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Planning To Conceive. Stopped Taking Femodene. Feeling Tired, Dizzy And Nauseous. What Is Causing This?
Question: Hi, I have just turned 41 and my partner and I have finally decided to try for our first baby. I have stopped taking femodene and have ove the last couple of weeks reduced and now stopped taking 20mg of citalopram. I was taking this for anxiety following my divorce several years ago and was advised to stop it by my gp. Since then I have been experiencing the following issues and am looking for some advice please. I have for the last couple of weeks had thrush symptoms, felt really tired and over the last 3 days have been feeling a bit dizzy/spaced out with some nausea intially which has pretty much stopped. I've had some vaginal swabs done but they came back negative. I've been prescribed metronidazole for BV and also the usual diflucan/pessary for thrush to try and see if that helped. Do you think these issues are related to stopping my medications? It's really frustrating as it's delaying our attempts to conceive. Thanks
Hello, I would be happy to help you with your question today.
There are perhaps two things going on.
The first is related to discontinuation of the citalopram. With these medications, you can get a withdrawl syndrome that might include: dizziness, nausea, fatigue, muscle aches, chills, anxiety, and irritability. This would certainly fit with your symptoms. You might consider starting back at half your prior dose and tapering even more slowly over time - talk with your doctor!
The second is the vaginal infection symptoms. These are certainly related to stopping the birth control. Either this is normal for you, or it is related to the change in estrogen that your body has experienced that has led to an increase (or possibly a decrease) in estrogen levels. With regard to this problem, it might be worth observing or getting a second opinion.
Finally, given your age and the fact that conception might be difficulty (just being honest), I would recommend an honest discussion with your OB/GYN about the issues. A cycle day#3 FSH level might indicate the "health" of your ovaries.
I hope this helps and good luck! Please don't forget to provide feedback!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hi, I'd really like to persevere with not being on the citalopram if possible. Do you know how long the withdrawal syndrome can last on average please? I had to leave work yesterday and am off today as feel so spaced out/tired, so if it is weeks I may have to take your advice re starting on 10mg again. Thanks for your reply.
Well, it is difficult to find the exact amount of time that this will last in those patients who stop them abruptly, but it is somewhere between 2-4 weeks. So, I would reccomend starting back at 10mg, continue for 2 weeks, then taper to 5mg for 2 weeks and then try to stop.
I hope this helps!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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