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Sertraline Withdrawal .. Does it go away?

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meteor63
meteor63

Hi. I just wondered if anyone had been through sertraline withdrawal and got better? I look on the internet and can't find anything positive about ssri withdrawal, particularly sertraline. I guess when people stop posting, it means they've got better. All I seem to see is posts from people who've been suffering for months or longer. I just want some hope.

I was on citalopram last year (first ever anti depressant) and came off it after 2 months because I had terrible reactions to it. A week later I was put on sertraline and reacted terribly to that too (I'm still suffering the side effects).

I took my last sertraline 3 weeks ago. My top dose was 100mg and I was going nuts. I dropped down to 50mg for about 5 weeks, 25mg for 2 weeks and 25mg every other day for a week.

Since then (and during titration) I have been having brain zaps all day every day and every time I move my eyes. I'm more exhausted than I've ever been in my life. I have sweats. I have worse sinus problems than I've ever had. I have loads of pressure behind and around my left eye. I can barely look at the television or read. I have long crying bouts. All this on top of the existing hideous and ongoing side effects which are worse than withdrawal.

I was on sertraline for a total of about 3.5 months and have been off 3.5 weeks. I've heard the average for withdrawal symptoms is around 6 weeks but can be much longer. Given my extreme sensitivity to medication, I'm afraid that I may be one if the unlucky ones. I was much better before I took any meds.

I'm taking loads of fish oil and magnesium, eating healthily and drinking lots of water. I was trying to be positive but am becoming less positive by the day.

Anyone else experienced this and recovered? I can't bear the thought of going on any more meds because I can't tolerate them.

Thank you.

31 likes, 714 replies

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  • meteor63
    meteor63

    Posted

    This is just to say sorry to all those who posted and I didn't reply to.

    I'm so sick from the drugs I haven't kept up with all the messages. I'm gradually reading through them.

    my heart goes out to all who have been injured by these terrible drugs. I hope you feel better soon. All success stories are welcome! Hope is very much needed!

  • SMRG
    SMRG meteor63

    Posted

    I found this board, to make sure my symptoms are normal to other people's. I started taking Zoloft about 9 months ago. 2 months after being on it, I asked my (pill-pushing) doctor if I could get off, because I didn't notice a difference. He upped my dosage instead. So after being on that for a while, I decided to talk to my therapist about getting off them completely. I hated being on them. She said talk to my doctor. I didn't. I took a week down to half a dose, then stopped taking them. During the time of getting off them, I felt better. I had more energy, I was able to keep my house clean, I felt better. The day I stopped taking Zoloft completely, I felt great. The following day, emotionally I was doing well, but I couldn't barely stand. I felt very dizzy and light headed, like my limbado was off. By the end of the week, I didn't feel as dizzy, but my stomach started hurting, then the following day, I kept getting cold sweats, all day. My therapist says that it take at least 2 weeks for the medication to get out of my system. I'm hoping that the symptoms don't last as long as some of you are saying 10 months. But I have a good support group, to help keep me motivated, positive, and together. I don't feel so good inside, but my mood is much better. I felt like being on the medication at all just messed up my system entirely, and I wish I would have never gotten on it. Good luck to all of you on this, or attempting to get off of it. I personally felt seeing a councelor helped me so much more than this medication did. Medicine doesn't fix the problem, just helps you get through the process of fixing the problem. Sort out what's wrong with someone, anyone, just talk things through. Problem that i've seen is that people take the medication expecting it to fix the problem, then they try and get off of it, and the problem is still there. You have to work on your problems, want to get through the current issues, or the past issues. Medication can't do that for you.
    • longtalljules
      longtalljules SMRG

      Posted

      This is a great reply with lots of insights. ..Thank you LTJ
  • margot84030
    margot84030 meteor63

    Posted

    I just went off my anti depressant 2 months ago and am feeling horrible side affects too. Terribly anxious much of the time, waking up a lot during the night, anxious, crying off and on and wanting to jump out of my own skin. I am thinking of going back on them. I have come this far, but the anxiety and the up and down feelings are not good for me. At least on my meds I was relatively stable and not feeling like this.    I am taking B vitamins and D vitamins to help, but they arent doing much. I also keep hydrated much of the time, but some times do have a glass of wine to calm down, which only can make me more anxious in the long run and not sleep well.  My doctor had recommeneded Brintellex for me now, and its too new a drug and I dont want to go on it. I wish I had an answer for you. Try the B Complex and B12..that will help with central nervous system, but as far as brain adjusting to withdrawl symptons, most doctors dont let us know this before we go on these medications.
  • barbara95153
    barbara95153 meteor63

    Posted

    Meteor63, I read that you wrote this 9 mo. ago. Are you ok now? I've have horrible withdrawal from ssris and benzodiazipines. I'll discuss with you how I'm doing if you wish. Hope to hear back that you are doing well!
  • barbara95153
    barbara95153 meteor63

    Posted

    Sorry meteor63, I just found some more recent posts of yours. Doesn't sound like you are doing ok yet. My advice to everyone is to not reinstae any of this crap...it only makes it worse! I weaned myself off of Prozac and klonopin several years ago but make the big mistake of getting back on klonopin temporarily in 2014. because I went on it for even just a short period I became addicted again and went through withdrawal again. Then My companion and best friend  Shih Tzu (almost 8 yrs old) was diagnosed with bladder cancer, then i was bullied out of where i was living. Then a month later I had to put down my dog. I was still going through withdrawal and ended up in mental hospital twice within a couple of weeks. They dumped more ssris and other meds on me that caused side effects. I started weaning off and I am still trying to get well several months later. I pray that I will be able to keep my mind...
    • meteor63
      meteor63 barbara95153

      Posted

      Hi Barbara. I'm so sorry you are going though this and I'm so very sorry to hear about your dog. That's just awful.

      Are you completely off all those horrible meds?

      I wish I had something positive to say but I'm still dreadfully sick from the medication. It takes such a long time for the receptors and brain to heal. What a complete nightmare.

      I had a sort of 'window' a couple of weeks ago where I feel nowhere near normal but better. I felt more hopeful and more like me. I've heard of others who were very severely sick from the meds and eventually recovered med free. I just wish we knew when things would get better! I can't believe how long it takes to recover from an adverse reaction and/or withdrawal.

      Which ssris did they put you on? How long were you on them and what are your symptoms now?

    • barbara95153
      barbara95153 meteor63

      Posted

      meteor63, Thanks for your kind words! I was on prozac and zoloft. It takes months to get over the withdrawal mess. The docs do NOT tell you this! All they want to do is up your dose! That's how they make a living---prescribing meds. When I first went off of these awlful meds 3 yrs ago I ended up in the ER twice. At that time I didn't see so much online about withdrawal. Matter-of-fact, medical personenel in the US were not aware of discontinuation or withdrawal. The UK was way ahead of us on that. Anyway, I actually had a shouting match with a triage nurse at one Er. She kept saying that there was no such thing as withdrawal from benzodiazipines (Klonopin) or SSRIs (Prozac.) They treated me very badly at 2 different ERs. Anyway, my story is very long and I dont have the strength to go ihto it right now. All I know is that I know that I am on my own right now. I have no family, no friend-support, no doctors who understand this mess. I am just praying that I do not lose my mind in the process of getting well this time. I only wish that I had NEVER taken any of these mind-altering drugs!!!  You are right, it does time a long time for your receptors to heal and to learn how to work on their own again. Thank goodness that these forums are out there or we would think that we were indeed losing our minds forever...
    • maureen75524
      maureen75524 barbara95153

      Posted

      Barbara I'm so sorrry to hear of your plight. I'm also very sorry to hear about your dog. You will see by reading previous posts on here, that your symptoms are very real. Many of us have been through and still going through similar experiences.

      I have been off sertraline now for one year. As I type this I have tremendous nausea, this takes place most mornings! I have internal shaking until I eat in the mornings. My emotions are still at the surface, I cry over minor incidents! Vision is still blurred, this is not an easy journey for some of us. I get so frustrated as I'm a high energy person, and hate these feelings.

      As for your friend, one does not understand unless theyve lived this nightmare. I'm 68 and went on Sertraline due to seasonal affective disorder and family stress in 2013. I was on them for 10 months, never felt well, finally said ENOUGH, so my Dr. tapered me very slowy over three months.

      I go to the gym usually three times per week, doing 45 minutes on the treadmill. I then meet several for coffee. The workout helps but so does the solicalization.

      I live In Canada and we are presently experiencing -40 temps with the wind chill, so I've opted out of the gym today! I don't feel like venturing out in this!

      You will be able to keep your mind, it's all the chemicals at play right now. I found this forum in my darkest moments, and thankfully realized many otehres were experiencing what I was. My Dr. told me no way was I still experiencing withdrawl after 6 months. well I was and still am! Needless to say i've lost all faith in Drs. Oh yes and now i have to endeavour to lose the 30 lbs i've gained on this horrible med.

      Hang in there, you can do this, you are not alone. We are all in this together. hugs.

    • barbara95153
      barbara95153 maureen75524

      Posted

      Maureen, Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so sorry that you are going through your hell too. I had many more symptoms at one point but they have gone away. I still have enough to make me miserable! I think my vision is tormenting me the most! I'm like you---I have no faith in doctors either! I have no use for any of them!!!

      Hugs to you too! You seem like a very kind person! :-)

  • barbara95153
    barbara95153 meteor63

    Posted

    I forgot...symptoms, nausea, blurred vision, dim vision. Feel weird all the time. Have high anxiety, fear, I'm scared all the time of sometime and everything, terror, dry mouth. My blood pressure & pulse were very high for a month or two but both are better now thank goodness. Have isolated myself for the most part which makes it worse. Winter does not help either. I'm a 62 y.o. female. I hate cold weather and need the sunlight. I'm temporarily staying with a friend (not really a friend anymore, she does not understand what im going through so she's making me feel worse) until my name comes up on an affordable housing waiting list. All my life I was a very ambititious person until I hit peri-menapause in my 50's. All went downhill from there...
    • meteor63
      meteor63 barbara95153

      Posted

      Barbara I'm so very sorry. These sound like very typical withdrawal symptoms.

      I empathise about the friend. I could write a book about all the insensitive things people have said to or about me in this. Some are very understanding, though.

      It's criminal what's happened to us all. I blame the pharmaceutical companies. They know so much more than they are letting on.

    • barbara95153
      barbara95153 meteor63

      Posted

      I blame the Big Pharma too! They get to do whatever they want to do because they are Big Money too with their huge Political Action Campaign money they use to bribe the govt. into allowing them to do what they do. There is enough info out there now in my opinion for the primary care doctors to quit handing the crap out like it's candy for every little reason there is out there! I know several people in their 80's that are on this junk and they can't get off of it!!!SSRIs are causing dementia. So are benzodiazipines! This is a nightmare!! The psych doctors will ALWAYS hand the stuff out to patients because that's all they are good for. Most P-Docs don't do talk therapy anymore--they just write out prescriptions!

      You are so lucky that you DO have some friends who are understanding about your situation. I don't have any... This is the worse time of my life!! I am scared to death in this living hell!

    • meteor63
      meteor63 barbara95153

      Posted

      My heart goes out to you. This is indeed a living hell. I wish you didn't have to go through it too. I'm glad you said many of your symptoms have gone away. That gives me hope. I have major vision problems too. My double vision had gone now, thankfully. I still can't focus problem and it's a strain looking at everything. My vision is very blurry and is almost psychedelic. I'm dizzy all the time and I still have brain zaps after 10 months.

      It's dreadful that you have friends in their 80s on this muck. Just dreadful.

      I'm 50 now. I was 48 when all this started. I was so happy. Now I can't function. I force myself through the terror to dress and get out of the house sometimes but it's horrendous.

      I am lucky that I have people who understand. It took a while. For the first few months, no one believed me. My boyfriend didn't believe it at first but now does and is very supportive. My sister gets it now. We live in different countries. She's on the other side of the world now. I have friends who sort of get it but not really. They are kind to me but don't really have any idea, but how could they..they haven't experienced it. They try to relate it to things they've been through. They sort of understand but don't know the severity of it. I put on a big act so people think I'm better than I am. If I manage to see people or venture out, people think I'm better and don't understand when I say I'm not. They say "but I thought you were better! What happened?" Many want to fix it and think doing CBT, going for a walk, doing an exercise class or distraction will stop all this. I know they just want me better. Some think it's all in my head and I could heal in a week if I wanted. Many think I'm weak and am just not responding well to life. They think I just feel sorry for myself and have worked myself into a depression and am not trying to get better. If only they knew! There's nothing I want more than to live a normal life and be the person I was. I wake every morning thinking I can be normal but my head won't let me. It really upsets me when people assume I'm weak because I am super strong dealing with a mind that wants me dead every minute of the day and a body that tortures me every second. I know the people who have made me feel really useless wouldn't survive an hour like this. If people felt like we did just for an hour they would think we were incredible! I was fine until I took medication. Antibiotics started this all off for me and SSRIs destroyed me. It amazes me that people won't believe it.

      Anyway, I didn't mean this to turn into a rant.

      Im so sorry, Barbara. This will get better over time. We just have to make it through each minute until one day it starts to resolve.

      I have heard of many people who reacted to ssris, anti psychotics and/or benzos and/or suffered dreadful withdrawal and were really, really severe. They thought they would never recover but they did.

      There is hope. Keep fighting. We can beat this.

    • barbara95153
      barbara95153 meteor63

      Posted

      Glad to read your rant! You sound like I feel!! I know that anyone who can endure this is very strong indeed, but it is a minute-by-minute struggle that we must get through! I know you are strong and I do care about you and I know you will get through it too!! :-)
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