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Have you experienced side effects going off citalopram (Celexa)?
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: Feb 12, 2019 | Replies (10)Comment receiving replies
I cold turkied my Celexa after nearly 8yrs of use and I've developed debilitating symptoms. Complete genital numbness, lose of libido, loss of sexual attraction, and even worse anhedonia, horrible emotional blunting, devastating cognitive impairment, a blank mind and visual issues. I tried reinstating my Celexa to reverse the issue but it just made symptoms worse. The same when I tried taking Mitrazapine. I can barely function and I can't cope with any of it. It's like I've been trapped inside my own body. Like I'm a robot. All my humanity has been stripped away and I don't know how to keep on going like this. Scared and don't know what to do..
Replies to "I cold turkied my Celexa after nearly 8yrs of use and I've developed debilitating symptoms. Complete..."
@dandeliongum Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. This is a rocky place to be in, and thankfully you are aware of how this is affecting you. Like @heisenberg34 mentioned, go back to your doctor to get some professional advice what to do now.
I have been on Celexa [this time] for 3 years. In the past I titrated off very slowly. I am curious what prompted you to stop cold-turkey, and was your doctor aware you were going to do that?
Ginger
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So, what does your doctor say about this? It's rarely a good thing to go off these powerful drugs cold turkey. But, what's done is done. The job now is to get you back to where you were (or, close to it). If your doc doesn't have any suggestions, get a second, third, or more opinions. Apparently, when you stop taking Celexa abruptly, the brain experiences rapid changes in the levels of serotonin, that "feel good" natural drug. I'm sure you likely know all this. I would consider a top flight neurologist to see if he/she can figure out how to get your serotonin levels back up. Possibly a serotonin type pill. The important thing is to start seeing some specialists and get out of this funk.