C
Citalopram cold turkey from 2.5mg to 0mg
April 28, 2026··
taper update
Been having bouts of fatigue, crying spells, anxiety, and insomnia.
Dear community
I have a background of me / cfs. I'm struggling pretty hard at the moment. I have been on Citalopram since March 2023 for crying around my menstrual cycle which would not stop and impacted my sleep during a particularly deep energy levels crash. The ssri stopped the crying spells but also caused many other unpleasant side effects.
Originally I was on 10mg Citalopram for two weeks on and two weeks off per GP advice every month. I started getting inter-month ssri withdrawal when I stopped taking it after two weeks every month so the GP said to stay on the drug continuously without breaks which I did from June 2023. I did get bad ssri "kindling" when I went back on in June (after the prescribed two will break) and this lasted some months. I was able to ride it out because it didn't affect my sleep.
I was stable on the drug and tapering every month by 10% hyperbolic from November 2024 to March 2026 (10mg -> 2.5mg) without problems.
For some years my family (uncle) have offered to pay for ayurvedic treatment in India for a month. In March 2026 I finally felt up to it and so I went to help heal from underlying me/cfs condition.
Whilst in India I ct-ed Citalopram whilst taking 2.5mg to 0mg. Approximately 7th March I went to 0mg. I had only mild withdrawal (compared with previous experiences) I imagine due to daily the treatments there and by the end of the month of March I thought I was through it plus I had made some cfs healing gains.
I returned back to live with my parents after the India trip (I have been living with them since 2022 (with hard boundaries) due to cfs) (there is attachment trauma history with them)). First weeks back in London at the start of April 2026, I started getting bad anxiety etc Which has started to turn into insomnia in the last week plus anxiety. Constantly feeling under threat and anxious even though I'm physically safe.
I am willing to reinstate the drug but I worry about "kindling" and ending up in a worse situation.
I'm taking magnesium at night but it is not enough to knock me out. I'm taking vit d and vit c in the morning. I'm not taking anything else. I'm eating 3 times a day regardless of appetite.
Any support and tips would be very gratefully received. Kicking myself for getting myself into this situation. I hope I can get out of it.
When I see my parents and waves of fear and lack of safety automatically kick in to my body irrationally - at times the waves go on and on - they mean me no harm but as achild they did cause harm from certain practices and attachment related issues.
I'm living with them for financial and physical support (due to me/cfs) which is not ideal.
I have boundaries in place best I can. I'm a 40 year old woman. My mum tries to be supportive when waves hit or when I'm struggling at night but she's also a source of my auto-fears.
Thank you for reading. Any support and tips would be very gratefully received in feeling stuck and can't go without sleep for much longer.
I've contacted my GP I would like to speak to the usual one and they said they'll get back to me with an appointment that might take some weeks.
I'm unsure how much they'll be able to help at this stage.
Citalopram
-Taking every two weeks for two weeks on then two weeks off (March 2023- June 2023)
-Continuously taking 10mg (June 2023 - November 2024)
-Hyperbolic taper: November 2024 - March 2026 (10mg -> 2.5mg) smooth taper), stable throughout
-Cold Turkey: March 2026 (2.5mg -> 0mg)
-Severe withdrawal started April 2026
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