Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Cut that 5mg down in half and take one where ever you get those zaps. It took me 2 years to get off of it and I did it by cutting my dose in half... then in quarters, then skip a day, then 2 days, then 3 days, then only when I got the zaps..It took me 2 years to do it but I did it.. You just can't rush it..
Hmm, I was on 20mg for about 4-5 months and then one day I forgot to take it and felt more "normal" ... so I stopped for a month and was fine except that the anxiety and irritability came back. It makes me feel somewhat flushed and odd and I don't wake up in the morning feeling "good" (which is a big thing for me). But I didn't notice a lot getting off of it except for the return of the baseline symptoms.
I got the brain zaps when I tried to get off of them and would get a zap everytime I moved my eyes and at times, they were pretty bad. That was back in the day when doctors didn't know or understand about the brain zaps and was no help.. They thought you just cut back on the dose for a few days and quit.. It took me longer to get off the drug that what I actually took it for.
2 years it took you to get off?? WOW! Well, I have decided to take the 5mg every other day.....After I wrote this post (I was off for two days), I had such a bad day of anxiety, irritability and zaps, that I took 5mg that night, and I am great today. So, Im going to go for the 5mg everyother day for now and take it from there.....
Wouldnt you agree that this drug is the hardest thing to get off of? NEVER AGAIN.... in fact, I will tell you this, the only reason I am going off is because I am going to be trying to get pregnant...
My daughter who is 17 has been on Celexa since she is 11. It has been a lifesaver for her. We have tried twice to wean her off very slowly, both times her symptoms came back. I do get concerned for her as some day she would like to be the mother of a large family. I hope to God she doesn't have a problem coming off of it.
I had a terrible time getting off Celexa. I'd never go on it again. I, too, was doing it before anyone knew what I meant when I said I got "Zapping" in my head. They lasted about a month and I ended up going on Wellbutrin while weaning and it helped. I weaned off the Wellbutrin with no problem a few months later. 2 of my friends also had the zapping and dizzyness when they weaned. I'd never recommend that med to anyone. There are too many other meds to choose from.
Yep, TWO years. My doctor laughed at me because of how small a does I was taking and said it couldn't be doing me any good. I told him whatever it took to keep the zaps away... he couldn't understand the concept of "zaps".. I was on 10mg and was cutting it into 8 pieces.
I had orginally been put on Paxil which I should have never been put on to start with, but I did not know what it was, what it was for or what it would do and that was in the days when I trusted doctors. I was a zombie on that and decided to get off of it. That was my first experience with the zaps. When I called the doctor and asked how long these zaps would last, I was told it was my symptoms coming back and they put me on Celexa. I kept telling them, it was NOT my symptoms coming back, this was totally different.. yet they kept insisting it was..
Mood altering drugs and I do NOT get along! They zombie me out, make me depressed and feel worse that why I was put on them. They pass these things out like candy and expect you to take them without question.. I recently went to see a new doctor for physical problems and the first thing he did was hand me 2 sample packs (a 1 month supply in each pack) before he ever even spoke to me.... he did not know I had ever been on a SSRI before. He sat there and started telling me if you take these, there is a 50% chance you will have to take them again, and if you quit them and have to get on them a 3rd time, there is a 75% chance you will have to take them for life! It was a selling point for him to convience me to take them? I left there and will never go back! What a IDIOT!
Have you seen the ads on TV now? NOW, they have another pill for you to take WITH your anti depressant when it dosen't work! So they are admitting antidepressants are not doing what they are given for and expect you to willingly take another pill because the first pill isn't working? I saw another Rx ad the other day and they are not using the word "doctor" anymore, they are calling them "prescribers".. That is what they are turning into, nothing but prescribers!
I refuse to play their game anymore and will not take their drugs and become a permanent patient again!
Let me clearly state that there ARE people who need these drugs IF it does what it is suppose to and there are people that they may help but the entire world does not need to be on them for everyday problems or physical ailments. Before a person is given these, they should be carefully screened to make sure that IS what they need!
Wow I thought I was crazy, been trying to get off of Lexapro for the past year tapering down and all but those zaps kept coming and coming until I gave in and took some. I am on Paxil now only because it comes in generic so I suppose I will experience the same thing.
I just weaned myself off Celexa and it took about 2 weeks. I must say it was awful as I felt nausiated and dizzy. I also had muscle spasms which would wake me up from a dead sleep. I wish I would have taken a bit longer to wean myself off. I also got these weird "brain zaps". It didn't hurt but all of a sudden, I would see a flashing light and feel an electrical zap in my head. I looked it up online and it is common when weaning off anti-anxiety meds!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Brain zaps!
