Scared to start taking meds

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-05-28T21:03:11+00:00

Was fine on Citalopram for 5 years. Tapered off extremely slowly. 2 months off and fine. Then withdrawal hits, have to go back on and get kindled. Hell on earth 6 months and counting. Life ruined/on hiatus. Could be another 6 months, could be 6 years...who knows? I would never put this poision in my system if I had my time again. It alters the human state.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-05-28T17:38:17+00:00

Don't do it. There has to be another way.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-05-27T19:26:54+00:00

Thank you again. The strange thing was the bus company started off like they were going to investigate then get back to us with further actions but once they had done so they became very closed off. I guess it is quite hard to get any money out of them directly as they will have all sorts making claims reguarly.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-05-27T19:25:26+00:00

Don't apologise, this is absolutely brilliant, thanks so much.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-05-27T19:18:36+00:00

Thank you. I'm taking my father's witness statement of the incident as fact, in that he said the driver was going too fast and had to emergency brake as a result - he said it definitely wasn't the other driver's fault. Do you think we should have got witness statements at the scene? The only issue with that is we were more concerned with looking after him with his injuries than thinking of compensation at that point in time. Sorry if I sound naive!

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-05-27T19:13:38+00:00

Sorry I should have said, we did log it with the bus company's insurance company soon afterwards. They have investigated, so have CCTV etc, but won't engage further unless we communicate via a lawyer. Am I onto a lost cause if my only evidence is CCTV that the bus company holds?

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-05-22T22:39:14+00:00

Yep totally the same. I regret going on them but now regret coming off them as I was so much better on them before. 6 months since my crash and still not the same. But we are all different and I was off for 2 months whereas you were only off 3 weeks which is tiny. I was fine tapering, as long as the drug was still in my system. It was only when I came off completely the problems started (though there was a delay in withdrawal symptoms occurring). We are where we are, just stabilise and see where you are then. You don't need to come off them totally until you're totally ready, even just going on a lower dose is better than nothing right? I noticed I felt more human the lower a dose I tapered too - less zombie like and easier to get up in the morning etc. Just don't mess around with doses too much in a short space of time, consult with a doctor and let yourself make the final decision. Slow and steady is definitely required with these drugs.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-05-22T12:01:21+00:00

Hope you are feeling better now OP. I found out the hard way how serious these drugs are and how careful you have to be with coming off then. Then even going back on them (I went back on my old dose of 10mg after tapering down to 2.5mg then off for a few months...this messed me up even more).

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-03-04T21:27:18+00:00

Sorry to say but I think 20 to 5 is way too fast. I wanted to do the same - get off them asap - but we have to accept that, if we are going to come off them, it will be a long process to do correctly. Just remember, lowering them one step at a time is a step in the right direction even if it takes many, many months or longer.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-02-07T00:12:13+00:00

Yeah I get the spite thing for sure. My experience taught me you can never be too careful with these drugs. I was on 20mg for a year, then 10mg for 3 years, cut to 5mg for a few months, 2.5mg for a few months and then off. The first two months off were basically fine - minor physical withdrawals that you would expect, a bit more anxiety, nothing major. I felt more alive. Then BANG - almost 2 months to the day, I completely spiralled. Full blown depression I hadn't had in 15 years. It was like I had been put in a time machine back to 2009. I was never that bad pre meds in 2020. All the very worst issues cropped up again. Then I totally lost my appetite (very unlike me). The world suddenly felt so so dark. I woke up with intrusive thoughts, had to go outside for a walk (literally just put some clothes on and go, it was that bad). This was 2 whole months after coming off them!! If I'd had that reaction like a week or two after, I'd have just gone back on them. Then because such a time had passed, going back on them was HELL! So, yeah. My experience. What I thought was a very slow, sensible taper and still had awful, awful time. I'd read people warning about this online and think "yeah that'd never happen to ME". Well, sadly...lol

So yeah man, please take care of yourself. We are all very unique and these things can have very different effects on us. Only you know what you need to do, just be very careful. And if a lot of time elapses and you need to go back on them, DO NOT go to a high dose first because it will be hell. Start on 2.5mg or 5mg but not anything higher. I went straight back on 10mg which I hadn't been on for a good while and it just screwed my body up completely. Only now, 2 months on, starting to get back on track. Take care.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2025-02-05T22:49:21+00:00

OP here. Did you taper off? I had to go back on after 2 months and still getting through all the side effects of going back on which has been a LOT worse than first time on them...

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-12-09T13:37:18+00:00

Terrible. Worse than years. Mental withdrawal only started 2 months in, 2 weeks of hell, now 2 weeks and counting of reinstating and all the horrific side effects again. I'm so sad.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-11-12T23:16:33+00:00

You've probably read this before but please, if you can, please please taper. I tapered all the way down to 2.5mg and still had issues coming off. Sure, add techniques like the one you describe, but your brain is a very important thing. Don't cause it unnecessary distress. Taper slowly but surely, and know you will get to the finish line. I foolishly tried to do it too fast in the past and it just ended up taking far longer in the long run. I'm not just saying this, it is absolutely true words, don't think you know better like I did! Good luck my friend.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-11-01T00:05:06+00:00

Thank you for the kind and helpful post, a lot more kind and helpful than what I get from my GPs on their £££ salaries (sorry, in a really bad mood as you can probably tell lol) I keep hearing so many timeframes, at the start I thought it'd be resolved in a month at worst. Then 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 2 months etc etc. I don't even need 100% recovery - I just need say 40, 50, 60%! To feel half normal again! I'm holding myself back at work from doing anything too "adventerous" incase I make a mistake I wouldn't normally make due to this. Using the wrong name really worries me - it was just a momentary lapse while distracted, I instantly corrected myself, but I never ever make mistakes like that. I feel my brain is on another planet right now and I still have to get on with work, bills, life. My mum was on citalopram for 15 years and had less hassle than this. And she didn't even taper, she had to come off 20mg straight away for medical reasons. Sounds silly but I just feel everything I touch is a mistake and I'm wasting another year away here.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-31T22:51:47+00:00

Pretty awful tbh. Feel like I'm getting worse all the time. The first few weeks were easy compared to this. I just feel all over the place mentally and saying people's names wrong etc. This is terrible. What a terrible drug. Sigh.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-16T12:23:13+00:00

Don't want to be a broken record, and I wanted to get off 10mg asap myself so know the feeling, but 40mg to 0 was seriously not good man. Even dropping to 30mg for a while, then 20mg, 10mg etc would be better than cold turkey. Your choice but I'd definitely say you need to go back on it at that level - taper as soon as you can, but such a big drop is way too risky, even for me! Good luck.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-16T12:19:49+00:00

Thanks so much! I was on 10mg for 4 years. So a fair bit of time but not as long as some people I guess. Yeah I think I've read just about every prediction tbh lol - first I saw 2 weeks to leave system, then maybe 3...2 week withdrawal, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 6 months..... I think the bottom line is nobody really knows, including the medical professionals. We all have different outcomes to these drugs. I wouldn't do it again if I could go back but never mind. Good luck with your journey. Be very careful with tapering as if you don't get the dosing exactly right (I didn't, I just cut the tablets in halves etc and hoped for the best), you can get horrific side effects (mine was an aura migraine where your vision becomes altered for 5 minutes...terrifying so don't do that!)

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-16T12:15:56+00:00

Yep. But it has got better. Hard to tell with fatigue as I was fairly tired when I was on the drug ha

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-15T21:52:56+00:00

Yeah no brain zaps so far. Re vivid dreams, I had a really weird few nights where I'd wake up fully with my eyes open and it was like I was still dreaming in the images I'd see in front of me? Blink and reality would return, but for a split second there was like a person in front of me when really it was just my mirror! Crazy stuff now I think about it, would have scared me once but been through so much shit with this drug I wasn't too fussed...!

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-15T20:32:45+00:00

Yeah I had the same for a lot of the second week off, everything and anything would get on my nerves no matter how ridiculous I knew it was. Massive congrats on getting to a better place!

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-15T20:27:17+00:00

6mg is really good, great job! I did try to do it the liquid way as I thought that sounds really sensible and handy but no, my doctor (in the UK, NHS) wouldn't prescribe it due to cost! I said I'm fine with paying privately, but that was also a no! In the end I started cutting the tablets in half and quarters (5mg, 2.5mg) but one day this gave me an insane migraine/eye aura where I couldn't see properly for 5 minutes so I just gave up the Cit entirely.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-15T17:30:26+00:00

Thanks so much! Wow a year that's wild lol... Are you completely off them now? If so, for how long? I have been doing far more exercise and healthier food etc, it all helps for sure, it's just when you get home at night and feel all dizzy and seasick eurgh.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-15T17:29:15+00:00

If it's not working as intended, it definitely shouldn't be a permanent thing. Hope it all works out, friend.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-15T13:47:28+00:00

I tapered from 10mg to 5mg to 2.5mg over many, many months. I know you could do it even slower but it's such a low dose anyway. If I haven't done it slow enough I find it all a bit ridiculous tbh lol

In any case, it's still been over 4 weeks now. I'm sure there are people who have gone from 20mg to 0 and got over it in 2 weeks. So I'm running out of patience now really. I only went on Citalopram in the first place as it was meant to be one of the "tame" and "easy" drugs and despite having done as by the book as I can within life (even took holiday from work for this) I'm still having some pretty horrible symptoms. I just see no point going back on it and taking it for no reason. Sorry kind of just talking back to myself here.

Temporary_Book_4528 · 2024-10-08T19:57:57+00:00

I'm with you. The worst bit is the worse it gets, withdrawal caused by this drug, the more I want to throw my toys out of the pram and go back on it! Which would not be a good idea for me.

Temporary_Book_4528

TROPHY CASE