Codebie Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Hi everybody, I'm new here (from Holland, I'll do my best to write English). I've been taking Zoloft since november 2011 (dysthymia and depression). It has helped me a lot, but now it is time to stop. My life is ok, and I want to get back to a normal state of being (Zoloft suppresses my feelings). In the past, I've successfully lowered the dose from 75 to 50 (twice) which gave me no big problems. I've decided to follow the 10% method, started on 11 december 2015. I had no problems the first 10%. Now I took off another 10% and I have had problems for 5 days already. Thats scares me, because I know that I have to do this at least 8 more times.....I want to do it in a way which is best for me, but I don't want to feel lousy for months (or a year). Anyway, I wish you all the best for 2016! Zoloft 50 mg since november 2011. Start stopping (10%) at 11 december 2015. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus bubble Posted December 31, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 31, 2015 Hello Codebie and welcome to SA.It's good that you found us early in the process.In addition to 10 % rule an equally important rule is holding for 4-6 weeks after each cut. Our brain has physically changed in the presence of the drug so we want to give it enough time to regrow itself without traumatising it. It seems you have familiarised yourself with the tips we have here but maybe this information slipped. I'm posting the thread just in case: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/As we start our tapers we begin learning about what is the optimal speed for our brain. If the symptoms are too harsh it means we are cutting too much too soon. English is also not my native language but you are doing totally fine If you need any further clarifications let us know. I hope this helps and wishing you all the best on your journey. Bubble Current: 9/2022 Xanax 0.08, Lexapro 2 2020 Xanax 0.26 (down from 2 mg in 2013), Lexapro 2.85 mg (down from 5 mg 2013) Amitriptyline (tricyclic AD) and clonazepam for 3 months to treat headache in 1996 1999. - present Xanax prn up to 3 mg. 2000-2005 Prozac CT twice, 2005-2010 Zoloft CT 3 times, 2010-2013 Escitalopram 10 mg went from 2.5 to zero on 7 Aug 2013, bad crash 40 days afterreinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct 2013 and holding liquid Xanax every 5 hours 28 Jan 2014 Xanax 1.9, 18 Apr 2015 1 mg, 25 June 2015 Lex 4.8, 6 Aug Lexapro 4.6, 1 Jan 2016 0.64 Xanax 9 month hold 24 Sept 2016 4.5 Lex, 17 Oct 4.4 Lex (Nov 0.63 Xanax, Dec 0.625 Xanax), 1 Jan 2017 4.3 Lex, 24 Jan 4.2, 5 Feb 4.1, 24 Mar 4 mg, 10 Apr 3.9 mg, May 3.85, June 3.8, July 3.75, 22 July 3.7, 15 Aug 3.65, 17 Sept 3.6, 1 Jan 2018 3.55, 19 Jan 3.5, 16 Mar 3.4, 14 Apr 3.3, 23 May 3.2, 16 June 3.15, 15 Jul 3.1, 31 Jul 3, 21 Aug 2.9 26 Sept 2.85, 14 Nov Xan 0.61, 1 Dec 0.59, 19 Dec 0.58, 4 Jan 0.565, 6 Feb 0.55, 20 Feb 0.535, 1 Mar 0.505, 10 Mar 0.475, 14 Mar 0.45, 4 Apr 0.415, 13 Apr 0.37, 21 Apr 0.33, 29 Apr 0.29, 10 May 0.27, 17 May 0.25, 28 May 0.22, 19 June 0.22, 21 Jun updose to 0.24, 24 Jun updose to 0.26 Supplements: Omega 3 + Vit E, Vit C, D, magnesium, Taurine, probiotic I'm not a medical professional. Any advice I give is based on my own experience and reading. Link to comment
Codebie Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Ok Bubble, thanks for your reply! I wanted it to fast......Should I go back to the -10% dose (took -20% for 6 days now)? Zoloft 50 mg since november 2011. Start stopping (10%) at 11 december 2015. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted December 31, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 31, 2015 Hello Codebie, You are on track with your 10% cuts, but it sounds like you didn't wait long enough between them. We recommend tapering by no more than 10% each 4-6 weeks, depending on how your symptoms go. Also, each drop is calculated on your current dose, so you will drop less and less each time. If you keep making 10% drops on your original 50mg, then it can get to be too much for you. It is an option for you to return to 45mg and stabilise there (you only dropped 5 days ago, right?) Then when your symptoms have settled properly - give it at least a month - you can continue to taper gently. Here is our thread on reinstatement. Keeping notes of symptoms on paper can help you make better decisions about when to drop, or if reinstatement is working etc. It doesn't always work, and it can seem like a backwards step but sometimes it's actually the best way forward. Let us know what you think. Please also note that depression is one of the symptoms of withdrawal - so don't be alarmed if that shows up - it's not necessarily your original stuff coming back. You'll get there - just don't panic! Hugs, KarenB 2010 Fluoxetine 20mg. 2011 Escitalopram 20mg. 2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS. Effexor 150mg. 2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants. Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms). 8 month hold. 2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent). 2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well. Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea. 2023 December - Now on 5 micro-beads Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops. Symptoms begin to increase. 2024 April - Updosed to 6 microbeads - immediate increase in symptoms for 4 days. Decreased to 5 microbeads. 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.' Dr Gabor Mate. Link to comment
nz11 Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Welcome Codebe to sa and to 2016. (my first post for 2016...was going to try to last longer before i reentered the theatre of sa but alas i cannot restrain myself.) Welcome to sa. Hey your English is awesome. Edit: Removed double up Just realised Karen posted same stuff. oops..! Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Codebie Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Thank you KarenB. I will slow down! By the way, cutting the pills is very difficult. I bought a precise scale, and my 50 mg pills seems to weigh about 150 - 155 mg. We take off a piece, and every time we weigh it on the scale, it gives an other weigh. So I try to take the exact dose, but are not sure if this is going right. The pharmacist could not help me on this point. I assume the liquid variant won't be easy to measure either? Zoloft 50 mg since november 2011. Start stopping (10%) at 11 december 2015. Link to comment
Codebie Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Goldstar, thanks for your reply. The lowering from 75 to 50 was in december 2014. That was no problem by then... To be exact: my pills (50mg) weigh 150 - 155 mg. I took 130 for two weeks with no problems. Now I take 120 (since 25-12). Zoloft 50 mg since november 2011. Start stopping (10%) at 11 december 2015. Link to comment
nz11 Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Thanks for clarification. Ahh you fell for the ' i feel fine after 2 weeks so i'll just hurry this along a little' trap. Best to wait the 4-6 weeks. Gee i am surprised your pharmacist couldnt help you with that ...isnt that his job!! You might like to consider going to liquid zoloft. That will enable more accurate calculations. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/ Can you get liquid in the netherlands? Could be worth looking into. Maybe the pharmacist can give you the required dosage (hopefully?) or you could make your own. nz11 goldstar. Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus bubble Posted December 31, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 31, 2015 Gold star is the status nz 11 earned for supporting people here Most of us who taper make our own liquid. Cutting pills is too imprecise. And making the liquid from the pills is not difficult at all. Just check the link nz provided. All you need is a small jar with a lid and a couple of syringes you can get at any pharmacy. Getting the dose right is very, very important. Current: 9/2022 Xanax 0.08, Lexapro 2 2020 Xanax 0.26 (down from 2 mg in 2013), Lexapro 2.85 mg (down from 5 mg 2013) Amitriptyline (tricyclic AD) and clonazepam for 3 months to treat headache in 1996 1999. - present Xanax prn up to 3 mg. 2000-2005 Prozac CT twice, 2005-2010 Zoloft CT 3 times, 2010-2013 Escitalopram 10 mg went from 2.5 to zero on 7 Aug 2013, bad crash 40 days afterreinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct 2013 and holding liquid Xanax every 5 hours 28 Jan 2014 Xanax 1.9, 18 Apr 2015 1 mg, 25 June 2015 Lex 4.8, 6 Aug Lexapro 4.6, 1 Jan 2016 0.64 Xanax 9 month hold 24 Sept 2016 4.5 Lex, 17 Oct 4.4 Lex (Nov 0.63 Xanax, Dec 0.625 Xanax), 1 Jan 2017 4.3 Lex, 24 Jan 4.2, 5 Feb 4.1, 24 Mar 4 mg, 10 Apr 3.9 mg, May 3.85, June 3.8, July 3.75, 22 July 3.7, 15 Aug 3.65, 17 Sept 3.6, 1 Jan 2018 3.55, 19 Jan 3.5, 16 Mar 3.4, 14 Apr 3.3, 23 May 3.2, 16 June 3.15, 15 Jul 3.1, 31 Jul 3, 21 Aug 2.9 26 Sept 2.85, 14 Nov Xan 0.61, 1 Dec 0.59, 19 Dec 0.58, 4 Jan 0.565, 6 Feb 0.55, 20 Feb 0.535, 1 Mar 0.505, 10 Mar 0.475, 14 Mar 0.45, 4 Apr 0.415, 13 Apr 0.37, 21 Apr 0.33, 29 Apr 0.29, 10 May 0.27, 17 May 0.25, 28 May 0.22, 19 June 0.22, 21 Jun updose to 0.24, 24 Jun updose to 0.26 Supplements: Omega 3 + Vit E, Vit C, D, magnesium, Taurine, probiotic I'm not a medical professional. Any advice I give is based on my own experience and reading. Link to comment
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