Karina: Tapering Sertraline

[Karina]

Hi everybody...

 

My name is Karina. I am from Denmark. I am tapering from 30 mg cymbalta (fibromylagi) 2,5 % (I learned the hard way by CT - reinstate - 5 months down i am finally feeling a bit better)

 

I'm written for my daughter. She has OCD and are getting sertraline 100 mg. We want to get her off in a safe way.

I have been reading a bit how you do that - but is there not anyway you can do it without the liquid.?

I am getting a scale for my own tapering so I can do hers as well. In my group (Cymbalta hurts worse) there are tapering sheets... are there any for sertraline?

 

My head is not quit there yet... ( Cymbalta brain is no joke....)

 

Thanks and hope to hear from you soon...

 

Karina and martine

 

[KarenB]

Hello Karina and welcome to s/a,

 

I'm glad you are in a better place in your own tapering.  It's lovely to see a mother provide such support for her daughter. 

 

This is our thread on tapering sertraline:  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/ Liquid is the easiest way to taper, but it can be done by splitting pills or weighing pieces of pills - details in the thread.  There is an excel sheet which can help you work out the doses.  We recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your current dose each 4-6 weeks.

 

How old is your daughter?  Is she having any adverse reactions to the sertraline?  Has she tapered anything yet?  Perhaps you could fill in a signature as that helps us to give more accurate responses, and also to see your situation at a glance whenever you post. 

 

Well, have a read through those links and then you can come back to this thread to ask any questions you may have.  This can be your journal to record your tapering progress.  Is nice to have 'met' you, but sorry it had to be for these reasons .  If you would like help or support for your own taper you could start a separate intro for that - otherwise it could all get a bit muddled.

 

Best wishes,

KarenB

[Karina]

Thanks Karen...The feeling off welcome are so much appreciated. Its a hard road - but I am so sure that we will make... And be better and stronger on the other side..

 

My late reply was because I got stuck in your blog.... very good reading... So thanks for that one too... ;-)

 

I will fill her data in -

 

My daughter is 20 years old and the diagnose off OCD, she got when she was 8 years old. She has "only" been taking sertraline for a year. She has always been strong and manged her OCD very well with out meds. But last year it was to much - so .... Well you know how that goes if you go to the doc...

 

She is not that good in writing in English (nor I am I, so if I say something that sounds funny.... bear with me... )

She is "okay" on sertraline -  (weight issues - the anxiety is the same, as before ) but since I had been CT from Cymbalta and doing a lot off reading about it (

Deadly Medicines and Organized Crime by Peter Gotzsche

) - she wants off to... I know we can find a more naturally form of relief for her. Nutrients - food - probiotics - inositol. Thats the way we are going....

Thanks again and I hope to find a way to taper the sertraline (its easier with cymbalta I guess, because of the beads)

Best off all

 

Karina

 

[KarenB]

Wow, you guys are way ahead of the game - so good to hear such optimism about living drug-free.  I totally understand how your daughter ended up on meds when things got too much - that happened to me too, though my issue was depression.  I think doctors don't realise how strong people can be when supported properly. 

 

Here is a thread on managing OCD: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3882-ocd-obsessive-thoughts-compulsive-behaviors/  And there are a lot of ideas here for managing anxiety: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1112-non-drug-techniques-to-cope-with-emotional-symptoms/

 

It sounds like Martine is in a relatively stable place to begin tapering from.  Your plan to taper by 10% or 5% doses is good.  I hope I'm not giving you too much info, but there is also a link called Preparing to Taper.

 

Hugs,

Karen

 

PS Don't worry about your English - it's more than good enough.