Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.
Where are you from (country)?
- UK
How did you find this forum (Google search – if so, what search terms? Via link from a forum or website – if so, what page? Other?)
What is your current age, height, weight?
- 38, 5’7’’, 55kg
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
- Citalopram
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
- 10mg
What condition was being treated with the drug?
- Depression
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
- 4 months
Date when you started the drug?
- December 2010
Date when you quit the drug?
- April 2011
Age when you quit?
- 23
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
- Cold Turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
- After stopping
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.
Sexual
[x ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[x ] Loss of Morning Erections
[x ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[x ] Watery Ejaculate
[x ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[x ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[x ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
- None.
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
- N/A
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
I took 10mg of citalopram in late 2010 for about 4 months. I was 23 years old. I had been depressed after dropping out of college, and my doctor heavily persuaded me to take it. I didn’t notice any benefit from taking the drug so I stopped it. My doctor told me I could just quit cold turkey since I was on a low dose.
After stopping the drug, I experienced many horrible symptoms:
-
Sexual dysfunction: numbness, no erogenous feeling in my genitals, no libido, looking at naked women was like looking at a tree or a rock.
-
Social withdrawnness: I became very withdrawn and distant from everyone; I don’t smile, laugh, or make eye contact. I have difficulty making small talk. It feels like my mind is completely blank. It’s like the social part of my brain is turned off.
-
Brain fog: I developed a constant feeling of pressure in my forehead, like someone was gently squeezing my temples. I had trouble focusing on things; I would feel spaced out sometimes, like I had lost 20 IQ points.
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Fatigue: Sometimes I would just lie around in bed all day because I was so exhausted. Doing housework and basic hygiene became extremely difficult.
-
Anger: I started shouting and screaming and acting very out of character. Little incidents would set me off, and I would be in a rage for the rest of the day.
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Insomnia: Very light sleeping, waking up in the middle of the night and then not being able to fall asleep again for hours.
Other symptoms I had were: nausea, poor appetite, mild fevers or shivering, diarrhoea, constipation, frequent urination, depersonalisation, anxiety, low mood, suicidal thoughts, migraines, mouth ulcers, dizziness and a lack of energy and motivation. I experienced so many symptoms that I’m sure there are some I’ve forgotten. It’s been hell.
I tried to reinstate the drug to see if it would help, but it just made me worse, and I became suicidal.
It’s been 12 years since I stopped taking citalopram. While some of my symptoms improved with time, I never fully recovered. Taking that drug ruined my life. I still live with my parents, and I don’t have a full-time job. I can’t really function like a normal person at all. I haven’t had any relationships or friendships over the past 12 years. It’s hard to put into words just how large an effect this has had on my life. It completely disabled me.
Not being able to make connections with other people is the hardest thing for me. I used to laugh and joke around with people, and now it feels like my personality was deleted. Multiple people have told me that I’m the quietest person they have ever met. For some reason this is the way it affected me. I was totally normal before taking Citalopram. It was the worst mistake of my life.