Coming Off Sertraline My Experience

Writing this in the hope it helps someone.

I started taking Sertraline 50mg in 2010 as the result of a terrible / rude / inappropriate /unsupportive manager (three of them in total but one in particular) during a period of time where i commuted a 180 miles round trip to work from Birmingham to Warrington trying to support my young family (age 5 and 2) at the time. In addition my eldest was and obviously still is autistic and hard to deal with. A combination of stress/lack of sleep and anxiety led me to waking up sweating/feeling vacant and eventually thinking one day about putting the car into a barrier. At this point i resigned from my job without another. This was a huge risk financially but i thought if we were all homeless we would manage and it had to be better than this.

It was then i went to the doctors and cried in the surgery. This was not like me at all and it was then i realised something was wrong. It was then i was given sertaline. For a few days i felt dizzy and like i was not in my actual body then i remember like it was yesterday i was walking through a supermarket carpark when it was like someone put the lights on. The gloom lifted and i felt optimistic and like i used to feel.

I started running and almost got a double hit of feeling like i was who i was supposed to be again.

Years passed and on and off i tried tapering down but the side effects were horrible and i never managed to do it. In my head i almost thought the reasons id done well in my work career was because i was so relaxed and didnt get stressed. Almost like i had a secret and the real me couldn't really cope because i was a fraud.

Anyway fast forward to 2022 and after a marridge seperation i felt ready for a new start and i started tapering off. Again the side effects were hard and i had dizzy spells and periods of wanting to be by myself.

But however this time was different i had moments where i felt more alive and almost like the plug socket hadnt been in fully. I felt like i could hear more such as birds singing and the noise of the wind. The sky looked brighter and i felt more focussed.

After a few weeks i was now off sertaline completly. I had been out running one day and saw a stream. I could hear the noise of the water like never before and the sun glistening off the water. I started getting tears in my eyes and realised at that moment ive done it!

It was very similar to when sertraline had worked for me all those years ago. I realised i was better and no longer in need of them.

Other effects have been the unwrapping of that feeling of being wrapped in cotton wool. Every emotion is heightened good and bad. People in shops pushing past me annoy me / dogs barking annoy me / I get annoyed when my football team lose.....these things i didnt care about before.

The manager who caused all this at the start i have a deep hatred for where i didnt care before. But on the flip side fun is more fun....i feel more proud of my children when its time to be proud....etc

My advice too anyone is sertaline can help at the right time but dont be on it too long or you could miss out on feeling true emotions.

Use exercise and taper off them slowly. Be brave and get ready mentaily for the side effects. In the end it will be worth it.

Moving forward i now manage a team of people and always consider the impact of work and stress on an individual. Those comments and actions made to me have impacted the rest of my life . Years later ive achieved far more than the person who was the catalyst for my challenges and despite a deep seeded hatred i pity them and know they were the weak ones not me.

Be brave it takes will power but it so worth it. If you can experience a moment like i did when i finally was totally free of them this whole post will have been worth it.

Sertraline is great whilst you are clinically depressed but once thats better its not doing anything other than making you slightly detached. The hard part is knowing when the right time is. For me i waited too long partly scared and partly habit.

I wish you good luck and hope this helps you. Be happy its what you deserve.

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