What are the side effects of withdrawing from Citalopram?

[mrs brady]

After a year of takinga 20mg dose of Citalopram i feel stable and well enough to start coming off it.

 

However, as is typical of my GP, i have received no guidance about any side effects i might experience and am therefore, rather clueless about what to expect. I have had a search on the internet but can't seem to find much.

 

I have reduced my dose to 20mg every other day for 10 days now. In the first few days i experienced anxiety but was able to rise above it because i have now developed effective coping mechanisms. However, more worrying is the sickness and dizziness i had during a hypnotherapy session. I have had vivid dreams but am not inclined to complain or be worried about those!

 

Has anyone any advice please?

 

I'm currently on 40 mg per day , i've tried to reduce mine to 30 - then down to 20 . I experienced the sickness,dizziness and tiredness midly on 30 , so i went down to 20 after a couple of weeks ,but the symptoms just got worse ,hence me being back up to 40 (through my doctors advice) .

I do get a bit a bit giddy on good days , but they suggested leaving it at that dose for another month or so , then try again .

[Nicotrod]

Until two months ago I was on 40mg and had been for 6 years. I had wanted to reduce the dose for quite some time but I was either starting a new job/ moving house/ going through a relationship breakdown, so my doctor told me to find some stability before attempting to reduce my dosage. Two months ago, with my doctor's approval, I halved my dose, taking 20mg a day. He said you should not do one day on, one day off as it unsettles the chemicals balance and can cause a greater amount of side effects.

 

I have to admit the first month was not easy. I felt irritable, would get flustered and clammy really easily, had trouble sleeping and the off intense bout of dizziness. Luckily my partner was hugely supportive and understood why I was behaving a little more irrationally. I also had two weekly appointments with my GP who carefully monitored my mood/ blood pressure and was there for advice.

 

Just about to complete my second month and feel so much better. Not perfect but a lot lot better. I'm going to try and stay at this dose for may 3/ 4 months and then reduce it again.

 

My advice- tell those closest to you what you plan to do. Do some research into side effects with them so they know whatto expect. Never do anything without discussing it with your GP first. Ensure you are not at a chaotic time in your life. Sleep well, allow for 8 hours every night. Try and get some fresh air each day. And remind yourself that what you're doing is a great achievement and don't be hard on yourself if you do struggle at first.