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
I cannot tolerate zoloft since being on it. By now that im trying to wean, i get totally shaky inside, irritable, sooooo anxious and feeling low. I also have heart flutters when I go beyong 25mg after a couple if days. I also take clonazepam.
Problem is like all ssri doesnt seem to help me anymore....why???
Doctor said to stop by i feel in despair with the way I feel?
Should i quit or????
Guest meteor63
Posted
Guest meteor63
Posted
This withdrawal is horrible! I now have migraines! 😑
Korikon meteor63
Posted
Just to give my experience on supplements, I know my anxiety is much milder than some of you guys have described but it definitely contributed to really bad sleep my whole life (waking several times a night, vivid dreams, nightmares, night sweats). I started back on 5HTP a few weeks after coming off the sertraline and although it hasn't cancelled out any side effects my sleep is much better! I ran out and didn't have them for a week or so and sleep went back to being bad.
As always, use with caution as some people can take it and experience bad side effects (similar to antidepressant effects), ALWAYS check for interactions and seek medical advice first. But for me, I'm now sleeping through the night most nights and that is a breakthrough!
As for anyone just starting their journey to coming off meds, my understanding is that side effects are anything from weeks to months and a lot to do with how long you were on them for, how you tapered or just individual differences generally. I did a gradual 50% taper off the mirtazepine and had awful side effects for two weeks (spaced out, really not with it, brain zaps, shaking, some concentration and memory impairment, mood swings) then it went. Coming off sertraline with a similar 50% taper method has led to fewer but far more persistent side effects (the tinnitus). Started them both the same time.
Be strong! It sounds like it a bumpy ride and I hope you all manage with whatever method you choose! I'll see what the Dr advises on Friday.....
Lolita40 Korikon
Posted
Since I have stopped my zoloft 6 days ago, it may be a good idea to help my anxiety and crying spell I have...
Korikon Lolita40
Posted
It has not stopped it all, but taking it before bed (100mg) really improved my sleep so you could try it in the day. I would think 6 days is enough for the last zoloft dose to be out of your system given its half life, but maybe someone else can advise if it's a long enough gap
Lolita40 Korikon
Posted
Did it help a bit with anxiety and mood?
Korikon Lolita40
Posted
I don't have problems with low mood day to day anymore, they were mostly from life stressors which are resolving or I'm now coping with better.
With the anxiety, as I said, the biggest impact was on my sleep so it has worked to improve my sleep. It hasn't got rid of all the anxiety completely. Different people respond differently to any medication, herbal or otherwise, so just sharing my experience in case it's an option for anyone else!
Lolita40 Korikon
Posted
I will try to go and buy some.
But I wonder if its okay to take with clonazepam...Ill have to see!
My low mood and impatiences may be relate to the med leaving my body and brain trying to cope to heal!?
I guess it might be somehow normal to that stage if withdrawal !
I also have more anxiety at night and mostly while going to bed...it feels likw Im turning around myself in my bed and have jitters, like wanting to crawl out of my skin....isnt it annoing!?
So you dont have low mood and never had while withdrawing...thats great for you!
Keep posting, there is so much hope when people post positive thing about their journey....and there is not enough of it on the internet !
Thanks a lot xxx
Korikon Lolita40
Posted
For safety, I would not recommend you buy or try anything without checking for drug interactions first.
https://www.webmd.com/interaction-checker/default.htm
https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html
Did a quick check and they look OK with clonazepam but please don't take this over genuine medical advice! If you can speak to a Dr or pharmacist do!
No, I was put on the sertraline and mirtazepine for anxiety only, fortunately low mood comes and goes with stuff in my life but isn't having such an impact. Everyone seems to have a different combination of withdrawal symptoms too! Maybe I got lucky and could have had worse than tinnitus, but I'm scared it will now be there the rest of my life
Guest meteor63
Posted
My recommendation for anyone trying yo get off Zoloft is to do it very slowly. I got very sick when I tried to reduce my dosage every two weeks. My feeling ill had nothing to do with anxiety or depression. I had a horrible migraine that wouldn't stop! I've gone from 50 to 37 and am now at 25. I have felt fine reducing slowly- a month on each dosage. No discontinuation syndrome so far!
Korikon meteor63
Posted
Also wondering how everyone is doing? I came off sertraline in September and was posting here about how coming off seems to have given me tinnitus but it won't go away. That's still the case - it makes sleeping so much harder than it ever used to be (ironic, when my main motivator for taking the drugs was that the anxiety was really messing up my sleep). Got really bad a few weeks ago as I had colds and that made it much louder, thankfully it's gone back to how it was now.
My issue is that the Dr refuses to acknowledge that it could be the sertraline. He says if it was withdrawal, the tinnitus would have gone away and it would not persist. But I know from reading your posts and from friends that sertraline can have PERMANENT impacts that we don't anticipate - eye problems, needing glasses etc. So could it have caused permanent tinnitus?
Either way, Dr no help as he's made me go through unnecessary blood tests thinking I'm anaemic (I'm definitely not) and making me see ear specialists now to discover the cause.
I don't know if I should restart the sertraline and see if maybe it makes it go away? Or fork out to see a private psychiatrist. I'm just sick of the medical professionals who have dealt with me this whole time but scared to do anything alone as my own attempt at tapering is what brought on the awful withdrawal in the first place 😢 anyone got any relevant experience to share?
bigd24434 Korikon
Posted
Hi Korikon, I know it has been a while since you posted this but I am having the exact same problem with tinnitus after Sertraline withdrawal and I was wondering how it went for you.
I was on Sertraline for 8 months in total - 3months 50mg, 3 months 25 mg, 1 month 12.5 mg, 1 month 6 mg. I had some low level tinnitus which started with taking Sertraline so I was keen to get off it again. Unfortunately when I stopped the drug the tinnitus ramped up drastically. I am now 6 months off the drug and the tinnitus is not quite as bad as at first but it's still there and ramping up my anxiety.
Just wondering if it ever resolved for you? I'm thinking about reinstating just to get some relief from the anxiety it's causing.
If you're still around it would be great to hear from you. Many thanks.
liz1234 meteor63
Posted
Hi iv been in 100 mg of Sertraline for 5 years, u was on it for anxiety and depression related to the menopause.
i asked my doctor if u could reduce to 50mg which i did. I'm now tapering, 50mg every other day, been doing that for nearly 4 weeks. I'm having sweats but thought they were hot flushes. the last 2 days iv felt awful, like flu symptoms, head pounding, throat sore and aching all over. im not sure if it's withdrawal or a virus!! im keen to come off sertraline so ill stick with it just now. hope you feel better soon.
Korikon liz1234
Posted
I'm quite worried by the speed at which it sounds like you are tapering, especially given the length of time you've been on them!
I did the 50mg every other day and that was when my withdrawal was at its worst and the tinnitus started. Are you on 50mg tablets or are you splitting your 100s? Based on the advice throughout the thread I would suggest it's better to stick at 50 for a few weeks, then go down to at least 25 for a few weeks, then maybe try that every other day?
Your brain chemistry is altered on these things and needs a lot of time to adjust, so the more gradual you can do it the better. I know a couple of people on here went cold turkey successfully and it's good that for them it worked! But is not advised.
Best of luck! X