Hi Erica,

  Thanks for your question.  It sounds like you are aware that stopping your celexa treatment on your own was not a good idea.  Celexa treatment (and all SSRIs) are titrated down slowly in anyone who has been on them for longer than 5 weeks.  This is to avoid  rebound effects from discontinuation.  However, this was not your question. 

  The symptoms that are commonly seen when you discontinue your Celexa treatment abruptly include flu-like symptoms such as nausea,vomitting,diarrhea,headache.  Patients may also experience dizziness, agitation, and irritability.  The length of time that these symptoms persist are highly variable and depend upon the patient.  Symptoms may range anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks. Usually after this period they will dissappear on there own. 

 If you and your physician determine that you should restart your medication, it will take between 4-6 weeks before you see optimal antidepressant results because the medication has been stopped and its antidepressant effects have been lost. 

 You stated that you discontinued your medication because you felt happy and felt that you didn't need it anymore.  This is very common and patients often feel that they don't need the medication.  This decision should always be made with the help of your physician in order to determine if discontinuing the medication is an option.  If it is determined that you no longer require treatment, your physician will try titrating the medication down, usually in 10mg increments over several weeks.  

I hope this helped answer your question.  Good luck with your treatment and thanks for your question,

Casey