Hope: Discontinuation syndrome while cross-tapering?

[Hope]

I am currently cross-tapering from Zoloft to Viibryd. I've gone from 150 to 62.5mg of zoloft and 10 to 40 mg of Viibryd over a 7-week peripd. Throughout the process I've had periods of insomnia, mood highs/lows, body exhaustion/weakness and fatigue.  However, not until I went from 75 to 62.5 did it become extremely uncomfortable. My brain feels heavy, especially in the front. I've had crying jags. I'm exhausted. I'm having trouble thinking, if that makes sense. My brain feels slowed sometimes.  I've started having what they call hypnagogic hallucinations--hearing things right before falling asleep or while waking up, which I had while decreasing Zoloft last year. 

 

I've been on ssri's for 25 years. I was on paxil for 13 years, and attempted to cross-taper onto Celexa over a period of a month. I literally almost lost my mind and had to go back on Paxil. I cross-tapered from Paxil onto Zoloft successfully about 7 years ago because I wanted to get pregnant. I had to use the liquid Paxil and it took months. I don't remember having much withdrawal during that one. I attempted to decrease Zoloft last year and had a near crash.  I've not quite been the same since then. I will say I've not done nearly as well on zoloft as I did on paxil, but I don't want to be on a drug that is SO hard to come off. 

 

My question is...has anyone struggle with discontinuation syndrome even while cross-tapering? And if so, how long can I expect to feel this way? Will I get worse?  My plan is to stay where I am until I see my prescriber at the end of the month.  I can tolerate it I think as long as it doesn't get any worse. I work full time (in mental health of all fields) and I have a 5 year-old. 

 

I have some some friends that have been on medication, but none of them struggle with discontinuation like me. I just want to connect with someone who relates. 

[mammaP]

Hi Hope, welcome to SA. We do not advise cross tapering as it is better to taper the original drug. Statistics show that over 50% of people suffer discontinuation syndrome (withdrawal disguised with a less scary title) when trying to come off anti-depressants, and bridging with other drugs rarely helps. The longer you take these drugs the harder they are to stop, and after 25 years you will be very sensitive to changes.  We recommend very slow tapers so that the brain can adjust to the lower doses between cuts. 

 

It will help us if you can put your drug history in your signature for us, you can find instructions here.... 

 

About tapering zoloft..

 

[PoetJester]

Hi Hope,

 

I stopped 100 mg of Zoloft cold turkey in 2014 and had all the symptoms you had, especially the crying jags, insomnia and fatigue.  I still suffer from poor sleep and fatigue 3+ years later. I also suffer from hypnagogic hallucinations only in my case, it's dreaming while I try to sleep but am still conscious and it's quite maddening.  I will close my eyes and start to dream immediately and have to pull myself awake because it's usually awful images of walking up to the edge of a deep hole or precipice or one time, of a truck with headlights baring down on me.  usually I am totally exhausted, but because of these visions/dreams/hallucinations, i have to pull myself out of sleep and do things.  I have had them now for over 3 years and may have to take an anti depressant again to see if this will get rid of them.  I had withdrawn from Zoloft and zyprexa for a year in  2005 and had the same hypnagogia problem along with vivid depressed dreams and later reinstated a dose of the drugs and this seemed to help.  

 

Poetjester

[Hope]

Thank you everyone for the responses. I have updated my signature to reflect my drug history. 

[miT]

Hi Hope,

 

Welcome to the forum. I’ll leave the med advice to the staff to answer. I do have a question for you though. Did you have any problems with pregnancy while on zoloft? What dose did you take back then? Do you remember?

 

Tim

[Hope]

Looking back, Zoloft was not as effective as Paxil. I was depressed mildly during pregnancy and had pretty severe-post partum depression. As far as the drug itself, I didn't have difficulties and my daughter is fine. 

[Hope]

If I'm already in the middle of a cross taper and having difficulties what do I do?  I am crosstapering from Zoloft to  Viibryd. I al afraid to make ANY changes for fear of getting worse. I just learned that I have a variant in the serotonin transporter gene so My brain apparently doesn't clear serotonin the way it normally does.  I was doing okay will little difficulties until I got down to 62.5. I am uncertain what to do. I am extremely sensitive to these drugs, having been on them for 25 years. I'm starting to get more anxious and having trouble sleeping. I plan to talk with my prescriber next week about it.

Edited June 20, 2017 by scallywag
split from ebean's intro

[Survive]

Hope, I understand what you are going through.  I remember the Terror of making any little change - for fear of it getting worse.

 

My psyc, years ago, used prozac to get me off of paxil.  I did not have my chemistry looked at...

 

Do you have a psyc?

[Hope]

I have a psychiatric nurse practitioner who helped me make thee switch from zoloft to Paxil. It took MONTHS but I was able to make that transition without the problems I'm currently having. I'm pretty sure I made the drop on my Zoloft too suddenly. I went from 150mgs to 62.5 in about 8 weeks. I didn't start feeling bad until I dropped from 75 to 12.5 62.5. I had two really good days over the weekend so dropped to 55. Not good. I'm feeling a little better now that I'm back up to 62.5. I wish there was a whole team of medical and mental health professionals all in one place who specializes in this sort of thing. It's such a major ordeal for so many people. 

Edited June 21, 2017 by scallywag
correction as requested ↓

[Hope]

(Moved from second created topic)

 

After posting in a couple of other forums I realized I needed to post here first. I've been on SSRIs for 25 years. If I had it to do over again I would have never started them. My history should show up in my signature. 

 

My current struggle is this: last year I decreased my Zoloft on my own after about 7 years. Unwise, I know. After about 3-4 months noticed I was feeling depressed and anxious and went back on the full dose. I got exponentially worse and thought it was still depression and anxiety. I am now thinking it was actually a heightened sensitivity to the medication because the withdrawal had already started.  In fact, up until I found this site a couple weeks ago I thought I was just getting mentally ill. In April I started a cross-taper from zoloft to Viibryd. I've had horrible bouts of depression, anxiety, exhaustion, all kinds of things that I thought was just zoloft not treating my depression and anxiety anymore.  

 

I think I have decreased the zoloft too fast, the Zoloft too fast I think.  I'm now on a full dose of Viibryd and 62.5 of zoloft. I feel like I probably should have stayed on Zoloft and waited for my system to have balance out, I was having "windows" as is described on this site. I had one just three days ago. But I can't change that now. I'm just not certain where to go from here. Do I stay at my current doses and see if I level out?  I plan to talk with my doc about it, but I'm just wondering if there has been any experience with this kind of dilemma? I'm scared. I've had terrible experiences with withdrawal, but I didn't recognize the full extent and consequences of it until I started reading this site. 

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by ChessieCat

[Hope]

Has anyone had an experience with being in the middle of a cross-taper and successfully reinstating the original drug to get relieff from withdrawal? I am currently struggling with a cross-taper from zoloft to Viibryd.  And wanting to hear experiences/thoughts.  My head is a very dark and scary place  sometimes. 

 

TIA!!!

 

-on Paxil for 13 years, with one unsuccessdul withdrawal attempt; symptoms dissipated completely after a couple months of reinstatement 

-cross-tapered from Paxil to zoloft successfully about sever years ago; the process took about six months

-attempted Zoloft decrees last year with terrible consequences, particularly after reinstating about 4-5 months after decreasing; leveled out some and the worst of the withdrawal dissipated, But never fully stabilized; I didn't realize at the time that the not stabilizing may be related to withdrawal an not to the zoloft not working well

-currently trying to crosstaper from zoloft to Viibryd and not doing well; considering reinstating Zoloft but uncertain how to do this. 

-recently learned I have a genetic variant which causes my brain to not get serotonin where it needs to go.  

 

 

[megb]

(Moved from second created topic which is now merged here and this post is a response to this post.)

 

I didn't see anyone post in your thread yet. Have you heard from any of the Mods on the other threads you've posted on? It sounds like your system is reeling from changes perhaps? I have never heard of Viibryd, but I just looked it up. Are you trying to be on only Viibryd? 

 

Totally understand why you are fearful. The unknown, especially in withdrawal world, is quite scary as you just have to make a decision one way or the other and see how it turns out while being as informed as you can be. How long have you been on Viibryd? I'm sure it would be best to stay where you are until you stabilize completely and then see about continuing your taper. I'll let the Mods take it from here!

 

I do have a personal question for you - I saw on another thread you had a daughter while taking Paxil. Can I ask how long you had been on it when you had her and at what dose?

 

all the best to you!

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by ChessieCat