Started reducing my Sertraline/Zolft dosage, posting for support!
Posted , 6 users are following.
I've been taking Sertraline for about 11 years, after developing problems with anxiety, panic attacks, horrible unwanted thoughts, not sure why it all started, but I would like to blame it on perimenopause. I'm now 53. I gained about 45 pounds over the time I've taken the Rx, partly because I don't have great eating habits, and I'm thinking partly because it is a side affect of the Rx. I tried getting off of the Rx about 5 years ago, reduced very, very slowly, over a 6 month period, 25 mg at a time (starting at 150mg). I didn't notice any problems at all really, which made me very happy. But about 6-8 weeks after being completely off the Rx, I started having major anxiety, felt awful, and restarted the meds. I'm ready to try again, but may just stop reducing at 25 mg and stay on that dose for several months to see how it goes. I've reduced from 150 to 125mg, for about 2 weeks now. I'm not having any trouble with anxiety, but I'm not sleeping well (can't get to sleep, even with reading before bed), and I am having horrible, pulsing headaches, and ear pain. I guess this is the "brain zap" I've seen so many people talk about. I just took a couple of Aleve, although I am not anticipating it will help. Sure hope so. Otherwise I'm just powering through it. I plan on reducing to 100mg in 2 weeks, and stay on that for awhile. My doctor is aware, and I'm actually reducing more slowly than she had suggested. Figured it certainly wouldn't hurt to go even slower. So has anyone had this awful ear pain? It's like an ear ache, the kind you got when you were a kid a swimming a lot, but it's pulsing, comes and goes.
1 like, 12 replies
dmw1611 erin_00450
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I have had on and off ear aches since my anxiety started. This is the first time I have heard that it could be associated with anxiety. I have been diagnosed with panic disorder. Basically acter prolonged periods of stress my mind and body response with panic. I have so many physical symptoms it is scary sometimes. Would you're to chat amd share our experiences? I would appreciate hearing your story and telling mine. I fee so alone in this struggle. Thanks
erin_00450 dmw1611
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I don't recall having this ear pain until I just started reducing my daily dosage of Zoloft (Sertraline). So I think it is associated with the Rx withdrawal, not the anxiety itself. I do remember when I started having bad anxiety (and I also think it was stress related, and partly hereditary), I thought I was going crazy, and was afraid to talk to anyone about it. But then I found out about a couple of ladies in my church that were going through the same thing. Knowing I wasn't alone, and I wasn't crazy, I felt so much better. If you have someone you can talk to, or if you can find a support group to attend, like at a church or something, I highly recommend it. Otherwise you get "anxiety about having anxiety" and it just snowballs. Don't worry, you aren't crazy, you just need some help, so be sure to seek it out. Don't be too proud and suffer alone. My symptoms before I started taking meds started as just an overall feeling of uneasiness, worry, being uncomfortable, almost kind of scared, and it just got worse and worse over a couple of years. At its worst, I would wake up in the middle of the night literally trembling and shivering, I would feel nauseous, like I might faint. I would have horrible thoughts of things happening to my children. Very hard to describe. My doctor thought it could be related to starting menopause, hormonal imbalances, etc., but I also think there is some tendency toward anxiety in my family. I'm currently reducing my dosage to see if I can get by with a much smaller dose, as I don't really want to be on the Rx for the rest of my life. We'll see. Have you talked to a doctor?
dmw1611 erin_00450
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Psyched_Out_Kim erin_00450
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Perimenopause is one of the reasons why I'm considering going back on Zoloft. I'm 45, but had a hysterectomy years ago. They left only the ovaries for hormone purposes, so even if I'm in peri, I wouldn't know. I 've heard so many women say that they got horrible anxiety and depression during this time, so I'm interested in how well you do while you come off of Zoloft.
I quit Zoloft cold turkey a few years ago, dumb move, but I don't remember any ear pain. There were back to back panic attacks, headaches, insomnia, a flu like symptoms. If there was any issues with the ears, I probably didn't notice because of everything else that was going on. I'm glad you're going slowly, because cold turkey was a horrible experience, but that's what I get for being in a rush.
Best of luck to you.
erin_00450 Psyched_Out_Kim
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I will definitely keep you posted. I think I will start exercising more, trying to generate more seratonin since my brain is currently getting less since I'm reducing my dosage. Hope these headaches and ear pain don't go on forever. I have a pretty high threshold for pain, but it's getting old fast. It might be in your case that just a small dose of Zoloft daily would help. I don't know why I had to go all the way to 150mg, probably because I waited too long to treat my anxiety, fearful of the stigma, wanting to wish it away.
Psyched_Out_Kim erin_00450
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I was originally on Zoloft because of severe anxiety, and panic attacks. Eventually depression crept in, probably because of how much panic attacks can hinder a life. There's 3 generations of anxiety in my family that I know of, could be more. I don't doubt that there's depression as well, but people like my grandmother were never diagnosed back then. Just to give you a time frame, she would have been 100 this year.
Much like you, I didn't like the stigma of the diagnosis, and especially the stigma of taking meds for a "mental illness ".
Going up in the dose of meds is common if you plateau or if the thinks it's nesasarry. Sometimes people lower their dose pretty far down, then up it again to get the benefits they originally had. They would come down from 150, for example, get it down to 50 or 75mgs, then go up to 100mgs, and feel loads better because the dose wasn't too high or too low. I've never tried that though.
erin_00450 Psyched_Out_Kim
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Exactly. I'll have to see where each level takes me, before I reduce more. At some point it's just not worth the panic attacks, just to be on a lower dose. That's for sure.
Bun1975 erin_00450
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erin_00450 Bun1975
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I really don't know. Not sure how I could find out, other than try it again, and instead of going back on the meds, just push through it and see if it's withdrawal. That's why this time I'm going to stay on 25mg for several months before I completely quit. Would rather be in 25mg long term than have to go back to 150mg because of a bad crash.
maureen75524 erin_00450
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https://patient.info/forums/discuss/sertraline-withdrawal-does-it-go-away--175456
Check this site, alot of good info here. Many of us suffred w.d. symptoms for over a year. A.D.'s affect your brain chemistry, took me a yer and a half to get over the symptoms. I still suffer from loose bowels, and bloodsugar issues 2 1/2 years out.
erin_00450 maureen75524
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maureen75524 erin_00450
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You're welcome this site saved my sanity, thought i was going mad, until i read others were suffreing or had, with the same w.d's. Stay strong, bleive me it's w.d.