[Solved] Overthinking due to anxiety and depression

A psilocybin ceremony It might be of interest for overthinking, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. And yes, in some cases, it can also be used while someone is taking an SSRI. But we need to carefully consider what the best option is in your situation.

Regarding citalopram, however, it is not as simple as “it can’t be done” or “it works just fine.” The reality lies somewhere in between. What we do know now is that psilocybin combined with an SSRI like citalopram is not inherently impossible or unsafe, but the effect can turn out differently. In some people, the effect appears to be partially diminished, while in others it still clearly sets something in motion.

For your situation, therefore, it is particularly important how stable you are now, what dosage of citalopram you are using, and how long you have been taking it. With anxiety and depressive symptoms, good guidance and preparation focusing on neurochemistry makes a major difference to the effects during the ceremony and the outcomes. Preparation, safety, and integration are therefore at least as important as the psilocybin experience itself.

In any case, I would not abruptly stop taking citalopram myself in order to perform a ceremony. Abrupt tapering can actually cause additional restlessness, anxiety, or disruption. It is better to have this carefully assessed so that it is determined what is safe and meaningful in your case. You can complete online intake so that we get a better picture of your exact situation and you can present your plan to the doctor who prescribes your medication. From there, we can work further.

What we often see with Triptherapie is that, in consultation with the treating physician, there are roughly three options.

1. Continued use of citalopram. In that case, there is a chance that the psilocybin will have a less strong effect, but we also regularly see that sharp edges such as anxiety or restlessness are somewhat dampened during the session. This is the fastest variant, and the preparation for the session can take 1-2 weeks.

2. Tapering off and then waiting for another period, often at least about five times the half-life (the average half-life of citalopram is about 35 hours). This usually offers a greater chance of a full experience, but withdrawal symptoms can still negatively affect a session. There may also sometimes still be slight drowsiness. With accelerated tapering, this process takes between 2 and 4 weeks.

3. A longer process of gradually tapering off, then stabilize, and only schedule a session when withdrawal symptoms are truly gone. This generally carries the lowest risk of a reduced effect and is often the most logical route if the goal is to be able to continue without medication sustainably. For short-term use, tapering can sometimes be done in about four weeks or slightly longer, but for people who have been using an SSRI for months or years, a process of several months or longer is often more realistic.

These options are also available for the SSRI below. However, the difference lies in the half-life, tapering schedules, etc.

* Bee fluoxetine you need to be extra careful, because the active metabolite norfluoxetine remains present even longer, with an average half-life of approximately 9.3 days after repeated use. Then for 5x half-life you end up with approximately 47 days. As a result, fluoxetine is often the SSRI with the longest onset of action in practice.