Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 9/16/2006

Question
Hello,
I have been taking Citalopram 20mg since Mai 2005. I was in a very stressful phase (finishing uni, coming  back from overseas and having to leave behind a new love there and so on..) and felt anxious and tense all the time and decided to get help asap in order to be able to study.
I finished my studies, I recently moved to live with my boyfriend, so things have cleared up and I started reducing from 20gm to 10mg for about 8 weeks and then I took 5mg for 3 weeks (everything like my doctor told me).
But since I have been completely off it, I noticed weird symptoms. First, I was freezing and felt a bit "out of it", I have been feeling really weak and "flu-like" for a few days now, sometimes dizzy, a little anxious, no appetite and my mood is very irritable. I even had a day of crying spells, which is not really like me.
So my normal explanation would be that these are all withdrawal symptoms. But is this really possible, depsite reducing it so slowly and carefully?
But it doens't feel like my "original illness" coming back. I haven't had any of these symptoms before.
But what does it depend on whether s.o. has withdrawal symptoms or not?
how long will it approximately last? I really don't want to go back on the medication again, cause I feel strong enough now to be without it.
It would already help me if i knew that these are all symptoms that will go away and that there is a
"logical" explanation for it...
thank you very much,
dana

Answer
Hello dana,

The logical explanation of your symptoms are that although you may think these symptoms are due to stress and life situations, the reality is that they are biological in nature.

Most people with anxiety and/or depression have hypoglycemia, that the drugs may have masked. Now coming off the medication may reactivate your hypoglycemia, and you can treat this without recourse to drugs by going on a hypoglycemic diet. You can test yourself for hypoglycemia with the NBI.

Please read:

What is Hypoglycemia? at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/what_is_hypo.html

The Nutrition-Behavior Inventory Questionnaire (NBI) at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/nutrition-behavior_inventory.html

The Serotonin Connection at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/serotonin_connection.html

Depression is a Nutritional Disorder at: http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_disorder.html

Beating Anxiety and Phobias at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/beating_anxiety.html

The above articles should equip you with enough information  to help yourself by going on a Hypoglycemic diet.

Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr.
Author of "Getting off the Hook" (Google Book Search)
For more free articles
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au