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Sertraline withdrawal please help

Posted , 7 users are following.

matt39801
matt39801

Hi

Quick back story, was on Citalopran for 14 years on and off had a breakdown last June was put on Sertraline 7 weeks ago , 50mg 1st week the 100mg then upto 200mg , had a seizure psychiatrist dropped me down to 100mg had another seizure dropped down to 50mg had a partial seizure (Pusdo seizures) went into mental health ward for a week and have now stopped Sertraline its day 10 now , having withdrawals, brain zaps , upset tummy, no energy, feeling very low , can’t get out for walks due to lost confidence, how long will the withdrawal last ? Any tips on helping the symptoms?

Also take 15mg Mirtazapine at night and in the process of weaning off Diazipan, was on 5mg 3 times a day now taking 5mg in the morning and 2.5mg in the afternoon.

Don’t know how much longer I can stand this , please if you have any positive feedback please take the time to reply , I want off all this poison and have registered these withdrawals on the Yellow Card on the FDA , if you have experienced any harsh side effects/ withdrawal please report them too.

Thank you

Matt 

0 likes, 68 replies

68 Replies

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  • lynn260
    lynn260 matt39801

    Posted

    Hi Matt

    Yes I am in the UK. I would be very interested to get details of these events.

    I spoke to my doctor who does not think there is withdrawal after tapering Sertraline and 2 weeks off the drug.  I find this bizarre because of everything I have read on this forum.  What else I wonder explains my constant foggy head? Is the medical profession in denial? 

    😡

    • matt39801
      matt39801 lynn260

      Posted

      It’s 100%  professional ignorance, sadly GP’s are not mental health specialists , take it from me and the thousands of others .,... it is withdrawal and will go on for a few more weeks but will get less intense.

      I’ll work out how to send you the links for the webinar, there’s one tonight on low mood .

    • matt39801
      matt39801

      Posted

      Hi Lynn

      Send an email to Wayne asking for the link to join both the Mindfulness and low mood webinars, he’ll send you think link and a short questionaire to complete, hopefully you get on tonight for the low mood one ☝️ 

      Wayne.Ruddell@nhft.nhs.uk

  • lynn260
    lynn260 matt39801

    Posted

    Thanks Matt

    I have emailed Wayne. 

    How is your day? I am feeling awful with the head fog. Do you think I came of this med too quickly? I was on it for 7 months compared to your 7 weeks so I wonder if the withdrawal will get worse over the next week. I definitely feel worse this week than last!!

    • matt39801
      matt39801 lynn260

      Posted

      You will feel rough Lynn it’s just all part of the withdrawal, I was on Citalopran for years before the Sertraline so have been withdrawing for what seems like forever lol , I dropped any 1mg of Diazipan today only 5mg more till I’m off it so that’s another 5 weeks 😩 but it’ll be worth it .

      I’ve had a very lazy day today as I’m soooooo tired , foggy head and like maracas going off in my head every now and then, it’s all part of it.

      No you haven’t come off to quickly you’ve done it the right way it just takes time to get out of your system.

      Keep an eye on your email as Wayne might have time to send you the link for tonight’s low mood one , let me know if your on it , and let me know if you join in the Mindfulness one on Wednesday evenings too , it’ll be nice to know that we’re both logged in.

      Keep going !

  • lynn260
    lynn260 matt39801

    Posted

    Hi Matt

    I’ve received an email from Wayne. I will join next weeks session as today is not possible. I would be interested to know what Wayne thinks about the impact of anxiety/meds on peoples’ heads. It is truly awful. 

    Where are you in the UK? 

    Let me know how the session goes?😊

    • matt39801
      matt39801 lynn260

      Posted

      Really good session, Wayne sends out a recording of it so you’ll be able to listen to it .

      Remember Wednesday is Mindfulness which is really good Thursday is low mood which is really good. Hope you join them next week.

      I’m in Northamptonshire where are you ? 

      Matt 

  • lynn260
    lynn260 matt39801

    Posted

    Hi Matt

    I’m in East Sussex. 

    Glad the session went well. I’ll definitely join next week.

    Do you suffer more from depression or anxiety? In my case it is anxiety which focussed on my insomnia.  You have been on meds a long time. Do you think you will be able to withdraw from these meds and be med free? I definitely felt better off the meds. 😄

    • matt39801
      matt39801 lynn260

      Posted

      Hi umm

      I started with anxiety but the Sertraline gave me depression so lucky me I have both lol and yes I will be med free , I realise know that they just mask the problem and in some cases including me made things worse! 

  • jim05236
    jim05236 matt39801

    Posted

    I stopped taking sertraline on Monday... Can't seem to stay awake just very very tired. Been on citalopram for years then onto sertraline a couple of years ago. I have terrible tinnitus too but had put this down to being in a band for years so it's encouraging to read others have it too and I'm now hopeful it will clear up once I'm free of the drug!!

    • matt39801
      matt39801 jim05236

      Posted

      Hey good for you Jim 💪

      Did you wean down first or just stop ?  Sertraline was definitely not for me , I want to be med free and work on CBT and Mindfulness to get back on track , is that your plan too?

      Make you you fill out a Yellow Card about your side effects , tinnitus and any others , just google FDA yellow card scheme.

      Good look staying off the meds

      Matt 

  • lynn260
    lynn260 matt39801

    Posted

    Hi Matt

    I am having a terrible morning. I have nausea and hypertension with head pressure/ waterlogged feeling. I will force myself to go out. Do you really think this is withdrawal as the symptoms are horrendous! 🙏

    • matt39801
      matt39801 lynn260

      Posted

      Hi Lynn

      Yes it will be the withdrawal, I had a terrible nights sleep so feel like I weigh 50 stone as I’m so sluggish and my head is on another planet!

      Lots of people were talking about brain fog on the webinar last night and so was Wayne.

      It’s still early days don’t forget that .

      I’ve got an appointment at 11 today with the local mental health nurse, I’m struggling to move and get ready but they may have some good ideas for me which I will share with you if any are constructive.

      Be kind to yourself today , drink lots of water . I do word searches to take my mind off how I’m feeling, it helps 

      Enjoy your walk

      Matt 

  • lynn260
    lynn260 matt39801

    Posted

    Hi Matt

    Sorry to hear you night was poor. I hope you feel better as the day goes on. I would be interested to hear about the brain fog discussion. My head feels dizzy/migraine/waterlogged/foggy/tinnitus and this is by far the worst of the symptoms. The nausea is bad also.

    Hopefully we will have a window of feeling better as the day passes. 🙏

    • matt39801
      matt39801 lynn260

      Posted

      Hi Lynn 

      Today had been awful, can’t wait till bed time , I’ll just write today off in my diary a “ yuk”

      Hope your day improved?

      Matt 

    • lynn260
      lynn260 matt39801

      Posted

      Hi Matt

      It’s been up and down for me. Head is awful but I have had two walks and done a bit of exercise.

      I cannot believe these meds are so brutal. I hope you sleep well as a poor nights sleep makes the next day doubly hard. 

      Fingers crossed 🤞 for tomorrow.

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