Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted January 24, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 24, 2022 Sounds like you need to learn to deal with that and it is something that you could start learning now so that when you get to that stage you will not have any issues. It is part and parcel of getting off the drug with minimal discomfort. None of us like doing it. But we do what we have to do. What other option/s do we have? And you have it easier than members who have to meticulously weigh crushed tablets on a jeweller's scale or count really tiny beads from inside a capsule because they cannot make a liquid from their drug. The alternative is jumping off too soon and possibly experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I didn't change to liquid until right near the end of my taper so it was something that I needed to learn to do. Up until then I had been taking capsules made by the compounder. It is not difficult. I made sure to write things down and always do things the same way. There were some reductions where I was using 1 litre of water, made it up and got rid of most of it and only kept a bit more than what I knew I would need. I worked out a few different dilutions and had those written down so I didn't have to calculate it each time. I would calculate my new dose and then work out which dilution would best work. If I couldn't easily get the dose I would round up (not down) and for the next reduction calculate on the rounded up amount. I only ever used the one dilution for a dose, not a combination. And you can practice without using your tablets. And if you need help you can always ask here: how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules Here's the link to a copy of my spreadsheet. It might give you an idea of how I worked things out. If it confuses you, forget it. There aren't any calculations available but note the headings. The top part of the spreadsheet is fairly consistent, the bottom part is after I started getting used to what I was doing. The headings with 10mL, 5mL, 3mL, 1mL are the syringe sizes. Here are most of the dilutions that I was using. Note that these were using 2mg capsules (the spreadsheet shows more using smaller doses): 2mg / 200mL = 0.01mg : 1mL 2mg / 400mL = 0.005mg : 1mL 2mg / 800mL = 0.0025mg:1mL 2mg / 1000mL = 0.002mg : 1mL * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
West Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 @ChessieCat This is all very true, and I appreciate the reality check. I guess I'm just still adjusting to the way my life changed forever in October due to all this—"years of issues with antidepressants" wasn't ever something I saw in my future, although now of course I have to work with it as best I can. My overall plan is to focus on living as normally as I can on Zoloft for a long while. If nothing huge changes or goes wrong, next November, I will start preparing for my taper. In the mean time, I've gained an interest in the science behind all this, so I'm occasionally doing some reading, starting with Dr. Glenmullen's The Antidepressant Solution because it seems just right for my layman's level of knowledge. Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
West Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 I'm physically still doing quite well, which is a huge blessing! However, I've been having some experiences this past week that have sent me back here with more questions. My original symptoms, which I attributed to withdrawal, were uncharacteristic anger, random crying, frequent urination, and tingling feet. All but the last have recently returned at a lower level of severity, even though I seemed to have fixed everything by reinstating a low dosage of Zoloft. (I suppose not technically "reinstating," since my original drug was Prozac, but I explicitly started taking Zoloft to manage withdrawal symptoms.) Would this then mean that these resurgent symptoms aren't connected to withdrawal, but are purely mental health–related? This question is important to me because in the case of withdrawal, I would treat the symptoms by doing nothing and waiting to get out of this wave, but in the case of mental health, I would make exploring them a goal in therapy and work on shifting my life circumstances to figure out a way of living that makes me less distressed. I guess the core of the question is: Is it common for those who have successfully reinstated to fight withdrawal to later on continue experiencing "echoes" of that same withdrawal? Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted February 8, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 8, 2022 Please edit your drug signature to show dates, not seasons; I am in Australia, so seasons don't make any sense to the Southern Hemisphere folk. Please state your drugs separately like this: Drug name: date, dose; date, dose; date, dose; date, last dose xxmg And state the last dose you took for the drugs you are no longer taking. Also add the date you started Zoloft, not just the month. Thank you. Q: Have you discussed this with your medical professional? This has me confused: (Prozac) 20mg fall 2019–July 2021 20mg 2 weeks in October 2021 Q: Am I correct in thinking that you did NOT take Prozac in August and September 2021? Q: When you stopped Prozac did you jump off at 20mg? You could possibly be experiencing withdrawal symptoms from Prozac that the Zoloft is not covering. There is also a possibility that what you are experiencing are side effects of the Zoloft. I do not think that it is Because of there being multiple changes in a short period of time it is difficult to tell what is causing your current issues. If you keep daily symptoms notes, one of the staff may be able to assess them to try and work out what is happening: Keep Notes on Paper Please also see: Is it withdrawal or relapse? Or something else? How do I know it's withdrawal and not relapse? * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
West Posted February 8, 2022 Author Share Posted February 8, 2022 Thank you for your help, @ChessieCat. Especially for pointing out the seasons thing—I used that formatting because I can’t recall exactly when those events happened, but of course it would only be helpful if you’re in my hemisphere! How silly of me. Hopefully my signature is formatted properly now. Q: Have you discussed this with your medical professional? No. My psychiatrist does not believe me about anything related to withdrawal. She would almost certainly consider this a reason to up my Zoloft dosage, which I do not want to do unless absolutely necessary. When I had these same symptoms before (October 2021, before I briefly reinstated Prozac) I consulted with my primary care doctor, who found nothing physically wrong with me. Q: Am I correct in thinking you did NOT take Prozac in August and September 2021? Yes, that’s correct. That was the period between when I decided to get off Prozac and when I briefly reinstated it to try to deal with the issues I’m currently experiencing now. Q: When you stopped Prozac did you jump off at 20mg? Yes. I will try to keep notes of my symptoms. Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted February 8, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 8, 2022 2 hours ago, West said: Hopefully my signature is formatted properly now. Thank you that is much better. October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off by skipping doses) It would be good if you could give some extra detail here about how you skipped doses and for how long. If you skipped doses, the last dose could not have been 20mg. Thank you for adding the dates for October 2021 onwards. That is very helpful. * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
West Posted February 8, 2022 Author Share Posted February 8, 2022 I don’t remember the process of skipping doses very well, unfortunately. I started around the end of June by taking my 20mg pill every other day, and then every 3 days, and then stopping entirely by the end of July. During this time I was dizzy and had diarrhea, but it cleared up by August. The long-term withdrawal symptoms began in September/October. Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted February 10, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 10, 2022 On 2/9/2022 at 1:27 AM, West said: I started around the end of June by taking my 20mg pill every other day, and then every 3 days, and then stopping entirely by the end of July. Please add this information to your drug signature. * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted February 10, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 10, 2022 Have you managed to do any daily symptom notes? * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
West Posted February 11, 2022 Author Share Posted February 11, 2022 Yes, here's what I have for the past few days: 2/8 5am: Wake up early and can't fall back asleep 8am: Normal bowel movement 830am: Took Zoloft 11am: Diarrhea 12am: Anxiety and "burning nerves" feeling in shoulders 2pm: Back pain Frequent urination throughout the day 2/9 5am: Wake up early and can't fall back asleep 830am: Normal bowel movement 9am: Took Zoloft 1030am: Normal bowel movement 1130am: Anxiety and hot flashes 12pm: Took propranolol for anxiety 1230pm: Whole-body shivering 2pm: Diarrhea 3pm: Metallic taste in mouth 6pm: Mild fever Difficulty falling asleep at night 2/10 6am: Woke up at proper time 630am: Took Zoloft 7am: Normal bowel movement 8am: Significant tingling feeling in feet 1130am: Normal bowel movement Feeling calm for the rest of the day Most of my symptoms occur in the morning/afternoon and then I feel better by night, which you can see as I don't have much to record in the evening hours. This is consistent with how I felt after my disastrous reinstatement of Prozac in October 2021. Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
West Posted February 11, 2022 Author Share Posted February 11, 2022 I'm sorry to do this while you're trying to help, @ChessieCat, but I think I am actually going to try to step back from using this forum. It feels like it's contributing to my anxiety issues, not because anyone here is causing me anxiety, but because it's another avenue through which I personally obsess over my issues. I am going to plan to stop coming here for a while and focus on healthy eating, exercise, calming activities, and working with my therapist. I hope that I will be able to come back one day and share my successes with the folks here. Thank you so much to @ChessieCat and everyone else who has helped and encouraged me so far—you're doing amazing work. Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted February 11, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 11, 2022 Thank you for letting us know. * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
West Posted July 14, 2022 Author Share Posted July 14, 2022 Just popping in for a brief positive update. For the past few months, I’ve essentially been living a normal life! All my symptoms are gone except the flashes of anger (which I am working on learning how to live with and avoid taking out on other people) and some minor remnants of back pain. I am staying on 12.5mg of Zoloft for now and plan to reevaluate in a few months and potentially start a taper. Overall, I feel extremely lucky that my psychiatrist suggested the Zoloft, since starting it was when my situation really began to turn around. It’s a little frustrating that I will eventually have a long taper process to safely discontinue, but I think this is the best case scenario for me. There have certainly been losses that I’ve had to deal with—I moved out of NYC to be closer to family because of the higher level of support I needed during this ordeal, and because withdrawal seems to have “turned up” my preexisting sensory issues so that the sounds of a busy city are too much for me day to day. I think I will have to be very careful with myself going forward so that I don’t overtax my still-healing nervous system. All this is tough to accept given I am just starting to build a life for myself at age 24, but I’m just so grateful to have my health back and no longer spend every day nauseous in bed. Basic things like the ability to eat or go for a nice walk are so much more beautiful to me now! Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted July 14, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 14, 2022 Thank you. That is really good news. When you do start to taper you might consider this method. You would have more control over your taper and can hold at any time during a taper cycle. Brass Monkey Slide Remember that the aim of tapering is keep withdrawal symptoms to a minimum so that you can live as normal a life as possible. It is not about getting off as quickly as possible. And remember to take your dose at about the same time every day. Please return to let us know how you are. For future reference: Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft) * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
West Posted July 14, 2022 Author Share Posted July 14, 2022 Thank you for the links, ChessieCat! I hope you’re doing well, too. I’ll certainly be back here to work on my plan for tapering, probably in 2023. 1 Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
West Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 I hope the end of the year has been going OK for everyone. I don’t have anything new to report, but since it’s now been a year since I first posted, I wanted to update to say I’m doing fine, with no changes since I last posted. Seeing people who were able to get stable was a big inspiration for me when I was first in crisis, so I’m making a point of being another one of those examples. Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
angela9985 Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Thank you so much for your update! I am so glad that you are doing well. 1 2021/2 - 2021/5: Xanax 1mg, zopiclone 3.75mg; 2021/5 - 2021/8: Xanax 1mg, zopiclone 3.75mg, venlafaxine 225mg; 2021/8 - 2021/11: Clonazapem 2mg, venlafaxine 225mg, rexulti 2mg, mirtazapine 30mg, zopiclone 3.75mg; 2021/11 - 2021/12: Clonazapem 2mg, venlafaxine 225mg, rexulti 2mg Crashed, mirtazapine WD(didn't know at that time) 2022/1 - 2022/3: Clonazapem 2mg, venlafaxine 225mg, bupropion 300mg; 2022/4 - 2022/5:Clonazapem 1mg, venlafaxine 187.5mg, trazodone 100mg 2022/5 - 2022/8/15: Clonazepam 0.5mg(wean off), trazodone 100mg, lexapro 20mg(cross taper), rexulti 3mg Crashed, suspect to be benzo WD 2022/8/16 - 2022/9/7: Clonazepam 0.5mg, venlafaxine 150mg(side effect this time), rexulti 3mg, trazodone 100mg, seroquel 25mg; 2022/9/8 - 2022/10/1: Clonazepam 1mg, trintellix 20mg(cross taper), rexulti 3mg, trazodone 50mg, seroquel 25mg; 2022/10/2 - 2022/11/8: Clonazepam 1mg, trintellix 10mg, trazodone 25mg Crashed since 10/9 2022/11/9 - 2022/11/15: Clonazepam 1mg, trintellix 5mg; 2022/11/16 - 2022/12/2: Clonazepam 1mg, trintellix 5mg, dayvigo 5mg; 2022/12/3 - 2022/12/21: Clonazapem 1mg, trintellix 5mg, dayvigo 2.5mg Fly back to China from Canada, 13hrs jet lag triggered severe wave til today. 2022/12/22 - 2023/3/21: Clonazepam 1mg, trintellix 5mg, dayvigo 5mg 2023/3/21 - now: Clonazepam 1mg, trintellix 10mg, dayvigo 5mg Link to comment
West Posted September 10 Author Share Posted September 10 Hi there! I’m happy to report that today I will take the last dose of Zoloft as part of my tapering process. I’m doing so much better than I was when I was posting here, and I’m really thankful to everyone who helped me get to this point. Celexa January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac) Prozac July 2017–October 2019, 10mg October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days) 10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT) Zoloft 12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg Link to comment
Administrator Emonda Posted September 10 Administrator Share Posted September 10 Thanks for coming back to update us, West. I'd be interested to hear about your tapering steps/dates since you were on 12.5mg of Zoloft back in 2021. Could you please update your signature so we can all see how you did it? What is the size of the final dose you are taking? Keep us all posted. Please don't send me PMs. I am not a doctor. My comments are based on my personal experience with ADs and tapering. Consult your doctor about your own medical decisions. Start of taper: Jan ’22 Vortioxetine 15mg, End year 1: 4.5mg, End year 2: 2.38mg, Year 3: 8 Feb 2.19mg, 21 Mar 1.99mg, 2 May 1.83mg, 13 Jun 1.69mg, 25 Jul 1.50mg, 14 Aug 1.46mg, 3 Sep 1.43mg, 10 Sep 1.40mg, 17 Sep 1.37mg Link to comment
Administrator Emonda Posted September 10 Administrator Share Posted September 10 Because you're feeling better, I added our cheerful "here comes the sun" symbol ☼ to the title of your Intro topic, to show you're recovering. Please continue to let us know how you're doing. I hope you will add your story to our Recovery Success Stories eventually! Please see this topic: How to write your success story 1 Please don't send me PMs. I am not a doctor. My comments are based on my personal experience with ADs and tapering. Consult your doctor about your own medical decisions. Start of taper: Jan ’22 Vortioxetine 15mg, End year 1: 4.5mg, End year 2: 2.38mg, Year 3: 8 Feb 2.19mg, 21 Mar 1.99mg, 2 May 1.83mg, 13 Jun 1.69mg, 25 Jul 1.50mg, 14 Aug 1.46mg, 3 Sep 1.43mg, 10 Sep 1.40mg, 17 Sep 1.37mg Link to comment
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