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Celexa Cold Turkey Withdrawal - I'm in hell
I started Celexa for "mild" anxiety and stress back in November. It gave me increased nervousness and anxiety from the start, but I decided to "tough it out" like so many people told me I should do and give it a chance to work. I only took it for 2 months. The anxiety that the drug caused seemed like it started to get better and then just hit me with panic attacks and crying spells that I did not have before taking this drug. I started on 20mg and only tolerated that for a few days and then dropped to 10mg for the remainder of the time I was on it. I only took 5mg for about the last few days I was on it. Anyways, my Dr. told me to just stop taking it, no taper.... and I was out of the med at that point also. That was 3 weeks ago. About 5 days after stopping, all hell broke loose in my mind/body. Here is what I'm experiencing: CONSTANT ANXIETY and nervousness, uncontrollable crying and feeling depressed, dry mouth, no appetite, diarrhea, can't concentrate. I also had a cold right after I stopped it, but that went away. I have xanax that was given to me to help while I "adjusted" to the drug in the first place. I went to the ER yesterday morning because I couldn't take it anymore and they did nothing for me. The Dr. told me that there was no magic pill that was going to fix this at this point and that I should take .5mg xanax 3 times a day for now. The anxiety and crying are so bad in the morning sometimes that I can barely function and get out of bed. I had a couple of days where I thought I felt some improvement, but it was short lived. A pyschiatrist at the hospital told the Dr. I dealt with he believes since I didn't tolerate the drug well to begin with, then quit cold turkey, and also I take Protonix which they said made the drug stay in me longer than normal is causing this, but offered no solution/time frame. I'm very sensitive to most drugs I've ever taken also. I don't want another to put another antidepressant in my body. Will this end? I'm so scared of how I feel right now. I feel extremely hopeless.
Hi I have been through hell on citalopram I had depression emotional blunting and no motivation I had breast cancer last year whilst in process of tapering off but didn't continue because scared of w ithdrawls. I now after very slow tapering from 2.5 g have had unbearable withdrawls severe depression, no emotions agitated very I'll I have a beautiful 2 year old daughter and this is hell for me. I have odd windows of improvement then the crap starts again.
Been off 5 weeks now and have lost hope. Could someone please help she'd some light on very long dark dark tunnel. I was never depressed before ADs only had some anxiety and wish I could turn the clock back and demanded therapy not this evil drug.
Been off 5 weeks now and have lost hope. Could someone please help she'd some light on very long dark dark tunnel. I was never depressed before ADs only had some anxiety and wish I could turn the clock back and demanded therapy not this evil drug.
Wanted to update: I've been off antidepressants for a few months and I feel great! People don't want to believe that those medicines can harm you and that there is such a thing as protracted withdrawal. Well, it's true! I had to take remeron until my brain reset itself and then SLOWLY taper off of it...if I tried to stop too soon, I would start going back into withdrawal. I was at the point where I had to shave tiny pieces off the pills to taper off, but finally did it. Had alittle anxiety at first but once my brain went back to normal I've.been fine. I never needed an antidepressant in the first place, and my doctor should have recognized that. I NEVER had panic attacks before I took those drugs and haven't had one since but no one wanted to believe me. They took me through one of the worst nightmares of my life and I will never take them again.
HI, Nursegirl (et. al.) Your comment (re: quitting Celexa cold turkey) sounded exactly like my life! I've been on SSRIs for anxiety, all prescribed by my OB/Gyn, never seen a therapist or pdoc (but I do know all the lingo, my son has Aspergers/Generalized Anxiety Disorder...)
DRUG HISTORY: Prozac 6/2000, ending at 1/2009 (at 40 mg, it just crapped out, apropos of nothing and quit working), doc replaced it with Celexa 40mg until current episode.
6/13: Major meltdown, that had been lead up to by some incredible life experience episodes. Details not necessary, but know they were major, and included the loss of a business opportunity that I had been working on for 4 months, my daughter's 8th grade graduation, a cross country trip in the back seat of my parents car for an uncle's funeral, and 911 call from the hospital that my recent mammogram came back with suspicious masses in both breasts......the breasts are fine, but I had to go in for more radiation.....thanks.
6/13: At urging of PCP, went to seek psychiatric eval at emergency room. She said that was the only way to see someone in a timely manner. Disaster of an admittance, was there for 9 hours, and by the time I got to the social worker (who was the last step before the pdoc) Pdoc attending had gone home for the day. Very nice, and not at all stressful. Could have admitted to the psych ward at the hospital at that point, but they told my husband they were just going to coldturkey wean me from celexa, and he decided to do that from home. (This was the right decision, I was so upset at the prospect of checking into to the hospital and not even being SEEN by anyone til the next morning..) Husband asked what if things go badly at home, can we just come back, they said sure, but I'd have to go through the entire intake process (9 hours) all over again.
NOTE: OMG, THIS is what is wrong with our medical system. No wonder people go nuts!
6/18: Saw PDoc in her office for 1st time/intake. Added Depakote 500 mg which I took 6/18 –6/20
6/21 - 6/25: Not sleeping well. Doc advised by phone to boost 1000 mg , then stopped cold turkey. Wanted me on Seroquel in addition for sleep (that's not what Seroquel is for, and Doc didn't even talk to me about it, just called it in and talked to my husband, who didn't get the story straight, but I refused until I saw someone *competent*
6/26: Saw new PDoc, who I like and trust, she cut me off the Depakote cold turkey and added Seroquel IR 100 mg
6/27 – 7/2: Reduced Seroquel to 50 mg (citing extreme sleepiness and grogginess, and inability to function, felt like wearing lead boots, inability to “find” words when speaking-------but overall, the Seroquel has helped me sleep better. So there’s that.)
7/3: Saw Pdoc again, she said to add Seroquel 200 XR 4 hours before bed, plus a hit of 25 or 50 mg of Seroquel IR at bedtime (to help ensure sleep)
7/4: Very shaky all day. Didn’t take the 25 or 50 mg. last night. Still a mess. Are we getting ANYWHERE? Still lots of crying.
7/5: Slept late, a little better with the shakes, but still very much there. Can’t hold a cup of coffee, would not get behind the wheel even if they let me. Still lots of crying. And the paranoia/ everyone is out to get me feeling is back. Oh, and bonus, I’m constipated. And I'm eating a lot, because of the foul taste in my throat (the only thing that keeps it at by is mint chocolate chip ice cream) so have gained 4 lbs since this all started.
WHAT I NEED ADVICE WITH: I am damaging personal relationship at lightning speed. Of course, people aren't thinking about their words when they say them, I have to keep asking for clarity, and they are GETTING IT WRONG. My little sister says, "Well at least it's all behind you and you can start to get better...." She meant the hospital visit, not *this*. And people are saying dumb ****, like "I know how you feel," "Don't worry, you'll get through this," "God never gives someone more than they can handle," and I'm just ANGRY ANGRY ANGRY.
Then people compound it, because I'm not "normally" an angry person (my cup is always half full) and are irritated because they don't know how to deal with this new person.
Can you all give me any hope, or BTDT advice, as to when I can expect to pull out of this???? At this point, maybe I DO want to go to Passages Malibu and hang out with Lindasy Lohan (just kidding.....can't do that, I have a household to run, and two children (13 and 16) to take care of......which I'm not doing a very good job with, but whatever.) Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
DRUG HISTORY: Prozac 6/2000, ending at 1/2009 (at 40 mg, it just crapped out, apropos of nothing and quit working), doc replaced it with Celexa 40mg until current episode.
6/13: Major meltdown, that had been lead up to by some incredible life experience episodes. Details not necessary, but know they were major, and included the loss of a business opportunity that I had been working on for 4 months, my daughter's 8th grade graduation, a cross country trip in the back seat of my parents car for an uncle's funeral, and 911 call from the hospital that my recent mammogram came back with suspicious masses in both breasts......the breasts are fine, but I had to go in for more radiation.....thanks.
6/13: At urging of PCP, went to seek psychiatric eval at emergency room. She said that was the only way to see someone in a timely manner. Disaster of an admittance, was there for 9 hours, and by the time I got to the social worker (who was the last step before the pdoc) Pdoc attending had gone home for the day. Very nice, and not at all stressful. Could have admitted to the psych ward at the hospital at that point, but they told my husband they were just going to coldturkey wean me from celexa, and he decided to do that from home. (This was the right decision, I was so upset at the prospect of checking into to the hospital and not even being SEEN by anyone til the next morning..) Husband asked what if things go badly at home, can we just come back, they said sure, but I'd have to go through the entire intake process (9 hours) all over again.
NOTE: OMG, THIS is what is wrong with our medical system. No wonder people go nuts!
6/18: Saw PDoc in her office for 1st time/intake. Added Depakote 500 mg which I took 6/18 –6/20
6/21 - 6/25: Not sleeping well. Doc advised by phone to boost 1000 mg , then stopped cold turkey. Wanted me on Seroquel in addition for sleep (that's not what Seroquel is for, and Doc didn't even talk to me about it, just called it in and talked to my husband, who didn't get the story straight, but I refused until I saw someone *competent*
6/26: Saw new PDoc, who I like and trust, she cut me off the Depakote cold turkey and added Seroquel IR 100 mg
6/27 – 7/2: Reduced Seroquel to 50 mg (citing extreme sleepiness and grogginess, and inability to function, felt like wearing lead boots, inability to “find” words when speaking-------but overall, the Seroquel has helped me sleep better. So there’s that.)
7/3: Saw Pdoc again, she said to add Seroquel 200 XR 4 hours before bed, plus a hit of 25 or 50 mg of Seroquel IR at bedtime (to help ensure sleep)
7/4: Very shaky all day. Didn’t take the 25 or 50 mg. last night. Still a mess. Are we getting ANYWHERE? Still lots of crying.
7/5: Slept late, a little better with the shakes, but still very much there. Can’t hold a cup of coffee, would not get behind the wheel even if they let me. Still lots of crying. And the paranoia/ everyone is out to get me feeling is back. Oh, and bonus, I’m constipated. And I'm eating a lot, because of the foul taste in my throat (the only thing that keeps it at by is mint chocolate chip ice cream) so have gained 4 lbs since this all started.
WHAT I NEED ADVICE WITH: I am damaging personal relationship at lightning speed. Of course, people aren't thinking about their words when they say them, I have to keep asking for clarity, and they are GETTING IT WRONG. My little sister says, "Well at least it's all behind you and you can start to get better...." She meant the hospital visit, not *this*. And people are saying dumb ****, like "I know how you feel," "Don't worry, you'll get through this," "God never gives someone more than they can handle," and I'm just ANGRY ANGRY ANGRY.
Then people compound it, because I'm not "normally" an angry person (my cup is always half full) and are irritated because they don't know how to deal with this new person.
Can you all give me any hope, or BTDT advice, as to when I can expect to pull out of this???? At this point, maybe I DO want to go to Passages Malibu and hang out with Lindasy Lohan (just kidding.....can't do that, I have a household to run, and two children (13 and 16) to take care of......which I'm not doing a very good job with, but whatever.) Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Ahhh...disregard, I just saw a notification that you sent me a PM. Off to read it now.
So, how did you do at the doctor today hon? I've been thinking of you all day today. Please let us know. Feel free to PM me if you would prefer that instead.
I already live a healthy lifestyle and have for several years....sometimes I guess it's not enough. It doesn't hurt though :)
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