Pzen Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 (edited) Hello everybody, I have been reading this forum for a while now and it has given me comfort in a very hard period of my life. Sorry for my bad English, but English isnt my first language and I´m feeling a bit groggy in the head right now I started taking Sertraline (Zoloft) last spring due to burnout at work which started a nasty rollercoaster of anxiety and phobia. Over a couple of weeks (maybe a month) I got up to 150 mgs (which in hindsight was a mistake by my doctor. I got the jitters from the Sertraline and my doctor said that it meant that it didnt work as it should). After about 4 months I decides to start tapering since I had realized a lot of things about myself and why I reacted the way I did to the stress at work. I felt that I could handle my "real" feeling and didnt think that I needed the medication anymore. So I started tapering 12.5 mgs every 14 days. The whole process took about 5 months and by the 10th of February I was completely off the medication. Up until this point I only had minor symptoms: The occasional brain zap, the occasional brain fog and a little bit of irritability (there probably was more stuff, but nothing serious). After about 15 days completely off the medication I started to get this weird feeling in my body and a bit of anxiety in the mornings which subsided during the day. After 30 days I got depressed for a short period of time and got some nausea and then they passed. The anxiety stayed. After 40 days I started to get crying spells and headaches. Then these went away, got a little nausea combined with shivers and obsessive thoughts (I REALLY hate those). The thoughts and anxiety stayed. After 50 days I started to get confused, my memory got worse and I got small muscle spasms in my body. The anxiety stayed, but the thoughts were gone... for now. After 60 days the anxiety is gone, but it got replaced by me feeling like a zombie in the head. And im tired all the time. And I want to cry. And I got the shivers. So thats my story so far. Im on day 63 which has consisted of muscle aches, shivers, feeling like crying, nausea and zombie feelings in the brain. I actually cant believe I´m having serious trouble with my English So.... thats my story so far. I dont know why I decided to write. Maybe its because I wanted to feel like I wasnt alone in this. My gf and mother are a great support for me, but they cant possibly fully know how I´m feeling during this horrible ordeal. But you guys know. Or, if you are someone who feels alone in battling SSRI wd, now you know that you are not alone either. Hugs to you all Edited April 13, 2014 by Karma Added member name to introduction Started Sertralin the spring of -13 and got up to 150 mgs (which was a mistake by my GP) Decided to taper it form 150 mgs in sep -13 by reducing the dosage by 12.5 mgs every other week. Got off Sertraline in Feb -14 and started noticing withdrawal after about 15 days off the meds. Still experiencing withdrawal after 2 years and 5 months off the medicine. Link to comment
Administrator Karma Posted April 13, 2014 Administrator Share Posted April 13, 2014 Hi Pzen, Welcome to our community and thank you for posting an introduction. I am afraid your taper was a little faster than recommended. It sounds like you have done well, but you are having symptoms from your rapid taper. Fortunately, you are in the window to reinstate - although just in the window to reinstate. The recommendation is to just take 2 mg of the Sertraline and see if it minimizes the crying, shivering, muscle aches and nausea. From there you can stabilize and then do a slow taper completely off of the med. Here is our thread on tapering off of Sertraline: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/ When you get a chance please add your recent drug withdrawal history in your signature - the link is below. This will help others understand your particular situation when you post a question or an update whether in your thread or somewhere else in the forum. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/ You will find lots of support here. Karma 2007 @ 375 mg Effexor - 11/29/2011 - 43.75 mg Effexor (regular) & .625 mg Xanax 200 mg Gabapentin 2/27/21 - 194.5 mg, 5/28/21 - 183 mg, 8/2/21 - 170 mg, 11/28/21 - 150 mg, 4/19/22 - 122 mg; 8//7/22 - 100 mg; 12/17 - 75mg; 8/17 - 45 mg; 10/16 40 mg Xanax taper: 3/11/12 - 0.9375 mg, 3/25/12 - 0.875 mg, 4/6/12 - 0.8125 mg, 4/18/12 - 0.75 ; 10/16 40mg; 1/16 0.6875 mg; at some point 0.625 mg Effexor taper: 1/29/12 - 40.625 mg, 4/29/12 - 39.875 mg, 5/11/12 - Switched to liquid Effexor, 5/25/12 - 38 mg, 7/6/12 - 35 mg, 8/17/12 - 32 mg, 9/14/12 - 30 mg, 10/19/12 - 28 mg, 11/9/12 - 26 mg, 11/30/12 - 24 mg, 01/14/13 - 22 mg. 02/25/13 - 20.8 mg, 03/18/13 - 19.2 mg, 4/15/13 - 17.6 mg, 8/10/13 - 16.4 mg, 9/7/13 - 15.2 mg, 10/19/13 - 14 mg, 1/15/14 - 13.2 mg, 3/1/2014 - 12.6 mg, 5/4/14 - 12 mg, 8/1/14 - 11.4 mg, 8/29/14 - 10.8 mg; 10/14/14 - 10.2 mg; 12/15/14 - 10 mg, 1/11/15 - 9.5 mg, 2/8/15 - 9 mg, 3/21/15 - 8.5 mg, 5/1/15 - 8 mg, 6/9/15 - 7.5 mg, 7/8/15 - 7 mg, 8/22/15 - 6.5 mg, 10/4/15 - 6 mg; 1/1/16 - 5.6 mg; 2/6/16 - 5.2 mg; 4/9 - 4.8 mg; 7/7 4.5 mg; 10/7 4.25 mg; 11/4 4.0 mg; 11/25 3.8 mg; 4/24 3.6 mg; 5/27 3.4 mg; 7/8 3.2 mg ... 10/18 2.8 mg; 1/18 2.6 mg; 4/7 2.4 mg; 5/26 2.15mg; 8/18 1.85 mg; 10/7 1.7 mg; 12/1 1.45 mg; 3/2 1.2 mg; 5/4 0.90 mg; 6/1 0.80 mg; 6/22 0.65 mg; 08/03 0.50 mg, 08/10 0.45 mg, 10/05 0.325 mg, 11/23 0.2 mg, 12/14 0.15 mg, 12/21 0.125 mg, 02/28 0.03125 mg, 2/15 0.015625 mg, 2/29/20 0.00 mg - OFF Effexor I am not a medical professional - this is not medical advice. My suggestions are based on personal experience, reading, observation and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus dalsaan Posted April 13, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 13, 2014 Hi Pzen Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear things have been tough for you. We do understand and are with you in this. It sounds to me like you have ongoing withdrawal symptoms. If it was me I would consider reinstating a small amount of Zoloft to see if that addresses the issue. Then you could taper more slowly Withdrawal symptoms are messages from your nervous system that it is not coping Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.On Effexor for 2 months at the start of 2005. Had extreme insomnia as an adverse reaction. Changed to mirtazapine. Have been trying to get off since mid 2008 with numerous failures including CTs and slow (but not slow enough tapers)Have slow tapered at 10 per cent or less for years. I have liquid mirtazapine made at a compounding chemist. Was on 1.6 ml as at 19 March 2014. Dropped to 1.5 ml 7 June 2014. Dropped to 1.4 in about September. Dropped to 1.3 on 20 December 2014. Dropped to 1.2 in mid Jan 2015. Dropped to 1 ml in late Feb 2015. I think my old medication had run out of puff so I tried 1ml when I got the new stuff and it seems to be going ok. Sleep has been good over the last week (as of 13/3/15). Dropped to 1/2 ml 14/11/15 Fatigue still there as are memory and cognition problems. Sleep is patchy but liveable compared to what it has been in the past. DRUG FREE - as at 1st May 2017 >My intro post is here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2250-dalsaan Link to comment
Pzen Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Hello dalsaan and Karma, I dont mean to question you guys, you probably have more experience in this than me. But how do I get 2 mgs? Do I shave it off a pill? And if I could get it in liquid form, is it easy to get 2 mgs of Zoloft out of that? Sorry for the questions, im confused. Kind regards Started Sertralin the spring of -13 and got up to 150 mgs (which was a mistake by my GP) Decided to taper it form 150 mgs in sep -13 by reducing the dosage by 12.5 mgs every other week. Got off Sertraline in Feb -14 and started noticing withdrawal after about 15 days off the meds. Still experiencing withdrawal after 2 years and 5 months off the medicine. Link to comment
Pzen Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Oh, an another question. What is your experience regarding people that decide to ride it out? Started Sertralin the spring of -13 and got up to 150 mgs (which was a mistake by my GP) Decided to taper it form 150 mgs in sep -13 by reducing the dosage by 12.5 mgs every other week. Got off Sertraline in Feb -14 and started noticing withdrawal after about 15 days off the meds. Still experiencing withdrawal after 2 years and 5 months off the medicine. Link to comment
moodyblues78 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 But how do I get 2 mgs? Do I shave it off a pill? And if I could get it in liquid form, is it easy to get 2 mgs of Zoloft out of that? Sorry for the questions, im confused. Kind regards Hi. You can get zoloft in a liquid form but it`s expensive. The other way is to crush your pill and dissolve it into slightly warm water. If your pills are 50mg, just half it. That gives you 25mg. Stir that into 25ml of water. Take 2ml of it and you`ve got 2mg of zoloft. I would not store DIY liquid zoloft for more than 3 days. 08 Cipralex 10mg for about 6 months. 11-12 Cipralex 20mg. Unsuccesful WD. 12-13 Zoloft 100mg with Diazepam 10-20mg as needed for anxiety.Fall 13 Tapering Zoloft 100->50->25->12,5->0 in 2,5 months and CT Diazepam. 12/24/13 RI Zoloft 12,5mg. 1/21/14 11mg 3/18/14 9,9mg 2/18/14 8mg 4/22/14 7,6mg 5/5/14 7,2mg 5/12/14 -> cutting 0,5mg per week, holding when necessary. 8/18/14 -> cutting 0,25mg per week holding when necessary. 10/20/2014 -> cutting 0,1mg per week, holding when necessary.12/28/2014 Jump! Link to comment
Pzen Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Then to use a syringe or something? Started Sertralin the spring of -13 and got up to 150 mgs (which was a mistake by my GP) Decided to taper it form 150 mgs in sep -13 by reducing the dosage by 12.5 mgs every other week. Got off Sertraline in Feb -14 and started noticing withdrawal after about 15 days off the meds. Still experiencing withdrawal after 2 years and 5 months off the medicine. Link to comment
Member cymbaltawithdrawal5600 Posted April 14, 2014 Member Share Posted April 14, 2014 Instructions are in the post by Karma above. What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878 July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site. Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted April 14, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 14, 2014 But how do I get 2 mgs? Do I shave it off a pill? And if I could get it in liquid form, is it easy to get 2 mgs of Zoloft out of that? Sorry for the questions, im confused. Kind regards Hi. You can get zoloft in a liquid form but it`s expensive. The other way is to crush your pill and dissolve it into slightly warm water. If your pills are 50mg, just half it. That gives you 25mg. Stir that into 25ml of water. Take 2ml of it and you`ve got 2mg of zoloft. I would not store DIY liquid zoloft for more than 3 days. I would recommend doing this slightly differently. "Just half" ing a pill is not adequately accurate; when we try to cut a pill in half using just our eyes, we can get significant variability in dose (especially if you're trying to get something as small as 2 mg out of 50). I recommend never trying to "eyeball" pill reductions. (I know this from personal experience working with a scale and seeing how much the weight varies even though to my eyes it looks fine.) It's better to dissolve the entire tablet in water, stir it until it's evenly suspended, and then draw up the amount you need. If you dissolve 50 mg in 25 mL, that's 2 mg per mL, so one mL would give you your 2 mg. You can use a 1 mL syringe, I believe, or a 5 mL syringe would also probably be precise enough. Also, I would recommend NOT crushing the pill first. Just let it dissolve in the water. The more you manipulate a pill (crushing, etc.) the more you will lose as powder and the less accurate your dosing will be. I recommend just let the pill dissolve, stir it well until it appears to be evenly distributed in the water, then measure out your dose (you can stir lightly with the syringe as you measure). Good luck to you! I hope this is not confusing to your zombie'd brain. (I know how that feels!) Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
moodyblues78 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Rhi is right. It is always better to dissolve a whole pill. I have chosen to take the risk of cutting pills. It was not wise from me to recommend that to anyone else. 08 Cipralex 10mg for about 6 months. 11-12 Cipralex 20mg. Unsuccesful WD. 12-13 Zoloft 100mg with Diazepam 10-20mg as needed for anxiety.Fall 13 Tapering Zoloft 100->50->25->12,5->0 in 2,5 months and CT Diazepam. 12/24/13 RI Zoloft 12,5mg. 1/21/14 11mg 3/18/14 9,9mg 2/18/14 8mg 4/22/14 7,6mg 5/5/14 7,2mg 5/12/14 -> cutting 0,5mg per week, holding when necessary. 8/18/14 -> cutting 0,25mg per week holding when necessary. 10/20/2014 -> cutting 0,1mg per week, holding when necessary.12/28/2014 Jump! Link to comment
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