Hi, I'm Idiot_Taper

October 5, 2026··

I'll try to be brief. Been on Citalopram/Celexa for over 20 years. 9 months ago I gave up Alcohol, Weed and nicotine - that was all very unpleasant to say the least. Then about 3 months ago I realised I was getting emotional blunting. I reduced from 40mg to 30mg - it was awful, but only for 3 weeks, then I was normal and felt great. I then decided to taper again as I didn't want to be on 30mg, I wanted to be on 20mg and then later, taper off that completely. I'm now at the start of week 9 for the 30mg to 20mg taper of citalopram - I have improved a LOT, the beginning/first 3 weeks was awful - yeah brain zaps, but that was nothing really - simplest way to describe it - my brain was on fire. Whilst I'm much better now and can function, by the time I get to 2pm I'm mentally exhausted. Tinnitus is very loud, I do get some enjoyment sometimes, but a lot of "meh". I dont want to kill people for eating a packet of crips loudly anymore, but I'm Extremely fed up and frustrated - its been over 8 weeks for gods sake!!! I'm curious if anyone has had a similar experience - I suppose ideally they would say, "I had exactly the same and after week 10 I felt fantastic!" - But I'm not expecting that + I know I should not have tapered 30mg to 20mg, with hindsight I would've done a 1mg reduction per month, but whats done is done. Sorry for my BS - I know there will be people in much worse situations and stages.

Celexa — 20mg — 22 years — actively tapering

4 Replies

Gigi.08091h ago

NavigatorZoloft · active

Welcome @Idiot_Taper! I mean, the story is shitty, and I'm sorry for you... But also: thank you for opening up with some top-tier gallows humor. And massive props for kicking alcohol, weed, and nicotine! For when you're ready to move below 20 mg: you mentioned wishing you had done "1 mg per month," so you might want to do some research and maybe tweak your math a little before your next drop. That said, are you able to hold at 20 mg for now, or did I get that wrong? Cutting a fixed 1 mg every month is a linear taper, which isn't really recommended by the people who actually looked into this with a bit more seriousness than Big Pharma or the doctors who claimed coming off is a joyride. At 20 mg, a 1 mg drop is a gentle 5% cut. At 5 mg, that same 1 mg drop is suddenly a 20% cut. The recommended approach is called a hyperbolic taper, which is explained way better in the Citalopram guide here on the site. Worth checking out before you go lower! https://taper.community/resources/blog/citalopram-celexa-withdrawal-guide

Withdrawal is not a preview of who you are without the drug.
Zoloft — 10 years, 50 mg — currently 22.5 mg — holding

Idiot_Taper36m ago

Celexa · active

Thank you for your reply, do appreciate it. Yes, sorry, a percentage drop per month is really what I was thinking, although I still might try 1mg down to 10mg - but that's for me to think about in the future, very carefully. Yeah I can hold on 20mg, I'm just severely fucked off (as it only took 3 weeks last time, from 40 to 30mg) but I've educated myself since then for the reasons behind it. Right now I don't want to reduce any further, I want to stabilise - I had about 2 days of feeling great on 30mg and then thought "fuck this, I want this crappy drug gone!" Now I'm impatiently waiting for this shit episode to end and I can't help but think "FFS, it's 2026 - science should really have better answers on this stuff my now?!" - it's the not knowing how much longer that really gets to me.

Celexa — 20mg — 22 years — actively tapering

⭐

BasedStaff14m ago

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi! Welcome! Youve come to the right place. Congrats on getting off alcohol weed and nicotine. I know it was hard. Just doing that alone youve already made a massive step! Youre on the right track. Looking forward to supporting your progress :) Also, no need to apologize, everyone’s situation is different and uniquely difficult. You seem to already know about taking smaller cuts so thats great too. Slow and steady wins the race!!!! Wishing you all the best

Creator of Taper Community, here to help you.

Idiot_Taper4m ago

Celexa · active

Thank you

Celexa — 20mg — 22 years — actively tapering

Join the conversation

Need a clinician who understands tapering?

Browse our map of deprescribing-informed providers worldwide.

Find a Deprescriber