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  1. Hey all, I was put on 50mg Zoloft in 2012 (21 years old), and been on them since, raising the dose to 100mg in 2015. I started tapering down in June 2021 with about 25mg reduction every 2.5-3 months, hit 0mg in the beginning of April 2022. Didn’t feel any noticeable difference until the morning after a night of drinking on June 10th 2022 and have been having terrible morning anxiety / hopelessness / intrusive thoughts about life regrets every day since. Is it normal for Zoloft withdrawals to suddenly hit you after two months of zero dosage? I was hoping I got lucky after the 1 month mark without feeling any WD symptoms. Also, the withdrawals seem to all but dissipate after ~6pm when it feels like my body is just exhausted which usually brings me relief, I go to bed just to wake up at 03:00-05:00 from pure adrenaline and the cycle repeats itself. What I have been doing to help my recovery is meditating, exercising, saunas, meeting friends as much as I can. I also took a single 7.5mg of Imovane before bedtime two days ago and was able to sleep until 07 which helped the rest of the day tremendously but I don’t want to keep doing that as I want to get back to normal naturally.
  2. Good day everyone Been on 100mg of sertiline and 54mg of concerta since I was a teenager. Started to experience stomach issues the past 6months from taking sertiline. Ran out and never got around to getting a refill so went cold turkey two weeks before Christmas. Just starting to experience some interesting symptoms. Friends and family and coworkers have noticed a improvement in me since stopping the sertiline. I'm more family orientated and was struggling with what I considered a addiction with pot which has also stopped since stopping sertiline, no longer " crave" the high or the act of smoking. Have smoked a couple times since stopping sertiline and the high is much different. I have just started to experience the bladder symptoms of the withdraw and am not sure if it's related but have developed what I belive is a hemerroid that I am getting checked out on Monday. Not 100% sure if that's a symptom or not. Mentally considering the dosage I was on I've been decent. Just keep telling myself it's the med I'm coming off. I assume symptoms will continue to pop up and hopefully go away in due time..lots of good information on here. Ginger
  3. Hi all, i'll try to describe my problems and my situation and maybe I can get some advice? I'm 28 y/o, have had depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, intrusive thoughts, racing thoughts 24/7 (my mind is never silent) attention problems, and executive dysfunction notably since at least 16-18 years old, and i've had OCD like features since I was like 7 as far as I can remember, particularly strong since at least 16 years old. Refused to try any medication up until 2018. Had a scary first bout of what was arguably psychotic thinking in 2016. Here's a brief history: March-ish 2018: Took Wellbutrin about a handful of times, can't remember doseMarch-ish 2018: Took Seroquel a handful of times, can't remember doseMarch-ish 2018- November 2019: Took Sertraline, went from 25 mg to 125 mgs. Foolishly cold turkeyed February 2021: Took Buspar a handful of times, can't remember dose February 2021: Took Luvox maybe like 6 times, nearly killed me and devastated me for months beyond belief March-June 2021: Reinstated Sertraline in an attempt to stop the horrible effects of Luvox (tapered over 2 weeks I think, i'm a little surprised at how my memory seems a bit shot atm) I cold turkeyed Sertraline foolishly out of ignorance and due to life circumstances, and I think I remember not taking it as prescribed daily all too well in the first place. Over the last 2.5 years since then, I have noticeably declined and I believe it is likely protracted withdrawal. I now suffer from everything I mentioned previously but it's all generally worse than a few years ago. Since mid 2020 I have really gone down hill and now suffer from the following daily/regularly: - A considerably more panicked and anxious base level of consciousness - Constant racing thoughts, my mind is never clear/scary intrusive thoughts - Recurrent terrifying "depression attacks/bouts" where i feel depression/anxiety that is so intense in their particular windows that they feel like panic attacks but more "depression-like" if that makes sense. - Body temperature disturbances where I feel regular hot flashes/heat sensations running down my body - The Luvox I tried last year gave me the worst panic and depression of my life, I felt like I was in a 2 - 3 month prolonged panic attack and I got burning skin sensations that felt like being burned alive that thankfully have dissipated now but lasted from about February to July 2021. - Chronic fatigue and a constant feeling that someone is pulling me down from my back, making me want to just lay down on a bed. When I feel the fatigue + hot flashes + depression attacks + some confusion at the same time it feels like i'm in hell. - Severe executive dysfunction coupled with OCD, makes it so I feel like i'm paralyzed and at the same time I feel like the only thing i can keep doing and keep my attention on is watching youtube. I'm a school teacher and the school year just ended, I could never get anything done because of my executive dysfunction and it is an absolute miracle that I lasted the whole year. I do feel though that when i'm totally into what i'm doing at school there are times where I, dare i say, feel "normal" and "fine," with the exception of lingering social anxiety and severe executive dysfunction that is always there." Now that vacation has started it, i've gotten worse, same thing happened every school weekend. I go crazy when just at home. I'm currently trying to fight through my executive dysfunction in order to set up a new PCP and finally make a doctor's appointment to see if I can get a "full work up," whatever that means, in order to gauge my health and rule out auto immune diseases or other things. It's a miracle I can even hold my attention long enough to write this atm, what tips can you give me in regards to things I can do to naturally heal, things I can ask my doctor, tests that I should request my doctor, etc? Honestly a few weeks ago I kept daydreaming about trying stimulants (bare in mind that I am very skeptical towards psychiatry now) because of how bad my executive dysfunction is but now I feel more mentally damaged in general now and I have no idea what to do.
  4. Hi- M27, drug history is in my signature. Most of my AD journey has been pleasant. I am jointing this community to understand why I had such a terrible experience tapering, so I can avoid these issues in the future, if possible. As well as tips to stabilize. Got on for low level anx/dep in college when parents going through divorce. Recently, I’ve experienced difficulties when trying to taper off. Most recently was on Zoloft 150-200mg for ~2 years. Worked with my dr to taper down to zero over the course of 2-3 months. Hindsight being 20/20, it’s clear that this was too fast. Severe w/d for 4 months, mixed in with some Prozac introduced to “ease withdrawal” Most recently took the advice of a new psychiatrist to go back on Zoloft, as that’s the only way to make WD go away. To varying degrees- most every day for 7 months has had intense brain zaps, dizziness, whooshing when I move my eyes, trouble with balance, anxiety, nausea. I can clearly tell a difference between “withdrawal” and “onboarding” symptoms. It’s drastically changed what I can do in my day to day life, unable to do simple tasks due to disorientation and anxiety that follows the physical instability. Luckily I work remotely. Right now I am staying on Zoloft 50mg for at least 3-6 months to “stabilize”. I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place, where the physical symptoms are worse than anxiety and depression ever was before or during the meds. Again- I am jointing this community to understand why I had such a terrible experience tapering, so I can avoid these issues in the future, if possible. Thank you for your help and encouragement.
  5. TruthSeeker91

    TruthSeeker91: My story

    Hi, I'm new here. I'm glad to have finally found a community that is aware of the harm that antidepressants can cause and that withdrawal is a real thing. I am a young man and have been on psychiatric medication for several years. I have always been very introverted and have had difficulty socializing and making friends, in addition to having a broad intellectual interest. These peculiarities led my parents to take me to mental health professionals at a very early age. Once, when I was very young, a neurologist assured them that I had Asperger's Syndrome, which they strongly rejected and never followed up on, and to this day I don't know if it's true or not. Even some of my classmates have asked me about it. As I grew older, my personality became more pronounced. As expected, I was taken to a psychiatrist who put me on medication without a second thought. I don't remember the specific drug, but I was on it for a year. After that time, my mother took me off the medication of her own will, and I experienced nothing abnormal. Certainly, the way I lived my childhood might be considered "abnormal" by some, but I had a social life in my own way and it was functional. The only disturbing event I remember from that time is a scary image I saw on a cell phone that prevented me from using those devices for several years. I went to a junior high school that instilled in me an extreme moral rigidity, which in the long run caused me a kind of "conscience scruples" that were so burdensome that I sometimes became dysfunctional. I was also bullied at school because of my intelligence, so much so that I had to change schools. This led me back to the psychiatrist who prescribed Pristiq. The only thing this drug did was to increase my symptoms to the maximum and give me some kind of OCD (I guess that's what it is because the psychiatrist never told me). After a few weeks, I was switched to sertraline, which I have been taking since 2015, except for a small interruption that I will describe later. Sertraline didn't give me the immediate side effects that Pristiq did, although it didn't work wonders either. My introverted personality remained the same, although the change in school helped me improve the social aspect. Even though I never hung out with friends, my classmates respected me and came up to me to ask for help with homework or to talk about interesting topics. This made me feel very comfortable. As time went on, I made a lot of progress in this regard, until in 2019 I had the most rewarding life I've ever had. I was at the top of my class, and both teachers and classmates were very fond of me. Of course, my peculiarities always attracted the attention of the school authorities, who more than once sent me to a "psychologist" to talk to me. But there was nothing to tell them (except the fact that I never found a therapist I took seriously), and I felt better than ever. The maximum dose of sertraline I ever received was 50 mg/day. On several occasions, the psychiatrist wanted to use any excuse to increase it, no matter how absurd and ridiculous it was (it sounded to me like the "soma" that Aldous Huxley mentions in his book "Brave New World"), but fortunately I never listened to them, and my parents did not force me to. During that time, the only event that managed to destabilize me was a severe scolding from a very respected man in my community, whom I admired very much, who scolded me for having intellectual interests and being "lucubrating" instead of living together and playing the things that other children did (which always seemed ridiculous to me). He even "forbade" me to read the kind of intellectual books I liked because they were "not for me. This is one of the most shocking and painful experiences I have ever had, and it triggered my anxiety. However, I managed to get through it to some extent, and I was doing so well that I was able to reduce the dosage to ~12 mg/day (a quarter of the pill) without any side effects. Unfortunately, during this time the pandemic hit and I was also faced with the crucial decision of what major to study. I was discouraged by my family to study a science (those careers have a bad reputation and little support in my country, they say you will starve to death), so without any really convincing reason I went into engineering. The whole time I was doing this degree was online, otherwise I would have realized how much I hated it much earlier. It got to the point where it became unbearable and I dropped out. Despite all these inconveniences and others caused by the pandemic, I was relatively well and in September 2021 the psychiatrist "discharged" me. I abruptly went from ¼ pill to 0, but had no immediate withdrawal symptoms. But having to decide what to do with my life and reading so many opinions about the outcome from scientists in my country caused me a kind of aboulomania or "paralysis by analysis". Gradually, the symptoms got worse and worse and made me dysfunctional. I also developed hypochondria, something I had never experienced before, not even before I took sertraline for the first time. Finally, it became unbearable and I had to take the drug again in June 2022. Again, the doctors wanted to give me much higher doses, which I refused. At the moment I am fine, the only things that bother me are that I am not sure what I want to do with my life in the long term and I feel too much uncertainty, and I really want to improve socially. I certainly don't want to become an extrovert, but I would like to maintain valuable friendships and find someone to talk to about topics that interest me. I would also like to find an intimate relationship. But I still find it difficult to even team up for a project. I am desperate to get off the medication, but I have not found a psychiatrist in Mexico who will help me. They all claim that Sertraline is completely harmless and that if I feel anxious when I stop taking it, it is because there is a problem with me and not with the drug. I don't believe them at all. Also, they don't seem to know what they are talking about, no one has been able to tell me what the brain zaps I am suffering from are, I had to find out for myself. I also have urinary problems, stomach problems, and I'm underweight, and I can't find a way to know what's caused by the medication and what's caused by other things. I want to lift weights to see if I can build muscle, but I have also found that SSRIs can cause muscle problems, lower testosterone, and even rhabdomyolysis in some cases. I am also deeply dismayed that it can make me impotent and infertile. I hope you can give me some advice on this matter. If you know of a psychiatrist in Mexico who can help, I would appreciate it (although I would travel abroad if necessary to find someone to help me out of this). I welcome any input with much appreciation. PS 1. I had an MRI of my brain and everything seems to be fine. PS 2. I seem to be low on vitamin D, I have already ordered a supplement. I also bought a multivitamin (Throne Research Basic 2/day) but I have read comments that it can cause anxiety, I don't know if this is true. I ask for your recommendation. PS 3. I have voluntarily reduced the dosage to ¾ and feel fine so far.
  6. Hi everyone, My name is Audrey and I’m currently in month 9 of protracted withdrawal from stopping 12.5 mgs of sertraline cold turkey for a panic disorder. I’ve been using this forum for months as support to check symptoms/giving me peace of mind and it’s been a god send. I took sertraline on and off for 3 years. I currently am suffering with every symptom imaginable still - some days better than others. Lots of Dysautonomia, heat intolerance, sleep issues, anxiety, POTS symptoms, pounding heart, you name it. I was a hypochondriac before withdrawal happened so this time has not been kind to my nervous system. I know one day I will heal but sometimes it’s so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m 30 and feel like I could be 75+ some days. Here’s to a healing year in 2024!
  7. Hi all this is my first post. I’ve put all my medical info in my signature as requested but if I’ve missed anything please let me know. Full case history: n.b. I don’t expect anyone to feel they have to read all this, I just want to get it off my chest! I’ve had issues with depression and anxiety since childhood (no particular trauma: suspect a strong genetic component as evident in other family members too). Severe depression around 19/20 due to college stress led to me going to the doctor. Was put on 30mg citalopram which made me suicidal and gave me auditory hallucinations among other symptoms almost immediately. Doctor told me to ‘keep going’ but decided to stop - a million percent the right decision and one I wish I had made later. Was put on a low dose of paroxetine either once or twice (not sure) for short periods in my twenties after going to the doctor with anxiety/depression. No severe side effects I can remember, seemed to see a noticeable improvement, and came off drugs without issue. In my late twenties I went to the doctor again with depression and was prescribed 7.5mg paroxetine. Again no side effects and a noticeable improvement. After a few months I went back to the doctor and told her I was feeling much better and would like to come off the paroxetine. She told me this would be a mistake - that people often thought they should come off and actually got much worse when they did, so I should stay on the drugs. I accepted this, assumed that I was just one of those people who needed this medication to be ‘normal’ (I believed completely in the chemical Imbalance idea) and continued taking the medication. On a personal note this is the part of my medical history that makes me the angriest. There was a window at that time in which I was trying to do what was best for my mental health, and trusted my doctor against my own instincts. I may well have suffered adverse reactions if I had stopped taking paroxetine then, but I personally suspect strongly it would have been less severe due to the low dose, shortness of duration, and the fact I was younger. I may be wrong but I’ll never know. I stayed on paroxetine for the next ten years. Over time I felt the medication was getting less effective, and every time I went back to the doctor I was prescribed an increased dose (to be fair I’m sure at least once I requested an increased dose as I thought it was what I needed). I don’t remember the exact details but I ended up on 40mg. In the last couple of years I’ve had a very difficult time personally and it became clear the medication wasn’t helping me. I talked to the doctor In early 2020 about coming off paroxetine and trying a new medication - they advised me I would need a couple of ‘quiet’ weeks in a secure environment to do so to manage the change. When the pandemic happened and I was able to work from home full time, I felt I had the space to make the change. The doctor gave me a tapering schedule that was approximately as follows: 3 days on 30-40mg, 3 on 30, 3 on 20-30, 3 on 20, 3 on 10-20, 3 on 10 and then nothing. i had no symptoms during the tapering window and naively thought I had been lucky. I decided to hold off on taking the sertraline because I wanted to see how I managed with no drugs in my system, again I was very naive. Three days after my last pill I became profoundly unwell - suicidal, brain fog, brain zaps, diarrhoea, hypothermic temperature, severe weight loss (21 pounds total in a few weeks) I can’t even recall all the symptoms. I tried to ‘stick it out’ for a couple of weeks until a very sensible friend whose mother is a pharmacist told me I couldn’t keep going like this and my taper schedule had been much too quick, I needed to go back on a low dose. I spoke to a different doctor and agreed to go back on 10mg for a month, then 5 mg for a month then nothing. This still felt too steep so I actually added in three weeks of 5 and 0 alternating (I now realise alternating was a mistake too). My symptoms improved slowly but never disappeared and when I tried to stop completely, again severe symptoms reoccured. Went back to a 5/0 alternating dosage but remained quite ill. Spoke to yet another doctor after a couple of weeks who advised as I was now at such a low dose of paroxetine I should stop taking it completely and start taking 50mg of sertraline immediately. I was so desperate at this point that I felt if the sertraline would set me free from paroxetine I was willing to do this. The next four weeks were pure hell. I suspect because my body was dealing with withdrawal from one drug and reacting badly to another all at once (plus my contraceptive pill was changed due to stock shortages but that’s another story). My physical symptoms were bad but not as bad as before, but I was persistently suicidal. I have an amazing family who took care of me during this period. Even with their help I came close to the brink several times. I was referred to the mental health crisis team who said they would get my doctor to prescribe me mirtazapan to help manage the symptoms. They never processed this and I never followed up as I was determined not to add any more drugs to my regimen. I stayed on the sertraline because I felt I had no choice - all I could do was keep going and hope to make it to the other side. The last six weeks have been bad but I’ve seen an improvement. I have suicidal days but also good days and I am more able to manage my own healing. I am back at work after a month of leave. My physical symptoms have lessened but do re-emerge periodically. I am eating all the right foods, taking the proper supplements, exercising, meditating, journaling and doing breathing exercises. I desperately want to come off sertraline but I know I have to get myself in a stronger and more even position before I can do that. The thought that I am trapped on another drug, that coming off it will take literally years, and that I am still so unwell, is profoundly distressing. I feel this experience had almost destroyed me. Forums like this one have been my only comfort at times - seeing other people’s stories has made me feel less alone. so I’m sharing mine in case it chimes with anyone else. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for here. I cannot taper right now even though I want to so badly I want to throw all my drugs away (obviously I won’t!!). I feel this site has given Me the information I need to tackle it when the time is right, which I am grateful for. I guess it’s just been such a personally devastating experience I wanted to share it in a place it would be understood. Basically, I’m very frightened.
  8. I am reluctantly writing this as I feel very little hope. Back in 2009 I was diagnosed with GAD for really bad anxiety and panic attacks. I was told this might be permanent and was prescribed Ativan. Over the next year or so my dose was bumped all the way to 7mg of Ativan daily. I was also prescribed Ritalin 80 mg daily at some point with no diagnosis. I told my doctor I had a hard time concentrating after plowing snow for 3 days straight and that was his response. I drank very heavily from 2005 until I finally saw a problem in September of 2015 which is when I sobered up from alcohol. At this time I also entered into therapy. We started realizing that taking 7mg of Ativan daily was keeping me from being able to access and process my old issues. At this point I had no idea I had childhood trauma. At some time in my recovery from alcohol I decided I wanted to get off the Ritalin probably 2016. One day I stopped cold turkey and dealt with some extreme fatigue and exhaustion but was able to power through with will power and the fact that I was in my “prime” at 30. I was also very motivated to be substance free. Back to the Ativan. I worked very hard from 2017 to 2020 to drop my dose of Ativan with help from my doctor. I made huge progress as she would say and went from 7 mg down to just 0.5mg. Then I got a job working as a County Park Ranger. A free months in I worked a really traumatic car accident and started having PTSD symptoms. I started doing EMDR for this and after 6 months was %90 free of this hell. During the time I was processing that trauma I met my now ex November 2018. I believe she could sense the distress on me and acted as a savior but has now revealed herself to be quite the opposite. We had a kid together in June of 2021 and I left in June 2022. My son means everything to me and has been the main reason I survived the hell of living with a narcissist for almost 4 years. We are In a custody battle at the moment where she is trying to take full custody and move to Idaho (we currently live in Colorado). During the time I was with her I was having such bad anxiety that I was having a hard time dropping my Ativan any further. As a result of this my doctor recommended I take Zoloft to help with the anxiety and give me something to lean on while finishing my termination with Ativan. This is where I believe my brain was damaged. From the moment I took my first dose of Zoloft 50 mg the world seemed darker, quieter, and further away. It was like a dark vail was placed over my eyes and ears. Over the next year my doctor bumped my dose all the way to 200mg off Zoloft where I stayed for roughly 2 years. Sometime in there Fall of 2022 I realized my genitals were almost completely numb. I panicked and started doing research. That ultimately led me here. I realized I needed to be in a more stable living situation before getting off the Zoloft so I busted my ass to get back on my feet and into my own place. In May of 2023 I moved into my own place. I started tapping the Zoloft very quickly on my own from 200 to 100mg and held for a month. Then from 100 to 50mg for about a month or two. Then 6/4/23 I stopped taking Zoloft altogether. The first three weeks were no big deal just emotional breakdowns and such. After week 3 the low mood started selling in. It was also at this point I realized that my emotions were quickly leaving me as well. That is the part I’m most concerned about. I feel almost like a robot that has hardly any thoughts in my head or emotions in my soul. The love of my life, my beautiful 2 year old boy, is getting a very different dad now. I struggle to connect with him and I don’t feel the same powerful attachment and love I did with him only a month ago. I don’t know what to do as I am in an extremely difficult situation with work and custody and I feel almost nothing. The terror and outrage of my situation with my ex is now only a blip on the radar. I have no emotions or motivation either way to fight her although deep down inside I know how devastated I would have been previously to lose my son to her and her new fiancé. I don’t know what to do and I want to have hope that this is just temporary. Did my emotions crash temporarily and will eventually return with time? I’m feeling defeated and hollow. Thanks for reading this.
  9. Hello - I attempted a direct switch from a high dose of lexapro to Sertraline under doctor guidance - I now realise from reading this website that I may have kindled my nervous system. I subsequently increased the lexapro dose and have reduced it again, probably making matters worse. The biggest effect I have had is a noticeable cognitive impact, my brain literally can't solve complex problems the way it could only a few months ago and I have had to step back from a senior executive role. I really don't know what to do - I stupidly halved my lexapro dose 4 days ago and think I should updose - but by how much? Have I done permanent brain damage because it feels like I have? My memory is shaky and complex math that was easy to me is now beyond me, almost like i've had a stroke or something.
  10. Since tapering off SSRIs (citalopram then sertaline) I've had ringing in my ears and buzzing head. It worse when I wake up. Any suggestions on how to mangage this?
  11. I got on Fluoxetine after 2 years of aggressive anxiety and deep depression. I was prescribed 10 mg and then 20mg and eventually to 30 mg at one point. I didn't know better at the time but I was constantly fatigues I had slight depression and not much anxiety after the 2 years but I had no energy and headaches. When I started the Fluoxetine it gave me the energy I was craving. I was sleeping 8 + hours prior to the fluoxetine, eating healthy and very often and then napping before soccer practice (I played college soccer) just to try and have enough energy to go 75% at practice. When I got on the fluoxetine I didn't have to sleep as much, and I had energy! It was awesome. I didn't really look into side effects or other options at the time because I just wanted to have the energy to play soccer. It relieved headaches and removed my fatigue. It felt like the vitamin my body was craving but I couldn't ever get it satisfied with the healthy eating and sleep. I had spouts of extreme anxiety flare ups whenever I would try and get into a relationship. So during my 4 years at the university I tried one relationship for a year and it was extremely difficult causing out of body experiences, anxiety, and overall felt like my nervous system was dying. I continued on the fluoxetine at the time but it didn't solve for the OCD / Anxiety I was experiencing and I didn't have the skills to know how to lean into it and start trying to think about things differently and change my brain and nervous system. I finished my soccer career and moved from a very warm environment to a part of the state that has very cold winters and hot summers. The winter brought on all sorts of depression and hopelessness. I was working at a Bank at the time. I pushed through that winter and started working on trying to change the way I was thinking and the beliefs I was holding. I felt that I had made very good progress and decided to start tapering my fluoxetine. I dropped to 10mg for a few weeks and then I just stopped taking it all together. I started to experience sever brain zaps. I re instated at 10mg every other day for a month or so. I then stopped and the brain zaps were gone! I thought I was home free! But I was not, 4 months later I started having the headaches I was having before I started taking the fluoxetine. They were so severe and would come on so strong around 1 or 2 pm in the afternoon. I started experiencing brain zaps again as well. Then one night Tinnitus hit me like a sledge hammer. My ears started ringing so loud. And on occasion they would hurt. I couldn't sleep, the ringing had gotten so loud. I went to every doctor I could see. I saw my general doctor and she said to try sertraline. I got on 25 mg of it for a few weeks. I had all kinds of symptoms trying to get on it. I was fatigued, felt like I had the flu, achy, headaches, etc. It wasn't solving the current headaches, fatigue, and tinnitus. We then switched me to Fluoxetine 10mg it was just giving me different kinds of headaches along with the ones I was having. When I got on Fluoxetine the first time I did not experience any side effects at all. I had CT scans done to see if I had tumors. Nothing. No doctor could explain what was going on with me. I had enflamed sinuses so they gave me some steroids to help with the inflammation which helped a little bit. I eventually tried just doing 5mg a day but that was still an issue. So went back down to zero. I have been struggling with headaches for over 12 months and tinnitus for over 8 months now. My vision has gotten blurry and I have tried to get glasses to see if that was causing some of the headaches. It has been a living hell. I found this website and some success stories. Trying to figure out what to do and how to move forward. Wondering if I should try and get back on 5mg of fluoxetine a day and see if that will clear the headaches without the reinstating headaches and then taper from there? Would love to hear any and all experiences that could help. Thanks.
  12. Hello, I’ve been reading and trying to learn from you all for the last few months. With my daughter’s permission, I’d like to ask for help. She’s at college and I’ve been working to support her and to try to stay in front of what’s happening. She’s 21, but thankfully is allowing us to help her navigate this. I’m reaching out to you all for support. She’s decided she'd like to try to reinstate Sertraline after being completely off since April 25, 2023. (She was on for 5 years.) She took 6.25 mg. this morning. I understand this introductory post may take a few days to hit your community. I mainly wanted to open the line of communication/ support for reinstatement. Sertraline Withdrawal: We didn’t figure out that she was experiencing withdrawal until she was 2 months off of Sertraline. We assumed it was the stress of a summer internship that she needed to push through until we googled what sounded like odd symptoms. (Burning in her shoulders and a constant pit in her chest that seemed new/ odd.) She’s done her own research and has questioned the timing of her intense symptoms emerging. The concept of doctors not fully understanding has been really tough for her to wrap her head around. (It does help her a bit to know that doctors in the UK are starting to taper differently.) We were trying to avoid reinstatement and having to go through this again– but I’m worried we may be at the end of her time window to reinstate at 4 months. More than anything, she’s tired of feeling crummy and just wants to feel better. Sertraline Use and Taper: She began taking Sertraline 25 mg in 2018 at age 17. When that was tolerated, went up to 50 mg. Dosage increased to 75 mg at some point a few years in. (Neither of us recall the specifics of why she went up.) In March 2023, she decided she wanted to go off Sertraline. She felt happy, confident and wanted to know who she was without the meds. We supported this and didn’t think too much about the process– other than we knew she needed to taper. Tapered under Nurse Practitioner in an established Dr. office in her college town: 75 mg for 2 weeks; 50 mg for 2 weeks; 25 mg for 2 weeks; off April 25, 2023 **She reported a headache while tapering, but this resolved. She seemed mildly not herself/ irritable when she came home for a few weeks in May/ early June. It occurred to us it could be going off Sertraline, but she said she thought she was experiencing more highs and lows– and this seemed reasonable. Then she left for an out of town internship. June 12, 2023– she started working variable days/ nights in a high stress environment. On her 1st night shift, she said she was worried about staying awake and drank a ton of coffee. Huge influx of symptoms began: Round #1 Symptoms: Nausea/ Vomiting a few times; Insomnia; Anxiety; Crying; Loss of appetite; Constant “pit” in her chest; “Burning,” uncomfortable feeling in shoulders; “Burning” in arms and legs. **Mornings were the worst, but things sometimes let up by the evening. June 27th, she messaged her Nurse Practitioner (from college) who prescribed Atarax as needed. She took it once, felt better briefly and then immediately worse as soon as it wore off. I started googling her symptoms and we started to realize this could be withdrawal. Around this time she started taking Benadryl at night (based on reading this helps with AD withdrawals) and this seemed to help. July 7, she left the internship, came home and stabilized quite a bit. She wasn’t 100%, but her trajectory was promising and we thought the worst was over. August 8th, I took her to a Functional Doctor who suggested she take a supplement in our efforts to keep making her stronger: Contents of CereVive and dose: (In addition to Vit C, Vit B 12, Vit B 6, Niacin, Folate, Magnesium and Zinc) Inositol: 1 g; L- Tyrosine USP: 400 mg; Mucuna Pruriens Extract (10% L Dopa): 400 mg; 5-HTP: 150 mg; L- Theanine: 100 mg; Gamma Aminobutyric Acid (PharmaGABA): 100 mg Influx of symptoms came back within 3 days of beginning the supplement. We cut the CereVive in half one day, another ⅔ the next day and off. Unclear if it was the CereVive that caused the wave or maybe she wasn’t doing as well as we thought. It has felt like 2 distinct healing periods. She stabilized a bit and hoped time would do the trick again. She went back to college and is functioning/ getting to where she needs to go. Overall not great though– and actively seeking a solution to feel better. Round #2 Symptoms: same as before + new ones: Tingling and/ or burning in arms; burning in neck with numbness in arms; lack of concentration, increased crying, decrease in appetite, feeling like she can’t breathe, a bit of despair that this is happening again. This week, my daughter messaged her Nurse Practitioner about reinstatement and was prescribed 25 mg. of Sertraline. Dosage for reinstatement: My daughter agreed to cut the pill into a ¼ (6.25 mg.) She’s using a pill cutter for consistent portions. I asked if she could split it into an ⅛ and she said the pills are too small and this seemed to overwhelm her a bit. I’m thinking that ¼ is the best we can do to also keep it manageable for her. (Open to input and ideas how to go smaller if that's better. Or is it too late and we need to stick with ¼ pill?) I sent her a scale to try to get smaller portions, but I sent the wrong one at first. Another is on its way but again-- we're balancing her being overwhelmed. She did not ask the Nurse Practitioner for liquid– and given how she managed the initial taper, I’m not sure she’s the one to ask. I honestly don’t think it’s realistic for my daughter to make her own liquid at this point. Symptoms since starting 6.25 mg today: dry mouth (resolved), headache (resolved with Tylenol). Some negative symptoms that caused her to reinstate may be getting somewhat better. Still a bit of burning in her arms and she's exhausted but can't nap. **My daughter said the headache feels the same as when she went off. Kind of in the back of her head. (I don’t know what significance this holds.) Supplements/ Medicines she’s still using: Benadryl when physical symptoms are bad at night; Probiotic; Allegra; Midnite (Extended release melatonin); Magnesium Glycinate ;Vitamin D3 with K2; Fish Oil: Omega MonoPureA 1300 EC. I know this is a lot and I appreciate any help and feedback. My biggest concern is that I feel like she’s the wrong doctor and a crummy day away from starting a new medicine. She’s very strong minded and was really thriving before all of this. She was really excited about being off the Sertraline. Crossing all fingers and toes that the reinstatement (followed by a gradual taper) will work. In addition to practical help, I’d welcome any prayers or good thoughts anyone would like to send her way. MommaJ
  13. Heldandloved

    Heldandloved

    I was introduced to antidepressants when I was a junior in college. I had transferred to a school where the sky stayed grey from mid-November to the beginning of April. I would assume my body was in dire need of vitamin D and some b-vitamins. I was twenty, an athlete in college and developed some disordered eating habits. When being treated for mild depression and disordered eating, I was put on Prozac. I took it for a month and then got off of it. I don’t remember why but just chose not to take it. Lots of life happened in between twenty and twenty-six. Right before my twenty-sixth birthday I gave birth to my second child. At my two week follow up appointment, I had an IUD placed. In what seemed like a week, I spiraled into a pretty severe depression. I’m not sure if it was postpartum depression or IUD induced. My doctor started me on 100mg of Zoloft and then pushed it up to 200mg. I was on and off this four years until I became pregnant with my third child in 2012. Upon becoming pregnant, my doctor had me cold turkey my antidepressant. I remember being dizzy and feeling some out-of-body feelings but didn’t ever suffer any lasting or harmful withdrawal symptoms. In 2014 I had my last child and shortly after having her my doctor encouraged me to start an antidepressant for irritability/anxiety. I started taking Lexapro 10mg and my dosage increased to 20mg. Taking the Lexapro did very little if anything for my irritability/anxiety. In 2020, when being treated for endometriosis I was put on a low dose birth control. The low dose birth control is what finally helped my irritability/anxiety. Over the past eight years taking Lexapro I’ve struggled physically with sexual dysfunction, low libido, very low metabolism causing weight gain and an increase in overall body fat. Mentally I feel as though my feelings have been numbed. I could count on one hand the number of times I cried and had tears actually stream down my face. I even feel as if I was able to harden my feelings easier towards people in my life. This is just not the kind of life I am meant to live. My journey to come off antidepressants started in March of 2023. My initial jump from 20mg to 10mg of Lexapro was DIFFICULT. It was about one month of dizziness, out-of-body feeling, flu like symptoms, auditory disturbances, restlessness, irritability, crazy dreams. I gave my body another month or so on 10mg. My jump from 10mg to 5mg seemed fine, and I stayed there for a few weeks. I then went to 5mg every other day for a week or so and then went to 5 mg every three days for a week. I stopped taking antidepressants on May 25th thinking this would be my last dose. I was so very wrong. A few days in the dizziness and tunnel vision started. A week after stopping I developed neuropathy in my hands and feet. It felt like I sunburnt them and then was rubbing icy-hot onto my hands and feet. Shortly after I spiraled mentally. I had crying spells, anxiety attacks waking me up from sleep, nightmares, an overwhelming sense of doom and I didn’t have the mental capacity to communicate with friends or family. I do believe God led me to this page. A light in my darkness and even more…HOPE. The day after I found this page I restarted my lexapro, 2.5mg every other day and thankfully again by the grace of God, it has helped steady me and take away my most difficult symptoms. I was able to go into my doctor, and although she clearly didn’t fully believe me about my symptoms coming off antidepressants (suggesting it could just be the depression), she’s supporting me and prescribed the lexapro liquid. I was hoping to find some help with where to go from here…if I take 2.5mg every other day what would a ten percent decrease look like, and when and for how long? Thank you again for this place where there is so much honestly, vulnerability, transparency and guidance.
  14. Hi folks, I’ve been reading the site for the last six months through my Sertraline withdrawal and the information has been so helpful. I honestly thought I was losing my mind until I found this community and realised what I was experiencing was in fact withdrawal, not relapse. It has been a difficult six months. From the end of June to about September were probably the worst. I didn’t experience any intense physical symptoms aside from insomnia and panic attacks but the psychological symptoms have been torture. Thankfully the insomnia, morning cortisol spikes, panic attacks and OCD like symptoms I was experiencing have subsided somewhat, I used the DARE response, exercise, cut out caffeine and started a magnesium supplement. I’ve also been attending counselling. These things seemed to help re-stabilise my nervous system to an extent. They can still creep in but I seem to have been able to get a handle on them. Although it takes conscious effort to keep them at bay and stop the thought spirals. What hasn’t subsided are the intense emotions which I’ve seen described here as neuro-emotions. These have been debilitating to the point I’ve had to be off work for the last month. I’m ridiculously emotional, totally overwhelmed and I just don’t feel able to handle every day life any more. It’s like all my confidence has gone and any remotely stressful task is just too much. At points it has come to suicidal ideation. To be honest after getting through the horrendous anxiety/OCD type symptoms I thought this really might have been a relapse as some aspects seem like my previous depression/anxiety which led me to start antidepressants in the first place. Due to the extent of the emotional symptoms and the impact they’re having on my life I felt I had to try something so I can function properly. After reading the reinstatement guidance here I have begun a tiny reinstatement of 0.5mg Sertraline. This has only been for the last few days. I know this was a risk after 6 months but I have restarted in the past (albeit at a 50mg dose recommended by a GP) with success and I’m desperate to be honest. I need to be functional, be able to work and support my family. I’m not noticing any negative side effects so far, the first day there was a marked increase in motivation and energy actually. I do feel like my emotions have been more ‘steady’ since reinstating which I wasn’t expecting to be honest. My plan at the moment is to see how this reinstatement goes by sticking at 0.5 for quite some time. Any words of support or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks 😊
  15. TW: suicidal thoughts, self harm Hi I'm a recently diagnosed autistic woman from the UK. I've suffered with depression and anxiety from childhood and found adult life hard trying to cope with things. After leaving an abusive relationship about 3 years ago I was suicidal and felt like I couldn't cope after 6 months or so I decided to start taking ssris. First prescribed sertraline but came off it after a few months as it made me really drowsy and then changed to esitalopram. Escitaloprám probably saved my life if I'm honest but due to the pandemic I stayed on it for a long time and just ignored the feelings of no libido as i felt it didn't really matter due to lockdowns. About 3 months ago I discussed coming off them and have tapered off over about 3 weeks or so and been off about 2 months. I don't feel much different I'm still numb, still No libido but now all the ugly suicidal thoughts are swirling and the urges to self harm are getting worse just so I feel something.
  16. I have been off zoloft for 14 months and still have nausea and anxiety. I am considering reinstatement but have read on the forum that it might be a bad idea after such a long time. . I'm scared to try it and make matters worse.
  17. 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!
  18. I started on SSRIs for OCD but have a rough go (onset of depression; OCD has not improved) and plan to taper. Jan. 1-2. 2023: 20mg fluoxetineJan. 10-13, 2023: 5mg escitalopramJan. 14.-Feb. 1, 2023: 10mg escitalopramFeb. 2-23, 2023: 20mg escitalopramFeb. 24-27, 2023: cross-taper (10mg escitalopram, 25mg sertraline)Feb. 28-Mar. 6, 2023: 50mg sertralineMar. 7, 2023-present: 37.5mg sertraline <start of taper> I'd like to get the community's feedback on the below tapering plan. Can I go faster? Do I need to go slower? Thank you so much! Week 1: 37.5 > 25.0 Week 2: 25.0 > 12.5 Week 3: 12.5 > 6.25 Week 4: 6.25 > 3.13 Week 5: 3.13 > 1.56 Week 6: 1.56 > 0.78 Week 7: 0.78 > 0.39 Week 8: 0.39 > 0.20 Week 9: 0.20 > 0.10 Week 10: Off!
  19. Hello, I was put on Sertraline 100mg at 10 years old (no clue how this was legal) for having anxiety about my sick mom. From age 10 to 12 the only negative side effect from the drug I can think of was weight gain and quite a few days of not wanting to go to school/along with some apathy and lack of emotions. Around age 12 I moved to another state and easily made friends. I was living pretty much a perfect life. I had loving parents, a nice house to live in with friends over all of the time, and was doing well in school. I was the best student and most attractive/popular/funniest person in my class. At age 13 I started to play computer games and watch porn. I quickly became enveloped in a digital world and started abandoning all other aspects of my life completely. It was like digital crack to me. For the next five years all I would do on days I didn’t attend school (which was most) was game for 16 hours a day. On days I did attend, I would come home and immediately start gaming. My grades were horrible and I had to take a lot of classes a year behind. Around junior year I was getting burnt out on gaming, but I quickly realized reintegrating back into my previous social and academic life was going to be impossible thanks to me losing all social skills, becoming socially awkward, and gaining even more weight, plus gyno. Trying to gain back my friends I had cut off was impossible because I had also developed agoraphobia, and couldn’t handle being around them. I checked my MyChart and I was at an 8 ng/ml for Vitamin D around this time, which explains some of the cognitive problems. My senior year I dropped out. I was severely depressed, had brain fog and unsalvageable grades, no social skills, motivation, and complete apathy about everything (which started around 13). My porn addiction had also gotten severe. My parents at this time were also opiate addicts and very negligent about the situation. This whole time seems like a blur looking back. At age 18 my parents moved to yet another city. Around this time I discovered NoFap and wanted to stop watching porn. I listened to some self help podcasts and decided to come off my Sertraline. I asked my doctor and they said I just needed to take 50mg one week then I could quit fully. I listened to their advice and did so. The following 2 and a half years after this I lost all motivation and became very hyper sexual/compulsive which made my porn addiction that much more severe. All I did for 2 and a half years was sit in my room mindlessly scrolling the internet, watching porn, and playing video games. I kept trying to do steaks of NoFap, but I kept failing. My anxiety started to get really bad so I went to another doctor and got put on Sertraline 50 mg. After a couple months of taking it I felt great. I didn’t have a care in the world, I was discovering hobbies I was into, and for the first time in a long time I had motivation to do things, and I felt way more intelligent. After about 8 months of taking it, it stopped working and I developed a low sex drive. I am not sure if this was from the SSRI or weed looking back, but I quit the Sertraline cold turkey again. The first month or so of quitting, I felt great. I was making plans on how to get a career, finally move out, get my confidence back by working out, etc. About 2 months into withdrawal I started getting constant negative intrusive thoughts, anxiety, a deep feeling of despair, decreased pleasure, and most importantly the apathy started wearing off. I’m about 7 months into withdrawal, and the symptoms have lessened a little bit. The apathy going away and the constant rumination has been a blessing and a cure. I realized I’m 22 with no life experience, a wrecked brain from years of abusing the internet in the most mindless way possible, and coming down from years of being an emotionless, hurtful person. I went from not giving a **** about anything to caring a lot. I believe I can get through the withdrawals as they’re already lessening, but I sometimes feel like I’ve dug my self into a hole too deep to get out of. I went from super good looking to flat faced from having horrible posture all throughout puberty, and I feel like my intelligence has decreased by about 60%, especially during this last withdrawal. To say I have bad social skills would be an understatement, despite both parents having type A personalities. Every time I'm around people I constantly think of how much funnier/wittier and sociable I should be. Reading is a big struggle and my attention span is in ruins. My intrusive thoughts constantly hound me about being wasted potential in every way, and that my parents will die before they can see the true me. I also have severe body dysmorphia that I obsess over. Every time I watch a video I just constantly think about how much more intelligent and better looking the people I see are. When I close my eyes or go for a walk trying to clear my head, I just have a constant barrage of thoughts ranging from random words and 2 seconds of a song looping, to full sentences looping. It feels like torture sometimes, and makes it so hard to concentrate on sorting my life out. On the bright side, I have a super loving family. My parents are no longer addicted to anything, and are fully supporting me financially (which I feel guilty about) and emotionally. I also have kicked my weed and porn addictions. I am going to start studying for my GED and getting a part time job, and know what career I want to eventually have. My issue is I start freaking out about everything once I sit down to study. Mindlessly scrolling 16 hours a day, not watching or reading anything long-form has done a number on me. I realize going back on Sertraline to stop these negative isn’t the best option because it turns me into an apathetic, zombie-like dopamine fiend. I’m also worried about kindling, and realize I’m lucky I haven’t gotten more severe symptoms. I plan to ride it out and start CBT and ERP, along with regular exercise and dieting. But I also feel like it might calm my OCD like it has in the past and get rid of some of the constant barrage of thoughts. I just feel bad about stressing my parents out, especially my mom who is very sick. I don’t know if I can handle years of this. Is it possible my brain just needs it to function because I was put on it at such a young age? Am I wasting my time/stressing my parents out for no reason trying to go through this withdrawal when I should just go back on it and see if weed was the reason it seemed like it stopped working? I obsess over these things constantly. Thanks for reading and sorry if it’s not super coherent, my brain feels like mush. I regret ever going back on Sertraline after quitting it the first time. Just want to become the funny, intelligent, caring, and overall great to be around person I know I was meant to be. Any advice is welcome.
  20. I am currently suffering from baby blues and opened up to my doctor about it.She prescribed me 25mg Zoloft. Thinking it would help I took a dose. After this one dose I started getting brain zaps and figured out I could not sleep. I also saw light when closing my eyes. So this made my anxiety flair up. After this I ended up in the ER at Methodist twice. Once for insomnia and a panic attack and the other for the same issue. The just band aided it with Ativan and another sleep aid (which has side effects too). I quit cold turkey after the first dose knowing this medicine was poison. I started experiencing insomnia, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, hypersensitivity to sounds, agitation and brain zaps. I’m on week 4 after quitting and the brain zap that was happening near my left temple has turned into head pressure that’s been lingering . I’ve been taking valerian root tea and cbd for sleep. And have been eating healthier.I’ve also tried NAD IV treatments because I would assume getting nutrients straight to the vein would be better. I’ve also cut caffeine and most sugars. I’m still trying to fix my sleep cycle. I wake up every 3 hours at night and I’m hoping to sleep a full night soon. Any suggestions or recovery stories would get my spirits up. I feel like there has been progress but I’m not out of the woods yet. Hoping to fully heal soon.
  21. Hi all, I’m 38 and have been on antidepressants since I was 22. I have a history of OCD and anxiety, which is why I was prescribed meds in the first place. I never thought the pills were working since I didn’t feel a noticeable difference, but in hindsight, maybe they were. anyways, I’ve been on Zoloft 50 to 100 back to 50 from 2013-2021, and was mostly stable - though I did have severe bouts of anxiety still, at least I could function and exercise. Late last year I cut my dose to 25. I started getting chills all the time when I was exposed to cold weather and just generally felt unwell, but chalked that up to everything BUT my medication (I’ve long feared I have a severe undiagnosed health condition, though hundreds of tests and doctor visits haven’t revealed a thing). Along with the chills, I noticed my right leg felt a bit heavier, but I could still function as normal when it came to exercise. Then, back in July, I cut my dose to 12.5, daily for a couple of weeks and then every other day. Throw in some gabapentin, too, (doses between 100-500, taken as needed). that’s when all the fun started. I was still getting violent bouts of chills daily, but my leg was feeling weaker , and then my right arm and hand started to feel weak and uncoordinated. I could still walk without many issues, but running was becoming difficult. August was worse for the arm and leg, though the chills started to subside. September has been a nightmare - my arm fatigues instantly upon use (forearm muscle just feels shot), and it’s difficult to walk because my right leg just feels so weird. I also started having muscle twitches, primarily in my right leg and arm, but some on the left side too. I’ve seen 3 neurologists and had and EMG, and they assure me I don’t have ALS but I continue to worry it’s something along those lines. I just can’t fathom how this could be medication related since the muscular issues are all on one side of my body. my psych put me on Effexor and I’m on 37.5 for the past week, but no signs of improvement. can anyone relate?
  22. oliviaw11

    oliviaw11: Symptoms

    Hi everyone, I stopped taking Zoloft at 25 mg about three weeks after after tapering from 50 mg. I was getting withdrawl symptoms at first which seemed to resolve except for my dizziness/vertigo. It feels like the ground is moving when I walk and that I am very off balance. I’ve also noticed tinnitus and weird head pressure feelings that come and go and are must prominent eggs I am laying down in bed. Will these symptoms go away? my doctor and psych told me these are “unrelated” to stopping the antidepressant but I don’t think they are right. What should I do
  23. Hi all, Need some advice about whether or not to reinstate a low dose to cut WD symptoms. My history is as follows: 2003- 2010 Effexor 150 mg switched to 150 mg of Zoloft 2010 - 2021 2021 Slowly went down to 100 mg of Zoloft February 2022 Began too fast taper. Down to 50 mg March 28, 2022 - dropped to 25 mg May 15 W/D symptoms began with a vengeance This was done under the advice of a psychiatric NP. Now I know it was wayyyy too fast. My last taper of sertraline was from 50mg to 25 mg on March 28. Didn't feel any symptoms until May 15th. The last 2 day have been hell- racing thoughts, shivers, brain zaps, nausea, diarrhea, feelings of doom/dread, mental fog, insomnia, restlessness in limbs. I am miserable and contemplating how I can even go to work. I know from reading the files not to reinstate at 50 mg but am confused what level I might return to have some relief from these WD symptoms. My plan would be to hold for a longggggg while (seriously thinking a year) before trying any future taper. Once I figure out the best dose to reinstate at, do I ask for liquid sertraline? Any help would be so appreciated!
  24. Expected810 Hello all! I have been reading a lot of posts on SA, and they have been very helpful and encouraging! I am grateful for finding this forum and am seeking help regarding my current mental health situation. I am somewhat stuck on what to do and would really appreciate any advice. So, on January 27th, 2020, I had my first ever panic attack, went to the ER, thought it was a heart attack and it took them over 2 hours to calm my heart rate down with intravenous Ativan. This was the first time I had taken a benzo drug or any anxiety drug. After that first episode, I went a full 3 weeks of having panic attacks and just bad anxiety (mainly at night), so I was taking one 0.5 mg Ativan nightly during those times, and during the day time I was taking my daily vitamins (vitamin d, centrum) along with omega 3 fish oil and GABA 250 mg supplement twice a day to keep me calm. I was convinced my body had become dependent on Ativan and it was just making my anxiety worse, so I decided to get off of it by cutting it in half for a few days after three weeks of use. After the three weeks, I had about one week of intense physical anxiety (stomach cramps, churning, agitiation, depression) after stopping. Then the following 3 weeks after the first week off, I had lots of dizziness after eating meals, and lots of nights with insomnia, where I would have to take hydroxyizine 25 mg for. But in that 1 full month after stopping Ativan, I had not had a real panic attack like my first one. Then my 2nd month off Ativan started and I started getting really bad churning in my stomach, and it led to a full blown panic attack which forced me to take hydroxyzine 25 mg as I didn't want to start Ativan again. After that I had full week of these panic attacks which lasted 5-6 hours daily becoming rolling panic attacks, with almost every physical symptom with numbing of my arms, choking sensation, churning stomach, dizziness, lightheadedness, high heart rate, and diffculty breathing. After my panic attacks returned, I went to a psychiatrist, and they diagnosed me with panic disorder and prescribed me Sertraline 25 mg. I started taking it daily on March 22, 2020. After a week my panic attacks subsided and haven't had one since the almost seven weeks I have been on it. However, while I am thankful my panic attacks are gone for now, I cannot handle the daily side Sertraline side effects from stomach pain, dizziness, tiredness, lack of motivation, lack of focus, mood swings, and bouts of depressive thoughts. Most of these I never had, especially the depressive thoughts. Its like I'm just waking up to wake up, I really can't function like a normal human. My psychiatrist has recommended I go up in dosage, but I have politely refused, because my goal was to only treat my panic disorder, which it has been and I don't want to go higher because I fear it might become more difficult to get off. So thats my story, I really need advice on how I should proceed, I want to stop the Sertraline and try to treat my panic disorder other ways, but I'm somewhat fearful of the withdrawal and unsure how to taper off a low dose like this. Thank you!
  25. Hi All! I was born March 1997, meaning I began antidepressants at the age of 15, 2 years after my father died suddenly. I now believe I shouldn't have been started on them, as my problems were likely caused by raging hormones and a significant life event and probably better treated with talking therapy. These medications were initially prescribed to treat what presented as daily panic attacks and 'troublesome behaviour' (staying out all night, risky behaviour, drinking excessively, self-harm). I would like to mention that some of my mental health symptoms (rejection sensitivity, oversensitivity to criticism and suicidal ideation) have been present since I can remember. My only other symptom is panic attacks, which begun as soon as my father died suddenly. None of these symptoms have ever disappeared, regardless of being on medications. The only things that seem to help are exercise and a good social support system. I am currently attempting to taper down from Sertraline 150mg (see signature for full dosage history). The smallest possible tablet I can get where I am is 25mg and it is tiny, so I am quite nervous about how to taper when I get to the smaller doses, especially when they become very specific according to the 10% schedule. I have bought a scale which says it can weigh down to 0.001mg, but I couldn't afford a very expensive one so I'm not sure how accurate this will be. I'm also really keen to come off Sertraline probably sooner than 10% every 4 weeks, although I know this isn't recommended. I just have never felt like it has really helped me and due to my recent ADHD diagnosis, I feel that my problems are better dealt with by my newly prescribed ADHD medication. Would welcome any advice on a quicker tapering schedule, as well as how to deal with micro-doses when you are unable to get smaller pills than 25mg.
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