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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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  • chris_61424
    chris_61424 Guest

    Posted

    I'm glad to have found this. I'm hoping for any advice. I've been on 100mg for probably 13 years for anxiety and depression. These days even though my life is great...I don't feel well. Down alot. Anxious sometimes. Eat pretty good and get exercise. At this point I think I want to try coming off the meds. Might as well bc I don't feel that great anyways. Plus I have this dreadful fear that ...what if one day suddenly sertraline wasn't for some reason not available???? That scares me. I want off. The last week I've cut a small tip off the pill. I think I'll do this for a couple of months. Then I'll take 75mg for 6 months. Then I'll take 50mg for 6 months. Then I'll cut that in half for a year if I have to. I wanna go real slow. One time i foolishly quit cold turkey and thought I was losing my mind. I've heard that cutting the pill may not be effective as the drug isn't always equally distributed throughout the pill..is this true? Looking for advice
  • tony_51019
    tony_51019 Guest

    Posted

    Everyone, I guess, will be different... But be careful folks!  I've been on 200mg of sertraline for about 5 years and recently it seemed to be not being as affective, so when my repeat prescription was up for review I just stopped....

    im in week 2 of cold turkey - I've had vivid dreams, shakes, diarrhoea, headaches, sore throat and the worst side effect - loosing my patience in work, getting super angry and walked out... So now job less!

    so be careful everyone - you might be lucky going cold turkey, but I haven't been sad

  • debz75
    debz75 Guest

    Posted

    Hi, I am in the process of cold turkey i guess.I was on 100mg sertaline and 75mg Zoplicone for depression n problems sleeping. I cut the S in half did that for a week then had one every other day and then stopped. This has been about a week i am having
    • alanna125
      alanna125 debz75

      Posted

      Hey i'm in a similar situation. I started forgetting to take my setraline about a week ago and after day three of forgetting, I decided to just stop taking it because I had been experiencing side effects from my dosage that I didn't like (heavy consistent night sweats, my metabolism drastically slowed down and I gained weight quicker than my body ever has gained weight before, limited my ability to reach orgasm, and my sex drive went waaaay down). Anyways its been about 7 days and over the past three days ive been experiencing these weird full body sensations. They kind of feel like dizziness, but more tingly and spiratic especially when I move and walk around. I read on this forum somewhere a lady described a similar experience and called them "brain zaps". It totally feels like brain zaps. They arent too bothersome, I am finishing my undergraduate finals right now and still am able to write papers and do work without it impairing my ability. Yet, I still feel bothered and worried about them because they are so consistent. How long does this last??

      Im considering back tracking and taking 50mg so half of my 100mg dose for a couple days and winging myself off like its suggested, but is it too late? 7 days cold turkey? 

  • sharon07214
    sharon07214 Guest

    Posted

    Hi,

    i was was wondering if anyone could advise. I halved my dose for 2 months from 200mg a day to 100mg a day. I felt great and was looking forward to telling my doctor of my progress. However last Monday (Today is Sunday) I woke up not feeling great and am still struggling. So on Friday I upped it to 200 mg again and am hoping this feeling will lift. I have been in them for a couple of years plus.

    Wht has this happened after 2 months of doing so well. I did not halve my tablet for 150mg as this is apparently not advisable. I will ask the doctor to prescribe me 50mg also.

    My main question is surely after 2 months on 100mg I should be alright. There was no particular trigger.

     

  • shell74588
    shell74588 Guest

    Posted

    I'm on 25g everyday zoloft everyday what would if I stopped taking it. I was on it for a yr. I'm afraid of side effects
  • suzanne08234
    suzanne08234 Guest

    Posted

    Hiya, I've been reducing my dosage slowly for 3 weeks and now on 25 mg every second day. I'm agitated, tearful and have dizziness, brain zaps and exhaustion. I'm also getting nightmares and wake with my whole body tensed up and in pain. Right now I feel I can't see the woods for the trees, but I'm so determined to come off Sertraline as I've never felt so bad within myself since being on them since February this year, never mind the withdrawal symptoms. Reading your post, I hope that there is light at the end of the dark tunnel with this evil medication. If I'd been told about the side effects coming off, I'd never have started them and asked for something else.
    • liz39585
      liz39585 suzanne08234

      Posted

      I have been on 100mg for about 3 years and started weaning off 2 weeks ago, did 50mg for two weeks,was fine, now im doing 25mg for 2 weeks then plan to stop all together,its been 3 days,and im very angry!!!! But at yhe same rime my weight had increased so much i was depressed!!!! I cant win!! Angry or fat???
  • bluejean
    bluejean Guest

    Posted

    Hi, so glad I found this discussion to read & share experiences. I started taking 50 mg Sertraline (Zoloft) six years ago, then my physician upped my dose to 100 mg daily. I soon experienced side effects of sexual dysfunction, constipation, sleeplessness, drymouth...so my doctor also added 300 mg Bupropion hcl x (Welbutrin) daily. Side effects were slightly relieved. Six years later, a month ago my doctor weaned me to 50 mg Sertraline and then to the amount of zero two weeks ago. Side effects of weaning/quitting - Feeling emotion, weepiness, feeling of pins/needles on skin, sweating. Still taking 300 mg Bupropion daily. Still having quitting side effects. Also, for whole six years, still having weird side effect of songs continuously playing in my head. Is this similar to anyone else?

    • pauline20749
      pauline20749 bluejean

      Posted

      I've been on zoloft 100 mg for a very long time. Would really like to get off them.

      Tried twice but side effects were so bad that went back on. I take 100 mg every 3 days or so and it's been working. However, sexual disfunction is high and no emotions. I really want to wean off but terrified since reading all your comments.

      I plan on speaking with my doctor about weaning off.

      Any other out there that's been on zilift for so long and succeeded in getting off them.

      How long did it take for the side effects take to disappear?

      P.

    • alison11636
      alison11636 pauline20749

      Posted

      Hi Pauline I've been on antidepressants for 15 years, and sertraline for a few year, a few month ago my doctor more or less said they weren't working, so started weaning myself off, at first there isn't much difference, after weeks of decrease I got down to 25mg one day miss a day and done that for a week but once I stopped all together, I felt awful, dizzy lightheaded, but must say had one nightmare day and night, brain zaps and feeling really scared, I phoned the doctor and he called me back and his answer was to take 25mg again but would go through it again soon as I stopped, asked him if anything serious would happen to me and asked if he could send prescription of the knew tablets he wanted to put me on to pharmacy, he said nothing nothing serious would happen, and I must say once I got over that day and a couple more been OK, but more bad tempered and emotional, but in the land of the living, I haven't went on anymore tablets because I seem to be copeing OK, if u have someone to talk to that listens that helps, not a lot of people understand and realize how hard it is, but I'm getting there and I'm sure u will xxxx

    • pauline20749
      pauline20749 alison11636

      Posted

      Thanks Alison.

      I do have a great support system. I only have about 6 years before I retire and trying to decide if I should try now or wait after I retire. I'm sure if I try now, I will be missing alot of work because of side effects.

      I really want to get off them so bad.

      Will keep you updated.

      Thanks again.

      Pauline.

      PS. Where you from? I'm from Canada.

  • brian91744
    brian91744 Guest

    Posted

    Ive only been on Sertraline for three months and I'm coming off it. The good: I feel so much better. The bad: going on it nearly killed me and the side effects were horrible. I'm down to 25 and trying to summon up the courage to stop. The main side effect still there is heat intolerance. I sweat like a motherf***er. It's terrible. Wish me luck taking the final step in the next few weeks!

    • Bun1975
      Bun1975 brian91744

      Posted

      How any mg were you on. What other side effects did you have? Are you feeling better now?
    • brian91744
      brian91744 Bun1975

      Posted

      Many of them. I was on 50. Nausea, insomnia, pins and needles and plenty of others. But yes, I am feeling better. I only really began to feel really better when a private doctor put me on beta blockers. They really helped with the anxiety and with some of the side effects. The NHS doctor just put me on Sertraline with no advice.
    • sue63802
      sue63802 brian91744

      Posted

      i started having panic attacks out of the blue in the middle of April 16. Attacks where nearly every day some worse than others,Finally i gave in and saw my GP. i started on 50mg sertraline for anxiety after 1 week it was raised to 100mg.panic attacks stopped.  Between weeks 1 and 5 i had headaches, night sweats, tiredness and lost 8 pounds. Week 5 to 6 felt really good so thought brilliant they are starting too work. Week 6 i started with constant watery stools almost allday for 35 days along with all the above symptoms,Saw GP and he reduce back down to 100mg i had lost another 4 pounds. Week 11 the watery stools became less. Weeks 11 to 17 i felt really low in mood, suffered indigestion and headaches could not put any weight on. I have always been a party girl although i am 57 i  was beginning to feel about 70 and felt my life was over. I had spoken to a councellor and work had been brilliant  but i needed to get my life back. I continued to look after my 10 grandchildren although i was tired they gave me focus. I saw my GP and said i wanted to come off the setraline and he agreed so i took one tablet every other day for one week and the days i did not have one felt my old self days i had one had terrible indigestion.2nd week i had to take one every three days so Sunday will be my last one. I have not had any bad side effects other than the indigestion  but have been having indigestion for years which was controlled. I am feeling great and glad to be off them. I am still taking one day at a time but where i would just sit when i got home from work and at weekends i am now planning weekends. I just hope my anxiety does not return, I know my reason after talking to the councellor that i had hidden grief of losing my sister 12 years ago and my dad and brother within a year and my mum no longer wanting to be part of my life had made me lose the plot but i feel much more stronger and have a great hubby and family to be there for me.I was scared to come off the tablets but for me its been fine so far. I still cannot but weight on even though i eat anything (great being able to eat chocolate and cakes) but would love to put a couple of pounds back on. Good luck to others if they work for you,
    • hans82434
      hans82434 brian91744

      Posted

      Not a big issue if you fail.  Just go back to your lowest prior dose and try again later. It might even be a good thing.  The second or third time will be a bit easier to handle.  It happened to me and I was bummed but when I was truly ready (third try), I didnt have a huge problem.  That isnt to say the withdrawals are much easier but you know what to expect.
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