Sertraline Withdrawal .. Does it go away?
Posted , 276 users are following.
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
Lolita40 meteor63
Posted
Just to had my own experience....
Im on antidepressants since 11 years. I almost tried everyone on the list due to anxiety.
Was on lexapro for 3 years when I had sort of a burn out and anxiety a year and a half ago. Since that, my doctor made me switched med like every months because I wasnt well and had bad reactions to them. I was put on prozac last spring but could not tolerate being at 20mg so realise that maybe my body was telling me that it had enough of those poison!?
So decided to tapered but at 5mg I kind of freak about my anxiety and symptoms and asked for a change. Doctor putted me on zoloft 25mg for one week and 50mg after. I only tolerated 50mg for 4 weeks because I felt so shaky inside and out, anxious, stoned,...
Since 2 weeks I was trying to go down to 25mg then upped again at 37mg cause of heart palpitations, anxiety, nervous, jumpy to any noise,...
Today I decided that it has to be enough. I mean...I dont tolerate antidepressants and Im being oversensitive to them since a year. I have all kind of symptoms all the time.
Maybe its time to go from 37 to 25mg and tolerate the side effects and settle on that and go on again slowly.
Do any of you felt jumpy, more nervous and had sort of heart palpitations like skipped beat while withdrawing? I never had any heart issues so I wonder if its normal?
Meds helped me in the past ...never 100% but now its the opposite. And being on it for 11 years makes me anxious about if I can live without.
Just what to felt normal again!
Nevaeh1002 Lolita40
Posted
Hello Lolita40,
I wouldn't reccommend tapering off by yourself. I had no choice. My doctor left, somewhere ? Receptionist refused to tell me where. The new drs on staff, wouldn't continue filling out the script or even get on the telephone to speak with me. I was on Zoloft for 3+ years. Thank god, I start tappering myself off last year, little by little. I had enough ! So August 27th , I was on my last tiny piece . I stayed on each dose over 2-4 weeks. But as of August 27th no more antidepressants...I feel GREAT ! better then I have in years. So, I would reccommend speaking with your dr because these antidepressants can have very serious consequences and withdrawals. Including suicidal thoughts. So please speak to your physician. As far as heart palpitations. I too had those. However, after series of bloodwork and tests, it was not because of my panic and anxiety attacks. But I also had thyroid disease also known as " Graves Disease ". That's what was causing my palpitations and shakiness. Please speak with your physician about your symptoms. Good luck ! I am " not " a physician or have any medical background to give such information or advise on what one should or shouldn't do. Good luck Lolita40 !
Lolita40 Nevaeh1002
Posted
The thing is....my doctor wants me to get off since a while cause she thinks I tried every med and dont respond well to any of them now.
Been on them for 11 years. Now on zoloft since 8 weeks but seriously feel like craps on them. I wasnt able to tolerate 50mg has my symptoms where getting worse and worse ( stoned like, anxious, trembling, shaking, etc)
Now Im on 25mg since a weeks but still feel nervous, shaky in my stomach, head feel space out, eyes feel sort of cross side...weird).
It feels like Im intoxicate!
I have read lots of posts about withdrawal...great infos. People mentionned that anxiety, emotions are all over in the few first weeks after tapering. Because I never felt good with it anyway, maybe I should stop or decreased?
My doctor will know but if I tell her now, she will say to stop in a week. She doesnt seem to understand withdrawal symptoms or even side effects from med....and she is a psychiatrist...go figure!
I would like to be free of poison chemicals meds and try to regain a stability, go natural and have more energy cause those meds made me tired all those years!
Is it possible to relive without meds after 11 years?? I have read a lot who did it so why not me???
Lolita40 Nevaeh1002
Posted
Did you had anxiety?
Nevaeh1002 Lolita40
Posted
Hi Lolita40,
Yes I had very bad anxiety and panic attacks, very bad heart palpitations. You name it. I was a wreck. August 26th was my last tiny dose. I went to my doctor and told him I weened myself off. He said, that I was great and it's now completely out of my system. Thank god ! I feel WONDERFUL , like I'm a person again.
Good luck !
Lolita40 Nevaeh1002
Posted
Its really awesome that you feel so good !
How long did the anxiety and palpitations lasted??? If you dont mind me asking?
Nevaeh1002 Lolita40
Posted
Hi Lolita40,
I had the anxiety and panic attacks along with the palpitations " before " getting on Zoloft. Then afterwards, palpitations a week or so afterwards, but other then that I am good. Let me mind you. My palpitations could of also been from my current illness which I have been in remission for over 4 years now which was Graves Disease. Thyroids 😣...But you too will get there. Lot's of hugs...You'll do it as well in time. 😁
Korikon meteor63
Posted
Hello, this has been an incredibly useful thread to read as I am sat here in the middle of the night unable to sleep because of my withdrawal symptoms! I'm hoping I could have some advice, or just any input.
I was prescribed 50mg sertraline and 15mg mirtazepine last November for my anxiety. Anxiety has been present at a permanent low level that I can function on. A couple of stressful events had caused it to spike, it was giving me almost nightly sweats. so I turned to meds to see if it could at least settle me while I tried to deal with my issues.
Within a few months I was upped to 100mg sert and 30mg mirt. The mirtazepine made me gain weight to the point where my low mood from how I looked was worse than the anxiety has ever been! I asked to come off, but my Dr was not very respectful or supportive of my decision (kept saying "give it one more month and see.... give it one more and see...". Did a 50% gradual taper by myself, been off since June and I feel much better and appetite is now back to normal. Still waiting for all the weight to come off though.
I also wanted to come off the sertraline as I'm not sure it made any difference to the anxiety in the 7 months I was on it. In addition, I realised the mirtazepine had been counteracting the side effects of the sertraline, and since coming off the mirt I was hit full force. I have really bad IBS normally and suddenly, 100mg of sertraline was causing horrendous IBS symptoms every single day for weeks. It was making me really unhappy, so again I spoke to the Dr and again she did not want me to come off, and did not want to even drop my dose to see if that reduced the side effects. More of the same - "just wait it out, see me in four weeks".
I, to my detriment, chose to take myself off. I dropped to 50mg for 4 weeks. I then dropped to half of that for 4 weeks, then did 12.5mg every other day for two weeks then stopped completely. Having read through this thread I realise this was probably far too quick a taper and I regret not researching more, I was just frustrated and desperate.
Since I stopped the medication, I now have constant tinnitus. It doesn't always bother me, but in a quiet room, or at night, it is a very noticeable high pitched ringing. It is causing me more sleep problems than ever. I also sometimes have brain-zap like experiences (was happening more frequently just after dropping from 50 to 12.5, now it's not that common but still happens every so often, when I am lying down in bed). I have moved and am going to explore registering with a new Dr here as I can't face going back to my previous one. I just don't know what to do now because it's been weeks now and it isn't going away.....
Ash1234 Korikon
Posted
Im also on olanzapine and doc reduced the dose to half.
tony12044 Korikon
Posted
I am a psychiatric nurse who happened to be on Zoloft for about 20 years or more before I decided to wean myself off. Unfortunately weaning was not effective for me because I always felt so bad I had to get back on the med to feel a semblance of normalcy.
In my particular case I just stopped cold turkey and suffered immensely for a month or so but I'm ultimately glad that I did so. I had all of the usual withdrawal side effects, electrical zaps, insomnia, night sweats, feeling unsteady on my feet. Etc.
While I cannot legally give medical advice I do recommend everyone to consider all their options. Talking to your doctor and weaning off or trying a new medication, taking matters into your own hands or something in between. It's all up to you the person who is unhappy with the effects of this medication.
I do admit Zoloft was instrumental in getting me through the Intolerable panic attacks I was experiencing for many years. Once that bridge was crossed I felt the need to cut the cord but was unable to do so by the winning method so took the Draconian measure of stopping cold turkey. It ultimately worked in my case that may not work for everybody.
I lost 20 lb since then and have been working out and I'm now in the best shape of my life. Also eating an incredible diet with low carbs and no processed food
As a psychiatric professional I cannot recommend this approach to anyone, I'm just saying that it worked for me.
Ssris can be life-changing modalities for many people. Just remember that there are options that your doctor may not recommend that you might want to consider. Good luck in your endeavors. Tony.
ann55375 Korikon
Posted
Korikon Ash1234
Posted
Hiya, have not had tinnitus like this before. It is a constant high pitched hum, a bit like an electrical hum when you plug something in to charge (closest description I've got!)
Timing corresponded so closely with the coming off that it just seems to be due to that, and NHS websites do list tinnitus as a possible withdrawal symptom...
Korikon tony12044
Posted
Thanks for the input, and I'm glad that your approach worked for you! I have changed to a different Dr now and have an appointment next week so hopefully they can tell me something useful. I'm even wondering whether to try going back on it at 50mg to see if the tinnitus goes, but ideally I'd prefer not to be on the SSRIs if they don't seem to be helping the anxiety. I know beta blockers are an option but I think this experience has made me wary of meds generally...
ann55375 tony12044
Posted
What would you say to someone off mirtazapine still having awful symptoms of anxiety several months on. Â Is there anything other than diazepam for this, ive tried pregabalin, it sent me into zombie. Â Â
It is hard to live like this with hardly any sleep.
tony12044 ann55375
Posted
Hi Ann, I can appreciate the situation you're in. Obviously there's no easy solution to the problem of dealing with anxiety. Having experienced it first-hand as well as being a mental health professional has given me a unique perspective on the problem. No one solution works for everybody. My situation was resolved by eliminating the ssris and changing my diet and lifestyle. I'm now in the best shape of my life. I still take the occasional Xanax when I fly or need help sleeping.
In my case coming to terms with my sexuality was Paramount in overcoming these hurdles. Acknowledging I was gay was a big Turning Point and since then the underlying anxiety has fallen away and I realize that that conflict was the source from the beginning.
So this leads me to some conclusions:
No one solution works for everybody. Meds work for some but not all, and different meds may need to be tried to get the best effect. Side effects are almost always a problem when taking psych meds. Healthy lifestyle changes can always improve our Mental Health. And most important- consider the source.
Anxiety may be situational or endogenous. Meaning things that happened may make us feel anxious or maybe our biochemistry makes us that way. Look deep inside yourself to see if there's a root cause for how you feel, you don't necessarily need a therapist to explore your innermost being. Whatever you do, consider that the journey may be as important as the destination.
Lolita40 tony12044
Posted
Were you on meds for long?
Im looking for reassurance in this journey of withdrawal.
Im 6 days in and since yesterday, its pretty hard.
I have bad anxiety, feel really low, sometimes skipped heartbeats ...
Just wish to go natural and heal myself that way. Meds dint work anymore for me since almost 2 years.
tony12044 Lolita40
Posted
Lolita, I've been off Zoloft for almost 2 years after 20 years of taking it. I've tried twice to wean off with no success. Going cold turkey was a method that worked for me although it was terrible for about a month I'm glad I went through it. Now the weight is down, the libido is up. And anxiety is under control. Going "natural" was best for me. Good luck in your quest.
Lolita40 tony12044
Posted
I had 2 kids and had such anxiety after they were born that I made post partum.
I had a doctor who changed my antidepressants a lot of times. And the last year and half, I became anxious again while on lexapro and had to stop working due to burnout and dizziness. Since then, every med I tried didnt work and I had sooo much side effects from even low doses.
The psychiatrist I see put me on zoloft in mid july but it made me feel soo anxious, dizzy, trembling like hell, etc. It was the last attempt we made she said. To her, I became med intolerant. I have clonazepam to ease a bit.
So I quit 6 days ago from being at 25mg for a few weeks.
Its the biggest move I made to stop AD because my previous doctor told me I would need it all my life. Because symptoms makes me anxious, going through withdrawal is like trying to beat the devil for me.
2 days after I quit, I started having some skipped heartbeats now and then. But since yesterday, my anxiety is high. I woke up almost in panick this morning without any reasons. I have few crying spells and feel low today and a bit nauseaus.
I know I have to make changes in my life to succeed this. .. exercice, eating well...
Do you take supplements to help?
Was it long before your intense symptoms pass? Did you have higher anxiety and depression at first when you quit?
For now, no brain zap. But feel shaky.
Your journey gives me hope and mostly because you were on it for such a long time and been off for a year. Thats amazing!
I know reading on the internet is not the best and it seems like its all horrors stories were people still suffer from withdrawal after months and years...and that really scares me!
If you have time to reply, I would love to hear from you...
Lolita40 tony12044
Posted
You are truly amazing and inspiring...
When you say it was terrible for a month...what did you have (side effects)???
What are you natural remedies now?