The drugs don't work (A tale of citalopram withdrawal)

[Lunar Loops]

SWIS knows of these symptoms. This comment from Guardian Online. http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/...post_1022.html :
The drugs don't work

Patients should be fully informed about the after effects of anti-depressants such as Citalopram before they commence treatment.

The Panorama programme continued their exposé;, last night, of the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. It is alleged that they promoted the use of the anti-depressant drug Seroxat amongst teenagers despite having privately questioned its safety. It is now known for causing self harm and suicidal tendencies in children under 18 and several court actions are pending against them.
Eighteen months ago I was prescribed its sister drug, Citalopram, to treat the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from which I suffered following my involvement in the 7 July bombings.
I have been taking 20mg of Citalopram (an SSRI anti-depressant) a day since October 2005. I started cutting down 5 months ago, first to 10mg then to 5mg. Each drop in dose was followed by a psychological cocktail of mania and crashing lows which stabilised after a few weeks. Having weathered this storm twice I felt ready to stop, completely. "Take it slowly" they all say. Five months to wean myself off a relatively (some people are on 80mg) low dose seemed slow enough to me. I'm not sure I could have done it any slower, (and if I had, whether it would have made any difference).
Three weeks ago I stopped. In preparation of tough times ahead I also cut out alcohol and caffeine and prepared myself for the storm. A storm, I hasten to add, which none of the medical professionals who have crossed my path over the last year and a half had thought worthy of a warning.
It started last weekend. The heavy head accompanied by apathy. There was a familiarity about the sense of drug-fuelled sedation that washed my head. I knew what it was: it had begun. I had a list as long as my arm of things to be done last Saturday. I couldn't get out of the house. I sat on my sofa and stared at the wall, for hours. The weight in my head held me down and locked me to the spot.
On Monday it began to get worse. I had a solid day of meetings and sat in the same room all day. It was cold, although no one else seemed to notice, and I shivered my way through the day. It reached my bones and my fingers went white (I have bad circulation at the best of times). Others shed layers as I wished for more, I had forgotten the feeling of warmth.
On Wednesday night it reached its peak (well so far at least, there could be worse to come). I woke up at 2am feeling cold again. As I slowly gained consciousness the shaking began, violent and uncontrollable. I shivered and quivered and forced myself out of bed. I threw on a jumper and socks and a hat; turned the heating up high and flung a blanket over my bed. I crawled back in and shuddered for another two hours, I felt like a heroin addict who hadn't even had the highs. At 4am the nausea kicked in, I had been feeling queasy all day so hadn't eaten much, the toilet beckoned and I stumbled in. Still shivering like a trooper I was as sick as a dog, where it all came from I cannot imagine.
Exhausted and drained I crawled back to bed. The cold slowly faded and sleep took its place.
I haven't been able to eat much since. The nausea is constant and the headache keeps throbbing. I feel slightly distant, there's a delay in my head. When I move it my brain takes a moment to catch up. It has been a struggle all week to keep my eyes open at work and I am continually on the edge of sleep.
Yesterday (about 18 months too late) I Googled the words "Citalopram withdrawl". Oh, if only I had done that before I agreed to start poisoning my body with those evil, potent little pills. The stories were countless, and comfortingly the same. I was not alone, this happened all the time. Some people go through worse; flashes and electric shock-like sensations are common, I should be grateful for my nausea and headache.
One in 1000 people will suffer withdrawal, say the pharmaceutical companies, others disagree and say it is more. Maybe I am special, perhaps I am one of the chosen few, but I find it hard to believe that the percentage is so low. One support site prompted 260 responses when the topic of electric shock sensations was raised. I read about one poor lady, a single mother of three, who had been on Citalopram for eight long years. She didn't have time in her life to take a month out, she was needed, she was busy. She knew if she stopped she would be incapacitated for weeks, she didn't have that luxury so on them she stayed.
The drug companies say they are not addictive. Well, not addictive per se. You do not crave them when you stop, that much is true. But when told that on resuming the symptoms will fade fast, it is no wonder that so many cave in. Just one pill and all this will stop, I don't intend to do it but the temptation is there.
A clinical psychiatrist and countless GP's have written that prescription out for me. And never, not once, has anyone taken the time to say "think long and hard, it could be hell when you stop".
Would I have taken them if I'd known? I don't suppose I can say. I would like to think not, but I just don't know. The PTSD had taken my life as it was, I couldn't sleep, eat or work. My bosses were pressurising me to get back to work. When anti-depressants were dangled I just thought "why not?" My shrink assured me that "Your brain will sort itself out in the back ground and the pills will stop the pain". Well he was the expert, a specialist in the treatment of trauma, I naively presumed that he would know best. Maybe he did, perhaps he was right, but I would have liked to have had all the facts in front of me before I made such a decision.
I cannot change the past, what's done is done. I just have to get through this and free my body from its addiction. It's too late for me, but not for others I hope. Perhaps by writing this I might help someone else to make their decision and for them it will, at least, be informed.

[flayer]

I feel sorry for you about the citalopram.. My doctor Gave me that for Bipolar Disorder (idiot he is)... Embarrasing enough it ended in a failed suicide attempt (What can I say.. i'm a attention whore). He later gave me efexor which i'm not going to dig into hehe

Mostly all SSRI's work bad with me since i'm bipolar I guess, dunno about anyone else.. But if I where anyone else I would stay away from citalopram

*ps.. My first post *

[BobTheGreat]

If Swiy's doctor is using SSRIs to treat bipolar, then I would stop going to see him.

"If misdiagnosed with depression, OCD, or anxiety, patients are usually prescribed antidepressants such as SSRIs and MAOIs, which can trigger manic and mixed symptoms in bipolar individuals or those with family history of the disorder, either ushering in the disease itself, or aggravating and increasing the frequency of episodes which were already occurring." (Akiskal & Benazzi, 2006).

[Alicia]

Originally Posted by shroomonger

SWIS knows of these symptoms. This comment from Guardian Online. http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/...post_1022.html :
The drugs don't work
I hasten to add, which none of the medical professionals who have crossed my path over the last year and a half had thought worthy of a warning.

This is exactly the point, medical professionals should say if the medication has the potential to cause side effects. MENTION that they do specially with SRRl that are used to treat OCD, Anxiety, etc i can imagine the last thing anyone would want is a full load of side effects when they ease down there meds

[flayer]

And now SWIM is feeling chestpain after smoking som marhiuhana and SWIM doesn't smoke more.. but his chest still hurts... damn thos SSRI's I'm done with this antidepressants. Changing my doctor too.. thanks for your input on my input hehe

[ojos_de_brujo]

Swim has comparable experiences with SSRI's and SNRI's. The most frightening when coming of them were the uncontrolable movements of arms and legs. Swim had only had this once before, when she ODed on Remeron.

Swim had oppsite experience of Flayer. Her psy prescribed Lithium the first time she saw her. Swim has never been manic or even psychotic. Obviously, Swim was not going to buy them.

[splish6]

Don't forget this stupid shit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_SS...al_Dysfunction

[BobTheGreat]

Swim has found just like on E it is harder to orgasm but it feels like 100x better when you finally do. But swims sister says she cant at all so its different from person to person.

[boylizard]

Swim doesnt advise SSRIs at all. They change who you are. It's a false happy, SWIM think.
Plus, they limit the effect of entheogens

[ojos_de_brujo]

Swim would like to hear from someone who feels 'happy' on SSRI's. Swim thinks this is a common misconception.

So anyone out there who's happy on these wicked dolls?

[flayer]

Swim did not feel happy, but in/after withdrawal swim could sense what was false happiness or not. The same small things wasn't great anymore, and sex is getting boring... poor swim hope things turn out for the better

[Santa]

Swim took efexor, citalopram and seroxat after detoxing from methadone once and nothing worked for her. It even made things worse. Swim is an ex-heroine user and is still on methadone. Swim heard similar stories from other (ex)opioid-users.
Swim thinks that this stuff doesn't work when you have been a longtime opioiduser because it doesn't do anything to increase your endorfinelevels.. Only helps with serotinine but perhaps that wasn't the problem in the first place....

[MrJim]

SWIM was on an SSRI called Serzone in college. It created severe suicidal thoughts. SWIM was already used to suicidal thoughts, but these were.....something else.
Fast Forward 7 years. SWIM got home from his doctor today. He had had one of his "breakdowns" - every 2 years like clockwork. Out here in this new place he is living they don't believe in the old home doctors' way of doing things. They were agast that an eastern doctor allowed swim to be on a low dose of Ativan for 9 months.
So the doctor reassured him that he has tremendous success rates using this SSRI, this Citalopram. It really is good for anxiety, he was assured.
Excuse swim again will continue in one sec....

SWIM has only taken one of those pills. SWIM cannot stop throwing up and his muscles in his neck are starting to feel pulled.
Swim can't say that his anxiety problem is really addressed here. The only thing he seems to have learnt is an aversion to oblong pills with uplifting Nicknames.


SWIM edited to point out, as per the previous poster, he too is an ex-junkie. Over in the Opie section right now there is a paper we are talking about that says opiate changes on the brain might be happening and maintaining long after the time that we initially thought that the brain has returned to it's "default" settings.

[Micklemouse]

To clarify, Serzone (Nefazodone) isn't a SSRI - it is a novel antidepressant related to Trazodone, which is a phenylpiperazine, & prevents the reuptake of serotonin & norepinephrine.

Serzone - Nefazodone - Medication Profile

[racemethorphan]

SWIM can say that Citalopram has been effective at reducing social anxiety: no more getting the guilts for no reason, no more random fears, very little in the way of foggy-mindedness.

Before: random bouts of "the words on the whiteboard didn't mean anything to me, so I just copied them down."
After: "I don't even have to take notes anymore, I understand more than half the material the first time I see it."

The worst things, in SWIM's opinion, is not knowing what sex would have been like before Citalopram (never had the confidence to get any!), not knowing what an E would feel like, not knowing if the weight going up more easily than coming down is an SSRI thing. The best thing... being the first psychoactive drug ever used by him, it introduced him to the power of drugs and it all took off from there

But worst, by far worst of all, is the feeling that SWIM is, quite simply, "defective" without the drug and doomed to failure unless it is taken at the same time, every day. Just a few hours lapse, and the withdrawal symptoms begin.

SWIM can't fucking quit this thing without risking the roof over his head, his relationship, and pretty much everything he holds dear (save for his family).

[Sippin40oz]

Swim was prescribed Citalopram for anxiaty/deppression and found it actually made him feel alot worse then when swim wasnt taking it! Followed the docs advice and still took it for 6months even increased the dose but still found it no help at all. Didnt find i had the withdrawel symptoms though so maybe i was lucky!

[Coconut]

SWIM was prescribed citalopram for a while in 2006 when he had near-suicidal depression. Didn't help in the slightest. Actually, he started to feel much better when he broke up with his then-girlfriend and stopped taking the citalopram.