My experience of coming off sertraline

Hi thank you so much for all the advice and help I've been on 100mg of sertraline a day for 8months I wanted to come off them so with the help of my gp he suggested gradual reduction but I was just going to stop. After reading all the messages I think I need to follow his advice just want to say thank you xx

I have been on many differnt anti depressants over the last 30 years. Sertraline was the last one I was on. I went to a great counsler he understood my problem. I started on my own to stop taking antidepressants. I have been off of them for a week and I feel much better. I am not depressed any more. Even living in this world! The last two nights i have not slept well,not sure if it conected to stopping the antidepressants or not. My father always told me that no one know how you feel better than you. The main thin I did not like about any antidepressant was the sweating problem. Always remember God is in controll and you are not.

Hi, I've been on setraliyne for 4 years on and off. Never felt normal anxiety us getting worse, electric shocks in the head migraine. I hate this stuff. I want my life back. I'm on 50mg how should I proceed?

I'm trying to come off 50mg of sertraline after being on it for 1 year.

What I've done is just bite the tip of the tablet off and swallow the larger peice, been doing it for about 5 weeks. Yesterday I felt very agitated, and almost almost felt a panick attack but it subsided before it even started. Could these symptoms get worse, or is this the worst of it?

Should I be more accurate in what I cut off?

I'm really worried don't want to go down hill

Hi there 😊 It's been so great reading all of this, as many others have said I feel relieved that what I have been experiencing is normal! I have been on 50mg for about 6 months and talked to my doctor about coming off it. He suggested halving for 2-3 weeks and then stopping. So I took half for about 10 days and stopped altogether on New Year's Day, thought that even though this wasn't quite long enough that NY day was a good time to start a new chapter without medication, but in hindsight thinking was too quick. From the first couple of days I felt a weird feeling in my head/brain that I couldn't describe, the closest thing I could relate it to was that resistance you get when you try to join 2 magnets together that don't want to join?! I think this could be the electric shocks that people have talked about? I am now at day 7, I feel happy enough but this feeling has gotten progressively worse and is quite unsettling. I feel like a robot that is short circuiting intermittently, ( like in Austin Powers 😁 but I am talking myself through them when they happen now, just by telling myself that it's ok, and trying to get on with what I'm doing instead of letting them bother me. It's working and I feel a bit better but certainly hope they stop really soon as I'm due back at work in a couple of days and don't fancy feeling like a weirdo at work. Considering asking for a few more days off. I also have been very irritable and losing my patience more quickly with my toddler,family and partner, especially my partner who has copped the wrath, but to be honest this was my behaviour whilst on the meds and is one of the reasons I wanted to come off. I wasn't depressed anymore but was losing my cool and getting angry and aggressive with him.

I also recently had a more a IUD removed as I am trying to eliminate all the foreign unnatural bodies/chemicals from my body. I always wondered if the IUD was the cause of my depression in the first place as it wasn't long after that was placed that I started with the teary hopeless feelings. But my dr said it would be unlikely and more to do with the list of protagonists in my life, so tried the antidepressants instead.

So now I am in the middle of the come down and trying to cope, singing helps but a pity I have a terrible voice!! I was considierng whether to just start taking a 1/2 every other day or something to help with the symptoms, but am scared of having to then start again with this come down. One thing I know for sure is that I'm glad I decided to come off of them, it's scary to think that something can have such an influence in your brain!!! I just want to feel normal again but am scared that I don't know what normal for me is any more! I am going to see a psychologist soon to hopefully help me through my issues and insecurities that I'm sure stem from childhood and possibly a previous controlling abusive marriage. I'd always felt like I was a strong, positive, kind and good person, but over the past few years I'm not so sure... I want to find that person again.

Anyway sorry for dribbling on, that became quite cathartic Once I got started.

If anyone has any tips, has anyone stopped and then started again on a very low dose and weeks off again? If so what happened, was it better?

Hi, I'm trying to come off 50mg of sertraline, been on it for a year and 4 months now, started taking just 3 quarters of the 50mg tablet about 3 months ago, that's was fine, had a tiny blip at xmas, now 3 days on half the tablet, I'm feeling tired so tired and feel achy and a bit snappy, I feel like I have a flu coming on? I may do? But should I stick at 25mg and ride it out or will the withdrawal become worse? If I can be stable on 25mg I will stay on it for a good 6months at that dose what do think?