About to go off Zoloft

I'm in a profession that carries with it a high amount of stress and compassion fatigue. about 10 years ago after constant insistence of my primary care physician I reluctantly started taking Zoloft to take the "edge" off. I started with 50mg. I will say that at the time I was having panic attacks which I thought was heart attacks. Those indeed subsided once I began zoloft. With more stress came an increase to 100mg. Then at one point they upped it to 150mg. I am currently at 100mg.

My reason for wanting to get off is multifaceted.

1-It is the only meds I'm on. I'm about to turn 49 and my BP is typically 118/69. I am however overweight, 235lbs for 6'2". Also was told it was "non-addictive". Yet why can't I just quite if it isn't addictive or have side effects if you just quite? Sold a bill of goods it sounds.

2-I have observed others in the same profession as I that have been on anti-depressants for years and they non-better in ways worse off emotionally and/or mentally. I can see myself starting down the same path which is a great cause for alarm.

3-If diet and exercise can help a person lower the BP or sugar or cholesterol then why can't there be a more natural way to alter mode than synthetically?

My plan is to drop to 75mg for 2 weeks - then 50mg for 2 weeks - then 25mg for 2 weeks - then 25mg every other day for 2 weeks. I also plan to get more sun (not hard to do in Florida) - set better boundaries in dealing with the typical stressor in my profession and have my wife hold me accountable.

My wife really wants me to get off zoloft too because she has seen the long term affects in my friends and in me.

With God's help I pray I overcome.

cjs: I took myself off of Zoloft and Buspar in November. I wasn't taking as much as you, but still did it slowly for a month and a half. I didn't have the headaches that some have talked about, but did have some recurrence of symptoms.I have klonopin, very, very low dosage, that I use for severe panic days. I am mostly using tools such as breathing, exercise and distraction to get through. I'm happy to be off of daily meds - and think that over all I am much better off.
Best of luck - we are here for you.

Hello and welcome!

Best wishes on your weaning! I do hope that you experience nothing but good things as a result.

Have you considered picking up some coping skills to help get you through this transition? IMO, everyone should use these decompression techniques everday for the daily amount of stress the average person just natrually encounters!

Here are a couple of links if you are interested:

Self Help sites with breathing/relaxation exercises instructions

Panic attack relief exercises:

 

http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/73076/34334/breathing-lessons/

http://www.healthyplace.com/

http://www.stress-relief-exercises.com/

http://www.ehow.com/video_4405003_breathing-exercises-panic-attacks.html

http://www.psybersquare.com/anxiety/panic_relax_I

 

Here also is a great site with weaning info. It is not to be used as a subsitution for your doctors order, but as an enhancement.:)http://theroadback.org/

Post with us anytime for support!

Scaredy Cat

cjs, Hello and welcome to HealingWell.   From what I have read, a person should wean off of Zoloft slowly, carefully and under the supervision of a physician. There are two primary reasons for this recommended caution. The first is that stopping an antidepressant suddenly can significantly increase the risk of developing withdrawal symptoms. The second reason is that, unfortunately, many people will have their depression and anxiety return when the antidepressant is discontinued. Going off the antidepressant slowly allows a person to catch this process in its early stages and reverse it before a full relapse has occurred. So if you do elect to go off your antidepressant, what would you worry about in terms of withdrawal, or discontinuation, symptoms? Most of the time when people have trouble, it takes the form of feeling jittery, anxious and nauseated. Headaches are common. People often have trouble sleeping and have mood swings and/or feel irritable or sad. People will also sometimes report weird sensory experiences such as ringing in the ears, "electric shock" feelings or jerking movements in their arms or legs. The best way to avoid these symptoms is to go down on your dose as slowly as possible. Of course, some people can just stop the antidepressant with no ill effects. Everyone is different. Sometimes when people are trying to get off an antidepressant such as Zoloft that goes in and out of the body quickly, it helps to have your doctor switch you over to fluoxetine (aka Prozac), which stays around in the body for long periods of time and thus tapers itself slowly to zero. One of the challenges a doctor faces in trying to help a patient get off an antidepressant is to figure out whether the patient's symptoms are really the result of withdrawing from the antidepressant or rather represent a return of the patient's depression or anxiety problem. If the depression and anxiety start creeping back in, you can go back up on the antidepressant in time to avoid a full relapse. If you find that you are someone who needs an antidepressant not to suffer with emotional symptoms, then you are confronted with a choice between relying on a medication long-term -- which often distresses people -- or paying the high price of chronic anxiety and/or depression. I wish you luck with your plan - please remember slow is probably much slower than what you have worked out. Again a warm welcome to HW.