Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi all,
I've been on sertraline for three years and feel like I'm ready to come off. My doc is supportive and has suggested cutting the dose by half for the next four weeks to see how it goes. Has anyone else attempted to come off but found it unsuccessful? if so, what happened? Any advice gratefully received!
0 likes, 13 replies
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jenny93142 SadieB1
Posted
hi there, i have been on 75mg of sertraline since last november. i felt a decline in the last few months in the effectiveness and was feeling pretty low and generally out of sorts. So instead if upping the dose i decided to start to wean myself off them. About 10 days ago i cut down to 50mg. Since then i have felt so much better!! As if i was taking more not less! its amazing how a reduction has made such an improvement in how i feel. Thats my story, thought it was worth sharing.
SadieB1 jenny93142
Posted
thanks Jenny, that's really helpful. I'll keep you posted 😃
AxleWilliams SadieB1
Posted
Sadie,
Please be careful. I'm not sure what dose you are on but cutting your dose by half is too large a reduction. If you do some research you will find that low and slow is the way to go for good reason. Your body has acclimatized to the medication and will take time to adjust. Use a pill cutter if you have to. Try each new dose for two months before reducing. I, unfortunately, had no luck. Each time I came off I had to get back on them. The longest I was able to stay off medication was six months. I will have to be on them for life it seems.
Good luck on your journey......
SadieB1 AxleWilliams
Posted
I'm on 50mg. Must say I was surprised he suggested going straight to a half, thought it would be 3/4 at first. I feel good four days in but a bit worried about crashing!
AxleWilliams SadieB1
Posted
This is why low and slow is the way to do it. Your body needs time to adjust, just like when you first started up. Happy to hear that your situation is better. Maybe, because it was situational anxiety, you'll fare better than some of us..Good luck!
SadieB1 AxleWilliams
Posted
thanks, I will let you know!
Grounded SadieB1
Posted
I have been on zoloft 2-3 times in the past 20+ years now. I go off thinking that I feel better and years later ended up back on them. So, not sure if it's best to just stay on them, or once feeling better for a long period of time go ahead and come off. I do know that if the reason you take them returns the start ups are rough all over again. My father has taken them for 30 years now continually and never had an issue, and has been able to live a pretty good life without any big dips. I guess this is just a choice you have to make, it feels good not to be on anything sure, but are you ready to go through start ups again if needed?
Best of Luck!
SadieB1 Grounded
Posted
Yeah it's a tough one. I was in a really abusive relationship and everything in my life went wrong, which was why I started them. He's gone now and everything is much better, but I worry I've become dependent on them. Also had side effects like weight gain and high blood pressure.
Will have to see how it goes I guess!
AxleWilliams Grounded
Posted
Grounded,
I would like to hear more about your dad's success. It looks like I'll need to stay on my meds for life also. Did he have to switch or increase dose or has it all been pretty steady? My biggest fear is that my meds will stop working and that I'll have to switch. I'm not sure I could handle that.
Grounded AxleWilliams
Posted
He's never had to switch, he's went through some real llife tramas a few times over the last 30 years and he was increased to 100mg from 50mg and it worked out great! He stayed on the 100mg during the hard times, and when things got better went back down to 50mg, so that has always been his 'dose' but he's never switched no, always been zoloft.
Grounded SadieB1
Posted
Well since this will be you're first time coming off of them, see how you do, you may be fine without them since things have improved. Worst case something comes along and you take them again and they will work just like the last time and at least now you know what to expect right?, also you don't have to go through the start up guessing game now on which one is right for you.
Best of Luck with it SadieB 😃
SadieB1 Grounded
Posted
thanks 😄
AxleWilliams Grounded
Posted
Thank you. This is great to hear. I have a stressful job, but other than that I don't have too much on my plate at the moment. Seems I cleaned out my social life by getting sick again (oh well), so no drama there. Knowing this information is useful going forward. I will be on the look out for stressful events and when they come I'll up my dose if I need to. Unfortunately, anything below 75mg and I relapse, so I guess 75mg is my 'dose'.
Again thanks for the reply.