dadto4boys: Hello, struggling with withdrawal and would love some help

[dadto4boys]

Hello.  About a year ago my GP suggested I try Brintollix to help anxiety.  After discussing with my wife, we decided to give it a try.  A few days into the medication I began having severe side effects including debilitating panic attacks, severe anxiety, insomnia and nausea.  After a couple weeks of these symptoms and two trips to urgent care, I discussed withdrawing with my GP.  I stopped taking the brintollix and now know I was having withdrawals.  I started seeing a psychiatrist who initially prescribed xanax and celexa.  The celexa was increased frequently and I was taking 60 mg within 2 months of starting it.  He switched the xanax to ativan, back to xanax and then to klonopin.  I was also prescribed neurontin at one point and latuda at another point.  My psychiatrist then got upset that my wife and I had called too many times on the emergency line and switched me to another provider in his office.

 

I discussed my concerns with this provider and started decreasing the celexa.  The celexa has made me nauseous from day one and its never subsided.  I feel like a walking zombie when Im taking the celexa.  I decreased from 60mg to 5mg over several months.  On 12/31/15 after being on 5 mg for a month I stopped taking it, per my provider. 

 

Now its been 5 weeks of living hell.  Panic attacks, nausea, anxiety, dark cloud feeling, exhaustion, head rushes, irritability, agitation, suicidal thoughts, tightness in chest, severe back pain...its been horrible.  If not for taking time off from work and my wife, I probably would have committed suicide by now.  I dont know if I can continue this hell...should I reinstate or keep fighting through this? 

 

I've taken 5HTP, drink shakeology daily, and take an omega 3 pill in the AM and PM.  I also take propanolol for palpitations.

 

Thanks for any and all help...I'm fighting every single day and praying for some relief but I just cant take this anymore.

[Fresh]

Hiya dadto4boys ,  I'm so sorry you're in this situation.  The good news is , you've come to the very best place for

information , advice and support to help as you go through this.

 

What you are experiencing is withdrawal symptoms as your brain tries to re-estabish equilibrium. 

If you choose to keep fighting through this , you need to be aware it may go on for many , many months. That's

the reality of it.

 

Please read our thread on reinstating here  About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

We suggest starting with a test dose of 1-2mg.  This way , if you DO have an adverse reaction , it will resolve far

quicker than if you take a big dose.   You may be able to stabilize on as little as 5 mg , and larger doses will trigger the

same reactions you've had before.

 

If you click FOLLOW at the top right , you'll receive an email each time someone posts here.

This is your thread for asking questions or keeping track of things as you go.

 

bw ,  Fresh

[dadto4boys]

Thank you fresh. We are thinking about reinstating at 2.5 mg for a month or more and decreasing from there. Is the liquid form of celexa regularly available at most pharmacies?

[Fresh]

Hmm ,  not sure off-hand about that.

 

Try reading this link  

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

and

Tips for tapering off Celexa (citalopram)

 

Once your symptoms have subsided , you should hold for a good 2-3 months before beginning to taper slowly.  It takes that 

long to recover after this type of hiccup.

[dadto4boys]

Just took a dose of 2.5 mg liquid. Hoping to see some lessening of these withdrawals in the next couple days.

[Fresh]

Did you have any trouble getting the liquid?

Please keep us updated - that's how we learn from each other.

 

I hope you get some relief in the next few hours.

 

[dadto4boys]

Our pharmacy had enough for a few days in stock and are ordering more. $15/month.

 

Any ideas how long it takes the liquid to get in your system? Still feeling withdrawals today. I know it'll take some time for them to go away but wondering if I should start seeing a reduction in symptoms soon.

[Colonial]

Hi Dadto4,

 

I'm so sorry you are going thru this.  When I upped my meds to try to restabilize, it took about 4 days.  However, all meds are different and it may not be that long for you.  But please don't despair if it's not immediate. You may feel relief from some symptoms sooner than other.  You're in my Prayers!

[dadto4boys]

After being off celexa 5mg for 5 weeks, I reinstated at 2.5mg liquid celexa. I'm on day 3 and extremely nauseous. Should I lower the dose or stay the course?

[Altostrata]

dadto4, I moved your post here, so we can keep your history all in one place.

 

You may wish to try 1mg Celexa instead.

[dadto4boys]

I just looked at my RX and the dr actually called it in as 2.5 mL instead of 2.5 mg so I unknowingly was taking 5mg the last three days. Would that have caused me to be so nauseous?!

 

I'm going to reduce to 1.25mg to be on the safe side.

[Colonial]

OH MY!

 

Luckily you caught that early on!  HUGS! 

[dadto4boys]

I'm still nauseous - could it be because the 5 mg is working its way out of my system still? Some of the withdrawals seem to be improving but maybe just masked by nausea.

[Colonial]

OH YES!

 

You had 3 MAJOR dose changes in relatively short order!  Plus you can have new symptoms at any time.  I had one set of symptoms for 3 weeks, and then got new ones the start of the 4th week.  

 

HUGS!

[dadto4boys]

Good morning and happy Valentine's Day.

 

I'm feeling nauseous still continuously and am worrying that it won't go away. I've been doing 1mg dose since Wednesday evening after the 3 (5mg) dosages. I was hoping the nausea would be going away at this point but it seems to be getting worse instead of better.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[dadto4boys]

I'm also still irritable, get agitated easily, and feel like the withdrawals aren't much better.

[Colonial]

Symptoms sometimes don't always"peak" at the beginning.  Although in all honesty, if this only day 4 of this dose, it really still is the beginning.  For me, the first 9 days are usually the worst.  PLEASE DON'T PANIC.  Any anxiety you are accidentally creating will only PROLONG the amount of time you will be nauseous.  You really still are in the "acute phase" time period.  I would have been more surprised if you had typed you were feeling better, considering the drop from 5 to 0,  accidental reinstatement all the way back up to 5, and now back down to only 1.

 

 If you could update your signature line with the dates you made all of the dose changes it makes it easier for all to see when you made changes and By how much.  You will get more accurate advise if people aren't "guessing" at what doses you were on and for how long.

 

HUGS! 

[dadto4boys]

I'm struggling so much today. I'm panicky, at work, so nauseous I'm sure I'll vomit. I want to curl up in a ball and cry.

 

I cannot hang on like this anymore. What is the timeframe I should expect to feel like complete crap?!

[Fresh]

The accidental 5mg doses have messed things up Dad , you should start to feel better in the next day or two as that

works it's way out of your system.

If it's possible , you might do well to take the rest of the day off from work , and rest.

[Colonial]

I'm sorry you have to try to work while going thru this.  That's great that Fresh thinks I should only be a few more days! I am going to pray for you now.

 

HUGS!  

[dadto4boys]

Thank you both for your continued support. I was off from work from January 4th until last Thursday but couldn't take anymore time off.

 

I'm off tomorrow and Tuesday so some improvements would be very welcomed! Lol

[Colonial]

Oh, I'm so happy you have 2 days off!  I know having to deal with work stressors makes everything worse! So happy for you! 

[Fresh]

There are lots of suggestions to deal with nausea in the Symptoms section.

 

My fave go-to's are lemon essential oil or fresh lemon juice in hot water , and apple cider vinegar (with

the mother root) in hot water with honey.

 

[dadto4boys]

Still struggling today - worse than yesterday

[Colonial]

Me too.  

I will pray for you now.

[dadto4boys]

Good morning,

 

I woke up with another day of extreme nausea. I just don't understand how 1mg of celexa can make me so sick!!! I've been taking it now for over a week and have seen no relief, only worsening side effects. Did I make a huge mistake by reinstating?! Should I cut the dosage further? I'm so confused and literally at the end of my rope with this. I honestly cannot see going through another day of this.

[ladybug99]

Buy fresh ginger root, cut off a sliver and gnaw on it sucking in the juices. You won't like it -- it's very bitter, but this is a miracle cure for nausea and upset tummy. Has always worked for me. It can't hurt you, only help. I think it's worth a try.

[dadto4boys]

Thanks for the suggestion ladybug. How much should I chew and should it work immediately? I've cut a small amount and chewed on it but haven't seen any differences yet.

[ladybug99]

Chew on a piece the size of a quarter. Wait about a half hour. If you still feel nauseous chew on another piece the same size. Ginger root had always helped me, but I'm not sure if it helps when it's caused by withdrawal. I thought the ginger was worth a try. I hope you start feeling better real soon. Hang in there. Symptoms always start to lessen...eventually. Try and stay calm the best you can. I know it's hard, but just try. Stress always aggravates symptoms. You WILL heal and life WILL get back to normal. It takes time.

[dadto4boys]

I'm sicker this morning and was trying to figure out if there's something I'm doing that could be making the nausea worse... Last night I had a few beers and started an omega 3 pill.... Could that make matters worse?

 

I have to go back to work this afternoon and I'm dreading it because of how awful I feel.

[dadto4boys]

If anyone can help I'd really appreciate it. I'm feeling so nauseous I can hardly stand. ???? I can't keep suffering like this. Please help!!

[brassmonkey]

Hi dad-- feeling this way is the pits.  One thing that has helped me is acupressure.  There are a number of places on the forearm that can be pressed or rubbed and will often help.  Do a quick google on acupressure for nausea and you'll get a lot of information.

 

Cut out the beer.  The aftereffects of a couple of beers during wd can take days to clear up.  It can ramp up all the biggies stomach upset, anxiety, panic, DR,DP, brain fog.

[dadto4boys]

This crap really sucks. I pray I wake up feeling better and I wake up feeling the same or worse. ????

[Colonial]

Sorry buddy, NO BEER.  Anything mind altering will make you worse for a bit. 

[dadto4boys]

Over the last few days I've had times where I felt better and then times where I feel down right awful.

 

What is the average time for most people to feel back to normal?

[Colonial]

Hi buddy,

 

Unfortunately there isn't any average.  Everyone's medication history and taper schedule is different.  But what your reporting, feeling better and then feeling awful is so normal.   It says your last dose was 12/31/15.  That's less that 2 months ago and really not all that long.  

 

When did your symptoms start?  You generally need to start counting from there.