Zoloft Withdrawal

Hello.  I just stumbled across this forum today and thought I could voice some things and hopefully get some answers or advice.  I was on Zoloft for almost year until I quit a week ago.  I've been taking 100mgs for depression/anxiety.  The side effects I experienced were sexual libido low, fuzziness (like living in the clouds), and weight gain.  Other than that, I felt better than I did when I was depressed.  So I figured that I didn't need it anymore.  Stupid me.  My mind feels clearer than it's ever been but physically, I feel awful.  I talked to my doctor in July and she said I could taper off of it but I just kept taking it.  My boyfriend and I broke up a week ago so I stopped taking Zoloft since I didn't want to be on drugs forever.  I didn't want to feel like I had no emotions.  That was how I felt while on Zoloft.  Mentally I feel great.  I have ideas now and crying even feels good!  It seems like before I was just "blah" and didn't feel happy or sad or mad or excited or anything.  I was at this level where I was just there but not really feeling anything.  So I stopped the Zoloft cold turkey and now my mind feels much better.  The physical stuff that comes with this is driving me nuts though.  I don't sleep much, I have incredibly vivid dreams (I used to never remember my dreams and now I remember each one...and they are weird), I get dizzy a lot, my vision seems blurry, I have these tingly feelings in my fingers and toes, and the worse part is the "electric shocks" that seem to run through my body all day.  I feel sick to my stomach a lot and it's hard to eat.  I don't know what to do.  I don't want to go back on any medication.  Does anyone have any suggestions as how to treat these symptoms of withdrawal?  I know you'll say "talk to the doc" but I work too much and I go to college full time and I don't have the money to go to the doctor since I"m seeing a physical therapist each week too for TMJ disorder:(  How long is this going to last?  How long before this drug is out of my system.  I'm 31 and I don't want to deal with these physical problems.  I don't want anymore drugs.  I want my mind to be clear and not fuzzy anymore.  Thanks for reading

I had some of those same symtoms when I stopped taking zoloft. I haven't take the medicine in about 3 weeks and I can honestly say that I have felt better since I haven't been taking zoloft. i'm like you I feel like I have emotions again. I kept trying to tell my psych doctor that I didn't think zoloft was for me and he just kept upping the dose. Im not taking it any more I refuse to. I've noticed that since i quite zoloft my appitite has definately come back around and i've put on a little weight which is a good thing. I'm just have really had a lot of douts about this counseling and medication and wondering why the hell i'm spending all my money on this. I mean honestly I haven't taken medication in 3 or 4 weeks now and I haven't seen my counselor in two weeks; I see her tonight and I feel good i really do. I'm thinking about dropping it all. My husband thinks i'm feeling better cause I am seeing a counselor maybe but maybe i'm just having a new out look on things. I don't want someone to guess at how i'm feeling and sometimes its so hard to describe how i do feel i don't know I'm going to talk to my counselor tonight cause I've really thought about this hard for a few days now and i don't think i want to go any more. then again i know what will happen I'll stop going then I'll feel like a failure. I just need to talk it out with my counselor its just I'm really getting tired of doctors. I've had my fair share of doctors and appointments this year and I'm just plum tired of them. If i could make a living going to doctors I'd be a rich woman lol.

Thank you everyone for your concern. I'm getting a bit better. I'm sleeping better but I still have the dizziness and the "electric shocks". I used to wake up all sweaty but that doesn't happen anymore either. I'm hoping that the Zoloft is finally getting out of my body. I know it wasn't smart going grom 100mg of Zoloft to Zero, but I wanted to be drug free and now I am. My mind is getting clearer by the minute. I don't know about the fish oil stuff. I am a vegetarian so I try to stay away from animal products. Is there anything else you'd suggest? I am taking a multi-vitamin each morning, I'm on Allegra for my allergies and I take ortho-tri cyclen for birth control. I am feeling better though. I'm exercising and stretching and meditating and that really seems to help. I just don't like the dizziness and "electric shocks". I wish they would go away. I suppose these things take time though. Thanks again for the kind words from you all:)

Hi! I'm new here. My son is 15 and has been on zoloft for over 5 years along with straterra and risperdal.  He has had a hair pulling problem since beginning these meds.  which one caused it, or did any of them?/???? Anyway, he took himself off of it and has stopped pulling altogether.  I am unsure of how long he's been off, but i'd guess at least 2 weeks.  he's doing ok, but has some angry outbursts.  i kind of want him to try taking a small dose, just to taper off, but he isn't into that idea.  i'm nervous about high school and his anger.....any suggestions???

You should be very careful, and talk to your doctor about this. Tapering off extremely slowly is the smartest thing to do.

I went cold turkey two weeks ago, and got so sick I couldn't get out of bed for two days. I'm still dizzy, struggling with nausea, and have been to the ER twice from fainting.

AND - there is no guaranteed miracle cure or quick relief tp going back to the original dosage. I did that immediatly after feeling moderate flu like symptoms, reading that relief was almost granted in 24-48 hours. That's just b--sh--t. I'm still groggy and feel awful. Think about it, it took Zoloft weeks to promote significant levels og serotonin/sertraline in your blood to work, and someone is saying you can refill the depleted levels in 48 hours?

This day, th 6th day after reinstating Zoloft, I have been able to turn on my computer for the first time. Talk to a doctor about withdrawal, don't do this on your own.

Thank's Karen :)

I'm from Norway, but have found this forum to be the best one of it's kind, with lots of nice people.

Hope you have a nice day :)

Best wishes John Peter

Hi La Piola

It does sound like it could be withdrawal symptons. I would contact your doctor and let them know what is going on and see what they suggest.

You might not have to go back on meds,they might be able to give you something short term to get through this...

La-piola

You are describing the sx many people have when come off of the SSRI/SSNI medicaitons.  Do discuss your sx with your physician if they are unbearable.

Welcome to HealingWell and please keep posting.

Kitt

Hello and welcome to HealingWell.  I am so sorry you are going through all of the withdrawal sx from the Zoloft.  I agree that you need to wean off the medication slowly to allow your body to adjust.

Feeling better cannot be enjoyed if your having all of these nasty sx.

I wish you the best and would like you to discuss a weaning plan with your physician.

Kitt

Hi - i'm so glad to have found this site and to see that i'm not hte only one who has gone through nasty withdrawal symptoms from zoloft. Is anyone taking zoloft for anxiety as well as depression? and if so have you attempted to stop taking it. This med has helped me alot but i began to notice loss of interest in sex and the whole cloudy feeling--feeling like im lost in a cloud and trying to find my true self again!! i'm praying that i can stop taking it and not have to go back but i'm a bit worried. last time i tappered off the drug i was ok for about 2 months but then i was hit with a big bang of anxiety and dispair- i was forced to go back. currently im at 25 mg down from 50mg-- i'm hoping that in time i can just continue to tapper down until i'm totally off of it. I'm seeing my doctor this week and will explain to him my decision. i would love to hear from any of you on this

Wow I'm glad to have found this place.  I feel like I'm going crazy.  I can't figure out if I'm still in withdrawal from zoloft or having a bad reaction to my new med (prozac)?

I hadn't been on any meds in a decade. After a divorce and some hard times, my counselor thought it might be a good idea to get back on something.  So I started zoloft earlier this year.  I decided to switch from zoloft last month after bad weight gain (god I feel so fat!!! I can barely fit into my clothes anymore and dieting does nothing).  I had been on 50mg.  Three weeks ago I went down to 25mg and added in 10mg of prozac.  After a couple days, the horrible withdrawal started:

chills

sweating

headache

nausea

stomach pain

diarrhea

general SICK feeling

but otherwise, mood was ok generally

A week after going down, I stopped the zoloft (this was after 8 days on 25mg) and upped the prozac to 20mg.  This was per my doctor's instruction.  A couple days later I just started feeling really awful.  My mood is horrible.  Anxiety is up, I'm really depressed.  Moody.  Crying a lot. Just feel TERRIBLE.  The physical symptoms have stopped, but the emotional symptoms are getting worse.  I don't know what to think.  I took prozac years ago and did well on it.  I don't know if I need a higher dose, or if it hasn't kicked in yet, or if it's more zoloft withdrawal.  I called my doctor this afternoon and am waiting to hear back.  I don't know what to do and am afraid to try anything else.   Does anyone have an opinion?  The only other drug I've had such bad withdrawal from was Effexor, about 12 years ago, and that was AWFUL. 

Hi Sweetheart416,

I think that even though both meds are ssri's, it still will take a while for the prozac to get into your system. They are still different medications and one is going out and the other coming in. So try to be patient and see what your doctor says. Hopefully they will call you back and help you.

Oh yes, welcome to the HealingWell depression forum. There is a wonderful group of members here and I am sure you will get a lot of support here.

Being among others who understand what you are going through makes things so much easier. And I really hope that we can help you.

Hope that you are feeling better soon
hugs, Karen

After a terrible 7 years of a long traumatic divorce, I had a emotional breakdown. Doctor prescribed 50 mgs of Zoloft which was more than enough for me. 3 times I tried to taper off Zoloft, with doctor superivison. each time was a diaster. Doctors, told me I would have to be on Zoloft for life and to just accept this. Now, 12 years later, I have spent the last 6 months, slowly withdrawing from the medication, which I can no longer afford. For the past month, I have been without zoloft, but I am now having periodic anxiety attacks, and perseveration about random things, some paranoia, and now sucidial thoughts. What I want to know is, will these effects pass if I can ride them out, or will I need some form of medication? Do I now have a lifelong mental illness, or can I achieve some type of normalicy without medication?