☼ joy2730: withdrawing from citalopram, quetiapine

[SquirrellyGirl]

That is good news!

 

SG

[joy2730]

Another good day today, reducing from 20mg to 18mg has made it possible for me to listening to music better, and it could be my imagination but my skin on my face looks a lot better, a lot fresher, or maybe it is all these posh face creams I have been buying, but seriously has anyone else noticed such effects.

[joy2730]

Feels like another good day today I slept really well last night I do think I have sesensitised myself to citalopram by repeatedly failing at withdrawal and so am going to take this at a snails pace

 

I am using as my main indicators of wellbeing sleep appetite weight and mood and how sparkly or dull my eyes are what do others use as a guideline

[joy2730]

I have to be honest, last night I had terrible earache and neck ache, up the sides of my neck and felt very sick this AM, so I am going on to micro reducing, I think that is what it is called.

 

I am so not giving up because even a small reduction makes me feel cognitively better, but this site has no value if we don't report the difficulties.

[Fresh]

Hi joy , good to meet you.

That's so true - this site is about learning from others what works and what doesn't , so it's important to acknowledge the difficult bits.

 

Could you update your signature please when you get a chance.

I have to assume you've done another decrease since Oct.19. It's useful to record when you do a drop and how long after any symptoms start.

 

Lots of people seem to find the fall-out from a 10% reduction too much , and are micro-tapering.

This is our thread on micro-tapering http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2878-micro-taper-instead-of-10-or-5-decreases/?view=findpost&p=54129&hl=microtapering

 

You might find magnesium helps the aches and pains (I know I do). See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

bw , Fresh

 

.

[joy2730]

Thank you fresh for making me feel more normal in my reactions and for the links one of the best things about this site is realising you are not alone in your reactions to withdrawal

[Flowers]

Hi Joy

 

Thanks for keeping us up to date with how you are doing. I agree we need to know exactly what is going on in WD - the good and the bad!

 

I hope things settle better for you with the micro taper. Since WD I have suffered occasionally with neck pain and a sicky headache almost like I imagine a migraine would be. Different symptoms seem to come and go but thankfully are not there all the time.

 

I have just started my taper  off Citalopram so will see how the next few weeks go.

 

Take care.

[joy2730]

Bought a pill crusher and this is making the solution much more accurate why didn't I think of that sooner and accurately taking 19 mg which is a 5% reduction and doing great it takes me too long to learn these things

[Flowers]

That's good news Joy. I am taking 28.5 mgs of cit at the moment. I am very interested in your pill crusher. What make and where did you find it? Was it from Amazon?

 

Best

 

Flowers xxx

[joy2730]

Mine was £3.85 from a local chemist, it has storage space for pills but no pill cutter, it is just cheap but really does the job.  I have just looked on Amazon and they all look fine, so if I were you I would order one.

 

When I crushed my pills between two spoons they were never as finely ground as they are with the pill crusher, it makes the final solution look so uniform in colour it must be more accurate.

 

The cup part of the crusher where the crushing takes place is really useful, I leave the crushed bits in that and add the water to it so I use the pill crusher as a mixing bowl too and then draw up the amount I don't want in an oral syringe and then squirt that down the sink and then drink the rest left from the bowl of the pill crusher - this reduces wastage and loss of dosage when transferring the powder from one receptacle to another.

 

So go ahead Flowers and get one.  I wasn't even planning to get one and just saw it in my local Yorkshire dales chemist.  I should have thought about it sooner because I use them for crushing other people's meds in my daily work, but I never realised the importance of accuracy until now.

[joy2730]

Just had another look at Amazon, and my exact model is Pillmate which is showing about £10 odd on Amazon UK, but I think it is brilliant.  Let me know Flowers if you get one and if you do if it works for you.

 

Take care.  I just love success!

[Flowers]

Joy - you are a star! I havn't be able to get one in the chemists here in Spain so going online to Amazon now. You are  a star!!

 

I will let you know if it makes any difference.

 

Thank you so much.

 

Flowers xxx

[joy2730]

I think the general public stay on antidepressants because they don't know about tapering very slawly and microtapering and sensitivity followin attempts to come off

Also when crushing and mixing tablets if you don't do it very thoroughly u don't know if u are taking or disposing of pill fillers such as talc buffers or active substance by the way i am using warm waterfor my liquid as it seems to mix better and I would strongly recommend using a pill crusher and transferring mixture a minimum no of times

[joy2730]

Doing well on this micro reduction. I don't get enough exercise so went for a walk today and could swear t h at even my small reduction meant I could walk better and enjoy it more - weird

[Flowers]

Fantastic!

[joy2730]

Down to 17mg today micro reductions are really good for me

Only symptom I have is a stiff neck I am feeling good and positive

[Flowers]

Good to read Joy!

[joy2730]

Doing well on this 17mg citalopram I thought I was going all achy and tired again so I decided to take things real easy this weekend and resume hard work Monday and having made that decision had a really good quality sleep last night despite the lower dosage.

 

one of the most important things in my life right now us this reduction and so I have given myself permission to look after myself properly.

 

I am beginning to wonder if cert as in poo ersonality types find withdrawal harder than others anyone any observations

[joy2730]

Slept like a log found a different website re withdrawal I think it was mum's net they were saying slightly different things like sometimes bad patches last about 2 weeks and it is worth sticking it out and that a few months after withdrawing completely weight starts to be shed and that citalopram can actually cause binge eating it a lack of control over eating that also leads to weight gain it was very interesting and gave me hope. some were then choosing to use antidepressants a second time due to anxiety and or depression fully aware of the withdrawl issues and weight issues. Nytol was mentioned for insomnia and kwells for nausea and dizziness some were taking anticonvulsants to help severe withdrawal

[Fresh]

So pleased things are going okay Joy.

I think that withdrawal brings with it challenges we've never faced before , and some personality types adapt

better to change than others.

 

[joy2730]

Yes fresh good point I suppose someone who has had an easy life on the whole and is feeling confident in most areas of life and are only undergoing the change of withdrawal are likely to fare better than someone whose life experience hg Ave been difficult and challenging and whose current life style is troubled and chaoitic. However just like there i never a perfect time to have a child there umust never a perfect time to withdraw. It is a good observation that some individuals cope better with change than others

[joy2730]

Another good night's sleep 17mg seems to be suiting me. Did loads of research last night on citalopram withrawal and Everything I have experienced up til now is very USUAL. some who have c/t have had same symptoms but much more severe and disabling SO THE DIFFERENCE REALLY APPEARS TO BE THE SPEED OF TAPER AND BY GOING VERY SLOWLY YOU ARE PROTECTING YOUR BRAIN AND BODY FROM UNTOLD DAMAGE SOME OF WHICH MIGHT FEASIBLY BE PERMANENT

 

I had never realised this at the start even though people on this site tried to point this out to me

 

I am having a light bulb moment. I am getting along much better with my liquid taper but I have read bottled water is better than tap water cos of toxins in tap water but due to my lifestyle i will have to stick with tap water

 

I never believed until now that citalopram could cause weight gain I always thought it was weight neutral but everyone is saying it causes weight gain and I have struggled with my weight fur ages and have spent a fortune on diet products to no avail perhaps the diet companies and the drug companies are working together in their pursuit of profit

[joy2730]

Another good night's sleep and a reduced appetite I think and hope just a slight feeling of sickness from time to time but all quite manageable and the odd random feeling of hotness

So far so good on 17 mg

 

My mood is really good at moment the old me would have reduced again in a few days but not now with all the extra knowledge

 

I am also going to do daily details for a while

[joy2730]

Doing well on 17 mg a bit of dizziness today but all manageable and a few pins and needles

[nz11]

Hi joy just been reading a little of your thread.

 

This GPs husband is a farmer, as mine is, and they live a few fields from us.  She is the head of the local practice, but I don't feel guilty about complaining about her and her colleagues to NHS England at all, as I don't think she has ever taken me seriously until now.  I like her and respect her as a woman and doctor but she has failed her duty of care to me. She has caused me a lot of harm, particularly the double incontinence from the lithium/epilim combo.

 

All of a sudden I have gone up in her estimation, but only because I have complained.  I wish she and her fellow GP colleagues had taken me seriously a few years ago.  I have had to do all my withdrawals without their support or even blessing.

Good for you for complaining.

Just wanted to say thankyou for making a complaint.

 

Many people don't want to rock the boat but this is a boat that is in serious need of sinking.

 

 

 

Has anyone got any idea where I am going wrong.  I have read in a Briggins book recently, to do a few days of reduced and then a day of full dose, has anyone any thoughts on this.  This is his strategy for people struggling.  I do believe anything is possible if you have the KNOWLEDGE.

If you are referring to the Your drug may be your problem then i think Breggin is incorrect and he later realised it for he then redid that chapter and made it available for free online and you will find he is now silent on alternating doses like that. From memory i think it was ch 8.

 

 

Joy glad you are having some good days.

 

I note that you appeared to have dropped to 18mg on 9th jan,(10% drop)  then updosed to 19mg on 21 jan then dropped (10.5 %) to 17mg  on 12 feb.

Its best not to chop and change and maybe even consider going slower at the start.

Check out Mapleleafgirl in the success stories thread. She went real slow at the start with long holds.

 

I had a lightbulb moment too when i joined online support. It left me humiliated and outraged at the place i then realized i was in.

[joy2730]

Thank you will read mapleleafgirl

 

I am having another good day

 

I will hold and hold at 17 mg cheers

[joy2730]

Managing just fine. Read mapleleafgirl story and it illustrates that this can be done without withrawal symptoms and holding down a job which is important to me. On the past few years my sick leave has been 4 days and all due to withdrawl

 

Today I feel fine but tired so I have given myself the prescription of kindness and rest

[joy2730]

Doing well sleeping well really well no pins and needles now all settled

[nz11]

Sounds like you are setting yourself up well for success..

Good going.

[joy2730]

My Bones ache today but not badly

 

At this point I previously would have dropped the dose more No way I have learnt that much

 

Am progress reporting daily as this is important for others to grasp

[joy2730]

A bit cold and shivery today but that could be anything, felt a wee bit lower in mood, but other than that all well

[joy2730]

Bones have stopped aching, but I feel very irritable, like I could pick a fight with anyone about anything.  Went for a walk tonight for the exercise as I am low on self care, although on A/L  I am even busier than normal trying to catch up on everything.

 

I wonder if irritability is a withdrawal symptom.  Sticking it through though, going for another brisk walk as soon as I wake in the morning, and maybe a swim.

[joy2730]

I am very irritable and feel really bloated and fat.  I have read about paradoxical weight gain when withdrawing from citalopram, last time when I did a very fast taper I lost weight.

 

This is horrible, it might even push me back on 20mg citalopram.  Perhaps the drug acts differently each time you try to withdraw from it.

[joy2730]

Out at a social event tonght going to stay at reduced amount had a good chat with husband he has noticed I am boiling hot as on a/l went to see gp and she understood completely but there again I gave complained about her seems to have done worlds of good we need total honest I have told her in certain terms how I am crushing and measuring dosages out with oral syringe she is.now on my side

[joy2730]

Will will let everyone know about my irritability tomorrow apparently it should b e temporary according to general internet we all need to share coping mechanisms I am boiling hot at present and dear husband is freezing to help with heating turned off the will post tomorrow these blips need fully investigating

[joy2730]

Will post tomorrow re irritability it is someone that needs detailing