Zoloft Withdrawal

Thank you so much for the welcome....it's nice to know I'm not the only one out there.  After awhile, I start to feel so isolated and unless you've been on these drugs, you have no idea what it's like.

You are liking the Cymbalta?  What were your original symptoms?

Smiles

Sahara

Merry day after Christmas!  I saw my doctor and she took me off of everything -- no Zoloft no Wellbutrin.  It's now been 17 days since I've been off Zoloft and I'm finally starting to feel better.  Although, I admit, I'm scared that I'm going to slip into depression as soon as the holiday fun is over.  The dreams are still wild but the vertigo / dizziness is dwindling finally. 

I started an Organic cleanse on Monday with the hope that it will push all remaining drugs out of my body ASAP. 

--Sahara

This forum has helped so much during such a difficult time.

I'm wondering if I'm hypersensitive to finding symptoms.  It's been so long that I've been medicated that I forgot the struggles I had.  Interestingly, I'm experiencing more happiness, but I'm also more irritable and some of my obsessive behavior has come back.  I hope this levels out and I don't have to go back to the Wellbutrin.  We'll see.

Thank you so much for the support -- means so much to me.

-Sahara

How do you manage to keep such an upbeat attitude?  I think it's amazing!  I know you have similar struggles.  Do you do any  homeopathic things to help manage your symptoms?  It's so interesting to me that after all this time on medication (I started Wellbutrin in 2003) that I have not even given a thought to my depression symptoms.  I remember when I first went on Wellbutrin, I almost immediately felt a change in my mood.  I suddenly felt like a 'fog' had been lifted off of my brain.

It's Saturday morning and I woke up tired and dizzy again.  Last night when I went to bed, I felt like crying for no reason at all.  I don't have anything that I am currently upset about, but the urge to cry just came over me out of no where.  I am going to try to get out of the house today so I don't stay inside feeling sorry for myself.

Thanks for reading / listening. It helps to put this all down and know that someone else is reading it.  My husband, while he tries to be sympathetic, doesn't understand.

Hugs back to you,

sahara

-Sahara

Wow am I glad I found this forum!

I have been having lots of the same uncomfortable symptoms for a week now and was starting to get really down. I'm weepy and/or angry at the drop of a hat, achey all over ( it never occured to me this was part of it too!) , having lots of brain zaps ( at least as time goes on their intensity is down even as their occurance is up) and I'm ashamed to say - I have been taking long daytime naps. No trouble sleeping at night either- just exhausted all the time.

I had been on zoloft for 2 years. As much as 150 mg , but in the last year it was only 50 mg. I thought I had done a good job of ramping down, over a few weeks. to 25 mg then 12.5 , and then 12.5 every other day. But now I've been withdrawing for a week and a half.

It's good to know that this all fits in with what others have experienced though, and to know that it might be up to a month of this. Now I guess I just need to decide if I hang in or go back to a low dosage to maybe alleviate some of this.. But then exend the process.

Hello Madlady and NotBetterYet,

Welcome to HealingWell and the Depression Forum.

Anytime you decide to wean off a med prescribed by your physician you should sit down with your physician and draw up a weaning schedule and make sure your physician is monitoring you.

I am weaning off Cymbalta and going very slowly.  I am now at 1 20mg capsule every other day and so far no brain zaps.  I was petrified to start do to all the posts re how awful you feel weaning.  I hope both of you can find ways to decrease the sx.

Take care and welcome again.  We love new members.
KItt

I wanted to welcome you to the depression forum.  I think you will find, if you haven't already, that this is a wonderful forum filled with wonderful caring and compassionate members.  I am so happy that you have decided to join us.

I tried zoloft, but couldn't tolerate it.  I got diahrrea really bad from it.  So I had to stop, but went to another medication and didn't get the withdrawal symptoms.

Why did you decide to go off of zoloft?  Did you feel that you didn't need it anymore?  Let us know.

I hope that you have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Karen

Hello and welcome to HealingWell.  I am Kitt.

Sahara's last post was 12/30/08.  We have not heard from her since that date.

I am sure there are stories of people coming off Zoloft but often people do not post the good experiences as they have never experienced the bad so they don't know.

I hope we have a member that had success coming off of Zoloft without all the nasty side effects and brain zaps.

I agree with you, when the physicians RX these meds they tell you side effects you may experience getting onto drug but not what happens when you try to wean off.

I am so sorry you are going through this.  Many hugs to you.

Kitt

Here I am on my 20th day without Zoloft.

I FEEL BETTER!!!!!

May be if someone else was in my today condition would freak out, but to me I feel much better considering My terrible 15 days before that.

So...I've been to the Neurologist whio explained to me that since for 4 years taking Zoloft it was the Zoloft who produced the Serotonin for my brain, now without it My brain needs to come back to normal to reproduce the serotonin needed for the Brain and body to function normally as used to do before taking the zoloft.

After ofcourse  advising me first to go back to Zoloft and tapper it more slowly (as if i didn't so) and second (becouse i said I would rather die than go back to Zoloft), the Doc advised me to take 10mg Valium/per day till no one knows when. HAHAHAHAHA What?! To go from a so-called non-Addictive Medicine as Zoloft to a Very well known-Addictive Medicine as Valium???????!!!!!!!!!!! Are u f...kidding me?!

I said NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Way!

I asked if I have problem with my brain or any other phisical or is it it just temporary a normal condition and I have just to be patient. The Neurologist confirmaed this to be a common condition similar to people taking Steroids for example...... So then the Neurologist advised me to take 5-HTP (AN HERB) Aino-Acid, a really natural thing which can be taken even if you're pregnant, something taken from a kind opf been. GOODMORNING!!!!! 5-HTP helps the brain to produce serotonin, improves Mood, and even helps you loose some wheight and other benefits too....

WHY THE HELL........you doctors, start with the easiest for you advices (like Zoloft)and after patient's resistence you start to advise us to take HERBS......Shouldn't be the contrary?!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and by the way the one and only happy story that I've read regarding Zoloft withdrawal was related with a boy who stoped zoloft and started taking 5-HTP right away......BUT when I asked my psychiatrist about this 5-HTP ......you know what he told me while I was crying and beging for help? No way,this my girl, is Sertraline same as zoloft..... thought than that's why the poor boy from the happy story thinks he's doing better.

I made a research on 5-HTP....and I found it to be the right choise. If I knew about it 4 years ago I would nevere ever taken the F... Zoloft.

I am taking 50mg before sleep....and aslo I take B-complex 50 mg per day, and Omega 3 - 3000mg per day, also I'm going to Yoga and started to take care of myself doing things that give me pleasure. I have been diagnosed with Depression/Anxiety and I am convinced that nobody with such diagnose should tuch Zoloft or any other antidepressant.  I still have some of the Zaps, but they're now from 7-8 per minute to 10-15 per day...and I am still Irritated and nearvous...but I really Hoipe that this will soon end forever...and even If i go back to feel depressed or full of anxiety,,,I will be patient and working on my self, with vitamins, herbs, exercicing and whatever other healthy choises.

.....I will keep you Informed!!!!