Dropping from 10mg to 5mg Citalopram – Anyone else get brutal stomach cramps/mild constipation?
Hey everyone,
Looking for some shared experiences or advice. I’ve been on a tapering journey with Citalopram. I was on 20mg for a while, then dropped to 10mg for a good 2 months and honestly felt fine—barely any symptoms at all.
However, 5 days ago I made the drop from 10mg down to 5mg, and my gut is having a massive protest. I’m getting bad abdominal cramps that come and go in waves (especially about an hour or two after eating, or after going for a long walk). It’s also brought on some mild constipation.
Yesterday morning was almost perfect, but then I ate some heavier/fatty snacks later in the day and the cramps came back with a vengeance. I’ve started taking Buscopan which is helping a bit with the spasms, and I’m using a hot water bottle constantly. I even went for a blood test just to rule out anything else (like a Crohn's flare-up), but the timing lines up perfectly with the dose drop.
Has anyone else experienced significant digestive issues/cramps when hitting the lower doses of a taper? How long did it take for your gut to finally adjust to the new baseline? Any tips for getting through the peak of it?
Thanks in advance!