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My experience of coming off sertraline

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I have found this site very helpful during the period that I was taking sertraline and felt I should share my experiences of coming off the drug, in the hope that they may be of help to others.

I was diagnosed with depression last year and have been on 200mg of sertraline for approx 10 months. I also had some therapy during this period and recently took the decision (with my doctor's support) to come off the medication. Wary of repeating the experiences some other posters on this site have had I resolved to reduce my dosage gradually over a period of about a month (more gradually than suggested by my doctor).

Each week I reduced the dosage by 50mg a day. So week one I went down to 150mg a day, week 2 100mg a day etc. The first two weeks were fine with no real changes. By the end of week 3 I began to feel a bit light headed, with hot sweats and dry-mouth also returning. As a result I remained on this dose another week instead of stopping altogether in week 4.

I have now been 5 days with no sertraline and have found the experience of quitting surprisingly easy. I still feel a little light-headed now and again, but other side effects I suffered during the full dose (yawning, tiredness, sexual dysfunction) have all but gone, and although I kind of miss the 'wrapped in cotton wool' feeling I am glad to be back to life without medication.

For what its worth I would suggest that gradual reduction of dosage is the most effective way to avoid the worse of the side-effects experienced when coming off sertraline and that the good news (for me anyway) has been the speed at which the side-effects disappeared.

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  • carter80744
    carter80744 Guest

    Posted

    I have been taking 200mg of sertraline daily for 7 years and I have just started to lower my dosage. I'll be taking only 150mg for 5 months and then I'll go down from there. 

    The only symptom I've noticed is extreme irritability. I know I'm being such a bitch, I just can't help it. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this much irritability? Or if this is just my true self without the medication. Haha

    • janharris56
      janharris56 carter80744

      Posted

      I wasn't on the same dose. I was at 100mg. Went to 50mg. every day, then every other day. Did well. Then went to every 3rd day. I did this to avoid withdrawl symptoms. This is when I noticed a difference, and because my vacation starts on the 25th I'm wondering if I should hang in there & see how it goes or return to 50 every other. I also feel bitchier and wondered if it was me or the decrease???

      Good luck.

    • kim86725
      kim86725 carter80744

      Posted

      Hi Carter, I know what you mean, I raged for 3 months after starting to wean off. You have to go slow, my GP didn't take me off slow enough so I had terrible withdrawl. That being said, I now am calming down after 4 months, I have had a lot if stress also that didn't help things. I walked when I was raging and that helped so much. Good luck, Kim
    • carter80744
      carter80744 kim86725

      Posted

      Hi Kim, thank you for responding. What dosage were you coming down from and going to? I was just wondering in case I might be going down too harshly as you did. 

    • kim86725
      kim86725 carter80744

      Posted

      Hi Carter, I was on 100 mg. to 50 mg. for 2 wks. then down to 25 mg. for 2 wks. and then stop per my GP but I went down to 121/2 mg. on my own for another 2 wks. That wasn't slow enough, I took them for 14 yrs. and told my GP I wanted off. He was clueless to the withdrawl, got no help from him at all. This site helped me more than anything. Good luck, Kim
    • david35763
      david35763 carter80744

      Posted

      Hi

      I've just been coming off sertraline (2 years of it) myself the last few months...finally became med-free about a week ago. Irritability has been one of the symptoms, but oddly enough I'm think I'm actually more assertive as well, instead of simply taking a back seat...so there's good and bad a the same time.

      The worst thing for me is the "brain zaps". I'm getting so many of these every day (just got about 4 while typing this sentence, but it varies a lot). Hope they go away soon...

      Cheers

       

  • nicole20129
    nicole20129 Guest

    Posted

    Thank you so much to everyone who has posted on here. I'm 28 and have been on Sertraline for half of my life, 14 years, and am finally ready to come off of it. When I started it when I was 14 I had been diagnosed with clinical depression and was having quite a rough time with life in general. Through the years I've stayed on it because whenever I think I might be "good" enough to come off of it, something else comes up such as starting college or graduate school or a new job, etc. Now that I am happily married, about to start a new job that I'm really excited about and am in a good place in my overall career I've decided it's time to stop these meds. I'd also like to have a baby within the next couple years and don't want to be on this drug when I'm pregnant or breastfeeding. Anyway, I'm quite apprehensive because I don't know myself not on this drug and really hope that I don't need it overall but really haven't a clue! 

    The most I've ever been on is 150mg but for most of my life have been on 100mg. The weird thing is at one point I was on 125mg but it seems that these days they don't go by 25mg anymore. About a year ago I started decreasing the amount I take after talking with my GP at the time. I went from 150mg to 100mg for a few months then down to 50mg which I've been on for at least three months now. I moved recently and don't have a new GP so am not seeing anyone as I get off of the meds completely now but following suit with what my GP did previously I just went from 50mg to nothing since we had been going down by 50mg previously so I figured I'd be ok. But wow, I didn't expect all these side effects! I mean I realized that my body must be really used to this since I've been on it for half my life but I didn't think I'd feel this out of it. It reminds me of one time when I was a teenager and was on 150mg and had forgotten to take my meds that day. I was at the store with my mom and had almost a black out moment when I was standing there and couldn't remember where I was or what I was doing there; and this is a store that I was in at least once a week so it wasn't a new store. It was a really freaky experience and once I got home I took the meds right away and didn't let myself forget them again. 

    The first day that I didn't take my meds I was fine, didn't really notice anything at all. The second day, yesterday, I noticed at about 2pm that I was feeling light headed, dizzy and would cry randomly and get mad randomly. Once my husband got home I told him of this just so he could help me keep track of my moods as I get off of this and so he knows I'm not myself so I apoloize ahead of time if I get snappy. That evening we went to a town festival and I still felt really out of it and like things were moving in slow motion a bit. 

    After a good night of sleep I got up this morning with plans to get a lot done but ended up feeling dizzy, light headed and nausous so went back to bed after being up for just a couple hours. We had a family event planned in the afternoon and I was able to get up and shower for then head out but I still don't feel safe driving so I had my husband drive instead. Most of the day I felt ok but my emotions aren't quite right I don't think. Today would have been my grandma's birthday but she died two years ago but the family still got together and went to her grave then out to dinner. I was really close to my grandma and her death has really affected me but oddly while at her grave today I kept smiling. It might have been because my nephew was there and he is still a baby so was doing cute baby things but I don't know. I just don't feel like I'm regulating my emotions right like I usually do. It's weird. Either way I got through the day but wonder how long this weird feeling is going to last. Luckily I have another month off of work as I work in the schools so I have the summer off. I hope that within a months time I will feel well enough  and 'with it' enough to start my new job! I do have a conference to go to week that I need to be able to drive for and think straight so hopefully I'll be ok enough by then too. 

    I really really appreciate everyone sharing their stories on here. It has helped me a lot. I really wasn't sure what was wrong with me and though it's horrible that we are all going through or have gone through this due to coming off this drug, it's nice to know I'm not alone and that I'm not going crazy! 

    Best of luck to everyone and thank you again smile I'll keep you updated on how I do as well. 

    • kim86725
      kim86725 nicole20129

      Posted

      Hi Nicole, I really think you came off to fast, you should of taken 25 mg. for at least a couple wks. or more. You're going to go through a lot of emotions. I wish you the best of luck! I was on them for 14 yrs. also but not at such a young age. Kim
    • nicole20129
      nicole20129 kim86725

      Posted

      Hi Kim, I think you're right that I came off them too fast. Since my doctor had previoulsy taken me down by 50mg each time I figured that'd be fine to keep doing but I didn't realize that until I was a couple days in and figured at that point that I'd confuse my body even more going back on them. 

      Luckily things have been going pretty well lately. I attended a two day conference a couple days ago that I was concerned I wouldn't do well in since I needed to be speaking at this to the ten other people there but it all went great! I think having something to do and put my mind toward helped me out. I was just fine driving, which I had been concerned about previously, and I did well explaining things to others, etc. 

      I noticed now that I'm back at home that my irritability is still much worse than before I got off the meds. I also tend to have "fits" as I call them where I make noises and spastic arm movements/flailing. I seem to be able to control this when necessary but since I'm usually home alone or with my husband, I don't bother to try and control it too much. It is still really frustrating and embarrassing. 

      I've been off the meds for 1.5 wks now. I don't feel spacey anymore and things aren't moving in slow motion at all. Just the extreme and random irritability and arm movements. Hopefully those will go away soon!...

      Nicole

  • allen90639
    allen90639 Guest

    Posted

    I was on Sertraline for 10 years and have tried on several occasions to come off.  I have always tried the cold turkey approach.  The last two times, I experienced issues with impulse control, irritablity and wakefullness.  I began studying zen and after 8 years decided to try again - cold turkey.  I have been off for five days and have only experienced two flashes of anger and wakefullness.  However, my inability to sleep did not effect me as much as the daytime sleepiness experience while I was on the 100mg dose.  I have also experienced sexual dysfunction while on the medication which I hope will shortly disappear.
  • nikko66
    nikko66 Guest

    Posted

    Sertraline is the work of the devil in my eyes, I was on it years ago and when l tried to come of it l had all the symptoms/side effects that others have mentioned, in the end l went on to a liquid form and weaned myself off using a pipette to lower the dose. Years later I agan found myself needing help and the doctor put me back onto Lustrel, l told him of my previous experiences with fluoxetine and the ssri family, he recommended sertraline, so as you do l took his word for it but later found out that they are from the same family.

    I don't have an issue with the stigma sometimes attached to depression or even taking the tablets however l now feel back in control of my life and would like to try going it alone, so l am working out a lengthy weaning off programme to avoid the un-pleasent side effects again.

    ps previous to me taking fluoxetine l was on a non ssri form of anti depressents which worked well and were easy for me to come off.

    Good luck everyone with your weaning programms, but please if it's new to you then don't try the cold turkey method, it's really very un-pleasent and hey what's the rush ?

    Regards,

    Nick.

    • Daddee777
      Daddee777 nikko66

      Posted

      Sound advice Nick. Everyone needs someone they can trust to help them with a reality check, as to how well they really are, as well.
  • nikko66
    nikko66 Guest

    Posted

    Not too sure how private messaging (PM) done however if you'd like to see a PDF copy of my reduction plan then please PM me with your e-mail address, If there's another way of sharing it please let me know.

    Nick.

  • natasha55283
    natasha55283 Guest

    Posted

    Hiya just an update on things from my perspective. I went on a lower dose of sertraline every other day and then did two days on, and one day off for a week (altogether my weaning period was 4 weeks from 50mg) I was also on a lower dose of propranolol at 20mg every day from 80mg every day. Saturday just gone I went away for the weekend and didnt bring enouh medication so ended up just topping seen as I was so low dosage anyway. I'm currently on day 4 and have next to no side effects. The only thing I would say is that I feel a bit teary but think that's just something for my body to get used to and then pick myself back up. Also I hve had slight dizzyness when standing up which isn't helped by sitting at a computer all day. Keep it up guys; those of you who are weaning, don't go cold turkey. come off it slowly and you will feel heaps better. smile Thanks to this article for helping me pre-empt some of the side effects. smile
    • Daddee777
      Daddee777 natasha55283

      Posted

      Good advice Natasha. Just to point out that Sertraline works gradually so a tablet missed here or there doesn't really make any difference. It's a bit like an ocean liner can only turn around slowly so BE PATENT folks smile
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