Anyone wheen off anxiety meds

jackipinker · August 2014

I'm coming off of celexa and feeling completely horrible!!! Nauseated, chills, hot flashes headaches etc has anyone come off of meds and how long will I feel thus way??
Ps
I was on celexa for 2 years and I am 7 weeks prego I have been off for a week

PuppyLove84 · August 2014

I weaned off my depression medication when I found out I was pregnant. Have you discussed it with your dr? It's really important to do it slowly and under the supervision of a doctor. That being said, I still experienced some uncomfortable symptoms when I stopped it altogether. For me they lasted 3-4 days, but I'd guess it would be different for everybody and depending on the medicine. I lowered my dose steadily over about 2 weeks so it wasn't as bad at the end. If you haven't already, definitely talk to your doctor about a plan. And if you have, hang in there, hopefully you'll improve soon!

mrsIgoe · August 2014

I'm weaning off my Zoloft. I quit cold turkey when I poas... Felt awful. Ugh. So now I'm a taper schedule per my ob

Hope you feel better soon. Hugs.

Skrittens · August 2014

I went cold turkey off of klonapin and adderall. It was tough - and many days still is. I attributed all my physical symptoms to being pregnant. While it didn't make me feel better - I also didn't associate the pain with withdrawal. I have been very sick this pg so far anyway. I certainly eat a little more and get stressed out and can't use my some of my normal coping mechanisms. The risk is not worth it for me thought. I would ask your dr however. One dr said there are things he can prescribe in the 2nd trimester, and I have another who would have continued the medications if the stress was too high on me. The only suggestions I have are to do yoga if you can (I can't right now...), read, and perhaps watch trashy TV - of course in addition to any therapy techniques with your doctors. Good luck. Good luck. Sorry you are going through this.

crunchymamaof2 · August 2014

I'm currently on Zoloft and have no plans on tapering. My anxiety is too bad without it. I am, however, tapering off of a narcotic. We had hoped I'd be off before getting pregnant but they say god laughs when you make plans. I will be done before my third trimester as I'm going insanely slowly. Withdrawal can be dangerous for baby so it's crucial you do everything under your doctors supervision.

Unknown · August 2014

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snickersforeveryone · August 2014

I'm weaning from cymbalta to Zoloft. It sucks big time. The Zoloft should be safer for the baby, so it's worth it. I wasn't on cymbalta very long...maybe 6 months. So far it's been a couple of weeks of the weaning process and I still feel the effects if withdrawal.

I was looking for the same answers you are and found a support group for cymbalta users who are trying to wean off of it. I haven't been back to look at it closely, but I wonder if there's something similar out there for celexa users?

Good luck!

sarapitcher · August 2014

Came off Xanax - didn't use it daily but used it in the event of anxiety. Having a hard time in crowds and doctor's appointments but I fight through it the best I can.

kaydedid · August 2014

@snickersforeveryone‌ of all the withdrawls I've had (ie a LOT), Cymbalta was hands - down the worst. Tapered off for 6 weeks, was sick the whole time.

Stopped Paxil cold turkey with last BFP. Was only about 2 weeks of withdrawl, with decreasing symptoms the last 4-5 days.

With everything except the Cymbalta, withdrawls have taken about 2 weeks for cold turkey, or 2-4 days after each time dose was lowered.

Have never taken Celexa, but talking to others 2 weeks seems common. Hang in there, it will get better.

littlecuddlesB · August 2014

I weaned off Cymbalta and the symptoms were 2 weeks of the worse nausea. My drs and pharmacist say the risk is in third trimester so don't get too worried about weaning speedily. Good luck

EDWHIP · August 2014

jackipinker said:

I'm coming off of celexa and feeling completely horrible!!! Nauseated, chills, hot flashes headaches etc has anyone come off of meds and how long will I feel thus way?? Ps I was on celexa for 2 years and I am 7 weeks prego I have been off for a week

Please be careful! I weened off my celexa before having DD#1 and had to go back on it because of a terrible panic attack. It's good to lower the dosage, but not always the safest to go off the drug completely. I hope you talked to your Doctor about this. It takes months to a year to ween yourself completely off the drug and you might cause more harm by going cold turkey. Again, talk to your doctor, but those symptoms won't go away for a while. When they do go away, they might come back to bite you at a vulnerable time. In the meantime, take care of yourself! I know the withdrawal feeling and it's no good. If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me. I've been through this twice now.

Unknown · August 2014

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jesstypey · August 2014

Came off Celexa during my last pregnancy after beingn on it 13 years and it was completely awful. This time around I've done more research and plan to talk to my doc about staying on just whining my dose.

beatlesgal4 · August 2014

Agree with pps about talking to your doc. I did take celexa but only for a few months and not while pregnant, so weening off of it wasn't too bad. When I started it, I also weened myself off of caffeine and started exercising more and that really did help me. Celexa was making me nauseated, so it seemed like coming off of it was better than being on it, especially with making those two lifestyle changes also. I'm not caffeine free anymore, but only have one caffeinated drink a day, and not every day. Best of luck through the process- I hope it is as painless as possible!

snickersforeveryone · August 2014

@kaydedid‌ yes, I agree. I've come off a few and have decided that cymbalta is the worst. Never again with that drug!

@meladoriestar‌ OMG yes, the electric shocks. I haven't run into anyone who experienced those too, so I'm glad I'm not just crazy. For a while it was with every move I made, then when I got startled. DH once thought it would be funny to startle me to give me one of those shocks...notice I said once.

HallRents · August 2014

I was on Celexa for nine years and weaned off of it (with doctor supervision) about a year and a half ago. It was terrible, and I still get the "brain shocks" that @meladoriestar and @snickersforeveryone have talked about. I find that I get them the worst when I am completely relaxed and on the verge of falling asleep...it's super convenient.

Obviously talking to your doctor is the best way to go about this. I took a low dose for nine years and then took a half for months, and then a quarter for months. It's not pleasant, but if it's what you want and what is best for you, then more power to you! You will get through it without a doubt. When I was weaning off, I looked into alternative therapies to battle my anxiety and encourage relaxation. I started (and still do) hypnosis, acupuncture, massage therapy and yoga and love them all

I'm in Canada and have coverage for both acupuncture and massage which helps HUGE. Talk to your doctor about the potential for some of these alternative therapies. You want someone who is educated and informed about the safety of them while pregnant. Anxiety sucks, but hopefully you can find something that helps you learn how to self soothe and/or cope. Good luck! If you ever need to talk about your anxiety, I'm around!

lisap0924 · August 2014

I weaned off celexa before getting pregnant. it was horrible.

I weaned VERY slow because I found that to be better for me and my sanity.

jackipinker · August 2014

Thanks everyone! I called my doc and she put me back on it saying that I weaned to fast. Who know these meds would be so hard to come off of!!! So far my anxiety has been ok it's just feeling like complete and total crap. Today I feel like I have the flu. Horrible! But she said it should make me feel better weaning slowly off. On too of it I also had gastric bypass 14 months ago so all this nausea is awful!! My first daughter I was on Prozac but only for 3 months so I just cold turkeyed it and was fine the whole pregnancy.

jackipinker · August 2014

At work totally just Almost passed out

kelcur · August 2014

Jackipinker, I had to taper down for a period of three weeks then still felt light headed for a few days. You should definitely talk to your doc about a weaning schedule.

jackipinker · August 2014

I have a new schedule they're going to do it a lot slower this time

BP1979 · August 2014

My doctor is switching me from Cymbalta to Zoloft because Z is safer. However, we decided given my history with anxiety / depression and the possibility of post partum it was better / safer for me to continue meds than to quit. She also explained risks to the baby and said the baby may have mild withdrawal, but even worst case it means the baby might need a little bit of oxygen for a few hours. So, for me, having a stable mental outlook was a bigger factor than a little bit of oxygen. May sound like um choosing me over the baby, but if I don't take care of me, I'll be no good to the baby. So, that's what doctor recommended and I agree.

jackipinker · August 2014

Totally agree you have to do what is best for you and baby. My anxiety has been under control so fingers crossed it stays that way!

jacqueleen1 · August 2014

I had to wean off my trazodone ( which I take a real high dose for chronic insomnia) and after that Lexapro so my body did the whole chills shakes crap. After a month not on anything I realized that I just couldn't be on nothing so my OB prescribed zoloft since its the only one they will give pregnant patients. Ive been doing better since starting it. Ill see how it goes

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