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Know when to come off sertaline/be on it indefinitely?

Posted , 4 users are following.

sophie899
sophie899

Hi,

I've been on sertraline for a couple of years now, and a few months ago had my dosage increased due to probable SAD at the time.

I was wondering if anyone felt they were happy to drop their dose/come off it completely, and how they knew that was a good move, or whether anyone has decided that they have to be on sertaline indefinitely, and whether that is okay?

 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • deborah_24308
    deborah_24308 sophie899

    Posted

    I did that last summer. I thought gosh I feel great I don’t need this med anymore. We after about a month my panic attacks came back fierce. 

    I tried to go back to what I was on but it didn’t work. After about 6 months I was put on Sertraline and even though it was rough at first I’m back to normal. 

    • sophie899
      sophie899 deborah_24308

      Posted

      Oh okay. that's what I am worried about, that my anxiety will conga-line back at a rate of knots if I come off sertraline. do you think you'll need it indefinitely?

    • deborah_24308
      deborah_24308 sophie899

      Posted

      Yes unfortunately I will need it or something like it. I had to resign myself to that. 
  • dylan78236
    dylan78236 sophie899

    Posted

    Just curious what month/ time of year did your SAD hit? 
    • sophie899
      sophie899 dylan78236

      Posted

      Hi Dylan.

      My SAD hit round October - I seem to remember gettiing it round that time for a few years now. I would feel so tired that I'd fall asleep on my desk and even after 4 hour naps, would not feel better. But then March and the longer days come, and it's as if the dark cloud lifted

    • dylan78236
      dylan78236 sophie899

      Posted

      Weird my SAD is the opposite. Although i slept alot in winter i felt okay but as soon as April hit i just had crippling anxiety/panic attacks and depression
    • sophie899
      sophie899 dylan78236

      Posted

      well last winter was a bit of a s**t show at work, so  i think it was a combination of things, and basically I needed a break and some head space to properly sort out my anxiety (well more low mood than anything else)

  • katie19337
    katie19337 sophie899

    Posted

    Hi Sophie

    I really struggled last winter with tiredness that I thought was sad. I used multivitamins, vit D, and fish oils. It did help a little. Once the days got longer I felt better. I didnt think the sertraline would help. Thanks for sharing. I may try that next year. I have no idea if sertraline is harmful in the long term, I too would like to know. I am not comfortable to try coming off , I would not want to go back to how I was in the past 😊

    • sophie899
      sophie899 katie19337

      Posted

      Hi Katie,

      Glad I'm not the only one. I did have some blood tests to check if it was vit D deficiency or iron deficiency, and neither came out low. I think I may have to accept that things get a bit tired for me during the winter, and rock with it in the summer, but I think the higher dose of sertraline did help a bit, even if it was a placebo effect! 

      I'm the same, I can't go back to waking up with knots in my stomach and constantly be on edge waiting for something to happen!!

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