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AJ

Tapering: Celexa

active

5 posts

3rd Celexa Update - Feeling Poor

August 16, 2026··
taper update
Feeling poor. Been having bouts of anxiety, depression, crying spells, fatigue, and insomnia. I still haven't truly realised how different I feel when I'm in a wave compared to a window. It's almost like being a different person. So when I'm in a window, I make really stupid choices like trying to nudge my dose down a little so that when I hold, it's a nice number like 3.2mg. So I went down to 3.24mg and a few days later regretted it. I went back to 3.26mg but a week or so after that, my mental state got worse. Last weekend and the week or so preceding it were hell. I dragged myself through the panic and torment and sleepless nights of terror through some kind of sheer willpower that came from God knows where. I can't believe it was only a week ago. It has been a gradual, bumpy upwards trajectory. I'm exhausted, depleted, so tired of fighting the dark thoughts and old pain. The anxiety is fairly predictable now -- morning cortisol from 5am or so. Afternoon to early evening anxiety from about 4pm to 6pm or 7pm. Through these times I'm telling myself over and over that it's my nervous system, it's not "real", my anxiety is dredging things up and making everything seem dark and hopeless. It will pass. It always does, every day. I've decided this time not just to hold but to stop tapering for the foreseeable future. A year, two years, I don't know. But I need to rest, heal, be here for my family.

AJ’s taper progress

Dose (mg)
Mood (/10)

Celexa — 3.6mg — 15+ years — actively tapering | without clinician

2 Replies

G
guava3781d ago
Community AnchorAbilify · active
Hang in there!

- Risperidone 1mg - 2months
- Prozac - 9 days (adverse reaction)
- Abilify - 15mg -> 10mg -> 7.5mg -> 5mg - 9 months - actively tapering
- Procyclidine 5mg - 9 months - actively tapering
- Propranolol - 20mg - 1 year - holding
- Xanax - 0.25mg - 7 months - holding

Catina
CatinaStaff1d ago
Community AnchorEffexor
Hi AJ, do what's best for yourself. There's no shame in having to put your taper on hold. The most important thing is to remain as stable and functional as possible. If you do decide to taper again in the future, perhaps your reductions need to be even smaller with longer hold times between reductions. We're here to support you no matter what you decide. Catina 🩷

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

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