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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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  • tim59582
    tim59582 meteor63

    Posted

    Glad to have found this thread. I'm currently trying to get off of sertaline after having been on a dosage of 50mg for about 17 months. I'll try to keep a log here; hopefully it'll be useful to someone.

    My story:

    I started with 50mg around Christmas 2014. Hard to tell if it ever actually worked, but I was prescribed sertraline for clinical depression and social anxiety.

    Incidents:

    Three months ago I didn't take medication for about 3 days. Got brain zaps while working out. Pushed through them. No other effects. Thought maybe it'd be a good time to quit while I was experiencing these side effects anyway, so I consulted with my GP, but decided to stay on them for a little while longer.

    Two weeks ago:

    I decided I wanted to get rid of the medication, as I feel like it's not really helping me at all. Consulted with my GP and she recommended for me to jump down to 25mg (from 50mg) for 2 weeks and then stop completely. This was 9 days ago.

    - 50 to 25 - (After having been on for about 17 months)

    5 days in:

    Loose bowel movements. Probably went to the bathroom about 6 times that day. Sometimes even ending up not needing to go at all. Next day there were no loose bowel movements, despite the same dosage of sertraline. Makes me unsure as to whether I owed them to diet changes or the actual medication. My diet is usually very healthy/balanced. I make sure I get in plenty of fiber, etc. Couple of days before I did have a bit of an off day food-wise.

    6 days in:

    No loose bowel movements.

    7 days in:

    Public transportation ran a bit late, and I, afraid of being late to a gig I was attending, decide to run a bit so I wouldn't miss the start. Fortunately, I make it just in time, but while running I do experience brain zaps and only feel like I can manage short sprints.

    8 days in(NO DOSE):

    Probably slept for about 10 hours. Figured since I'd experienced brain zaps the day before I might as well stop taking medication altogether, since the doctor said I could come off of it after two weeks anyway. Didn't think it would make a big difference. Not sure if this is a bad move, but I'm quite stubborn, so I decide to go with it.

    9 days in(NO DOSE):

    Probably slept for about 10 hours. I feel fine otherwise.

    Now - 10 days in(back to 25mg):

    Experiencing brain zaps occasionally. They get worse near the end of my day and I decide to take the 25mg again. Immediately after, I browse the net to find people trying to deal with this, and so I end up writing this post. Seems like I took it way too lightly. No ill effects otherwise; I don't feel depressed or anxious. If anything, the thought of getting off of this junk is making me feel better.

    I guess it'd be a wise idea to stay on the 25mg for a while longer and taper down gradually. Will report back when something changes.

     

    • Tezes
      Tezes tim59582

      Posted

      Hi Tim 

      please see the link Betsy referred to in the post above yours.

      i finally took my last dose of sertraline 6 weeks ago, I had been on 50 mg for just over two years. Last year I tried the taper that your doctor recommended - it was horrendous. I went back to 50mg and once I felt stable again I took advice off this site that Betsy provided a link to (the 10% tapering method) and began the slow process of coming off. It took me six months but was worth the patience as I avoided the worst of withdrawal symptoms you and other people have described such as the brain zaps etc. 

      A  doctor told me last week that I'm depressed - well I would say I'm a little down but I know that's the adjustment taking place since coming off the tablets and I am confident it will sort itself out in time. I have been offered counselling which I didn't have before. IMO doctors are very quick to prescribed these drugs without offering therapy and increase the dose but are shockingly bad at advising how to come off them. 

      There is is power in taking back control of your own body and mind, I wish you all the best - please follow the 10% tapering method, you'll be fine

    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 Tezes

      Posted

      Hi Tezes, 

      How wonderful to hear that you did the 10% method and had a much better time of it!  And good to know that any reverberations you feel now are likely due to your nervous system still sorting itself out.  That is so important, because if you do feel not quite right you can tell yourself "that's still withdrawal but it's a sign that I am still healing," and that can bring a lot of power and comfort.

      Way to go!

    • Tezes
      Tezes betsy0603

      Posted

      Thanks Betsy I'm so glad I had you're links and support. Even though I dropped off when I got to a sewing pin head size of tablet I still had headaches nearly every day for a month. I can't imagine what the nasty withdrawals must be like, just shows how powerful this drug is. I'm soo happy to be off it now I feel liberated 😄

    • tim59582
      tim59582

      Posted

      Here’s my log of coming off of sertraline after having been on a 50mg dosage for about 17 months. My physician recommended to immediately lower to 25mg and then 0mg after two weeks.

      Day - dosage

      1 - 25mg

      2 - 25mg

      3 - 25mg

      4 - 25mg

      5 - 25mg

      6 - 25mg

      7 - 25mg

      8 - 0mg - I was stubborn and decided to go off completely...

      9 - 0mg

      10 - 25mg - ...It didn’t work out, got some brain zaps and they scared me into going back on.

      11 - 25mg

      12 - 25mg

      13 - 12.5mg - felt good enough to attempt to jump down a little further, so I did

      14 - 12.5mg

      15 - 12.5mg

      16 - 12.5mg

      17 - 0 - no horrible symptoms so I go off completely.

      18 - 0 - slept for about 5.5 hours sometimes lightheaded, today feels pretty good.

      19 - 0 

      20 - 0 

      21 - 0 

      22 - 0 - I’m not experiencing a lot of depression. Actually, I’ve had some really good days, despite getting some bad news regarding an injury, which will be impeding my weightlifting goals for a long time. Something that’s very important to me. So I’m pleasantly surprised that with that and coming off of the meds I’m not experiencing increased depression or anxiety.

      23 - 0 

      24 - 0

      25 - 0

      26 - 0 - Side-effect of being lightheaded seems to be wearing off, though it was never really that bad.

      27 - 0

      So far, so good!

  • MissJayBee
    MissJayBee meteor63

    Posted

    Yes, congratulations from me too.

    It shows that perseverance and belief that one day you'll be able to regain the person you used to be......but better and stronger than before.

    Thank god for this site!

  • becky47400
    becky47400 meteor63

    Posted

    Hello,

    I'm on day 16 of no Sertraline. I went cold turkey. I have a high heart beat, low BP, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, stomach upset and excessive sweating. Mentally I feel ok, just sick of feeling so unwell. I'm going to tell my GP on Monday what I've done. I just can't go back on it though! I've put on 3 stone in 18 months, and I just want to go back to my normal life.

    • MissJayBee
      MissJayBee becky47400

      Posted

      Becky

      I know exactly how you feel. I put on 4 stone and felt unrecognisable to how I used to be. That depressed me as much as my depression!

      You don't say what dose you were on but any dose has to be ultra carefully weaned out of your system. It took me 10 months to get off 200mgs. That was too quick and it's taken me a year to feel back to normal.

      There's loads of posts on here about how to do it sensibly. Read read read

      This is journey getting to back to wellness and you need to be armed with all the information.

      I am soooooo glad I got there and I really hope you get to where you need to be

      Take care xxxx

    • becky47400
      becky47400 MissJayBee

      Posted

      Hi, thanks for the reply. I was on 50mg, reduced from 100mg in November. I feel so unwell tonight with my crazy heart beat etc that I'm worried this is dangerous for me. I'm glad you're better smile I can't wait to be there. I'm getting married in August and I just want to feel normal and not drugged, similarly I don't want these withdrawal symptoms to last much longer. Xxx
    • Tezes
      Tezes becky47400

      Posted

      You can reinstate to 50mg for a month or at least say 25 mg to ease the withdrawals and once stabilised againbegin the 10% taper. It took me 6 months to come off from 50 mg, you need patience but it's worth it to avoid the often long lasting and sometimes permanent damage caused by coming off too quickly. Why the rush ? You will start to lose the weight as you reduce the dose anyway. Coming off suddenly is not the answer and can be harmful. There is plenty of good researched info on this site to help you x
    • Tezes
      Tezes becky47400

      Posted

      To the nervous system, some people have recurrent withdrawals, weeks and months after stopping suddenly. There are links on this site search for them then at least you are making an informed decision, good luck x
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 MissJayBee

      Posted

      I am so happy you got off the drug, MIssJayBee, but sorry it took a year to get well from the process. I'm glad you recognized it was from coming off and didn't go back on. Proof that withdrawal really can last a long time.  The good life is in your reach!
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