Has anyone who uses citalopram ever stopped taking them suddenly?

I ran out of them last week and within about 6 days I felt so mentally ill that I went to the doctors in tears,I just wondered if that was normal or if it was me the way that I would be without medication?.

Answer:
OH my god! Yes I was on 60mg a day, and wasnt feeling well, so the doctor (Not my usual doctor may I add) told me to stop them immediately. Two days later I was in a hell of a mess, I completely lost the plot and luckily I still had enough sense to ring NHS direct who got a doctor to call me and he said there was no way I should have ever suddenly come off them like that. He told me to start them again. I went back to the doctors and saw my usual doctor who was horrified and apologetic for what I had been through and she said it would take at least six months of gradualy decreasing my dose to stop them completely and that I should never have been made to stop them suddenly. I am now down to 40mg every other day and 20mg on the other days and its been fine. You can cut them in half to help the reduction and you notice hardly any difference.
well it didnt do a dam thing to me
This type of medication is one that you need to be careful with. If you have been taking it for a while and suddenly stop, you can definitely have withdrawal symptoms. My guess is you probably had a bad withdrawal reaction to stopping the medication so abruptly.
ye i was on them for a while but fell pregnant so suddenly came off them but i wished i had weaned myself of them because i felt so ill could barely move without being sick, i was on a high dose took about 2 weeks for them to get totally out of my system
After 3 days of not taking them i get that. I feel the same as you. Its worrying. I wonder if its because i have been taking them for so long, that now i can't be without them. I guess its impossible to tell.

I'm just sticking to them. Don't worry, i think a lot of people are in the same situation.

Perhaps ask your doctors advice. xx
they made me suicidal so i stopped them but they made me feel like crap after as well
I always forget to get my prescription refilled until its too late, and up going a few days without the citalopram. For me, I notice a huge difference, as well as my husband. I turn into a real witch and am very moody. I am at the highest dosage you can get, so that might be why, but I get worried when I don't get my prescription refilled on time.
I'm taking escitalopram which I think is very similar. Your doctor or pharmacist should have told you not to stop taking this medicine abruptly.

There is a warning sticker on my packet (I'm in Australia).

It's not just you, it's the effect of suddenly reducing the amount of the drug in your system. It's not the same as addiction or dependency.

Try to fill the next prescription before the current one has expired. Can you get repeat prescriptions from your doctor?
I was able to get two packets at one time by asking my GP.

BTW, I've tried several different anti-depressants, and this is the best so far.
Did you read the instructions on the packet, because they tell you that you should not stop them suddenly because they make you go into withdrawl-like symptoms.

Dont worry though, its totally normal!

The medicine and health information post by website user , ByeDR.com not guarantee correctness , is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.


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