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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

714 Replies

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  • Aly02
    Aly02 meteor63

    Posted

    Hi. I've just came off sertraline. I was taking it for about 7 months. I've not had any for 6 days now. The dizziness & spaced out feeling is terrible. I've got a really dry throat & what feels like pins & needles in my face also feel like I'm about to throw up constantly! I hope it settles soon. My husband thinks I should see doc but I dont want anything in my system & I worry he will just give me something else to counter act my symptoms. Mentally I feel better than I have in a long time so that's what's important I guess. I'm taking fish oils & zinc & vitamin c. Did the magnesium help you? Ho quickly did your symptoms settle?
    • deeebeee
      deeebeee Aly02

      Posted

      Oh Aly, NOT GOOD.  NEVER just stop taking a medication.  Please get back on it.  Call your doctor re tapering off.  Just tell him you're not sure you want to start on another med.  In any case, you'd have to taper off this first.  He might give you something to make this easier.  Don't go cold turkey.  VERY BAD for your mind, your body.  

      So please get back on and talk to your doctor about tapering off.  Good luck.

  • bob13741
    bob13741 meteor63

    Posted

    How are things for you now?  I'm 9 months off Sertraline and still having problems.  I tapered off slowly but since coming off the drug I have suffered from nausea, dizziness, headache, ringing and thunder in left ear, severe irritability, sunken dark eyes and severe tiredness.  Doctors told me it was Labyrinthitis and gave me some vestibular exercises to do.  These haven't worked although I have found homeopathic remedies (Nux Vomica and Berberis) have helped me to cope and get less irritable but the dizziness and severe headaches remain.  Anything that applies pressure to the head or ears make the dizziness worse (reading, using mobile phone, swimming).  Does this eventually go?
    • Aly02
      Aly02 bob13741

      Posted

      Hi I've been off sertraline for about 5 weeks now. The withdrawal symptoms first couple of weeks were horrendous. I thought they'd stopped but every so often I get the brain zaps & feel nauseous. I'm hoping it will eventually stop. I've been feeling anxious but I'm trying to work through it without medication.
  • jennifer75008
    jennifer75008 meteor63

    Posted

    Wow

    I was on 100

    Then 50

    Now I stooped for almost a week

    Feel dizzy

    Almost passed out

    Brain zap all over zap .. Hate it

    I just took 25mg to see if that helps

    I will slowly keep cutting it

    • Aly02
      Aly02 jennifer75008

      Posted

      Hi Jennifer. I slowly reduced my sertraline. I've not had any for about 5 weeks now. The first 2 weeks were horrendous. The brain zaps,dizziness & nausea were unbearable. It's better now. Only having zaps & nausea every few days so hoping it will eventually stop. Try & hang in there. It will get easier. Sometimes I feel very anxious but I'm trying to work through it without medication.
  • RJG
    RJG meteor63

    Posted

    Hi there, 

    They do go away, at first mine were terrible, after about 6 weeks I suddenly realised they were gone. My GP told me he had never heard of brain zaps- seriously! 

    I stopped them about 6 months ago, but one weird thing. When I get a cold/flu I get brain zaps again. They are identical to those that I got in zoloft (sertraline) withdrawal, so I wonder whether my brain is permanently changed by these drugs. I hope not. 

  • nataliex12
    nataliex12 meteor63

    Posted

    Hello I'm Natalie I'm just starting this journey with trying to lean myself off of zoloft. I love how everyone is being so supportive of each of each other because this is scary! I hate the crying all the time, the dizziness, the nausea, and the anxiety! I'm so mad at myself for ever getting on these meds in the first place, and I just really want to be done with this! Uuughh
  • laura43429
    laura43429 meteor63

    Posted

    Hey meteor, 

    I just discovered your post and was wondering if you got better.

    Best, 

    L

  • maureen75524
    maureen75524 meteor63

    Posted

    I'm also wondering how you are doing, also Lee and R2B. If you ladies are on here please let us know.

    I've now been off 15 months and still experience nausea, tummy cramps and loose bowels many mornings. I'm a witch until I eat in the morning, blood sugar issues like I never had before. Slowly I am getting there, but it's been a long journey.

    Take care all!

  • abhishek46218
    abhishek46218 meteor63

    Posted

    I have taken Anti depressants(SSRIs) for 2 months and now i feel that i have lost my feelings of love and romance.What can i do now to bring back my feelings of love and romance? And how much time does it take to fade away the Side effects?
  • TeresaScott
    TeresaScott meteor63

    Posted

    I would love to know if people ever get better too. I have been on zoloft for 12 YEARS !!! My doctor never suggested thatt  I might try to get off of it. Now that studies have been released proving a link between alzhemers and anti-depressants, I really want to get off this stuff!  And all I have done is to slightly cut back. I'm not going cold turkey or anything. But my head is spinning. I am dumb as a doornail and have absolutely NO energy. I am currently a stay at home mom, but if I were not, I would be fired for sure! Scary thing is, I need to get a job in the next 6 months. I'm scared. I'm just hoping for some positive stories and outcomes?
    • laura43429
      laura43429 TeresaScott

      Posted

      Hey Teresa,

      how big was the cut you made? From what I understood so far, the art of getting off is making the cuts so tiny that you barely anything (usually 10% of the dosage), staying there for a month and then making the next tiny cut. From what I read, you'll just feel the maximum effects of the cut after 4 days. So tiny cut, wait 4 days, if no bad effects, brilliant, wait a month, next cut.

      There is good tapering instructions at survivingantidepressants . com

    • TeresaScott
      TeresaScott laura43429

      Posted

      thank you so much for your suggestion. I cut by 33%. Probably way to much. I think that I need to work with a doctor or a pharmacist.
    • laura43429
      laura43429 TeresaScott

      Posted

      Yeah, that sounds too much. I would go back to the original dose or 10% below, stabilize and try a smaller cut. 

      I would suggest working with a doctor or pharmacist, but don't be surprised if they haven't got a clue about the subject. My doctor didn't know that Venlafaxine, the antidepressant that litters the internet with horror storries, caused withdrawal symptoms. 

      My therapist is in denial withdrawal symptoms exist, she says I'm making it up. The psychiatrist I spoke said "that's weird... usually those symptoms should only last a couple of days. At least they do so in my patients, but then they start taking the medicine again". 

      In case your doctor turns out to have no clue, you can try to educate him. If he refuses, run ;-)

    • Nancerella
      Nancerella laura43429

      Posted

      My doctor has me cutting in half for two weeks, then in half again, and then just stopping. When I asked what to do if I have symptoms, he suggested going back on, or that I take Kava Kava or St. John's Wort. I'm new here. Is there a discussion about other supplements to help with the withdrawal symptoms and then to take once off the drug completely? I'm weaning of Zoloft and am feeling so tired and achey so maybe I should add a bit more and go more slowly. I'm reading about Dopamine and Seratonin issues but am so confused about how to treat them naturally. All the posts and answers are really helping. Thank you!
    • laura43429
      laura43429 Nancerella

      Posted

      I would really not recommend to anyone cutting the medicine in half. I don't know where doctors are getting this from.

      It is possible that some people tolerate cutting the medication in half, but if the patient doens't, it will be such a shock to the nervous system that it will be hard to recover from it (as I saw on my personally). 

      People have dropped into psychotic and manic episodes from making too big cuts. I had crazy urges to self mutilate after stopping effexor, even though I had never experienced anything like this before. 

      From what I read in other forums, expecially the last step from the smallest available dose to zero seems to be difficult. Some people have to get liquid medication or dissolve it, to make the doses smaller. 

      Search for "tapering instructions" "antidepressants" on google. You'll find some info for each medication in other patient forums. 

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