Search the Community

Hello! I took sertraline for 5 months for panic attacks and insomnia caused by temazepam, which I have for sleep from very stupid doctors. Sertraline removed panic attacks and improved sleep, but caused constant tension and paranoia.I reduced the dose of 50 mg from May to the end of September, at the current dosage of 12.5, all this time I felt okay, small symptoms. At end of September I had to take the antibiotic clindamycin and diclofenac in suppositories, at the same time I reduced the dose (in grams from 0.047 to 0.037), after the completion of the antibiotic, anxiety increased, thoughts appeared that I don’t want to live, but what’s the worst, terrible thoughts began to appear about how to harm the most beloved person in my life, just like that for no reason, I’m very afraid, I never thought that, I want to understand why these thoughts come , I have no mental illnesses and never had, tell me, can a decrease in sertraline cause a desire to harm someone? should I go back to 0.047 gr. thanks everyone. Please, can someone tell me if it’s ok? Will it gone? Did someone have had thinks like this. 10.2021 temazepam for 3 weeks KT november all terrible symptoms 12.2021 started sertraline ,from may 2022 until end of September decrease from 50 to 12,5(from 0,150 gr to 0,047) 6.09.2022 -13.09.2022 diclifenac 25.09-27.09 antibiotics clindamicin 28.09 decrease sertralin from 0,047 to 0,037.

Hi all. I have been on a combo of Risperdal and Zoloft since 2012. I reached 3mg risperdal and 200mg zoloft in early 2016, tried to taper off both starting in June of that year, and had a bout of insomnia in November, at which time I reinstated along with an additional 15mg remeron. Adding the remeron, I've learned, was a huge mistake and most likely unnecessary. Since then I've slept at most 6 hours instead of my usual 8. For the first 2 months on remeron I avoided caffeine and tobacco. Then, after picking up both again, my sleep suffered, and I eventually had nights with 2-3 hours. I've since learned that caffeine and tobacco induce the enzyme CYP1A2, which metabolizes remeron, explaining this. By abstaining from both, my sleep has returned. I have also tried shaving a sliver off my 15mg pill with no luck...getting a full night without sleep. I would like to be able to drink coffee and smoke again. That leaves me with 2 options, get off the remeron (seemingly impossible) or tolerate the lack of sleep. If I do the latter, will my sleep eventually not recover even when abstinent due to repeated withdrawals? I had been planning to use coffee and cigs only sporadically, letting my sleep return before using them again, or using only on the weekends. If I that is not sustainable, then how do you recommend I get off the remeron, given my sensitivity to even a small dose decrease? My doc has suggested trazodone as a replacement, but that med interacts with my other meds and a post about it here scared me away. Thank you so much for your help.

Hi everyone I am trying to navigate through this new group. I am not doing well. Lol I am 53 . Was in great health before taking an antidepressant. I have been struggling since 09/2020. I have been searching for help. I have a list of issues since I Went off all antidepressants. I am wondering if anyone has had issues with no reflexes ? Such as gag, cough, or blink? Or not being able to feel pain?

Hello! I am wondering whether it would be recommended for me to reinstate at a low dose or to wait it out given my withdrawal symptoms and timeline, detailed below. I started Zoloft 25mg in July 2021 and tapered up to 100mg over about 6 months. I started tapering off in Feb of this year from 100mg to 75mg to 50mg over 1-2 weeks at each dose without any really noticeable side effects at the time. However, I got a migraine and decided to stay on 50mg for a few weeks. Last week I went down to 25mg for a week, then every other day for a few days. I stopped this past Saturday, 3/25/23, and I have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms including, mild/moderate dizziness (able to walk/function but feeling disoriented) mild ringing in ears, and brain fog. I initially didn’t realize the symptoms were from stopping the med because I have other health issues and I wasn’t informed about those potential side effects. I thought it was fine given that I wasn’t having any mood/anxiety symptoms. I have already been taking magnesium and fish oil, as well as other supplements for my autoimmune condition. Yesterday was definitely the worst (which is what lead me figure out it was withdrawal sx) and I’m feeling a bit better today but unsure how things will continue. Given this information, does it seem wise to reinstate at a low dose (if so, what dose makes sense?) and do a slower taper, or wait it out and just focus on taking care of myself? Any other suggestions of things to do or avoid are also welcomed. Thank you!

Hello everyone. I’m new here. I came across this group through someone on TikTok. They mentioned how helpful this group was for them. I was on Zoloft (Sertraline) for 20 years. I loved how I felt while I was on it. I had joy and peace and felt whole. At the end of September 22 I had the first of two thunderclap headaches that landed me in the ER. The first time I was medicated to reduce the pain and sent home. The second was the following week and my husband and I were @2 hours away from home at a football game. The pain comes on fast and strong. The most intense pain I’ve ever felt. And my blood pressure skyrocketed. I was again taken to the ER, but this time they did some testing. Turns out I had Reversible Cranial Vasoconstriction Syndrome. The team of neurologists believed it was brought on by the SSRI. They stopped me cold turkey, and told me I could not take an SSRI again. The first few days I was fine. Then some of the physical symptoms of withdrawal took over. But nothing I couldn’t handle. By week 3 the hell that has become my life started to appear. The constant sadness, crying, hopelessness, fear, panic and feeling of being completely overwhelmed. I tried Wellbutrin for @3 1/2 months but it didn’t touch it. I long for some joy, and a sense of calm. To be able to go back to work, to feel ok leaving the house alone… being the once strong and independent woman I was. I can’t even grocery shop without breaking down. And advice or words of wisdom would be so appreciated.

Hi comunity, thanks to all for let me participate here and administrar. My journey, one panick attack and then insomnia, severe anxiety 14 months ago. so Dr started Zoloft, and a hard time for 3-4 months, literally ALL side effects and level out on month 5-6. I finished my year on Zoloft and Dr tappered off on 3 months. I was very weel but now 8 weeks after of off Zoloft, waves of anxiety, fear, hopeleness, headaches, muscules pain, insomnia, very hard time for me and my Dr Started Prozac 10 mgs this week. I need support , orientation, some experiences??? Is my first time with antideppressents. I Dont know the way

2008 Lexapro (no idea mg) I was 17 years old 2009 Sertraline (no idea mg) 2011 Pristique (no idea mg) 2011 Viibryd (no idea mg) 2011 – 2021 Fluoxetine (over the years 10mg - 40mg) 12/2/2020 Woke up with tingling and muscle weakness in extremities. (Never went away.) 2/16/2021 Woke up with sharp, traveling pain in my head, dizziness, vertigo, lightheaded, shaking hands and legs/weakness, nausea, muscle spasms, fatigue, sensitivity to light and sound, out of breath doing anything at all, ringing in my ears, obstructions in vision, white and black dots flashing in vision, want to lie down all the time, hot and cold sensations in arms and legs. (Never went away.) (Saw these specialists and had all of these tests within 2 years after symptoms began) Had two MRIs and CT scan – everything was normal Saw Rheumatologist – tested negative for any autoimmune diseases Blood work was normal Saw Ophthamologist about vision issues – everything was normal Met with Nuerologist and had EEG and EMG nerve testing – everything was normal Saw ENT and had VNG exam– everything normal. 6/2021 Saw holistic doctor and was told I may be having an allergic reaction of sorts to the Fluoxetine. I was at 40mg and I began tapering off with help from my GP. 6/26/2021 began 30mg 7/8/2021 began 20mg 7/19/2021 began 10mg 7/26/2021 completely off meds for the first time in 13 years. Within months, anxiety and depression got progressively worse, unbearable empathy, suicidal thoughts, intrusive and bone chilling fear, thinking I was dead, impending doom, hopelessness, while also experiencing the above physical symptoms. I had days where I could get out of bed, drive and even go jogging or to the gym. Other days I could barely dress myself due to the fatigue and weakness. My physical symptoms improved a lot over the first year of symptoms. Looking back, I was living a very normal life, physically speaking, but my emotional symptoms became increasingly unendurable. Thanatophobia and also the above emotional symptoms led me to take Buspirone (Buspar), prescribed by my GP. I began having brain zaps, extreme brain fog, difficulty completing sentences, memory issues, inability to stop crying, panic attacks, etc. I felt like my life was a simulation and that nothing was real. It was a low dosage and I discontinued cold turkey, advised by my GP. Since I was still experiencing a mild form of the physical symptoms, I believed that Fluoxetine wasn't the culprit, and I needed immediate relief from what was happening in my head, so my GP prescribed 20mg again. I can say now that this was the worst decision of my whole life. 3/13/2022 I took Fluoxetine 20mg for 3 days. After the 3rd capsule, I was barely conscious, my vision was black and I couldn't stand up, my legs shook so badly that I could barely walk from the bed to the bathroom. Dizziness and vertigo were unbearable...sometimes objects would move, other times the room moved, other times I was moving when I wasn't. I felt like my head wasn't connected to my body. My coordination was off and fine motor skills were difficult, like holding a fork or texting. My eyes couldn't follow and I felt like they were jerking side to side. Unbearable pressure at base of neck and forehead. Felt like my brain was hot. My boyfriend brought food to my bed for about a month. I believe that if I had continued taking 1 or 2 more capsules, I would be a vegetable. Since then I've seen 3 psychiatrists, asking if they have any experience with this sort of thing. All 3 had no answers and tried to push other medications on me. I took the GeneSight test and both Buspar and Fluoxetine showed as a “good match” for me. I've developed sensitivities to several medications, which exacerbate the symptoms that I feel and put me in bed for days, making me afraid to take anything other than Tylenol. I definitely turned to alcohol on a daily basis because the effects of drinking make me feel like I'm not crazy. When I drink, it's comforting to me to know that I have a reason to feel dizzy and foggy. I learned that tequila gives me enough energy to do basic daily physical things, like clean the house and take my dog to the park. On a good day, if I drink A LOT, I can even go out dancing. This in itself makes me feel like my symptoms are all in my head and make me feel like I've lost my mind. Not drinking every day to give me relief from my symptoms has been difficult. Other than the holistic doctor's suspicions, doctors have left me completely on my own. No one could help me or had any answers. It feels like death will be the only solution. Over the months, I gradually improved enough to drive short distances and take short walks. It has been 1 year since I took the 3 capsules and I have improved physically about 30% and emotionally 10%, on good days When the waves happen, I am in bed all day. The brain fog, dizziness and fatigue are what bother me the most and the brain zaps still wake me up occasionally. Sometimes I jolt awake thinking I am dead. I still feel as though my life is not real. I am seeing a talk therapist, doing intensive Nuerofeedback therapy, eating an anti-inflammatory and high omega 3 diet, cutting back on alcohol and caffeine, taking vitamins, exercising as much as I physically can, and clinging to hope. I owe my life to my boyfriend who has encouraged and cared for me over these 2 horrific years. Finding this forum has encouraged me so much. My story is different because why did these “withdrawal” symptoms begin while I was still on Fluoxetine? And why did taking it again make everything 100 times worse? Has anyone else experienced this?

Hi all, I have been struggling off and on over the last 14 years with what I thought was anxiety the whole time, but am now realizing it was more likely withdrawal from stopping antidepressants too quickly. The first SSRI I was put on was Paxil. I tapered off after 7 months because I never really liked the idea of being on an antidepressant. I started having anxiety a few months later and was switched to 50 mg of Zoloft. I tried multiple times over the next 13 or so years to stop Zoloft, but the anxiety always returned, so back on I would go. In the fall of 2015 I had a return of anxiety after reducing the Zoloft to 25mg and tried to go back to 50, but it wasn't helping, so ended up going to 150mg before I felt relief. I again tried tapering last summer and got down to 25mg and experienced increased anxiety as well as insomnia. My doctor switched me to Lexapro last October, but it only made me more anxious, so after 10 weeks he switched me to Paxil. I got up to 20mg of Paxil for 3 weeks and wasn't feeling any better, so finally decided I had enough and wanted off the antidepressants. I started tapering at the end of January down to 15mg for 2 weeks, then 10 for 2 weeks, then to 7.5, and after about a week and a half at 7.5 started feeling really anxious again. I found this site and decided to go back up to 10mg of Paxil and stabilized for about 2 weeks and then started tapering 10%. Was doing pretty well for a couple of weeks at 9mg and then started feeling a little anxiety creep in. I talked to my doctor about switching to Prozac to make the tapering hopefully easier, so a week ago this Friday I started taking 4.5 mg each of Paxil and Prozac. I have experienced some ups and downs with anxiety since then, and am having a particularly difficult time right now. Feeling quite anxious and can't sleep. I took .5mg lorazepam tablet and am feeling a bit better, but not sure what to do now. I was going to switch to just 9mg of the Prozac and eliminate the Paxil tomorrow, but not sure if I should continue with the half and half mixture I have been doing or maybe even just go back to the Paxil alone? This just sucks so bad. I know I have probably screwed up my system so much with all of these changes and can only pray the damage is reversible. I was feeling pretty good earlier today, but then started feeling terrible as the evening went on. Haven't felt this bad in a while. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hello. Today is the first day that my psychiatrist has me starting on sertraline 12.5mg. We are still trying to treat anxiety and I had asked about doing an incredibly small dose of lexapro for reinstatement but he suggested we try out zoloft instead. So far I’m noticing the withdrawals are not as bad as they were earlier in the day. My physical side effects of the sertraline are kinda throwing me off though. I know no one here is a doctor, but does anyone think starting a different medication was a devastatingly bad decision? I’m just worried and need something to calm my thoughts.

Hi, After being on SSRI's since the early 2000s, I find myself at the end of an unplanned, too fast, taper from 100 mg Zoloft. I had been on 10 mg Lexapro for a number of years, but it wasn't really working well anymore. Had been in a major depression state for many months (Covid isolation, mother with advancing dementia, empty nest), so Psychiatrist upped the Lexapro, but it barely helped and he said we should try different SSRI because he said, over time, a particular drug can lose it's effectiveness, so we tried Zoloft. Again, it helped a little, but not much. So he wanted to try Cymbalta. I had an insurance SNAFU with the Cymbalta, and we are in the middle of downsizing and moving out of our home of the past 25 years, so I just didn't have the wherewithal, to deal with it. Kept meaning to, and started the tapering of the Zoloft, but never added in the Cymbalta for the "cross-taper." I did 50mg Zoloft for a week, and then just stopped. That was about a week ago? Maybe 1.5 weeks? Was doing ok, but now the withdrawal has set in big time. I can deal with the brain zaps, but I've been experiencing a sense of disorientation, and brain fog that is setting off my health anxiety, which is what drove me to SSRI's in the first place. I do also have tremendous mood swings and am always holding back tears, but I have a new therapist who is helping me work through a lot of that. I have a lot of unprocessed grief to release. But back to the brain fog and disorientation, is this a symptom of the withdrawal? Does it make any sense to go back to 50 mg of Zoloft and begin a proper taper from there or should I just "tough it out"? I have tapered off before at various times over the years, but don't remember this much trouble with my thinking. It's getting scary to drive because that's when it affects me the most. Thank you for listening, just getting started reading past posts.

Hello all! I have been going through an incredibly strange scary experience the last 4 months of my life. Interestingly enough I am a physician myself yet most of what I have been going through is “off the beaten path” of modern medicine. Until 4 months ago I was a nightly marijuana user. I work in an ER so this was always my wind down after a shift. About 4 months ago I made the decision to quit. I cold turkey stopped and was fine for about 3 days. Acute withdrawal hit. (Wait marijuana can have a withdrawal? LOL). Over time my symptoms began to get worse and worse. Electric vibration sensations in my arms and legs, crazy racing thoughts, ear worms, tinnitus, ridiculous levels of anxiety which were often about absolutely nothing. I could look at my dog and start feeling anxious. Insane sleep disturbances with shocking anxiety ridden awakenings at 330-430am. The list goes on and on. All my colleagues were like “you have an anxiety disorder.” Not knowing what was going on I checked myself into a psych hospital bc that’s how bad my symptoms had become. I started on remeron. It made all of my symptoms 100x worse. And I stopped that after about a week. In the interim I found a Reddit page on marijuana PAWS. Every single one of my symptoms was described. Even the weird stuff. So I was locked onto this being the cause of my symptoms. But being in medicine all of my colleagues convinced me there was no way this was caused my marijuana and it had to be an anxiety disorder. I started on low dose Zoloft. 1 week of 12.5mg. Second week I increased to 25. Never went above that. As of now I’m having my own windows and waves developing. Good days where I am basically asymptomatic followed by bad days where my symptoms are back and terrible. It’s like a switch being turned on and off. Given this and my similarities to both this site and the weed paws sub Reddit I am fairly sure my symptoms are related to paws and not some newly acquired psychiatric diagnosis. My question to you all is how to handle this Zoloft situation. I want to just stop everything and let my brain heal. Given the short duration and low dose would you advocate for just stopping? Dropping back to 12.5 and continuing that before stopping? I am kind of lost given the fact that I don’t trust anyone in the medical establishments advice with regard to this (I know funny right). Thanks again! (Btw my symptoms seem to be trending in the right direction. But the first 3 months were absolute hell and I have been out of work for close to 4 months now since guys all started.)

Been on/off SSRIs and even a couple antipsychotics for several years. Always had some mild anxiety but major issue and reason for prescription(s) was OCD. None of the meds ever had a huge effectiveness for OCD, but within the last year or so discovered Dr. Michael Greenberg's rumination-focused ERP therapy for OCD and have learned to manage OCD using this therapy (highly recommend for others!). Have been on paxil for over a year and recently tried to taper off. Started at 40mg and went down 10mg per month, although when I got to 10mg I only stayed on for a couple weeks before stopping. Had no idea this med was notorious for withdrawals or what a problem this med is, or wouldn't have even started it. Started having very mild anxiety issues when I was sleeping while I was tapering off, but was able to go back to sleep. Kept getting worse while tapering and still while I was completely off. Symptoms peaked around week 6-7 and was having full blown panic attacks at night and eventually just all day, weird pain in the forehead like a sinus headache but from panic/stress. Had bad hand tremors, dizziness, nausea and had to miss work but eventually just went back on paxil. This time 10mg in the am and 10mg at night according to doc's orders. Now on 30mg paxil. Been back on paxil for about two weeks. Noticed immediately it helped although still have heightened anxiety and twinges of pain like a sinus headache. Feels like no one really knows how long withdrawals from paxil last; have heard 2-3 weeks, 4 months, a year, etc. Don't think its relapsing because never had panic attacks and never had problems like this getting off or switching meds. Really need to get off this med, especially because it makes me so tired which is a big reason I wanted to come off now that I have the OCD under control. Hoping to get stable again and then start tapering slowly, possibly with the liquid form so I taper in smaller increments.

Hi everyone. So grateful to still be here to be here!! Been a long 30 years! Am hoping to titrate down from last 10 mg of Prozac using the liquid form. Does starting with the 1 mg a month make sense? See how it goes? Finish off 1 mg of Valium first? Yes, scared to let go of the last milligram of safety net. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Moments of regret for ever having gone done the med road, but so very ready to "heal" what only covered up....sound too familiar? Best wishes and thank you!! 1992 – 1999 Prozac 80 mg, Klonopin 4 mg, Buspar 1999 – 2000 Stop Prozac cold turkey 1 year. Hell. 4 mg Klonopin. 2000 – 2003 Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft. Cycle through each med. None work. Highest dosages. 2004 – Effexor, Klonopin, Zyprexa, Lamictal, Provigal, Sonata. Always high dosages. Don’t remember mgs…. 2005 – Klonopin, Lamictal, Seroquel, Anafranil, Luvox 2006 – Klonopin 4 - 6 mg, Prozac 120 mg 2009 – 2013 – Prozac 80 mg, Kononpin 1 mg (Titrate from 120 mg to 80, and 4 mg to 2 mg) 2013 – 2019– Prozac 30 mg, Klonopin 1 mg (Titrate from 80 mg to 30 and 2 mg to 1 mg) 2019 – Ashton Protocol. Convert Klonopin to 20 mg Valium 2021 – Valium 1 mg. Titrate Prozac 15 mg to 10 mg in 2 months. HELL. TOO FAST.

Hi all, I'm 33 year old single mum and illustrator from the UK and I feel trapped on sertraline. I have been on 200mg of sertraline daily for at least 8 years, I think I started on a slightly lower dose but it was so long ago I can't be exact. I was put on it for anxiety and 'feeling detached' but I'd struggled with fast thoughts, insomnia and sleep paralysis since my teenage years. The sertaline helped but about 6 - 7 years ago I tried to taper off and I lost my mind, I made a horrible suicide attempt. Since then I've been too terrified to to try and taper off at all. But the last couple of years I've had other health issues and I've become an extreme introvert which I never was. I also cannot seem to lose weight for love nor money and I'm trying everything to just be healthier, mentally and physically but I think sertraline needs to go. Doctors in my area of the uk at the moment are absolute chaos, it's near impossible to get an appointment and they really are not interested unless it's life or death right now. I'm not sure where to go from here. I've read the 10% taper stuff here, I'm not sure I'll be able to cut my tablets down like that and I'm not sure if the length of time has just been too long and I'm a lost cause at this point. Any advice very welcome.

My story is fairly long but I will try to keep it to the basics. Approximately 10 or so years ago I was mistakenly prescribed Paxil for nocturnal panic attacks. I say mistakenly because many years later I was able to determine that I was actually experiencing acid reflux when I went to bed. The problem is that Paxil is often treated off label for reflux, and it solved the problem it wasn’t prescribed to solve. Due to this, I was on Paxil for a very long time. When I finally put two and two together I decided to go off Paxil. I wish I had taken longer to go off, but I tapered over 4 months from 20mg in late 2020. Not a great experience you can imagine. When I was done, I as left feeling in a bit of a state of extended withdrawal, and still am today. I have very minor but noticeable brain zaps at times, and I feel generally nervous, especially in my hands and feet and sometimes my groin. A secondary problem was that I did actually start having panic attacks a few years ago, seemingly tied to a bicycle accident I had, and the Paxil may have actually kept those at bay. Without the medication I’ve had anxiety tied mostly to highway driving and medical procedures (dentist, for example) To add to the complications in April 2021 I started experiencing daily fatigue. I had every test under the sun and everything pointed to this being related to depression/anxiety. I had recently taken on a new job and my wife was recovering from very invasive breast cancer surgery. I’ve even done an updated round of tests recently to confirm I have no heart blockages or breathing issues. Over the last year and a half I’ve been working with an NP to find a medication to help me. Going back on Paxil did nothing and I’ve been through a range of SSRIs and SNRIs that did at best very little and at worst made me feel very unwell as the dosage went up. So right now I am on nothing at all while I am finishing up medical tests, other than an occasional half of a clonazepam. If feeling very lost about what to do next. I was wondering if anyone had experienced this kind of long term withdrawal, and especially if anyone has experience with chronic fatigue. Thank you. Here’s a pretty exhaustive list of what I’ve been on 2010?-10/2020 Paroxetine 20mg (taper 15mg-10mg-5 mg from 7-9/2020) Side effects: some sexual desensitization but acceptable. Positive effect on acid reflux frequency. 7/22/2021 Paroxetine (Paxil) 20mg resumed due to extended withdrawal and chronic fatigue but did not have an effect 9/17/2021 Sertraline (Zoloft) 50mg - replaced previous Side effects: not on long enough to know. Provider switched off due to presumed sexual side effects in men. 10/29/2021 Fluoxetine (Prozac) 10mg - replaced previous 11/10/2021 Fluoxetine (Prozac) 20mg Side effects: brain fog, general “unwell” feeling, fatigue 12/03/2021 Mirtazapine 15mg - replaced previous 12/16/2021 Mirtazapine 22.5 mg Side effects: brain fog, general “unwell” feeling, fatigue 1/11/2022 Escitalopram (Lexapro) 5mg (in addition to 15mg Mirtazapine) (Some missing info here - was on Lexapro by itself for a period and may have been up to 10mg) Side effects: some negative sexual effects 7/31/2022 Duloxetine (Cymbalta) 20mg - replaced all previous 8/12/2022 Duloxetine (Cymbalta) 30mg 9/2022 Duloxetine (Cymbalta) 40mg 12/2022 (Duloxetine discontinued, short course of Fluoxetine 10mg to handle withdrawal symptoms) Side effects: at max dose again had fatigue, brain fog, unease. Positive effect on acid reflux frequency.

Hello community, So glad to have found this site!! I've been reading, reading, reading for almost two months. Unfortunately I did not find y'all and Dr. Glenmullen's book until after eight months of thinking I was doing a gradual taper per my GP's advice. Without proper information I tapered too fast, alternated doses, and failed to recognize that the difficult symptoms I was having could be coming from antidepressant withdrawal. I'm currently trying to stabilize before embarking on the 10% taper, starting with sertraline. The symptoms I currently have are: rapid heartbeat and resulting fatigue, anxiety and agitation, including:dizziness and fainting upon standing up (orthostatic hypotension) inability to alter heart rate with exercise (exercise intolerance) ears ringing morning depression heat intolerance (like hot flashes only longer) intense dreams and nightmares head tremor Once I realized I was tapering too fast, I stabilized/increased to 25 mg sertraline and 0.75 mg lorazepam. In the two months since then, some other symptoms I had went away and the above symptoms have seemed to improve, except for heartbeat and head tremor. I had a normal EKG. All blood tests normal except cholesterol (and I consider high cholesterol a good thing for me as a post-menopausal woman). Starting in 2013 or 2014, my antidepressant was increased and I started regularly taking lorazepam due to several years of extreme emotional stress (caring for my physically and mentally declining spouse). I also experienced severe disrupton of my sleep cycle and used alcohol at night. During and before this time, I had many years of blood sugar fluctuations. So I imagine my HPA axis was already severely out of whack even before my mis-guided fast taper. I stopped alcohol 15 months ago, after my husband died. (My symptoms are complicated by the effects of my grief process.) I've been gradually removing stressors from my life. I have recently addressed my blood sugar via a low-carb unprocessed way-of-eating. Am also phasing out caffeine. I am addressing my sleep cycle by using amber glasses to counter the effects of evening screen time. (Hope to reduce the screen time too). Anyway, I am frustrated that my heart palpitations make me unable to exercise, but I understand that all the nervous system problems can be slow to resolve. Trying to be super patient. Appreciate hearing everyone else's stories, questions, and answers. This site is a wonderful resource.

I have been on Prozac for about 25 years. I tried to taper few times in the past, but it didn't work. So what can be different this time? I am hoping this board will make the difference. I know I can't do it alone. I am now taking 10 mg Prozac daily. I was on 40 mg about 2 years ago, and took it down very slowly, cutting 5 mg every few months. One reason that it took so long was because I was also tapering clonazepam. Another reason was the failed attempts in the past. What I learned from tapering clonazepam I hope to put into use while tapering Prozac. One lesson that I learned is that you need to do it slow. There is just no other way. Another lesson is that you need support. I am looking for my next cut in a few months and my goal is to be completely drug free by the end of the year. I have been on disability during the last couple of years while recovering from clonazepam withdrawal. It's been hell and I'm still not completely recovered. I am looking to get back to work as soon as I can but I know it could still take more time. The biggest challenge will be to deal with withdrawal and setbacks without going back on Prozac. My hope is that I will be able to do that with the help of this board.

As you can see from my signature, I was diagnosed ADHD in December 2021. This was huge for me - until mid-2021 it had never crossed my mind that I could have ADHD. Generally a high-flyer academically etc. But everything made sense when I got the diagnosis, especially that SSRIs were not the appropriate course of treatment (both when they were originally offered in 2017, and now). ADHD medication has provided the kind of benefits to my life I could only have dreamed of with Sertraline. I know it's time to start tapering off, but I'm finding it tough. I tried once before in 2021 with no joy. Coming down from 150mg to 125mg and then 100mg in a fairly short space of time was brutal, and led to me fainting while standing on one occasion. I've been on a steady 100mg for the past year or so. I've been experimenting with 75mg. Taking it one day a week just to dip my toe in and see how I react. Things felt okay, so I took 75mg for a few days concurrently. The scarring nightmares, terrible sleep, and the spaced-out vibes during the day are back. Am new here, and looking forward to readings others' experiences, but would absolutely love some tips too for my particular circumstance? If it's at all helpful, I eat very healthily and take supplements. Exercise is a challenge, but I'm slowly getting into a routine again. Cheers

Hi all. Firstly, what a great site. Reading other's stories, success stories and explanations of what we're going through has been a great comfort to me. I'm still struggling though and I know it's also affecting my family negatively which is also bringing me down. So, I started Sertraline in Dec 2020 because of high anxiety. No particular reason for my anxiety, just a series of life problems accompanied by a pandemic and working from home away from social interaction with work colleagues started it I guess. I couldn't sit down! There was positive results from the drug within a couple of weeks and inside 4 weeks I was my normal self! Result! The only side effect I had at that time was some low level tinnitus, particularly in my right ear. Early on in taking the drug I had woken up in the middle of the night with my head buzzing but that passed after a week or so. I never intended being on the drugs long term so when I noticed my weight creeping up I decided to taper. You can see my history below. I now know that was probably too fast but at the time I thought it was fine. Every time I cut a dose I had some irritability for a week or two and then went back to normal. Until I went from approx 6mg ( I was cutting 50mg tablets so very inexact) to zero. I had the irritability for 2 weeks and then I crashed emotionally. I had expected the tinnitus to fade. It didn't. Instead it ramped up considerably and buzzed throughout my head at night keeping me awake. I was emotionally all over the place - panic attacks, couldn't sit down, always pacing, crying and over-emotional about my family. 6 months after stopping I still have high anxiety most mornings when I wake up but normally calms a bit by evening time so I can get to sleep. The tinnitus in my right ear is constant but the whole head buzzing comes and goes. I sleep relatively well when the head buzzing isn't happening. But it does happen at least once a week now and the lack of sleep wrecks me the next day. I still have days when I can't sit down. All in all, I'm seeing a few better days when I'm more like myself now but I'm despairing at how long this is taking. The tinnitus in my right ear never goes away and spikes my anxiety first thing in the morning. It's been almost 6 months now since my last crumb of Sertraline. I've thought of reinstating a very small amount to try to alleviate the tinnitus and/or the anxiety but I feel that would be 6 months down the drain. And it might not work. I also can't work out if this is all entirely withdrawal or is it relapse? I didn't have tinnitus before taking Sertraline but can high anxiety cause tinnitus? It certainly makes it worse. Your thoughts on any of this are appreciated. I'm just so tired of it all. 😢

Hi guys, I was told to taper off zoloft for the course of a month by my doc from 50 mg. I couldn't deal with the withdrawals after 10 days of fully off. I reinstated 12.5 for 3 days and moved up to 25 for the past two. Having really bad side effects (insomnia, no appetite, anxiety) but starting to feel better. Is this normal for me to feel better this fast because I was only off for 10 days.

Hello everyone! Happy to have found this place and start my tapering journey. I'm in my 30s and have had undiagnosed sleep apnea (and probably other issues) for what I feel is most of my life. In September 2020, my lack of restful sleep caught up with general pandemic anxiety and I began having panic attacks. I saw a psychiatrist in June 2021 and started on 25 mg sertraline (generic Zoloft), and am now at 100 mg. I started CPAP therapy in January 2022. In November 2022, my psychiatrist started me on 25 mg trazodone for insomnia and not being able to sleep through the night. He bumped me up to 75 mg (1.5 tablets) and I adjusted to 62.5 mg (1.25 tablets) using the pill cut method. The trazodone isn't working any miracles and I'm still waking a few times throughout the night, but at least I have a decent bedtime now. I want to taper sertraline first. It served its purpose well and I'm in a better space. Also, I've gained 20+ lbs (9+ kg) since being on it, even though my diet and lifestyle have gotten better with the gym opening up again, and so on. I got a milligram scale to make my own liquid and will use Brassmonkey's slide method for a taper of 10% per cycle. Hope to give back to this community any way I can!

I have recently reinstated Prozac at 30mg to due to being ripped off of them too fast. I’m on week 9 and still having waves, they aren’t as bad as they have been. I’m hoping that means normalcy and leveling out is just around the corner. My psych provider wants me to up my dose to 40mg, but I feel like 30mg hasn’t been in my system long enough to level out. My plan is to come off of them VERY SLOWLY once I am stabilized for 6 months. My psych provider keeps saying “You can try to come off it again, but some people just need to be on medication for the rest of their life and that’s okay”. BUT my anxiety was manageable and NOTHING compared to how it’s been with withdrawals. I was prescribed Prozac by a primary care doctor and I trusted them, but this has really sucked. Should I give the 30mg more time to build up? I’m only on week 9 Has anyone been successful of coming off Prozac and being able to live their normal life again? I’m so worried this fear and anxiety is never going to end and I’m just going to be stuck on this medication forever.

Hi there. i wanted to introduce myself to the forums. I am a 53 year old divorced (4 years ago) woman with two boys (ages 20 and 17). I have been on various SSRIs since i was about 21. I have been on them constantly, except for 18 months when I was pregnant and nursing my oldest. I tapered late last year but hadn't heard of these forums, so followed info i could glean online and did it over 6 weeks. I was on 40 mg of lexa but had only been on that for 8 weeks, and had switched from 20 mg of Prozac as that had stopped working. The Prozac I had been on consistently for 15 years. I decided to taper because the meds really werent working anymore. Im in the health care field and had done a lot of research on psilocybin, particularly microdosing, and decided I would give that a try but in order to really feel the effects, I knew I needed to taper of the SSRI (which, as I mentioned, was not working well anyway). I have moments, days, of "okay ness"--not happiness, but okayness. But the last 7 days have been pretty bleak for me. This does happen, even when SSRIs were "working"--I slip into a deep, existential despair about the world, my kids, whats the point of it all sort of attitude. I still manage to get to work, barely (I work part-time and set my own hours, thankfully), and I still manage to take showers,and even try and exercise. But the effort it takes is overwhelming me. Even in my darkest moments, when I had PPD after the birth of my son, I cared for him perfectly, and tried my best to hide my depression from those around me. I am one of the "functional depressives"--hardly anyone in my life knows I suffer as I put on a happy face when I am in public. But as I'm sure many of you understand, that is utterly exhausting. My oldest is a junior in college, and my youngest will be leaving in a few months as well. Both will/are attending college in NY, and I am in Florida. I am very unhappy with the politics in Florida, and despite the exhortations of friends to "just ignore the news" (and believe me, I try) as the mother to a queer teen this is not always possible. In addition, I have in the past been very politcally active, heading up local groups, organizing rallies, and speaking up at local government meetings. The helplessness I feel about the world right now is part and parcel with my mood, and it seems, with who I am fundamentally, and it's hard to let that go but I am trying. I am an empath, and feel the pain of suffering around me as acutely as if it were my own--perhaps more.--and i know this does not help my depression but it feels unchangeable. I meditate, journal, eat fairly healthy, exercise 4-5 times a week. I get sunshine by going to the beach a few times a week. My work is boring to me as I have been doing it for 24 years, and do what i may to try and recapture my old enjoyment of it (seminars, learning new things) it's just not happening. The idea of stopping my work has occurred to me, but what would i do for money? The idea of leaving the state of Florida has occured to me (and I still might do it) but in my line of work the only optioon is to start ones own clinic, and the idea of restarting a brand new business in a new state at my age feels ridiculous and stupid. My current work is not lucrative but I can support myself, and it feels foolish to throw that away. EMotionally, I am exhausted. I wake up each day in a haze of sadness and exhaustion, even after sleeping 10 hours. I force myself to go through the rituals of walking my dogs, eating some toast and either exercising or going to work. I read a lot of non-dual philosophy in the hopes of recognizing the beauty of the world and my place in it, but for the moment, it's not helping. I dont know if this is the withdrawal (im sure it's part of it), or just me (as I have felt this way many times, even when on SSRIs). I feel like I'm just wired this way, and nothing will help. And having suffered for 30 years, I've tried EVERYTHING. I have microdosed since December, following the Fadiman Protocol, and up until the last week I felt it was keeping the worst at bay (and was definitely helping with my anxiety). Sadly, I cannot afford regular therapy and tbh, I'm not sure how much it helped (although I loved my therapist). I feel I am just broken, tbh, and not even sure why I am here. It feels quite hopeless.

Hi there! Im here because I am starting my tapering journey from sertraline 100mg to 50mg. Been on 100mg sertraline for about a year combined with 150mg bupropion. Im feeling emotionally stable, by I've got slight sexual dysfunction and problems losing weight. Therefore tapering to 50mg sertraline. If all goes well and Im steady with my new job (which I start januari 2nd) I will start tapering towards zero sertraline. I am using a tapering schedule provided by drugtaper.com using tablets and liquid. My goal is to be at 50 mg at the end of februari 2023. Tapering calculator for antidepressants.pdf

I am going through same bad times. I was started ( 4/21) on Zoloft, Lunesta and Diazepam for my anxiety, after a health scare. Not my first episode. Usually on Effexor, Valium and some Z drugs. Always been able to taper to zero once the crisis is over. This episode I and took Lunesta and Diazepam for a couple weeks, and sertraline, after my surgery (for a few days). Due to increased jitteriness and sleep issues, my doc switch me to mirtazapine, increasing to 45. Sayed there for 6 weeks or so...no improvement. Cut the mirtazapine down to 30 in a month (I know, too fast...). Switched to Ambien, then to Ambien CR, since I was sleeping 3-4 hrs a night. Switched to Ativan, since Diazepam was making me sleepy during the day. Even tried Risperidone for a couple weeks. Used to have windows in the evening. After cutting to 30 mir and adding/discontinuing risperidone, no windows. Until last evening. Got a good 5 hr window. As of today (8/22/21) I am on 2 or 3 mg Ativan (depending on the day), Ambien CR and Mirtazapine 30mg. No more risperidone. I am torn between doing nothing, tapering something (mirt , I guess) and cross-tapering. The cross tapering would be to Zoloft, since my last episode (5 year ago) Effexor stopped working and I was put on Zoloft (which helped, I assume, since I recovered). I need some advise. I can't say I am stable. What should I do : hold and do nothing, keep tapering mirt, cross taper to Zoloft. I would also need a mentor, ideally someone who was on mirt and get off of it. For now, I don't want to touch the benzos and Z drug. My understanding is that you taper the sedatives last. I really appreciate you reading this and giving it some thought. Thank you, Mario