doing so.
Lionel, Absolutely, that makes sense. I’ve noticed that myself, yes. Part of my withdrawal strategy has been to choose a time in my life when I don’t have a lot of stress (or at least less stress), and I’ve consciously said “no” to a lot of potential commitments, as well. Man, it has really helped! Good luck! I hope you’re doing better!
Thanks for the response Lynn. One other thing I was told by my pharmacist. Citalopram acts as a pain inhibiter as well as an anti-depressant. Hence any normal aches and pains that a person has will be more pronounced when they wean off of it. Just another argument for the withdrawal aches symptom. Good luck in your cit reduction efforts.
I have been taking Celexa for the last three years. The first of this year, I came off the Celexa cold turkey. I am now having body aches and a very short temper. I feel almost like I am having flu symptoms, but I know this is not the case. I also went through a case of nose staff but the Doctors assure me that the staff infection has cleared up. I am just really concerned about the body aches. Could this be the symptoms of the Celexa withdrawals? Please help me figure this out.
Yes I have had severe body aches along with the regular flu-like symptoms of withdrawal. I am certain that it is related to the withdrawal symptoms from citalopram.
I think that the body aches and flu-like symptoms are very likely a part of your withdrawal. So many of the things I’ve been reading mention this as one of the symptoms. I find that hot baths help a lot – if you’re not allergic, soaking in magnesium salts and baking soda with a couple of drops of lavender oil is very cleansing and calming. An over-the-counter pain reliever may help, as well.
Thank you to all for posting your withdrawal symptoms. I was on 40mg citalopram for 8 years. My psychiatrist reduced my dose by 10 mg and am having the side effects. Didn’t know what was going on until I saw this and other sites. I have ongoing flu like symptoms. Body aches, dizziness, nausea chronic headache. Plus complete fatigue, lack of concentration, sleep difficulty (it’s presently 3:00AM) poor memory, depression, emotional swings. My fear is that if this is what it is like withdrawing to 30mg what is withdrawing to 10mg or quitting going to be like!!! However, everyone’s comments of their symptoms have given me hope that I can get through this. Thank you again to all.
Celexa 20 mg for 18 months, stopped cold turkey 2 weeks ago. First week, nothing. This week, severe dizziness, causing nausea, causing vomiting, body aches, feel weak and tired. I feel like I have a flu. I’ve been told to go back and taper, but if this is how this drug makes a person feel, no thanks. I’m going to continue cold turkey and suffer through, hoping to get through this in weeks, not months.
Hi, it’s me replying to myself. I’m now at week 4 of cold turkey. The dizziness and vomiting stopped, only lasted about 10 days. Still some trouble sleeping. Good luck all!
I was on Celexa for not quite 2 months. I decided to quit cold turkey because while on the medicine I literally could not find the will to get out of bed ( I was prescribed it for anxiety, not depression). I would go to bed at 9 pm and sleep until 1 pm, and then need a nap again 2 hours later. I have symptoms of: nausea and mood swings but nothing else. One thing I do miss from Celexa is that it curbed my appetite so I lost 11 lbs., which in the 3 days I’ve been off of it, I have eaten so horrible and often to try and release the nauseous feeling; eating is the only thing that helps.
I first took Cit. (20 mg) November 2013 and began my tapering process in August 2014. Man what a strange process that was. I had an array of symptoms from dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and random bouts of chills! Although I can say it was much easier coming off of Cit. vs starting Cit. It was difficult though – I’m a 21 yr old female, and went through the entire process of starting and coming off of this medication by myself. I don’t recommend it. I was too embarrassed to tell my family or friends because I felt like a failure.
I took Cit because I would get horrible anxiety (especially when it comes to vomiting – my actual phobia). I am a different person since starting. I feel more confident in my ability to talk openly about my anxiety. I read a ton of self-help books to remind myself this anxiety does not define me, but is something I will overcome. I’ve learned a lot about myself and hope others feel the same. My greatest struggle was the weight gain. I put on 40 lbs while taking Cit.
My clothes don’t fit, I don’t have self confidence in my appearance, and I am ashamed to admit it has taken a toll on my ability to feel beautiful in my own skin. I look at myself in the mirror with disgust. I began the Insanity workout program back in December and have only lost 8 lbs. I work out 6Xs a week and think I eat fairly healthy for the most part. (I am a student and can’t afford to buy all organic and make juices/cleanses/etc).
I am starting to get anxious about this weight issue and wanted to reach out to see how others have dealt with theirs. Is there any hope to lose the weight? From all of the other blog posts I’ve read – I only seem to find disappointment. No one has shared useful information on the weightless process other than distress. PLEASE someone tell me there is hope and a way to get rid of the excess weight so I can go back to fitting in all of the clothes I wore only a short year ago!!! -Nikki
I am on week 2 of cold turkey from my daily dose of 40mg of citalopram, I am really struggling, headaches, sickness, irrational thinking and just feel very strange. I work in a stressful environment… prison. I cannot take any time off, but have told my line manager and as of yet have had no support (funny as that was the reason I went on the meds). Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks soooo much to all of you for sharing your experiences with celexa withdrawal. I no longer feel alone! I had been on it for at least 10 years but I also was on quite a cocktail of other anti’ds along with it. I was getting really tired of constant fog brain, unsteady gait, and tap-tap-tapping in my head (is that the brain zap?). So I decided to try getting off some of these drugs starting with celexa.
I dropped from 20 to 10 mg for close to a year. Then from 10 to 5 for a few weeks (doctor approved) then stopped about 2 weeks ago. (Doc not involved yet). Perhaps because of these other drugs I’m on I haven’t had the awful physical side effects but the irritability and vicious mood swings are driving me crazy. I haven’t seen any posts about drug cocktails and how long the irritability/anger subsides. Anyone out there have any suggestions?
I’d be interested to hear from others with a “cocktail” as well, as that is where I am. Tapering off of Cit while holding steady on Klonipin and Wellbutrin. Those are going after I get through the Cit. One thing at a time. (I have a much more extensive and annoying post awaiting moderation with all the gory details of my journey thus far.)
It will be 3 months off cold turkey from 40mg daily for 13 years. Pretty rough withdrawal… mostly irritability and obsessing. Does the body eventually re-supply the serotonin required to feel good again? When it got too bad I would take a Xanax (very rarely) and Benadryl to sleep, but dreams were too weird. It probably made the withdrawal longer :-(. Having stressful personal events hadn’t helped either I’m sure. Thank you for your information. It helps!
Hi! I’m wondering how you are doing with your withdrawal symptoms. I’ve also been on Citalopram for 13 years (half my life) and want to get off of it so badly, but it never seems like it will be a good time and I’m afraid my brain chemistry might be permanently changed. Did anyone offer you any good advice you could pass along? I wish I had some to offer you. Wishing you the best!
It’s been 8 days off of Celexa and I feel like I’m dying. I have very slowly tapered off from 30 mg in July to stopping last week. I was on the medicine for 3 years. So far, I barely have an appetite and have horrible diarrhea. Everything I eat goes right through me. I have been non stop dizzy, confused, and nauseous. My mood swings and crying have also been picking up. However, I did start taking Dramamine while at work and it does seem to help with the dizziness and nausea. I would definitely recommend trying it.
I started tapering off of Celexa, 10mg, about five weeks ago. I have been on it about 10 years (and Luvox 5 year before that). A long time to be on antidepressants but got fed up with sexual dysfunction and being dependent on a drug. Also I think it may be causing my restless leg which I have to take another drug for. Also I have put on at least 30 pounds these last few years. I did taper off from 20mg during the last two to three years already. So being on this drug so long naturally concerns me a great deal, and I would like to get off permanently.
Some days I feel down – like today. I have been achy and really irritable the last two days; I don’t even like me. I feel like crying today and have had some increases in obsessive behavior. Foggy brain is a big problem and a lot of body tension. I am hoping that the anxiety doesn’t get too bad as that is the hardest for me to cope with. During the past five weeks, I lowered the Celexa only 3.3 mg, I am not sure when to bring it down another 3 mg. I want to avoid the nasty anxiety if I can.
Thanks all for sharing what it is like to withdraw from Celexa. I’ve been on the medication for the better part of 12 years with only a brief window off for about 9 months (before a depressive episode was triggered by family events). I’ve been tapering for a few months alternating days of 10 and 20 mg, to eventually 10 mg every other day. I’m about a week out and the mood swings seem to have stabilized a bit.
I had not heard of the zaps before.. but felt a couple in the last few days. I tend to get major body twitches as I fall asleep and it reminded me of that feeling, but in my head instead of my body. I also have taken trazodone for longer that I took celexa, as I stopped sleeping regularly during puberty and never regained the ability to sleep more than 3 to 4 hours once reaching adulthood (I’m 41 now). I think that trazodone is majorly helping with the withdrawals as I’m at least rested when something spikes a touchdown in my head with anxiety or with emotions.
The good side is that emotions are not oscillating very much, BUT when I’m feeling good/happy now… it feels like happy on celexa +25% more. Vivid dreams took me by surprise though. I can’t recall much about my dreams when I’m awake, but last night I had several dreams that were vivid and memorable. The dreams were about people I haven’t spoken to in 10+ years… but oddly.. people I interacted with a lot before I started celexa.
I have been on two different SSRI’s for over ten years, after the death of my 17 year old son from cancer. I was on Paxil, which was given to me by my regular MD. After time, I started feeling worse, my doctor just told me to stop them…big mistake. The withdrawals were horrendous, but I made it through. Then went to a Psychiatrist who put me on Celexa. After 4 years it stopped working. So he started me on a brand new antidepressant.
I was taking both at the same time and then was told to stop taking the Celexa after one week. The side effects from the new one were so bad, that I ended up stopping both. Actually, my depression was better so I decided not to be put on any antidepressant. I was only on the new for about 3 weeks. But now, I’m am going through every withdrawal symptom that I have read. It’s been awful!! Some symptoms have subsided, but I am still experiencing others. The tiredness and fatigue are debilitating.
I will fall asleep and in 2 hours I am wide awake and can’t go back to sleep. The muscles on the thighs of my legs ache every single day. One day, I may feel pretty good and the next day I feel horrible. I get more agitated than I have ever been my entire life! The vivid dreams have been so bad that I have literally woke up gasping for air!! This article says that in time, it will get better, but I just read another article with personal blogs from people who say they have suffered from these withdrawals for years, not months!
I also read that these withdrawals may never go away, which scares me to death! I also take anti anxiety meds for anxiety/panic attacks which my Psychiatrist eventually wants me to try and stop…no way!!! Right now, they are the only thing that is helping, a little, to help me get through this hell!!! In my opinion, SSRI’s should be banned!
Some weeks ago I wrote a post on here about my short experience with Cit having only taken the drug for six weeks and experienced major side effects including severe drowsiness and copious amounts of stomach gas and nausea together with a mouth like sandpaper. Having stopped taking the drug and after three weeks the withdrawal effects waned dramatically and last week was relatively good!! However last weekend the gas and the nausea returned not as bad but enough for me to return to the doctor who appears at a loss as to what the problem is and whether it is the withdrawal effects or some other issue. Can I ask have other people had an improvement in there withdrawal symptoms only to have them return some time later? -Dave
I was on Celexa 20 mg for 8 years after a traumatic bereavement. I tapered quickly and have been off for 6 weeks. My symptoms of withdrawal were mild brain zaps and some crying jags and mild dizziness. Now at 6 weeks I am dealing with overwhelming fatigue. Sleeping about as much as possible on work nights and on days off… 10 hour night sleeps with a 2 hour nap in between. I am dealing with it with exercise outside in fresh air and giving in to the sleep. I have had no increased anxiety. I will however, NEVER use this medication again. I wonder why the prescribing doctor never gave me the facts when prescribing. It helped with my panic at the time but I wish I had dealt with it then differently.
Hi everyone who suffers from withdrawals from Celexa! I have been on this medication for 14 years and have tried 4 times to get off, about 3 times cold turkey and once gradually as per doctor’s recommendation. All attempts were unsuccessful. I gave up because all the side effects which you all have experienced. My children always know when I have gone off this medication. The next thing I know I call the local Mental Health and Wellness suicide line.
I think that the pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to get off this drug! As soon as I start the cold turkey method, I immediately have suicidal thoughts. Isn’t that their plan to keep you on the drug because you feel so bad without it! I’m at the place I want to get off it again, every few months I think this way. Everyone wants me to stay on it because I am “normal”. It’s very sad that people won’t come alongside you to help you be free from this horrible addiction and at least try to understand or read these comments of how difficult it is to go through withdrawal.
I have had only one very good friend of mine that has offered to help walk me through the ugliness of this addiction. Unfortunately, it is not feasible to take 6 months to a year to do this when you have a family to take care of. People say that your body NEEDS this because you were born without enough serotonin or it is a “symptom” like diabetes (I especially dislike this analogy) however, I do like the first one best though. I don’t know how true the first statement is either.
I wish there were a hospital that Celexa patients (clients) could go to like alcoholics can go to detox. The thought of withdrawing is so scary! I empathize with everyone of this blog! From “Been there” and “Still there”. :(
I have stopped taking my citalopram having been on 20mg for 6 months I have now been cold turkey for 2 weeks. In terms of my depression I have had no suicidal thoughts and no depressed mood swings. However, the withdrawal symptoms are just awful. I have felt dizzy all day everyday since coming off of the tablets and I have had extreme headaches almost daily. Hot flushes that continue throughout the night which I quite often wake up to. I found that drinking a lot of water throughout the day helps but most of the time I just need to lay in a dark room to prevent the dizziness.
So glad I found this site. 20mg for 18 months. 1 week since last tablet and I have my partner telling me I should never have come off them! Crying uncontrollably and stomach cramps are the worst for me. The pain starts at my ribs and goes down. Feels like my insides are being torn, stretched, and pulled at. I guess it’s all normal. Not nice though.
The withdrawals are the worst. I have been off of them for two weeks now. Nice to know I am not alone.
What is worse, the original symptoms, being on the drug or the detox? I can hardly tell. After several years of C, I feel like an overweight zombie with no sex drive. Trying to get off of it I feel like I have the flu and belong in a psych ward.
I went from 20 to ten mg and this is my first week and I am so glad I found this site and that I can express what is happening. I am having headaches every day and major anxiety. I had a panic attack this week and it was horrible. I am just trying to survive every hour day by day while I am going through withdrawal. That hyper feeling I used to have is gone, now it’s like I am a walking depressed soul looking for something to get excited about. I am experiencing confusion, crying spells and mood swings too. I don’t know how I am functioning but I am and its been a hard couple days. I notice my sex drive is back though and I have lost a pound or so so that is the pro of getting off this drug. Glad I could vent, I really want the headaches to go away.
I don’t even know how long I’ve been on Citalopram. I started it after trying Prozac and absolutely hated the way that made me feel. I made the mistake of trying to stop Citalopram, but I didn’t taper, I just stopped. For someone who has never ingested an illegal substance in her life, stopping abruptly made me feel like I think someone going through detox would feel. I was absolutely miserable that I stated taking it again. If you are thinking of stopping, do as they say. Discuss with a medical professional, and do so gradually. I truly don’t wish the side effects of cold turkey on anyone!
I was so happy to find this site, I thought I was going crazy, still not positive I am not but I have been experiencing all these symptoms, I started tapering a couple months ago from 40mg to 30 for 3 weeks, than 20 for 3 weeks and now I am taking 10 daily but still having the withdrawal symptoms, no head zaps just anger, hopelessness, and depression, also severe anxiety, sometimes to the point where I feel like I could just explode!
I never knew this would happen when I started taking these 10 or so years ago, I had just decided to get off them and try that 5-HTP natural supplement and now this! I am so scared. I am also a newlywed, and have just placed my dad in the nursing home this week, which has been very stressful for me. And my husband doesn’t understand what’s happened to me. I want to go to a therapist but there are so many quacks out there how do you find a good one?
I was on Citalopram for a year 20mg then raised to 40mg. Then ran out so went to Docs for a repeat prescription. I asked the Dr for 2 months worth so she told me instead of my dose being 2 x 20mg tablets she’d give me 40mg tablets and I was just to take one. Unfortunately I forgot what she said, and continued to take 2 tablets (I was thinking it was the old 40mg dose when in reality I was now taking 80mg). I ran out after a month so dropped a repeat slip in to the Docs.
When I went to pick it up there was obvious confusion as the Dr had refused to reissue a new prescription. She figured I should still have a month’s worth. When they found out I’d been taking 80mg daily there was slight panic. The Doc interrupted her patients to call the drug manufacturer to find out the effects of an overdose. Fortunately I was ok. The effects of going cold turkey for me include horrendous dizziness. The whole house seems to shift and spin. Stomach upset, can’t sleep (which I’ve never been good at), and a permanent nagging headache.
Together with the severe migraine I’ve had for over 30 years (the main reason for my depression) I’m not too great. My symptoms took 3 days to start and now after a week are terrible. Having a permanent pounding headache is the worse. I’ve been looking at the ‘TED’ talks on depression and am going to try Omega 3 EPA molecule in a 1000 dose as suggested by Dr Ilardi. Will keep my Doc informed as I know this is VIP. Thanks for all the comments at least I know I’m not going mad (ha ha)!!!
I was on celexa for 3 years. (Started taking it to deal with the stress and anxiety of high school graduation). It helped with every day anxiety but didn’t help with panic attacks. I tapered off the drug and it took me 4 months. I was on 60 mg and I went down to just 5 mg. After I stopped taking it, the symptoms started right away: Mood swings, irritability, light-headedness, headaches, weakness, crying spells, insomnia, flu-like symptoms and an upset stomach. Didn’t think that going off from 5 mg would cause this much withdrawal… its been almost a week and my symptoms don’t seem to be getting better. I’m going to wait it out. I’m very happy that I waited to come off celexa when I was on winter break from college; much easier to deal with the symptoms.
I’m on my 8th week of withdrawal from 10mg citalopram. I have taken it for 4 yrs and have stopped totally. I have experienced dreadful zaps and my irritability levels are terrible. I am reassured by comments and I will persevere until I am OK.
I was on celexa for about 6 months. I recently quit taking it cold turkey about 5 days ago because my husband and I would like to have a baby. My doctor told me that celexa is unknown to cause negative effects to an unborn baby so we did not want to risk it. I’ve been extremely dizzy and lightheaded since my first missed dose. I will drink a ton of water and eat, yet no matter what I do I’m feeling faint, lightheaded, and dizzy.
I thought I may be pregnant already but after reading withdrawal symptoms of celexa I’m starting to think that is what’s causing this. I was only taking 20mg of the celexa once a day and so far these are my only symptoms. I feel slightly tired and zoned out as well but I’m still cheerful and upbeat and have no returning depression. I will definitely check back in if my symptoms worsen or change.
I’m trying to get off of Celexa but like many others, the headache’s are so awful that I’m struggling with taking another small dose just to get the headaches to stop. For those having headaches, do you take any pain killers to manage the pain or did pain killers even seem to help? Any othe suggestions for pain management?
As a mature retired male I was recently placed on a course of Cit for anxiety, I commenced on 10 mg for a few days then progressed up to 20 mg. Within 24 hours of taking the larger dose I was into severe side effects the main ones being loss of appetite, nausea and producing large volumes of stomach wind. These together with total lethargy lying in bed until mid morning and then just sitting around all day in between long periods of daytime sleep.
Not wishing to let the drug beat me and also to at least give it a go, I continued to take the higher dose for a period of 4 weeks until my next scheduled appointment with my doctor. Having said that I had to make contact prior to the appointment and get an additional prescription of Omeprazole for the dyspepsia, which I had developed in the interim. Discussing the situation with the doctor it was agreed to reduce the Cit to the original dose of 10mg per day.
After a further week of more of the same side effects I again spoke to the doctor and agreed that the medication was unsuitable and it was having an adverse effect to that for which it was prescribed. although I have been on the medication fortunately for a short period of time the doctor advised that I should quit the 10 mg immediately. That was 11 days ago. Since then the majority of the side effects have now taken the effect of withdrawal symptoms with today probably the first day where I have seen and a slight improvement in the symptoms (which could all change tomorrow). However I am still nauseous and off my food and also lethargic but not as bad as I was.
I consider that I have been relatively fortunate that my body rejected the drug which led me to come off the drug sooner than later. However even for a short exposure to the drug the last 6 -7 weeks have not been a pleasant one. I have always taken a minimalistic view towards taking drugs of any kind, however after this experience it has made me even more cautious!!! People who have been on the drug for a substantial period and are now attempting to wean themselves off it have my sympathy.
I agree with the comments made by several writers above where they say that medics do not fully understand the effects of coming off these type of drugs, even if you have only been on them for a short period of time!! My advice to anyone being advised to take this type of drug should have a full discussion with their doctors prior to commencing a course of this genre of drugs and ensure that all of the potential pit falls are fully explained to allow an informed judgement to be made!! Yours, still struggling with withdrawal. -Dave
Hi Dave, unfortunately, I don’t think the majority of GP’s know all the side effects, especially when coming off of Celexa. The doc I started seeing want’s me to wean off Celexa and go on another. I never wanted to be on them in the first place but was “talked into it”. My fault I know. Having a full discussion with my GP was moot due to his lack of understanding. States should make sure that physicians have the latest data on these potent drugs so they can prescribe accordingly.
Lisa I agree with your comments about GP’s not knowing the potential of the effects of withdrawal, nor how extreme and devastating the effects can be on the patient. As I have said before, had I been aware of the side effects and the potential withdrawal symptoms, I would never have commenced the drug nor struggled to get on with it for so long. -Dave
About 2 months ago I decreased my dose from 20 to 10. 9 days ago I stopped taking citalopram. The first 7 days were the worst but I still hate the state I’m in at the moment. The nausea is gone but dizziness and palpitations are pretty bad. Being sat down – every few minutes I feel like my heart is beating in my throat. When moving – it’s even worse. I’m doing my best to stay concentrated. All the withdrawal symptoms are scarying me even more when I’m driving with my girls to school. It’s even harder when you haven’t got anyone to speak to about this. I wanted to say a big thank you to all the people sharing their experience and feelings. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you all :)
52 year old male, been on citalopram for 3 years, first 18 months of which were 40mg daily. I gained 16kg in weight in that time. I’ve been tapering down for the last 18 months. I didn’t find the first part of the taper (e.g. alternate 40/30, then when that had settled go 40/30/30, then 30, 30/20, 30/20/20…) too difficult, it’s the last little bit that has been hard. It didn’t help that I simply couldn’t accurately cut the tabs any smaller than 5mg (and even that was a push), so my final doses were 10, 10/5, 10/5/5, 5, 5/0, 5/0/0 and finally 0.
Each of these steps, I was *so* irritable, but I seem to have been lucky and not had much in the way of other symptoms while I’ve still been on at least a small amount. It’s since I’ve been off it completely that the symptoms have been coming on progressively. I wondered at first what was going on, since nothing I had seen or been warned about had prepared me for heap zaps, and during the last few days the dizziness has hit hard, and I’ve also been suffering digestive issues. It’s really great to find a site like this which can reassure that this is normal and will most likely (eventually) pass.
And this is with really careful tapering. Every change of dose I waited until things seemed normal again, except that my 5/0/0 regimen was probably a bit shorter than it should have been – I ran out of tablets and couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of getting any more. I’m wondering if I’m paying for that. I certainly reckon I would have suffered badly if I had tried to go cold turkey – I’ve always been able to tell later in the day if I forgot my dose that morning. I would really warn people against trying to come off too quickly.
One question – has anyone found an effect of citalopram on cholesterol levels? A few months after I started, I was found to have extraordinarily high cholesterol, all previous tests having been normal (although none of these were recent). As a result I’ve been on high statin doses the last 2 years, but I wondered if it was the citalopram that caused it, and if I might now have cholesterol that was too low. Some of the citalopram withdrawal symptoms do seem to also be features of hypocholesterolaemia. I’m seeing my consultant in a month, so I guess we’ll find out.
I have brain zaps whenever I move it is so freaking terrible I can’t concentrate and get confused alot. This is only my 2nd day without taking celexa. And I am a monster in the morning anything and everything pisses me off. I hope this will end soon :(.
I have decided to come off 20mg cold turkey after approx. 3 years, because I kept forgetting to take them and then when I would remember a few days later my mood was all over the place. I thought it would be better to stop altogether. In a lot of ways I feel more “human,” certainly more emotional and feel my sex drive coming back. I am having trouble sleeping though, I get quite irritable and keep getting real urges to self harm which I haven’t done in 15 years!
I haven’t told anybody any of this but I’m also feeling build ups of emotion which I can’t seem to control and can’t stop feeling guilty about being myself. On the outside I appear to be fine but on the inside I am struggling. Does this sound like side effects that will eventually disappear and I will be back to “normal” again soon?
Yes. That sounds like me too. I seem fine to the outside world. But inside i feel all over the place. I struggle with anxiety inside and suffer tantrums towards my boyfriend. It could be something so small, yet I make it so big in my head. I try to step back and look at the larger picture, but I just can’t seem to restrain myself at times. Definitely something new since stopping citalopram. I wish I could offer advice, from what I hear it can take months to start feeling like yourself again.
I have been weaning myself off this medication for about 4 months now, I went from 40 mg to 30 to 20 and now I’m on 10 mg daily. I didn’t realize that 40 mg was twice the standard dose and it makes sense why I’ve been experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. My doctor prescribed my the meds after my mom passed away 2.5 years ago and it definitely helped me to cope and to focus on the board exam I needed to study for. Coning off this drug has taken a huge toll on me. I’m super irritable and anxious.
What’s worse, is that I have daily headaches that are sometimes so severe (on one side of my head) that I can’t focus on my work or really anything. I’ve also been clenching and grinding my teeth throughout the night, so I wake up feeling restless and in so much pain in my rad, neck and jaw. I am hoping these symptoms lessen soon, as I will be out of my pills in 3 days. I just keep trying to stay positive about this all being worth it in the end
I have been on celexa for awhile and starting gaining weight. I went off cold turkey about a month ago. I have had crying spells over nothing. I am moody all the time no appetite at all. I haven’t had any real bad symptoms. I don’t feel like going anywhere, I am 70 years old I use to go to the YMCA and ride a bike now I don’t feel like doing that. I am hoping I’ll feel better soon. Will hang in there!
I am sleeping better. (No more suffocating while sleeping feeling.) But I continue to have episodes of extreme irritability and RAGE. Thank goodness my kids are grown and moved out. But my poor dog has borne the brunt of my ire. Not physically mind you. But she has been yelled at frequently over the past couple of days and was put outside for most of the weekend. (She’s not used to that. So she barked and whined incessantly, only feeding my irritation.)
I’m going to try to get an earlier appt with a doctor at my hospital. The one I made with my doctor is not until the end of February (b/c he’s semi-retired it’s hard to get to see him). I also cry very easily these days. Just reading a news story about an accident or death can bring me to tears. Hearing of a relative’s death via facebook had me bawling (although I had never met this person and only communicated with her via facebook, and infrequently at that).
I was on celexa 20 mg for about two years. I have now been off of it for 2 months or so and feel worse then ever. I cry over everything and have this sense of not caring. I’ve gained weight (due to my own lack of motivation) and this is not helping my depression. I get mood swings now and get annoyed very easily. On celexa I was able to let things roll off my back now I get angry at the drop of a hat. I really hope these are all withdrawal symptoms but I’m really afraid I’m just more depressed than I recall.
I’m trying the Celexa tapering AGAIN. I have been on SSRIs for 21 years and have tried coming off of them several times. I have been on Celexa 40mg for 6 years. I am doing a 5mg taper every month. It will take a while, but, this time the withdrawal is simply uncomfortable rather than unbearable. Do yourself a huge favor and be kind and gentle with withdrawal. Take your time if your situation permits. I know of people who have successfully gotten off SSRIs and live happy normal lives. Wishing you all the best.
This whole withdrawal from Citalopram has come as such a mighty shock to me. I followed the advice from my GP to the letter, tapering off slowly, and if I hadn’t found this site, I think I may have considered myself very ill, from goodness knows what. My withdrawal symptoms are the dreaded brain zaps first thing in the morning, accompanied by extreme giddiness, the day seems to settle and then by about 4.00pm I start experiencing giddiness and my anxiety levels start to rise and I feel so scared that it is going to turn into a full blown panic attack. Is there any medication that can be taken in the interim whilst these withdrawal symptoms subside or is the route grin and bear it? Please I would like some good constructive advice thank you. -Anghared
Have been on it for 8 years or more, 20 to 30 mg… just went off it and first week is proving to be very interesting.Headaches come and go throughout the day, ringing and auditory anomalies from the Brain Zaps, as well as dizziness. Had a surge of energy, almost manic, for a few days that turned into lethargy the next few days. Urge to cry more evident and my sex drive is coming back… I think! LOL.
I have been on Citalopram 40MG for about 10 years now, I am also only 29. I stopped taking it cold turkey and have had similar symptoms as you all speak about. It’s been about a week and a half and i am starting to feel normal again. I also take 2 MG of Klonopin (Clonozepam). This has been helping me come off of the citalopram but i did not consult my doctor first. I changed housing to a more sober and clean environment and also been eating healthy foods, such as lots of veggies and fruits. In my personal opinion if you want to stop you must change your lifestyle a bit as well.
You were put on it for a reason but you can stop! What has helped me were the following: Slowed down on drinking, casual walks maybe 4 times a week, changing your lifestyle (even if it means staying away from negative friends/people) and especially diet. A lot of this sounds like wow that is a lot of things, but if you are serious about getting off of the pill you will see best results and not as intense side effects if you do some/all of the items listed above. Everyone is different but that is my suggestion!
I’m over my insomnia which I had for about a week. Stimulants (alcohol, tobacco, coffee, soda) really trigger my anxiety, but I am still able to enjoy these in moderation with the right environment, people and diet even though I quit cold turkey after so many years. There is hope and everyone has to come about it a different way because we are not all the same! Hope this gives hope to those on high dosage or who want to just quit cold turkey.
RV glad to hear you are getting more settled and it shows you did the right thing. I am slowly feeling the benefits of updosing 11 days ago. My worst day ever was last Sunday when I cried all day and worried about everything. Since then my mood has improved although the anxiety and exhaustion is still there. I slept well last night and have been out with my husband this morning just for a drive in the car. I am just taking each day as it comes. Coming off too quickly has reduced me to needing a crutch to help me to walk I am so weak and dizzy. I just want to be back on my feet again and active so I can enjoy life. I expect I am feeling just the same as the rest of you I guess! Good luck everyone.
Hi all- I’m in Cancun for work and then some vacation, I feel miserable. So much nausea. It takes energy just to talk or look at people. The only time I feel halfway decent is laying in my bed, which I am doing now. I feel like I am stick inside of my head. And I can’t get out. I was thinking about how good I felt just a mere two months ago. 5mgs. It was great. My panic and anxiety have generally not returned.
Although I’m starting to wonder if the symptoms are something else. My head knows they are not. But you know. after every taper, six weeks later, a veil would lift from me and I would be balanced again. I’m waiting for that. But it doesn’t seem to be happening. Prayers are appreciated, I just need the strength to get through this. Thanks ❤️
My withdrawals from Celexa has been so horrific and persistent that there are nights I pray not to wake up in the morning. I was on Paxil 20 mg for 15 years and slowly withdrew over eight months with no effects. Then a major trauma sent me to a therapist who prescribed 40 mg of Celexa. After 10 months I began to experience side affects on the drug: extreme fatigue that hit without warning and agitation. No doctors knew why. I began researching serotonin syndrome and discovered this as side effects on the drug.
After a lot of research I decided to taper off the Celexa. Every time I went down no matter how slowly I experienced withdrawals. Finally I stopped the drug about 5 weeks ago realized, since I’m extremely drug sensitive, Celexa was probably toxic to my body. Now, I still have no quality of life. The major effect is extreme fatigue that makes functioning a struggle, sometimes having to force myself to move. I can sit on a couch and feel so miserable and fatigued I can’t stand to sit up and watch a movie.
I have some mood swings, crying over nothing, no appetite sometimes. I keep exercising when I can and eating a natural diet of veggies, fruit, grains and beans. My fear tonight that has been sobbing is that it will never end. That I have been so damaged by the drug that I’ll never be right again. I’ve feared I have some horrible disease. Sometimes I pray I do because it is at least diagnosable. Psychiatrist says she’s never known anyone to have this much trouble getting off SSRI. I have no quality of life. I’m afraid.
Jordan- I understand how you feel. You are not alone. You CAN get through this. Your body WILL readjust. You may go back to how you were pre- SSRIs- but you will get past this. I feel awful too, but something is pushing us to do this, so trust that. That’s what I’m trying to do. I sure wish we could hear from someone on this thread that has gone through this and made it to the other side… But I suppose once they’re there they have no reason to come back. Sending positivity, prayer, and hugs to everyone.
Nic. You are right. I wish someone would come back after successfully withdrawing and let us all know that it can be done. I am just at the beginning of that withdrawal journey and I would like to know that the light at the end of the tunnel is not an onrushing train!
On day 26 after 3 month tapering. Had been on it for about 10 years. Failed many tries getting it off. This time I was prepared. Taking longer time tapering it off and started taking Chinese herbs 2 months before the final cut off day. At day 26, I would say, my withdrawal symptoms is much lesser than my previous tries and lesser than most of the post here. There are hell days, but I can sleep, go work and function. You may not feel comfortable with herbs, but when you are desperate, you try all you can. That’s what happened to me. I am lucky found a good Chinese doctor that prescribe and adjust the herbs suite my need. I plan to continue taking the herbs and exercise to maintain my physical and mental health. 64 days to go!
I am in the middle of a trifecta of withdrawing. I gave up alcohol – which wasn’t a problem at all, then because that made me feel so much better, I stopped taking my RX for Wellbutrin and Celexa, both of which were pretty high doses. I began by tapering, but I got confused as to what I was taking and thought I was ok, so I stopped about a week ago. Now I am suffering from dizziness, fatigue, an unbearable itching all over my body and nausea. I was afraid it would never stop until I read this. Hopefully, in a month or so, I’ll be a whole person again. I will NEVER take any of these meds again.
Hope everyone is hanging in there. I’m doing a bit better May. Hope things are working better for you. Lots of people here have it rough. I think I made the right decision to updose. I’m settling down. My main goal right now is to stabilize my sleep. People everywhere sure struggle with sleep. Guess lots of stress out there. I guess it takes time to work through this. I’m impatient. We all just wish to feel normal and healthy. One day at a time. How’s everyone else doing?
45 yr old female. I was on 40 mg citalopram (Celexa) and 150 mg buproprion (Wellbutrin) for years: 10+ for the citalopram; 3+ for the buproprion. The last time I saw my psychiatrist he said that he thought it would be ok for me to get off the citalopram. I told him that I’d think about it. I was afraid of getting of the meds because I could remember how awful I felt before starting them and never wanted to feel like that again in my life.
Well on Veterans Day (11 Nov) I decided to quit the citalopram. I didn’t talk with my doctor about it. I just stopped taking the pills. I hadn’t even considered that I may have to taper down. And I never talked about how to get off of it with my doctor; we only discussed the possibility. The first week was okay. I was waking up earlier (without falling back asleep like I normally would), feeling much more energized throughout the day.
Toward the end of that week and into the next couple I got minor dizziness and brain zaps. It would only be three swings each time – like my head would feel like it was swinging left (like when you drink too much) accompanied a brain zap. It was only an occasional occurrence and always three quick times in a row and then stop. I also got Extreme Irritability and would feel Rage easily. This could be when I was driving, watching TV, or even just remembering something that had upset me previously (earlier in the day or week or even from years ago).
I yelled at my pets or at the emptiness or under my breath and would feel my heart just pound and lose my breath. And starting in the last week or so I have started having infrequent episodes of crying, where I will bawl over something stupid like a commercial or movie or news article. Also, after about a week (maybe less) of quitting I would wake up every hour or two from sleep. I’d feel wide awake, but if it was too early I’d stay in bed and eventually fall back asleep. But if it was after 5:00 I’d just get up. I was only getting 4-6 hrs of sleep a night.
Very unusual for me. I’ve always been an exceptional sleeper, at least 8 hrs a night and 10-12 hrs even better. This last week or so the irritability has decreased to almost never. Same with the dizziness/brain zaps. But at the same time I started experiencing the worst effects by far: Just as I drift off to sleep I am suddenly awakened by the feeling that I can’t breathe. I’m actually fine. I know because my daughter was with me one night when it happened (twice while she was there) and she told me that I wasn’t even struggling for breath.
That I just startled awake and told her that I was having trouble breathing. Now this doesn’t happen every night, but when it does, it happens over and over every time I try to drift off to sleep again. Until eventually, in the wee hours of the morning, I finally get to sleep. But I still awaken early in the morning and can’t get back to sleep. Sometimes it’s 4AM, sometimes 5 or 6, but never later than 6AM.
You can imagine how this sleep deprivation just snowballs. The last time I had a suffocating night was Saturday night. I was so frustrated, scared, despairing and feeling like I couldn’t handle this. I was feeling desperate, frantic, panicked, anxious and hopeless. I was exhausted, not necessarily sleepy or tired, but I felt like I really needed sleep. Unfortunately like the previous times, every time I would drift off I’d wake up gasping for air. This went on for hours, half a dozen times or more.
Now here’s the caveat: I also have sleep apnea, so I snore, and I have a CPAP machine that helps keep my airway open, but sometimes I can’t use it when my nose/sinuses are stuffed up because I need to breathe only through my nose to use it. So when this (waking up every hour or two, not being able to sleep in anymore, and the suffocating thing) started happening I wasn’t sure if it was my sleep apnea, or withdrawal symptoms, or something else all in my head. I did find some articles and comment boards where others related the same type of thing when they stopped using SSRIs (Paxil).
Well, I did find a solution to the suffocation thing. I use a vaporizer in my room, and wear a breathe strip across my nose for an hour or so before I go to sleep. Then when it’s time to sleep I wear my sleeping mask (CPAP) over the breathe strip. When I use my CPAP it helps a lot. I slept 7 hrs straight on Sat night (the only time I slept that long uninterrupted and past 6 since I stopped). Last night I slept 6 hrs, and woke up and took my sleeping mask off some time in the night, but not sure after how long, but that was the only time I woke up.
I have an appt with my primary care doctor tomorrow, and one with my psychiatrist on 25 Feb (he’s nearing retirement and only works one day a week now, so he’s hard to book, and I didn’t want to see someone new, since he’s been my doc all these years). Maybe between the two of them I can figure out if this is a physical problem (sleep apnea, CPOD, asthma, lung cancer) or a withdrawal symptom or psychosomatic. I know it’s been a long post, but I wanted to mention the sleeping problems and give details about them in case anyone else has them.
Hi all… I need some help. I’ve been so nauseous for days. I’m so tired. I feel like I have the flu coming and going. I thought all the way off almost 6 weeks. I feel like each week is a different symptoms. I don’t want to go back, I’ve spent two years tapering. I’m scared though, what if this is my new life?
Hello Nic, I am so sorry you are going through all these problems so far down your road. I can’t really offer any practical advice to you because my situation is different. I did a too quick taper and got down to 10mgs but have been suffering ever since and had to go back up to 20mgs a week ago. I am suffering from the same symptoms as you. All I can offer is a little comfort to say I am thinking about you and hope you find the strength to get through. Hopefully, someone with more experience than me can come to help you. Keep on posting here so we can see how you are.