Tigerlily6200: Zoloft tapering needed after 5 days?

[Tigerlily6200]

Hi I am new here. I started Zoloft last Sunday with horrible side effects and with the guidance of my GP decided to discontinue. 

 

Here was my week:

sunday -25 mg

monday - 50 mg

tuesday -50 mg

wednesday - 50 mg

thursday - 25 mg

 

my doctor told me to quit cold turkey but I've read so many bad stories. 

 

My pharmcist said I could take 

25 mg today and possibly 12.5 mg tomorrow if I wanted to.

 

how do I get off this drug? Will I have any withdrawal symptoms?

[ChessieCat]

Hi Tigerlily,

 

Welcome to SA.  I'm pleased that you have done some research and found this site.  Please answer the following questions:

 

Q:  Have you been taking any psychiatric drug prior to commencing Zoloft?

 

If you have changed from one drug to another you may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms from the original drug.  If you have not previously taken psychiatric drug/s then the pharmacist's suggestion is reasonable.  However this depends on whether you are experiencing a bad reaction or start up/side effects.

 

Q:  What symptoms are you experiencing since starting Zoloft?

 

If you are experiencing a bad reaction it might be better to stop the drug immediately.

 

We ask all members to create a drug signature which appears below every post you make.  Please update it whenever you make a change.  These are the instructions for the format we prefer:

 

A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature - ALL drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly?

• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses.
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 

• Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years.
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016.
• Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

This is your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress.

[Tigerlily6200]

I have not been on any drugs since a short time in 2011 as stated in my signature. I am ashamed to say I don't remember what I was taking. 

 

Does the 2011 drugs count? or would this be more recent uses? If only recent, I haven't  been on anything like this.

 

My symptoms from starting this medicine were feeling like a zombie, foggy, sleepiness after I would take it at night, I just didn't like how it made me feel. Like I couldn't focus etc. 

 

How can I taper off this? I have never been so scared to come off of a drug.

 

[ChessieCat]

Unfortunately use of psychiatric drugs has a cumulative effect on the nervous system.  However it's been 6 years so hopefully your CNS is stable.

 

It takes about 4 days for a drug to get to full dose in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.  You could do it either way.  The pharmacist's suggestion may possibly be the gentlest way.  Do you have 25mg or 50mg tablets?  You could even add in an additional day if you take 12.5mg for 1 day and then 6.25mg (approximately) for another day.

 

You may experience some discomfort from any of these methods.  It is helpful to use Non-drug techniques to cope to get through this time.

 

One thing I will caution you about is that if you go to the doctor complaining about any symptoms you are experiencing after stopping he may suggest going onto a different antidepressant or even prescribe a benzo (eg valium).  Benzos are very addictive and dependency can happen within as little as 2 weeks.  It would be best not to take a drug and be patient and give your brain time to regain homoeostasis.

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

 

Q:  What is the reason you decided to go onto an antidepressant?

 

There are members here (and I am one of them), who in hindsight say that they would have preferred to have been taught and used appropriate non drug techniques instead of being prescribed a drug.  I am tapering my Pristiq after being on an antidepressant for 25 years.  It was only as my dose got lower that I realised how emotionally numb I have felt for a quarter of a century (I'm about to turn 60).

[Tigerlily6200]

Thanks Cheesiecat - 

 

1. I have 25 mg tablets. So is your suggestion to do 25 mg tonight, 12.5 tomorrow, and 6.25 on Sunday? 

2. When I stop this medication should I power through whatever comes? I am assuming I won't have to reinstate since it's been a week? I don't know what to expect having been on these a short time with withdrawals etc.

3. Yes, thank you for the links - I have a plan set up to cope with whatever comes. Therapy, yoga, a focus on healing from the inside out. I absolutely hate that I took these pills almost a week ago.

[ChessieCat]

This is one suggestion.  Because you have 25mg tablets, you can get approximately 1/8 tablet and do an extra night.  Keeps notes on paper and if you experience different symptoms you might want to hold on that dose for a couple of days.  Unfortunately we aren't able to predict what is going to happening.  There are such a wide variety of withdrawal symptoms which are possible which you may not even realise are withdrawal.  Please have a look at this:  Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

If you don't want to end up back on psychiatric drug/s, remaining calm and patient and using non drug techniques is most probably your best option.  It's also best to keep things the same as they currently are, eg diet, supplements etc.  Also try and keep external stressors to a minimum, and that includes good stress.

 

One very important thing about any discomfort is to be able to "sit with it".  Knowing that what you are experiencing is "normal" with regards to these drugs and getting off them can help you not to become scared.  Once we become scared of what is happening we can develop what Claire Weekes calls the second fear, or fear of the fear.  What then happens is that the fear causes more discomfort (fight/flight) and we can end up having a panic attack.

 

You might find these helpful:

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)
 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes
 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ...

[Tigerlily6200]

This has been so helpful. Thank you for the links I will read and watch them tonight. 

 

So you think it would be beneficial to do 25 tonight, 12.5 Sat., 6.25 Sunday and another day 3.125 on Monday?

 

Sorry with a newborn sometimes I need a little handholding.

[ChessieCat]

I think that would be the gentlest way.

 

Newborn?  Congratulations!

[ChessieCat]

I can imagine that you are kind of busy, but it would be helpful for others if you could return later and post about how it went.  Thank you.

[Tigerlily6200]

I do have a newborn, she was born 11/1. I will post back. I have to say that today I woke up feeling better than I have all week after taking 25 mg twice in a row. I am looking forward to taking 12.5 tonight. The fog has lifted. I will report back about taking 6.25 and 3.1ish afterwards.

[Altostrata]

@Tigerlily6200 how are you?

[Tigerlily6200]

I gently weaned myself off and have never gone back. This board was so helpful those years ago. 

[ChessieCat]

Hi Tigerlily,

 

That's great to hear.  Congratulations.  How have you been feeling since you stopped?  You might find this topic helpful  It was recently updated: 

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

It would be very helpful if you could update your drug signature with the dates and doses for the rest of your taper and particularly state the last dose you took before you stopped.  Thank you.