Dizziness on discontinuation of Citalopram... what do to?

I have had severe and increasingly worse dizziness after discontinuing use of Citalopram... what should I do? Stopped taking 1 week ago... dizziness started day after and have progressively gotten worse. Was taking 1 @ 20 mg tablet / day for the last 6 months. Is this a withdrawl symptom? should I go back on them?

Thanks!

Hi Dean,

It could certainly be a withdrawal symptom.It really is necessary to withdraw slowly.If you can speak to your doctor that would be best.20mg for 6 months then nothing is a bit too drastic especially for some.best of luck!

Thank you Dean!!! I am having this exact experience, my psych said "unlikely, since you weaned off" but seriously, what else could it be? She advised me to stay on 10mg for one more week before stopping again and see how that goes. Hope this helps and good luck!

Me too! I was on 20mg for the past 7 mos and then went down to 10 for the last week. Totally not taking the medicine and so dizzy. It started day 2 after not taking the medicine and getting more drastic, but hey, I know that it is just a side effect, it will go away and think of it as a little ride! Like a glass of merlot! Best of luck to all and freedom from meds

Hey Dean,

I quit 40 mg cold turkey not doing well, very dizzy any advice.

Quit taking celexa slowly. Started with 1/2 dose for 10 days then down to 1/4 for about 5 or 6 days now its been 2 weeks since ive taken any and i am having dizzy spells still! Seem to occur later in the day...also experiencing some confusion.
How long until the symptoms go away? anyone know?

I was on 20 mg for 4 years...it's just nice to know we arent alone!

I take 40mg Celexa a day. Whenever I forget to take my Celexa that morning, I get dizzy by the afternoon.

I was taking 20 mg Lexapro daily for 4 years. I'm bi-polar so this is one depression that will be with me. Prior to that I was on Effexor for 2 years, I switched to Celexa 2 months ago for financial reasons. They are the same medication but one is generic, saving me lots. Anyway, I am experiencing dizziness. I had no idea it might be the Celexa, cause everyone is talking about dizziness relating to withdrawal of the drug. What's up with that? I never had any dizziness with Lexapro, and maybe this is not caused by the Celexa, but by something else. Should I switch back? I also take 600 mg of Lithium daily,

I believe doctors are too quick to give out this medication. I took this for approximately 3 weeks to supposedly help my arthritis pain and the side effects are worse than the arthritis pain. I was exhausted all the time at work and home. I have now weaned myself off slowly and the nausea and dizziness has made me miss 2 days from work. I am searching for a new doctor.

Was on 40 mg of Celexa, weaned down to 20 mg for a week, then 20 mg every other day until I was not on it anymore. I have been having waves (almost like pulsations) of dizziness for almost 2 weeks. How long does this last?

if i forget to take my citalopram in the morning by the afternoon i feel really dizzy and worry that i will faint im on 40mg i wondered if its to strong for me my doc won't let me go up 2 60mg says max dose is 40mg unless you go in hospital to go on 60

I know I am coming in a little late to this conversation, but if my experience can help anyone in the future, then it's worth posting. I was on Celexa, 40mg and then 20mg, for three years and when I decided to discontinue taking it, I titrated down off it VERY SLOWLY. In other words, I weaned off it over the course of 5 months, taking smaller and smaller amounts every day till I was only taking a tiny bit of a 20 mg pill every other day...then nothing.

I should note that when I first tried to just stop taking it, I was profoundly ill with dizziness and all of the symptoms that come along with discontinuation syndrome (vertigo, nausea, jitters, blurred vision).

so how were you after the 5 months of weaning did you experiance the side effects

Yes, I've just had a week off it due to missed prescription. 20mg every day, and then none. VERY dizzy, blurred vision and worse when tired.

New diva finally gave me new one. Hopefully will change symptoms.

Hi, i have been reading into your storys with great interest, im sorry that you guys had to suffer from this, i recommend that you try a website called 'the road back program'it is the best one out there.

i will tell you about my hell while trying to stop this medication, i was put on 20mgs citalopram 6 months ago, then upped the dose to 40mgs 4 wees later, at no point was i well whilst on this medication.so i decided to stop, weening my self off over a 2 week period, all hell broke lose i had all the usual symptoms ie head zaps, crushing head aches, tinitis, dizzyness, sickness, flu like unwellness. severe mood swings,depression, panic attacks, heart palpatations. strange buzzing noise out of nowhere. really really bad.

Worryingly that was not even the worst case....... this carried on for around 7 weeks untill i got extremely stressed then went paranoid for a couple of days, from that point on my vision was effected, i noticed floaters in myh eyes for the first time in my life, and i have had a blurry 'ghosting effect' as well as after images when ever i look at either bright objects or well defined ones, frightening i can tell you, i have seen multiple doctors, had a full eye test with retina scans and i have better than 20/20 vision, all profesionals point to medication withdrawal.
i went back on 10mgs 10 weeks out from stopping to cure the extreme anxiety from this, if anything the problem has got even WORSE since being back on the medication.

I really dont know what to do, has anybody had any simalr experiences with this and if so what happened??

so everyone is apparently experiencing the same symptoms. Atleast we aren't alone. How long does it take this crap to go away!?
I was only taking 10mg a day for a couple months. I chose to stop because of the way it made me feel. Its been 4 days and my dizziness is getting worse. This is so annoying!!!!!
I refuse to go back on celexa. I think it might help if someone knew when this all will stop. That way there is a light at the end of the tunnel and not just pitch black with worry.

I too am having the dizziness and headaches. I quit taking it 5 days ago, from what I read on the withdrawal side, this could last up to 8 weeks. Great! I leave on a cruise tomorrow.

I have to join this club. I stopped a week ago (initially cut 20 mg dose to 10 mg for a week). Was supposed to then take 10mg every other day for a week then stop. Well I didn't do the 10mg every other day. I am extremely lightheaded and feel horrible. Its unfortunate b/c I have work/school. I wish someone could give us their experiences on how long this lasts.

cant say i know how long it lasts but can say that i'm yet another person who's had extremely unpleasent symptons on cessation. stopped taking 10mg of Citalopram 4 days ago to try and rid myself of a strange almost drunken feeling i've been feeling over the passed 6 months and was switched to Venlafaxine by my doctor, to which i suffered a very nasty reaction so completely stopped the citlopram and venlafaxine. first day felt fine, since then the dizziness, light headed feeling has gotten progressively worse and started to experience strange visual disturbances. finally gave in and resumed my dose of 10mg today, felt instantly better. doctors appointment tomorrow to establish a cessation plan.