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. Â This is not as common of a symptom as others, but can be difficult to deal with if you are dealing with this. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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 have been on celexa for a year and have had low sex drive and gained 20 lbs. I also noticed a increase in appetite. I am now weaning off this med and it has been terrible. It’s like a really bad flu and I’m tapering like you are suppose to. It helped with my depression, but all the other symptoms are hard to deal with.
Wow, I’m glad I found this thread. Thank you to everybody who has contributed to it. I had felt very alone through the whole process. 40mg citalopram, 10 years or so. Then at some point along the way, we added clonazepam. I got off that back in January of this year. I’ve been gradually lowering my dose of c-pram since then. First down to 20mg. It was a nightmare. Then down to 10. Then 10 every other day, then finally nothing, as of 7 days ago.
The feeling of turning my head and my brain not being caught up – I call that “bungee brain” – is still lingering. I had the zaps very bad yesterday, coupled with an acute anxiety attack – but managed to get through it. I hope that was my “grand finale” of withdrawal pain. My moods have been remarkably unpleasant. I’ve made sure the people who are most important to me (teammates, close friends) all know what I’m going through, so hopefully they can forgive me in the end. I know I’ve said plenty that I wish I could take back when my moods were all over the place.
There are parts I don’t remember, and maybe that is for the better. I’m not 100% sure I’m over the withdrawal now, but I think I’m close. It can’t get any worse than what I’ve already been through. To anybody who may have ended up here while looking for information about quitting – you see some unpleasant stories here, but I can say, it’s worth it. Today is day 7 of no citalopram for me, and even with a bit of bungee brain remaining, I feel better today than I have in a very long time.
You can get off this stuff, and it is worth it. Next up I’m quitting smoking for good. One thing this experience has taught me, if I can get through this, I can quit smoking no problem. Good luck to you all.
Have been taking 10 mg for the last three years, but I usually stop taking it in the summer months. Each time I have cut my dose to 5 mg for a day or two and then go cold turkey. The dizziness and brain zaps usually stay around for a week or two, but then go away. This summer was the first that I have experienced bad dreams, but luckily that went away after the first 3-4 days or so.
One common thing that I have noticed is that I need a lot of sleep during the first week or two of withdrawal, I believe this is because the med causes sleeplessness, which in my case means I can get by with a lot less sleep….once I quit taking it, I think my body immediately begins trying to play catch up. The good news is I usually feel great after being off of the med for about 2 weeks, I am only on day 9 this year so we shall see.
I have just finished my second drug free week after 8-10 years on citalopram. The second week was the worst with mood swing, irritability, thoughts of hanging myself, tearfulness, further impounded by arguments with friends family and colleagues. I pray to god this gets easier. Otherwise it’s back on it I go. What a catch 22.
I’m so grateful for the honest reports of others. I’ve been taking variations of Citalopram for over 20 years, most recent years in a 20mg daily dose. I believe I was once misdiagnosed with simple depression and instead have something more like bipolar, I dunno. I told a doctor that I wanted to improve my deteriorating energy level, wanted to regain my ability to read and concentrate and hopefully become a less irritable person in the process.
He sent me to a psychiatrist. This doctor suggested I ramp off the drug and revisit in 3 weeks. He gave me a prescription for Lorazepam to take the edge off if necessary, I’ve used it 5 times in 3 weeks. I lowed my previous dosages in the past and knew 3 weeks would be abrupt but tried. For those weeks, everything went great and my energy level increased quite a bit. My irritability and lack of concentration had not changed, however. A day before my meeting I felt I should get off the drug entirely as discussed and went in reporting some dizziness but everything else okay.
He told me to start another drug for irritability but I never filled it, instead wanting to ride out the dizziness and electrical shocks so many speak of. By the 3rd day I went into a deep, deep depression and because it was Memorial Day weekend, could not reach anyone to help. I’m a 56 year old man that doesn’t cry much do now at the slightest emotional twinge. The doctor is out for a week but I got through to him to discuss my problem. He said to quit taking any medications and try to get an earlier appointment than three weeks.
I’m floored at the number of us who have an obvious difficulty getting off this drug and yet the doctors are apparently insensitive to the new problems it presents. I’m going back to 2.5-5mgs to try to wean off a little slower because I cannot concentrate at all now and am nearly unable to function. I pray that our Lord will help each of you through your struggles. He does NOT want anyone to deal with such adversity, I guarantee you. May His Peace carry you through.
I cut my 20 mg in half in Jan and now it’s May and I cut to 5mg for a week. By the 3rd day I had a really bad headache but on the 4th day it was gone. I also stopped the 5mg on the 4th day. The only remaining symptom I have is nausea which has lasted two week so far. Can’t wait to get past this point. My ability to become aroused just by looking at an attractive woman is slowly returning and I’m happy about that since it’s been gone a while. My senses seem to be a little sharper now like the feel of the breeze on my skin. It’s amazing that you don’t even realize you are not feeling these things until you feel them again.
I had been taking 20mg a day for the past 8 or so years and decided 3 weeks ago to stop cold turkey. I had about 6 weeks earlier stopped another medication and had a few weeks of feeling slightly odd, dizzy, tired etc but overall that passed quite quickly. I then thought this would be the same. Oh how wrong could I be. For the first few days I felt OK in fact I was feeling energized and cleaned the house thinking I had my old energy back. Yay!
Around day 4 or 5 my mood swung considerably and I was experiencing a feeling of deep depression, crying uncontrollably one minute, laughing hysterically the next, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, dreadful dizziness (as others have described) when you turn your head it feels like your brain and eyes are on 10 sec delay, and suicidal thoughts. I have had the worst insomnia of my life and when I am asleep horrible vivid dreams. This has gone on for over two weeks now and it has been terribly debilitating and depressing and I feel it will never end.
I don’t know why I thought I could just stop taking a powerful drug such as this without tapering it off. Really stupid. My advice to anyone considering this plan or action is to not do it…slowly, slowly. I have been so unwell I have considered going back on them but everyday I get through I try to remind myself how this is temporary and I will be better off in the end, medication free. My family beg to differ, but I am determined to persist even though I feel dreadful for putting myself and them through this. I will update in a few weeks to let you know how things have improved.
Wow – I’m so glad to find this article and forum! I stopped taking cit two days ago – I’d been taking it for about a year and a half at 40mgs for most of the time. I felt that although it helped with some of the problems (of which it definitely helped a lot) there were still issues such as anxiety attacks, binge eating, etc. – that it wasn’t helping with and was masking some problems. I also felt that at 40mgs I was not filtering myself properly in social situations and sometimes would say things that were quite immature in public or to my partner that I would cringe about afterwards and couldn’t believe I had said.
So I finally decided to go back to my doctor who has prescribed prozac for me to try. I had already gone down from two cit tablets a day to one and a half and my doctor basically got me to go down to one tablet for three days to half a tablet for three days and two days of no tablets before starting the prozac. By the third day of just half a tablet I was starting to feel very strange and over the weekend I slept and slept and slept – I couldn’t think properly at all on the Saturday afternoon and have virtually been in tears over nothing.
I went back to work today and found it very difficult to function and again felt like bursting into tears. I’ve felt dizzy and whenever I turn my head my brain feels like it’s travelling about a second behind! :) I’m very pleased to be off this stuff and I’m looking forward to trying the prozac but if that doesn’t help then I’m going to give up on meds I think – especially after going through this WD – it can’t be good for you if this is how it makes you feel. I’m really looking forward to dropping some of the weight that I’ve gained.
I’ve also read that prozac will help with binge eating and I really hope that it’s going to help with the issues that cit couldn’t help with, but if not then I think that exercise and a healthy lifestyle will be the best medication. Its been really reassuring to read everyone else’s experiences and I’m glad to know that I’ve not been going mad over the last few days – I wasn’t sure if I had the flu but looking at everyone’s comments it seems like a bit of cold turkey. All the best for your WDs everyone and hope everything works out for you :)
I have been taking 10 mg for 16 years. I have tried at least 3 times to stop. This time I am determined to succeed. My only bad side effect has been the dizziness, which has been bad. The good thing has been my blood pressure seems to be getting almost back to normal and my blood sugars with the effort of eating better are getting more to normal. I have had a couple of nose bleeds (which I have never had in my life) and don’t know if it is related to the withdrawal. Checking with my doctor today. It has been 2 weeks now and except for the dizziness I feel I am going to get through this, this time. Thank God!
I’ve been on Celexa for 2.5 years or so and on the highest dosage (40 mg). I am currently 6 weeks pregnant and the pharmacist instructed me to taper off pretty quickly. I went down to 20 mg for 3 days and now I’m at 10 mg for 1 more day. I am having the worst withdrawal symptoms on top of my crazy pregnancy hormones. I was wondering if anybody else had to taper off due to pregnancy and how did you manage it?
I was on 20mg for a year for depression and insomnia, went cold turkey and suffered from: exhaustion, insomnia (worse than normal), drowsiness, dizziness, headaches and more. I went back on it, as I felt like my brain was in a state of spinning constantly and being unbalanced in the process, so I went back on it but on to 10mg.
After two months of this, I decided to stop (2/3 weeks ago) and whilst I have the symptoms, they are not as bad, as irregular and as bearable. Whilst I dropped the does I did go cold turkey and this has personally worked for me. My point is if you stop, and can’t bare the consequences you can still come off it but it will just take some time.
I’m not going completely of the Celexa just reducing it but it’s still hard for me. After decreasing in I was feeling fine the first 3 days or so but then it hit me. I’ve been shaking and nauseated for about 2 days. The thought of eating makes me want to thrown up. To put an icing on the cake I had both my roomies telling me I’m a slob and they’re sick of picking up after me. I haven’t stopped crying since.
I think lowering the dosage has made living with 2 people who have no idea what I’m going through hard. I’ve been on different antidepressants for 10 years and have been hiding from my friends and coworkers knowing that they don’t understand. People automatically think when you’re on antidepressants you’re suicidal, which isn’t the case. People who don’t live with the disease have no idea what we go through. On top of them not knowing what goes through my mind with the depression, trying to go through withdrawal is even worse. They just don’t understand.
So I haven’t been on Celexa for very long at all. probably around 6 months.And I was on the lowest dosage 10 (which was all I needed). My body responds well to medication. I wanted to stop taking it because I was already having that fear about trying to get myself off of it And how hard it would be to get off. I cut them in half for a week and then cut them into quarters for only 2 days. I must say, the side effects of not taking them are very terrible.
I feel nauseous 24/7! Very moody, my head feels tingly when I’m walking around, I can’t eat very much, I’m anxious. I really do hand it to you guys that have been on this stuff for 10+ years and are now getting off. I’ve only been on it for a few months and the symptoms from getting off are INTENSE! Great job you guys. Hang in there! We are obviously all in this together. :)
I am currently experiencing all of these. I quit cold turkey due to mixed answers from multiple doctors and recently got pregnant. Today is Day 6. I feel all of these. It’s been hard with the added hormones from being pregnant. I just know it won’t last. Strength and good vibes to those of you who are experiencing this as well. You can do it!
I’ve been taking 20 mg of Celexa for about 6 years. I love it – never experienced any of the side effects I read about online except for a 20 lb. weight gain over the 6 years, but I can’t blame Celexa for that. My doctor recommended I “take a holiday” from Celexa for about a month to see if I still need it. This was 5 days ago. He also said this: “It takes about 4-6 weeks for any symptoms to happen, either beginning or stopping Celexa.”
Is that anyone’s experience? I told him that if I miss a day or two, I notice that I’m immediately more irritable, and he said that I “respond incredibly well to the placaebo effect.” I thought that was funny. Now I’m experiencing a weird, flowing pressure in my head and chest, but I can’t say it’s dizziness or headache. Anyone else have this? And I’ve been weepy and PISSED, but there’s a reason so I don’t know if it’s enhanced by the C withdrawal.
If anyone reads this and has some feedback, I’d really like to hear it. I loved being on Celexa. Why does anyone want to get off? If I have high anxiety levels over the next month, I’ll start up again. Life is really great on Celexa. Is there anyone out there who can relate? Thanks.
I truly can not thank you enough for writing this article. I was terrified thinking I had MS, diabetes or something along those lines. The worst symptom I have been experiencing is the brain zaps. I have never felt anything like this in my life. I was on Celexa 40mg and I foolishly stopped taking it suddenly, I wanted to face problems in my life head on again. I got on it in the first place when my grandmother passed away in my work place last year in October.
Being on Celexa made me want to lay in bed all day, I was never motivated to do anything unless someone pushed me so much that I would force myself to do it. Getting to work on time was becoming an issue, and I had no energy. I am 27 years old, and before I was on celexa I would ride horses, go to the gym and go to work for 8-16 hours. So I haven’t been a fan of this lack of energy.
I SHOULD have not stopped taking celexa suddenly, I wish I had found this site first because I would have done things differently. Again the worst symptom I have been dealing with are the brain zaps. I have also had insomnia, headaches, an upset stomach and I cried yesterday for the first time since my grandmother’s funeral last year. In a way it was a blessing. For anyone reading this now please don’t be afraid, you can make it through.
Try your best to go and do what makes you happy! I have been surrounding myself with horses again, and today I worked out for an hour at the gym (even with the darn brain zaps) I have a headache atm, but now I have hope that I will be fine and these symptoms will eventually fade away. Thank you so much again for writing this article!!!!
After a screw up at the VA clinic I have been without my Celexa for a week tomorrow. I called the pharmacist about symptoms I was having wondering if this is why I felt so bad. They made it sound as if Celexa was not to blame. Horrible dizziness, to the point of feeling like I was going to pass out. So tired, couldn’t hardly function, think. Had to leave work and go home to sleep today. Nauseous, heartburn, been having bad dreams…
Well let me tell you, after looking this up myself and finding this website, I am floored but relieved to know withdrawal is EXACTLY what is happening to me!!! I have been on Celexa for many years (8-10) because of depression & anxiety. While on it I had a suicide attempt . I feel I am always irritable even while on the meds. Still depressed, big mood swings. My question is this – do I continue the med when I get them or trudge through the withdrawal and get off these horrible meds? Will the depression worsen? Do I really feel better with them? I don’t know where to turn or what to do. Please shed some light on this for me.
I have been completely off citalopram just over 4 months now and can tell that it does get better. The worst time I had was probably the fist two months, you can read my posts right at the top. I feel more myself now, but still not 100%. I have uncovered anxiety and days when I feel depressed, lack of motivation and fatigue, gastro reflux and cough connected with reflux since I stopped citalopram over 4 months ago.
But all that is now bearable, comparing to when you first stop. I now feel happy to be completely free of citalopram and not being dependant on it, even though I still need more time to recover. For me it takes long, but you might recover much quicker, as we are all different. I am learning to deal with stress without citalopram, it’s as hard as if you are learning to walk again. But do not get discouraged, it will take time, but we shall recover!
Have come off citalopram for about just over a week now. The first couple of days were ok just a bit of dizziness. Gradually symptoms have become worse and today I have hit an all time low. Should be at work right now but have had to go home since I have been have been bursting into tears every 15 minutes! The dizzy spells and headaches are more severe and I feel that I may have killed someone if I had stayed at work. I really don’t want to give in and start taking them again, when will this end?
I starting taking Citalopram a little over years ago, it helped a bit, but not really. At the time I was encourage to persevere and “give them a chance to work”, 12 months later, at the max dosage of 40 mg, the result were poor, but now I had an addiction… I tried many time to wean of them, but always got to that point where it seemed too hard, so I went back in them, time after time. So after 8 years, and putting on 40kgs, losing urges that I once loved, it was time to get it done.
For me, I focused on the 90 day cycle, as there are no shortcuts when it come to rebalancing your body’s chemical structure. Each dosage reduction, was held for 90 days, until I was on 5mg for 90 days. Its been 1 week now with no Citalopram, I have had some mild dizziness, some mild irritability, but apart from that, all good, and I can feel things improving already. Cold turkey is always an option, but not a good one, plan your withdrawal from this drug, commit to the plan and stick to it. Good luck!
I was on 10mg of Celexa for anxiety and moderate depression 3 years, then my doctor raised it to 40mg which I was on for a year. I felt better at first but within a couple months my motivation became broken and all I wanted to do is sleep, I also gained a lot of weight that no matter what I did I couldn’t lose it which despite the Celexa I was even more depressed. I was put on Celexa because I had a allergic reaction to every other drug, Wellbutrin being the worst with mystery welts all over my body.
I went from 40mg, to 20mg, to 20mg every other day, to 20mg a week. I’ve been off Celexa for going on the third week. I didn’t feel the withdraws until mid first week and they hit hard; dizzy, cloudy thoughts, brain zap from hell, nausea, headaches, active gag reflex, and sleepy all the time. I started looking into essential oils and supplements, and started taking 5-HTP which lessened the zaps and dizziness, ginger root which helped the nausea, B-12 and Green Coffee Bean that kept me alert.
Pure Lavender oil rubbed on forehead everyday and back of neck gets rid of headaches, Lemon and Lilac oil helps me feel good about everything. Into week three I have only mild zaps and now a overactive gag reflex which is just as annoying as the zaps because every hint of a foul smell sends me into a dry gagging fit. Hell I can’t even handle myself going potty (LOL). I use to dislike hearing “This too shall pass,” like what? A gallstone or a gummy bear? Now I’m hoping it’s a gummy bear (LOL).
I went through a very hard time withdrawing from Lexapro but I did it until I developed derealization disorder. I substituted Celexa a year ago. I have been tapering and am now off completely for ten days. I feel like I have the flu. My body temperature fluctuates wildly. I have a chronic headache and body aches. I have insomnia and I’m lethargic as can be. I cry and I’m irritable. Unless I get derealization symptoms again, I will never take this class of drug. Never, ever, ever.
My doctor prescribed Citalopram for my hot flashes. I took it for several years and decided I could probably quit taking it. I followed the advice of my pharmacist and gradually weaned off of it over the course of about ten weeks. I haven’t taken any now for about three weeks and am experiencing severe dizziness. The hot flashes and night sweats are much worse than when I started the Citalopram. I’m not sure if I should restart it or suffer through the dizziness until it goes away, and try to find another solution for the hot flashes. Any thoughts?
So day two stopping cold turkey 20 mg Celexa. I can’t sleep. I feel like I’m dying. My stomach hurts so much I’m so nauseated and dizzy. I feel like I’m dying.
After several years on Celexa I decided that I was fed up with the weight gain and the need to up my dosage every few months. I am the type of person that has to do something immediately once he makes up his mind to do it, so I quit cold turkey. The first few weeks were fine. However, the depression now seems to be coming back and I am constantly irritable. Anything will set me off.
I have also begun to hurt all over, especially my legs and feet. Seems like it is a real pain just to get around. I realize after reading some of the comments on this page that I am not going crazy or coming down with some dreaded disease but am actually going through withdrawal. I plan to stay off the Celexa, but at this point, think it will be quite an experience before it’s all over. Thanks for everyone’s help.
I am so very thankful I found this site. I haven’t had celexa in about ten days. Ran out waiting for the doctor to get back with the pharmacy and decided to just try not taking it. I have been on 40mg a day for at least ten years. I feel horrible but I had no idea it was withdrawals. Now at least I know why I’m having all these symptoms. The only ones I have that I’m not seeing here are chest pains. I’m not suicidal but I want to cry. I haven’t cried much in the last ten years or really had many strong emotions at all. I’m ready to try living again. The nausea is really the worst right now though. That and having trouble concentrating. Yay. I’m not going crazy or coming down with something fatal. It’s just withdrawals and will eventually go away :)
Hi I have been on citalopram for 6 years now and feel forced to go cold turkey!! I cannot get a GP appointment for 3 weeks and have been refused a repeat prescription. I am on day 4 and suffering bad headaches, dizziness and nausea. Also horrendous sleep problems! I am determined to beat this but it’s so difficult when working full time. Which includes over 1 hour drives to and from work! Hope these symptoms ease soon.
I have been off celexa for 5 days, cold turkey. I have had vomiting, everything I eat goes right through me, I can’t sleep well. The hardest is the electrical shocks that go through my body. We figure it will be about 5 months for the withdrawal symptoms to go away. I’m just having a hard time with these shocks. How did you deal with them? Anyone?
Wow. I feel lame after reading some comments of the veterans of this med. I have only been taking it for 6 months for severe social anxiety, then decided to stop cold-turkey due to the fact that it was irritatingly hard to achieve an orgasm. (I know, TMI.) A week or so after stopping and for 5 days now, it is like a scheduled hell. I wake up in the morning, drag myself out of bed (I must because I have a toddler and a 7 month-old), and the dizziness immediately starts.
It feels like a mild version of what people have described as brain zaps. Then I eat breakfast, which makes everything worse. I sit there in a stupor, feeling dizzy, weak, and slightly nauseous. I try not to nap, but usually pass out for a few around 10, when the baby naps. Then I feed the kids and myself… and then Im feeling even more dizzy, nauseous, and now I have some pressure in my head. So I put the kids down, then struggle reluctantly through my P90X workout. I always feel a bit better after I work out, but still get those funky dizzy brain zap thingies.
Then, a few hours later, Im beginning to feel that aura that tells you that an inevitable migraine is coming. Then I eat, and after dinner, bam! Migraine city. (Eating seems to make everything worse.) I have some irritability, but no crying spells. I did actually have a suicidal thought, but its only because I don’t want to feel all this pain anymore. I have lost 5 lbs in the past 5 days, which may sound nice to some, but is actually very scary. I, having never been addicted to anything in my life, didn’t realize that I was going through withdrawals. I thought I was getting seriously sick from something.
I was paranoid that I might have gotten a parasite somehow. I am a little relieved to know what is going on, but a little scared at how long this is going to last! I didn’t experience any withdrawals at all when I stopped taking it when I got pregnant, but then I had been taking it for less than a month. How long can I expect this withdrawal thing to happen after only being on this stuff 6 months? Does anybody know? I cant stand the thought of going off on my 2 year-old for stupid crap or having a nightly migraine for months! :(
I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder 3 years ago and have been on 40mg since. I have suffered around a 2 stone weight gain, and with that I have just decided that I am quitting the meds once and for all!! I don’t advise just stopping cold turkey as the side effects were horrible but I am now day 8 without anything! It was against my doctors advice that I just stopped, but the weight gain was causing massive anxiety and depression. Any advice is welcomed!
I started on Celexa in February of 2014 due to extreme anxiety. I had so many attacks that I was taking Xanax several times a day. The PA I was seeing at the time put me on Celexa and it has helped tremendously with my anxiety. About a month ago, 12 months after taking 10 mg of Celexa daily, I had finally realized that I was steadily gaining weight and was TIRED ALL THE TIME! I talked to the PA to see what he thought about it.
He determined that if it was the Celexa that was causing the weight gain and fatigue these problems would have surfaced sooner than almost a year later after starting the medication. He wanted me to come in to have my blood tested to see if there was something else. It was determined that I had a thyroid problem and my sugars were fine. He wanted to put me on levothyroxine. He said that my sugar levels were fine. That stuff only made me MORE tired!
Finally I found this page. I read all your comments and realized that I was not alone. That the Celexa was likely the culprit. I called the PA again and through his assistant he told me I should quit Celexa. He didn’t give me instructions with how to do it. It was my habit of researching everything that led me to find that I should taper off and not quit cold turkey. I cut my dose in half for two weeks and have now been taking it about every other day.
I tried stopping all together after two weeks of the lower dose and after about three days I couldn’t take it anymore and had another of the lower doses. The pings and brain confusion are tough! Now knowing that this could last three months! This is gonna be tough! Been on Celexa for just over a year. About a month ago I was beginning to wonder if my fast weight gain of over 40 lbs from August 2014 till March 2015. I was also experiencing extreme fatigue. I could get a nice night’s sleep then still sleep another 4 hours or so in the day.
*UPDATE*: I am about 2.5 months off of Celexa. I was taking 10 mg daily and am happy to say I have had no anxiety. The PINGs stopped but I don’t remember exactly when. I am still dealing with brain fog, a feeling of just coming off of a carousel which makes me irritable. I still feel tired constantly. But at least I don’t need to sleep all day anymore. I am crossing my fingers that day 90 is going to be my magic number and I can start to get my life back!
Coming off Citalopram (Celexa) after a few years. Had no idea the withdrawal symptoms would be so severe. Have got through terrible itching, but currently feeling dizziness – my brain is sliding around in my skull with aches and pains all over. Am nervous of driving because of the dizziness. Daunted to see it may last months…
I sure made a big mistake! Thinking my 40MG of Celexa did not help me any more I stopped 6 days ago and have every symptom I have read. The mood swings and crying seem to be the worst. I am going to see my doctor today and I am sure he will not be happy, since I called him late last night like a crazy lady. I am on so many meds that I am afraid my liver and kidneys will start to fail, which does not help my depression. I just felt like I need to vent to people who understand how I am feeling. Let’s see what the Doc says today.
I am a 41 year old male. I first experienced anxiety symptoms in Feb 2014. Chest pains, sense of doom etc. After the diagnosis, I especially remember 1 week when it was awful – where I just didn’t feel like myself and was worried if I’ll ever get better. I was put on 10mg of Citalopram daily – which I was asked to take first thing in the morning. Within two weeks, the symptoms were very well under control. The only side effect was delayed orgasm – I didn’t like this at first, but then learnt to accept it.
I was also given 1mg of Lorazepam to take when I felt anxious and consulted with a psychologist for anxiety relief strategies. I used to take marijuana every weekend from around 2006 to 2013. I mention this because I believe I was self medicating. But I also believe this may have something to do with the anxiety related symptoms I faced. I had decided to quit marijuana for several reasons. One of them was that marijuana actually started giving me inexplicable levels of anxiety.
There were episodes when I was ‘bugging out’ and was convinced I was going to die. So I quit marijuana in August 2013 and haven’t taken it since. Side note here: since marijuana is a street drug, there is no control on the strain and potency of what one consumes. I know people have strong feelings about using marijuana, but I think it can exacerbate mental health issues. Please apply discretion if you need to use it. My psychologist thought that my anxiety could be caused by ADD and referred me to a psychiatrist who readily prescribed Vyvanse.
It was a wake up moment for me – where at 41 I could very well end up hooked on to prescription medication. Doctors seem to resort to highly potent medication as the first option. I decided to get off prescription medications all together. I devised a plan to taper off Citalopram and informed my doctor of my decision and approach. He ratified it and I have been completely off Citalopram for a month now.
I did have the symptoms come back 2 weeks after I stopped Citalopram. But I was able to see through it. I have to say I feel much better and really in better control of my body and mind. I wish everyone who is looking to get off Citalopram the best. Its not easy – but if you are doing it for the right reasons, and have the right support, it’s doable. Wish you all the very best.
Hi I’m 6 months off citalopram, slow withdrawal over a year from 40mg. I am STILL not 100% after all this time. I was on them for 3 years and came off slowly. I feel suicidal some days, anxious and depressed. I do not want to go back on any medication. Has anyone got some positive thoughts on my situation? Thank you.
95 days of complete withdrawal from Citalopram. Dear all, for those who have read my previous posts right at the top, just wanted to update you. It’s day 95 of complete withdrawal from Citalopram today. I am still not well, unfortunately for me it takes longer than the average 90 days. I do have good days, like the last 2 days, when my head was clear, I felt more normal and even cleaned the whole house. But today back to feeling lethargic again, not wanting to do anything.
About a week ago I felt severe anxiety again and severe numbness around the heart area, heart pounding, heart racing. Still suffering from severe gastro-reflux and because of that have developed laryngitis, which made me cough for about 3 months now. Well, at least I am having good days now, where I start feeling normal, which is positive. I shall continue my journey of recovering with God’s help and will keep you posted as usual. I shall have a bit of rest now and push myself to go to the gym later (exercise does help!). -Irina
I’ve been on Citalopram for about 6 months. I called them my “divorcing a narcissist pills.” I am very much against antidepressants (although I acknowledge their use in certain situations or for certain people), but I decided to start because my anxiety was so severe that I could physically feel adrenaline and cortisol being released for minor incidents, like stabbing a toe. It was stressful and sickening, so I asked my doctor for temporary meds as I transitioned through my life change.
I noticed positive effects for the first 2 months or so, but after that I questioned its efficacy. I also complained of horrendous flatulence (it’s true! Sorry!) to my doctor, but she was skeptical. Prior to the meds, I’d never had an anxiety attack. I’ve had 3 in the last 3 months while ON the meds. I also recently met a wonderful man, but unfortunately I’ve noticed some sexual side effects, such as difficulty climaxing. I weighed the pros and cons and decided it’s doing more harm than good at this point, so I’m tapering off.
I was on 20mg once daily, and my doctor recommended tapering first to 1/2 tab (10mg) daily for one week, then 1/2 tab every other day for one week, then discontinuing. I’m in the beginning of week 2, the final week, and I’m feeling “off.” I feel sort of dizzy and odd, especially with certain movements of my upper body. It almost feels nervey, like my nerves in my head, neck, and upper back are overreacting to movement. Other than that, I feel okay so far. I’m hoping it doesn’t get worse, and I’m a bit nervous about re-emergence of anxiety and depression, but I’m trying to stay positive and just flow through these changes.
I have been on Celexa (or at times Effexor) since I was 18 years old. Enough. I have no idea what this stuff has done to me over the long-term, nor what it will do to me in the future. I have tried to get off before, and every time felt like death. This time I am sticking with it. It has been way too long. Brain Zaps, nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, crazy dreams, irritability, trouble focusing…you name it, I’ve got it.
I can’t wait to get off this stuff and find out who I actually am off it. Thank GOD my 3 children are happy and healthy – who knows what the risks of birth defects are due to long term use by the father. Oh yeah, and I have been 35 lbs over-weight since I was about 20. No matter what, I could never get down and keep it off. Hopefully this will change too.
I was on Citalopram for 3.5 years from 40mg finally down to 10mg. I’m on Day 4 without it and god the combination of nausea, dizziness and brain zaps are horrible! Any advice on how to deal with these specific symptoms will be gratefully received. I’ve waited until I can work from home, don’t have to travel much for a couple of weeks and feel mentally strong enough to handle it, but right now the only thing that makes the withdrawals bearable is laying down and I can’t do that for weeks. Any recommendations?
I have been taking 40 mg of Celexa for years. I may need to take Zithromax for a while and it conflicts with Celexa so, with permission from my psychiatrist, I am reducing. He suggested starting the reduction at 20 mg. I can see from reading that perhaps 30 would’ve been better. I have been on the reduced dose for about a week and today I had an anxiety attack right in the middle of a meeting and, had it not been for presence of mind, could have yelled at my coworker. Fortunately I could feel the tension in my body and realized that it was an overreaction to what it happened in the meeting.
I told the other two people that I was feeling tense and then I handed the meeting over to another person to run for about five minutes so I could do deep breathing. While doing that I realized that reducing my Celexa dose was the likely reason for the panic attack, which I’d used to have before medications. That made me relax even more. I was then able to proceed with the meeting and we accomplished all of our goals. I am grateful for that. I am relaxing this evening and waiting for a phone call from my friend for support.
Hello my name is Jacob. I’m currently going through the most extreme withdrawal I’ve ever personally dealt with. I have most of what’s described up top. All this happened because I was off it for four days. Missing one day is fine. Anything after that, I’m in for a world of hurt.
I feel your pain. Except for me, when I miss a dose I have brain zaps and nausea within about 5 hours. Its kind of scary how dependent we are on this stuff.
Have been off the meds for two weeks and it’s hell. Not functioning at work or at home. Constantly want to cry, extremely irritable and unable to concentrate.
Going cold turkey from citalopram 20mg, coming up to 2 weeks now, I’ve experienced “brain zaps “and found them quite scary but after reading this article I now know they will pass! Good luck everyone and thanks for this informative article! :-) :-)
Withdrawal symptoms from Citalopram are, in my case, very bad. I have just been through a very nasty divorce and wanted to come off the tablets because I felt they stopped me having the drive I used to have (although they leveled me emotionally). I ran out of tablets and decided to go cold turkey. I knew a little of the symptoms because I’ve run out before and the dizziness comes on immediately.
It’s like part of my head spins without the rest. It feels quite dangerous, especially for driving. I get SO tired that I feel I’ve nodded off at my computer a lot of the time at work and sometimes just have to take myself to bed almost in tears. Tonight I had reason to be upset but I just cried and cried unable to stop. I put on 3/4 stone when I was on the tablets because I couldn’t stop eating.
Now I feel back to myself food-wise but I don’t have much appetite because I have a constant upset stomach. I can’t sleep well at the moment but that’s not unusual for me. I’m ratty and keep swearing when I get angry which is entirely unlike me. The dizziness, tiredness and the change of character are the worst parts. I’ve been off them for about 10 days and fear this isn’t going to get better for a long time.
I am also going through almost every withdrawal symptom. The dizziness and mood swings are the worst for me. I can’t wait for them to GO away. Thanks you for input, felt like I was going crazy!! I’m on week 2 and hope they resolve soon!
Thank you for this. I found it really helpful. I have been on this drug for just over a year, at times in 40mg plus taking another anti depressant which I came off months ago. I decided to come off this and have done 1 week exactly today and I’m suffering with an awful fuzzy head and I keep getting really dizzy and nearly falling over and I have a tingly face. But I am so proud of myself, and I feel completely confident about the future for the first time in ages. Looking forward to it ending though, as it’s pretty horrid no matter how positive I am!
It’s been 50 plus days since being 100% off off citalopram and not getting better. I will feel better for a few days then I am back to the negative thoughts. I don’t think this is true for everyone but the way my brain reacted to this drug, and the the feeling of hopelessness is not going away. My husband is not understanding like he was and I can’t say I blame him. We are in our early 50’s and he deserves a life without the emotional strain of my up’s and down’s. At this point I am unsure if I will ever pull through.
I do blame my ex doctor for this due to my not wanting to take them in the first place. Kind of sad when you can’t trust your own doctor. I also went to another doctor and they are not much better. They wanted to take me off of citalopram and put me on another. Wrong answer! This will be the last time I write and hope you all get 100% better.
I am so sorry, hon! My advice is to take at least one day out of the week to go out, have dinner, catch a movie (uplifting, not depressing) or do something else you are both certain to enjoy. During this time, put on a happy face and pretend the world consists of only you and him. When you feel negative thoughts start to work their way in, hug him hard and tell him you love him. I really hope you take this advice and that you and he together can conquer the terrible heartache that depression brings. *hugs*
I have been sitting here for a while now, just reading through all of these stories. I have been on one antidepressant or another (since my first son was born) over 16 years ago. I think I have been on Celexa now for about 7-9 years. I also take seroquel at night…I want OFF my meds. I cant take it anymore. I found that taking L-Theanine 500-800 mg lozenges is supposed to help the withdrawal from Celexa, I read a few women’s stories of how it worked for them, etc.
So I decided to try to get off the meds one more time. In the past, I would feel all of the above symptoms. I even tried to get out of a moving car while my husband was driving simply because I couldn’t take it sitting there…crazy! I have been off of Celexa and Seroquel for 4 days cold turkey, just 4 days. Even with the lozenges (really, they help a lot!!), I cant take the head spins, dizzy feeling, the sharp, shooting pains in my skull, headaches, my muscles ache and the depression is beginning to kick in.
Crying fits are starting in and I have two teens and a 3 year old to tend to. I went in with such confidence that I could just stop and I was very mistaken. I took 1/4 of a 40 mg celexa. It isn’t enough to stop the withdrawals completely, but it took the edge off. After reading all of these posts, I can now see that I am taking this way too fast, and I think 1/4 pill every day for a while, then 1/4 pill every two days, and so on is the way to go.
Thanks everyone for your comments here it’s very helpful. I just wanted to add my experience: I have been on citalopram for 6 years and felt it was time to stop taking it. My doc has done a slow tapering and I was on 20mg a day. I started tapering 6 months ago… First from 20 mg to 10mg over a few months. I felt teary, achy and had tinnitus, but eventually the symptoms eased off.
Then went to 10 mg every other day… This was weird and felt all the above symptoms again but not for as long. Now for the last week I have been drug free and the side effects are crappy again. And all of the above are happening but mostly only when I’m stressed. I’m hanging in there and nearly drug free after this long battle. This drug has really helped me cope with some devastating things. But I’m in such a better place now and looking forward to a drug free life.
I have been on Citalopram 20 for maybe five years now. My gp gave it to me because I was starting to have hot flashes. The flashes never got worse and stayed away as long as I stayed away from wine. But recently I started having flashes just before bed. I have gained maybe 40 pounds in the past five years so I went to a medical diet place. They wouldn’t take me because I was on Citalopram and it clashed with their supplement.
Since the Citalopram didn’t seem to be doing anything for me anyway, I just stopped taking the pills. When I started feeling weird after a few days, I googled Citalopram and discovered all of this! I can’t believe my doc even gave this stuff to me! I am now 7 days cold turkey and very woozy. I am a little anxious, and have wacko dreams and very light sleep. I have had no energy for years and this past week is worse. And the muscle aches! I don’t know if I should try a monitored weaning or stick with the cold turkey. Seems either way is bad.
I stopped taking the 20 mg dose about two weeks ago, I have been having what feels like zings in my head. I was looking them on line and find they are called brain zaps. Usually happen when moving my head, not severe, and do not hurt. but they have been going on for a few days and wanted to see if My Internet sources would tell me what they are. Good news here, thanks for having this online for others to comment.
I have not been more depressed and I have recently overhauled my diet to an extreme level. I was a food junkie, I went to drinking water a while back, for kidney stones, actually distilled water. As I never have drank any water, it always tasted so bad. Now that I was doing better with that, I watched an online weight loss seminar, and it gave me specific guidelines as to what to eat. I have lost a lot of weight. Well to me 17 pounds is a lot (LOL).
So during this same time I had been seeing a lot of problems with SSRIs coming up. Decided to slowly stop them. Still this seems the only reaction so far, and since this article says it is better the longer I am off them. Good news. I can quit worrying about a stroke, or some other awful thing. That in itself will make me feel better.