Sertraline withdrawal (newbie)

Hi, after a discussion with my doc I have stopped my antidepressants.
I took my last sertraline tablet on Monday and have been feeling unwell for most of the week since.

Last September I switched to sertraline from citalopram after 3 and a half months of unsuccessful treatment. As I was on the lowest dose of sertraline available in the U.K. (50mg) the doctor said there was no way for me to reduce the dose slowly and that I should just stop taking them.

So far this week I have had a long list of symptoms that I can only assume is from withdrawal. I just wanted somewhere to come and talk about my experiences with others who would know what I am going through.

Thank you for reading

Hi Nina,
Thank you for sharing your experience. My doctor told me it wasn't worth taking a tablet every other day as the sertraline doesn't stay in your system long enough and you would just make the levels go up and down. How is it working for you?

The doctor didn't suggest taking half a tablet. I didn't think about taking half a tablet until the withdrawal kicked in and by that point I decided to just work through it. I felt so ill yesterday though that I actually considered taking a half of a tablet. I even got as far as taking one out of the pack and breaking it in half, but then I threw it in the bin. I'm glad I didn't though as I am feeling a little better today.

I hope you are doing alright and that you don't experience too many withdrawal symptons.

Post Edited (Reeshes18) : 8/17/2013 1:50:43 PM (GMT-6)

Hi Reeshes,

I too am glad you are through the worst of it. Keep hanging in there. Welcome to the forum!!!

Hugs, Karen...

I am sorry, yes be careful of bending over and get up from chairs slowly. I hope you are feeling better.

Hugs, Karen...

Hello, gettinghealthyinside, and welcome!

I think your plan to live a healthier life is awesome! I'm inspired by your commitment to positive changes :).

A doctor you trust is the best resource, but I can give you my thoughts on the matter of tapering off the meds now that I am almost Zoloft free.

My dosage was at 75mg for most of the time I was on it. A slow taper worked best for me, cutting the pill and reducing 12.5mg at a time (that's an estimate, it's not easy to cut those pills perfectly!) I ended up tapering much more slowly than my doc recommended. I was also getting off generic Wellbutrin, so I alternated the taper. After each reduction I stayed on new lower dose for at least 10 days to 2 weeks, sometimes longer if I didn't feel like my body had stabilized at that dose (if I still felt the withdrawal symptoms). As much as I wanted to get off quickly, I knew that a slow taper was best for me since I'm so sensitive to the meds, and I needed to function as well as possible and not be sidelined by the withdrawal symptoms. In the long run, I wanted to give my body a chance to adjust. Right now I'm taking about 12.5mg every other day and plan to stop altogether in another week or so.

Sometimes a doc will prescribe another med like Prozac while tapering off Zoloft since Prozac stays in the system longer and may help with the withdrawal symptoms.

How are you feeling on 150mg?

I wish you all the best! Nina

Hi gettinghealthyinside,
Congratulations on doing well so far.
I think some of the best advice I have been given is to eat healthy and do more exercise so what you have planned sounds really great.

I went "cold turkey" after just over a year of taking AD so I cant imagine what it has been like for you.

All I can say is try not to pressure yourself into doing too much at once. Through doing some CBT I have found that the more I try to tell myself I am going to do the harder it is for me to do it. I was told to write a weekly plan and I filled every day with lots of things to do. This led to me feeling overwhelmed. I had to learn that doing just one thing that I hadn't been able to do for a while was really great, and that not doing everything in one week did not make me a failure.
I'm not sure if this is relevant to you but good luck with your journey

Reeshes18,
Sorry I'm not up on the lingo. What is "CBT"?
And thanks for the advice! I have trouble taking on too much and becoming upset with myself when I don't succeed with accomplishing it all as planned.

OOOH yeah!! That's what my therapist has recently started working on with me!
Trying to identify and stop the cognitive distortions before they take on a life of their own!

Thanks for all of the good advice you all offer. And not just to me, but to everyone that has questions and concerns. I feel confident in my decision to move forward without medication and using natural stress relieving methods to live happily (and not as a zombie).
As much as I don't want to, I think I will have to consult a doctor on weaning off of the sertraline.
Thanks again, and I look forward to learning more through you all!

Hello!
I wanted to update you all on my journey to becoming anti-depressant free. I'm about 10 days into taking my dosage to 150mg/day from 200mg/day for the last 12 years. Just yesterday, I went down to 125mg/day and I've started noticing some of the more common withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately, there have been no emotional or mental side effects from lowering the dosage! I feel GREAT! More human and more secure than I have in a long time.
On the other hand, these nagging little headaches, light nausea, and lethargy start creeping in after noon. This will go away, RIGHT!? Once I'm completely off the sertraline, I won't have these symptoms every day for the rest of my life, correct?
And of course, the strangest withdrawal symptom of all is the zaps. about a week ago was the first time I felt it and thought it was some kind of allergic reaction to something I ate because I kept feeling it in my jaw beneath my tongue. AND it only happens when I mow the lawn.
I though, "This can't possibly be related to the sertraline, since it only happens when I'm mowing the lawn."
THEN, I found this on a zoloft withdrawal site:

"If you are suffering from “electrical zaps”, you should avoid places with bright lights or a lot of noise. In those types of places, the brain has to process all the environmental stimuli which may increase the chance of headaches and similar problems. For this reason, you should try to stay in a relaxing place for the first 2 weeks."

I don't know how "official" this site is, BUT I would say that headphones on, with music full blast, midwest summer sun, and loud vibrating mower would be a lot of stimuli for an anti-depressant addicted brain!

Other than the minor withdrawal symptoms, I'm very happy with how my transition is going. There may be other symptoms like joint pain and insomnia but I'm sore from working out and when you're that sore it's hard to sleep comfortably. Either way, I'll take those symptoms over continuing to dilute my mind with more zoloft!
Hope you all are doing well and have a good weekend!

Hi Nina,

Just popping in to say hello. I am glad you are walking, I walk too.

Take care all!!!

Hugs, Karen...

I know,

I walk my dog every day. She is waiting to go now. I still haven't gotten dressed. Moving slow.

I had a friend walking with me, it made the walk go by fast, but she hasn't been going so it is me and Jasmine... lol...

Have an awesome day!!!

Hugs, Karen...