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Zoloft question

Posted , 5 users are following.

pam20810
pam20810

Hello,

I've been on Zoloft since January, started at 25mg, dropped to 12 and for the past month taking 6. The past 2 weeks I've been weaning off taking 3mg. Wanted to ask those who have weanined off, did you have nightmares/strange dreams? Also I've been experiencing weird thoughts like worry abt my health. I'm wondering if I should go back to 6 or just completely wean off. My doc isn't very helpful so I wanted to ask people that have had experience with this.

Thanks!

0 likes, 18 replies

18 Replies

  • lynne82155
    lynne82155 pam20810

    Posted

    I thought the lowest dose of sertraline zoloft as you call it was 25mg.

    I have been on setraline for 4 to 5 weeks and I was told when I  was at 75mg I could come off them straight away without tapering Im on 150mg now and they are still doing nothing for me.

    Go to another doc for a second opionion

  • lisalisa67
    lisalisa67 pam20810

    Posted

    You should ask the pharmacist or doctor or an addictionologist. Weaning off im sure has its effect but you are doing it slow and steady. Be proud. And remember why you went on it to begin with. Those issues, if  they havent been tamed will still arise. Thats why its always imoortant to learn as many self calming techniques you can whilst on meds. 
  • craig137
    craig137 pam20810

    Posted

    Hi Pam

    ​I'm Craig are you reducing with your Dr approval ?? I'm not a Dr but was a 3rd year med student. I think your tapering off too fast. I would go back up to 6 until the weird thoughts (which are perfectly normal btw) go away then drop down by 1mg or 2mg every 4 weeks take your time with it, there's no rush. It's well known that the "final hurdle" is often the toughest, because human nature kicks in and you become hyper sensitive to what your body is feeling, and the weird thoughts are the same when starting on an anti d and coming off it. It's your serotonin levels going up and down as GABA receptors have gotten used to a little chemical help. If you want you could try going up to 4mg for 4 weeks then drop 1mg every four weeks then drop it to either 1mg every other day or .5mg (cut pill in half) everyday for about two weeks then stop, and you should have minimal if any withdrawall symptoms. Once stopped i would keep a few pills in case you get the derealization feeling (completely harmless) that sometimes come out of the blue lasting usually only a few seconds. Double check with your Dr, but reduce at YOUR pace your the one in charge not the Dr. Hope this helps. Let me know how you get on

    • craig137
      craig137

      Posted

      question how are you getting the dosages your describing, cutting pills in half then half again???? or grinding them and weighing on scales??
    • lynne82155
      lynne82155 craig137

      Posted

      Hiya Craig Its Lynne again

      I understand everyone reacts differently to meds but when it

      comes to withdrawal etc I thought all doctors would be signing from the same hymn sheet.

      How is a doc telling one person to come off as slowly as Pam and yet I was told when I was on 75mg of sertraline I could come off them straight away I had only been on them for around 3 weeks at that point.

      This scares me a lot

    • craig137
      craig137 lynne82155

      Posted

      hello again

      ​I wish I could give you a concrete answer to that question, but I fear it doesn't exist. Iv'e said this before but medicine is basically best guess with the information to hand. Trial and error basically. Also some Dr's (who are also human) are not infallable, they might have made or seen a mistake with a certain type of benzo or other procedure, so they then naturally try to stay away from it (even though it is the best course of action) In your case with the Sertraline 3 weeks you would not of built up a "dependency" At one point in my life I managed to come off of 10mg daily diaz cold Turkey and did'nt have a single WD symptom, and as a general rule psychiatric​ medicine is low down on the list of specalists, after say GP's or surgeons, pediatrics.

    • pam20810
      pam20810 craig137

      Posted

      Thank you for the reply! I didn't know you can weight it. I cut the pill with a knife. 12.5 in half then 6mg have been cutting in half since April 1st. I don't want to go back up, thank you for clearing things with me, sounds like your familiar with this. So for how long would you suggest to keep it at 3mg and then go down? I want to wean off as safe as I can. Last night I woke up from a horrible nightmare that my heart was pounding so hard and when I woke up I was so scared and had to take a tiny bit of Xanax (which I haven't taken in a long time) to calm my wits down lol. I tried to wean off 2 months ago and did it quick again and had weird thoughts back then and I'm noticing similar is happening now so I guess I have to wean off really slow.

      Thanks again

    • craig137
      craig137 pam20810

      Posted

      I would say a minimum of 4 weeks for each stage or longer if needed. Take your time and do it when you feel right you'll naturally know when your safe to drop, and don't forget that if you have dropped to quickly there is no shame in going back to the last dosage for a bit longer
    • pam20810
      pam20810 craig137

      Posted

      Thank you. Question - will I level (thoughts/feelings - mostly worried abt my health which i am very healthy btw ) soon that I have reduced to 3mg for 2 weeks?

      Thanks so much Craig

    • craig137
      craig137 pam20810

      Posted

      you will eventualy level but there is no need to put yourself through uneccersary anxiety. If your anxious about dropping down, I would say you need to stay on that higher dose for a bit longer. You should be feeling relaxed and excited about dropping another 1mg, anxiety creates more anxiety.
    • pam20810
      pam20810 craig137

      Posted

      True, I will stick with 3mg for a while until I feel comfortable enough to drop 1mg more next. I'm a mommy of 2 and need to be healthy and relaxed for my kids. I've never had any previous anxieties (been healthy my whole life) but in Sept 2015 I suffered an anxiety attack and been trying to recover from it since that's why I was put on the pill..I tend to move on slowly from stuff that happen. Sensitive person right here
    • craig137
      craig137 pam20810

      Posted

      same here just came out of the blue been battling ever since. Now I'm on the right med combo i feel fine, and so will you it just takes awhile to get there. One step in front of the other smile
    • pam20810
      pam20810 craig137

      Posted

      Good to know I'm not alone although I don't wish this upon anyone!
  • elizabeth2244
    elizabeth2244 pam20810

    Posted

    I am on Zoloft 25mg and that is the lowest dose there is. I never heard of it being 12 then 6 then 3 

    Maybe you are going off to fast. 

    If i were you I would get another opioion on this 

    Elizabeth

    • lynne82155
      lynne82155 elizabeth2244

      Posted

      Thanks elizabeth I thought I was going mad there I thought it only started at 25mgcool
    • craig137
      craig137 elizabeth2244

      Posted

      cut the 25mg in half you get 12.5mg cut that in half you get 6.25mg and so on. you can also grind them up into a powder and weigh it out.
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