eggplantbun: struggling after 11 months off Zoloft - tapered too quickly

[eggplantbun]

Hi! I'm struggling after nearly a year of being off Zoloft. I know that I tapered too quickly (over the course of just a month or 2)

I had been on an ssri from ages 15-22 and Zoloft from ages 17-22

I honestly have no idea what my baseline is or what I am supposed to feel like because I have been on the medicine for as long as I can remember. All I know is that now I am suffering from constant anxiety, nightmares and daily panic attacks. I feel like complete garbage.

Should I reinstate the drug and attempt to taper it more slowly or try and work with the situation?

[Gridley]

Hello, eggplantbun, and welcome to SA.  Sorry you are having a hard time.

 

First, in order to give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

Please include the dates of your taper and the rate at which you tapered.  Please keep your signature as simple and easy to read as possible.

 

As you know, you tapered too quickly.  At Surviving Antidepressants, it is recommended that a person taper by no more than 10% of their current dose with at least a four week hold in-between decreases.  The 10% taper recommendation is a harm reduction approach to going off psychiatric drugs.  Some people may have to taper at a more conservative rate as they are sensitive to even the smallest drops.

  

Before you begin tapering what you need to know

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Brain Remodelling

 

To help you understand the symptoms you are experiencing, here is some information on withdrawal.  These drugs alter the architecture of the brain, and the time necessary to heal the brain and return to homeostasis is, unfortunately, impossible to predict.  

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

 

When we take medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

Youtube video, 4 minutes: Healing from antidepressants

 

You mentioned reinstatement.  Reinstatement of a very small dose of the original drug is the only known way to help alleviate withdrawal syndrome.  The only other alternative is to try and wait out the symptoms and manage as best you can until your central nervous system returns to homeostasis.  Unfortunately no one can give you an exact timeline as to when you will start feeling better and while some do recover relatively easily, for others it can take many months or longer.  Please read:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms. -- at least the first page of the topic

 

You’re outside the time period where reinstatement predictably works, up to three months after last dose or dose reduction.  It is impossible to say whether reinstatement will work at 11 months out.  It's a tough call.

 

It is your decision whether you want to give reinstatement a try or ride it out.  If you decide on reinstating, we can suggest a dosage once you've completed your drug signature.  We usually suggest a much smaller reinstatement dose than your last dose.  

 

A couple of suggestions.  We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Please research all supplements first and only add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

Many members have found the non-drug techniques in the following links helpful in dealing with withdrawal.

 

The Dr. Claire Weekes Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

This is your introduction topic -- the place for you to ask questions, record symptoms, share your progress, and connect with other members of the SA community.  I hope you’ll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation.  I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but I am glad that you found us.  Please keep us informed on how you're doing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eggplantbun]

Thank you so much for the additional information, Gridley!

I think I will try to stay away from reinstating the drug.

I have actually ordered some magnesium after gathering information I saw here and on other forums and I will definitely look into omega 3.

I have also noticed significantly impaired short term memory and concentration after getting off the drug. I can't easily hold a conversation with my girlfriend without asking "What was I saying a second ago?" Or "What was I just talking about?" 

I am wondering whether I can recover from this or if permanent damage has occured.

[Gridley]

The damage is not permanent.  The brain is a remarkably resilient organ.  It may take some time, but you will recover.  Please Google "SurvivingAntidepressants.org neuroplasticity"

[Carmie]

Hi eggplantbun, 

 

How are you doing?💚