Having severe withdrawal symptoms

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I'm coming off my Citalopram (Celexa) as advised by my psychiatrist. I have been reducing it slowly. I did two weeks on 30mg, two on 20mg and two on 10mg and now I am down to every other day. I have started developing severe anxiety, tremors, nightmares/terrors, electric shock sensations, violent/aggressive outbursts, extreme anger and mood swings. I also can't seem to stop crying.

I have been on Citalopram for over 7 years because my stupid doctors just forgot I was on it and left it. I have been told by my psychiatrist that I am experiencing 'SSRI discontinutation syndrome'. I have since looked this up on the internet and sure enough the symptoms I am experiencing are all there. The psychiatrist, however wants me to go back onto 20mg more permanently but I just want to come the hell off this stuff so I never have to withdraw again. I don't know what to do. I feel really depressed and suicidal but even worse than before I started taking Citalopram.

Is it worth getting a second opinion?

I remember going off Zoloft years ago (back on it again now) and you are right it was hell coming off it. It took weeks even when I was down to not taking it to get over the withdrawal.

The big one for me was dizziness, I constantly felt like I was on one of those spinning rides at the fair.

Problem I had was once I was off it my anger become more uncontrollable and I couldn't handle even the slightest disruption in my routines. So I asked to go back on it and it has helped my anger but I still hate being on the stuff.

Once you go on antidepressants, if you quit taking them, you may feel withdrawal symptoms. That's why I don't care for antidepressant drugs. I also don't like the fact that you need a steady supply of the medication in your bloodstream at all times for antidepressants to exert their effects.

I was lied to by my doctor when I first went on them as a naive 17 year old. He said there would be no withdrawal, no side effects and that Citalopram was one of the 'safest' anti depressants available. Since this I have suffered from countless side effects, the main one being stomach problems, I have developed severe withdrawal symptoms and I have felt suicidal (moreso than before I went on them). I think doctors should be forced to tell you how dangerous these drugs can be when you go on instead of making out that there is nothing wrong with them. Also, I never got any therapy for the depression (which was mainly caused by my Granny's death when I was 12 and the constant bullying I suffered throughout school). I think if they had coupled my drug treatment with therapy, things might be better. I don't know though If you can't trust doctors who can you trust?

There is a far greater availability of anti-depressants through the NHS than therapy sessions. I think doctors are inclined to prescribe the anti-depressants because of the compassion they feel for their patients, and the doctors' hope that the medication may at least provide some relief. When I came off citalopram I had been taking it for a far shorter period than you, Jellybean, but I was positively motivated to get off them, like you.

If you're experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms, the best thing to do is to wean yourself off it much more gradually than what's normally recommended. Some people say they've had much less symptoms by actually breaking the pills open and taking half a pill, then one-quarter, and so on. It can take several months to do this as gradually as possible and you need to have patience and not rush it at all. If you feel those symptoms it's a sign that you need to up your current dose just a little bit and then cut it down more slowly than you've been doing.

Just be careful that your original symptoms that caused you to need it in the first place, might return. And they might be your original problem, rather than just withdrawal side-effects.