I’ve been coming off citalopram really slowly. My doctor prescribed me the liquid form and I’ve been reducing my dosage by 1 drop (2mg) a week.
Thursday was the day I stopped completely, and unfortunately I’ve started having withdrawal symptoms: brain zaps, feeling like I have influenza, struggling with a very sudden depressive/anxious episode.
I’m following advice I’ve read about returning to the last dose before I started noticing any withdrawal symptoms (which, in retrospect, was 4mg) and then reducing from that even slower.
Does anyone have any advice for managing the withdrawal symptoms while I readjust to my dosage?
Well, obviously don’t do anything major until you can communicate with your prescriber
But the plan you’ve stated here certainly isn’t going to hurt anything; you’re already at that dose. 4mg was definitely too big a shelf to drop off of, particularly if you’d been on it for a while. Was that the plan you’d discussed with your doc when you started titrating off? Or was it something you decided on your own?
In any case, you don’t want to fuck around with the usual home remedy stuff that you’ll find online. Stick with the program you work out with your doc, and adjust it in conjunction with them. Don’t add anything OTC or herbal, period. Just don’t. Hell, even some of the options a doc can offer aren’t necessarily perfect, but at least the interactions are known and well documented.
But I gotta warn you. At some point, you’ll be taking the absolute minimum dose you can, and it’ll be time to buckle up and hope it’s a smooth landing. A lot of people still have residual zaps for a few days fairly constantly, and the occasional lingering ones here and there for months even with a careful and gradual reduction. The brain sometimes needs time to adapt to the new normal. Luckily, it’s fairly rare for it to last long, and with a good titration regimen, it’s possible for it to not happen, but don’t be shocked if it does.
You’ll also wanna prepare for not having the extra support a drug can give. Practice your coping methods ahead of time so that they’re ready to roll. It’s harder to do good breathing exercises when you don’t practice, as an example.
Stay hydrated, eat as good quality as you can, with a focus on the Mediterranean style diet and plenty of omega3s to support your body as it starts producing the serotonin on its own and minimizing physical stress. I’m not exaggerating how big a deal that is in controlling the initial amd residual issues cessation can bring. It’s as, or even more, important than the supporting medications that are sometimes offered for short term use (like benzos).
However! Don’t neglect the carbs! It’s not something that usually gets factored in, but it can help keep things more even in the ups and downs (for obvious reasons).
Definitely do not consume alcohol unless you’re addicted (and if you are, that’s way above my pay grade to try and guide someone through). Avoid weed too.
Good luck!
You should discuss this with your doctor, not an Internet forum.
Ask your doctor about switching to Prozac 1-for-1 and then tritating down on that.
Stopping cold turkey is never a good idea. You should discuss a plan with your doctor to gradually stop taking it.
Okay I don’t know if I’ve not been clear in my post but I haven’t stopped cold turkey. I’ve titrated down very slowly over months.
