Backtomyself

[backtomyself]

Hi All!

 

Im new and trying to soak in all of the rules and recommendations. I’ve tapered off a lot of meds in the last 15+ years and am down to the very last of them.

 

I set out to taper off of my 100mg Zoloft dosage with a realistic SLOW plan and it was squashed in the first few weeks. What I have come to discover is that anytime I split a Zoloft, I get unbearable headaches/migraines. I was filling a migraine script way too frequently. Yet if I decrease my dose by an entire pill (I know that is way too fast and absolutely not recommended), I don’t have headaches.

 

The last taper was 11/27 from 50mg to 37.5 and I thought my head would explode. The very next day I went to 25mg - no headache. But as you can expect, I felt like a complete nut job 4 days later. Completely depressed, I also felt my self confidence flushed down the toilet. I’m being kind to myself and trying to take it day by day. I work full time with three young kids. I feel better each day but I don’t know how I can safely get through this taper with the headaches. I cannot find any people who specifically have headaches related to cutting the pills. I’ve tried it so many times there is no way it’s a coincidence.

 

thank you all and I cannot wait to read more once I have more access:)

[ChessieCat]

Hi backtomyself and welcome to SA,

 

Thank you for creating your drug signature.  You have done well to get off the other drugs you taking.

 

Once we have some additional information will be better able to offer suggestions.  Please answer the questions I have asked below.  Thank you.


4 hours ago, backtomyself said:

What I have come to discover is that anytime I split a Zoloft, I get unbearable headaches/migraines.

 

Q1:  What do you mean by "split a Zoloft"?  Please explain clearly so we can understand what you mean.  Thank you.

 

Skipping days to taper IS NOT recommended.  Zoloft's half life is about 26 hours so you end up with interdose withdrawal.   The brain likes consistency Skipping Days vs Every Day Dosing Graph

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Even though you have been tapering you have been going a lot quicker than SA's recommended tapering method.  SA recommends tapering by no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.   Why taper by 10% of my dosage?   Sometimes when a person is taking a high dose of a drug they are able to make a fairly big reduction for the first cut (I was able to do this with Pristiq), but after that they need to taper more slowly.  Why taper paper: dose-occupancy curves

 

It takes about 4 days for a dose change to get to full level in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.

 

Tips for tapering off Zoloft (sertraline)

 

Q2:  What are your current symptoms?

 

Q3:  On what dose did you last feel consistently okay?

 

Depending on the answers to the questions, we might suggest that you updose.  Please wait until we have assessed your situation further before taking extra.  We can suggest how much extra to take.  It is important that you don't take too much.  Please read Post #1 of this topic which also relates to updosing:  About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

This is your own Introductions topic where you can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

[backtomyself]

Hi and thank you for the warm welcome!

 

Q1: what I mean by splitting the Zoloft is anytime I use a knife to cut the pill to take a partial dose. My intent was to taper 10-20% every few weeks (before I found this site that recommends 10%) but the headaches/brain zaps are so horrible it was less physically painful to reduce 25mg so I wouldn’t have to deal with the headache/migraines/zaps. Each time I’d get zaps I would be tempted to take a Percocet which I’ve successfully been off ~8 months.

 

Q2: my current symptoms are neuro-emotions, occasional headaches (I can just use Tylenol for) and ruminating. I have battled insomnia on and off for years and was having it recently. A new brand of Melatonin in liquid form has helped the last few days.

 

Q3: I felt normal on the 50mg dose. I am feeling better at 25mg already. Windows are longer but it’s such a short period I’ve been at 25mg it’s hard to say just how I’m doing. 

 

Thanks!

[ChessieCat]

Brain zaps are a withdrawal symptom caused by reducing the drug too quickly.  I used to get them if I missed taking my Pristiq for one day.

 

You might want to consider updosing by a small amount, which may reduce your withdrawal symptoms.  The idea of updosing isn't to get rid of the withdrawal symptoms but to bring them to a bearable level.

 

Please do not go back up to 50mg.  You've been at 25mg dose now for about 7 weeks and your brain will have made some adaptations during this time.  You might find taking an additional 5mg might help ease the symptoms.  This topic explains how to get the dose you need:  Tips for tapering off Zoloft (sertraline)

 

It is better to increase by a small amount and see how it affects the symptoms than to risk taking too much.

 

[backtomyself]

Thank you. I will try going up the 5mg but based on my personal experience, if I cut the 25mg tablet, I will get a migraine tomorrow. Keep it at 25mg, no migraine. Have you ever heard of this? I don’t see this experience anywhere else on this forum. I hate it! I want to do the recommended 10% but I feel like I can’t. For me, my headaches were lessened when I went down 50% (25mg). Could it be the brand and/or does anyone have better luck with the liquid? For me, I do not have those withdrawal symptoms unless I cut the pill with a knife. My dr said it totally makes sense because it releases more quickly when it’s cut. Any articles or tips about that? I’m concerned if I do the next taper at 10%, the migraines will start all over. 

[ChessieCat]

If it has only happened a couple of times then it may be coincidence.  If it has happened every time for more than just a few times then it would be more likely, unless there is something else that is causing it that you haven't made the connection to.

 

One option to try would be to split your doses.  Take the 25mg first thing in the morning and take the remainder a few hours later.

 

It's a good idea to keep daily notes on paper as per the following example, which may help you to see a pattern:

 

6 a.m. Woke with anxiety
8 a.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
10 a.m. Stomach is upset
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:35 a.m. Got a headache, lasted one hour
12:35 p.m. Ate lunch
4 p.m. Feel a bit better
5 p.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
6 p.m. Ate dinner
9:20 p.m. Headache
10:00 p.m. Took 50mg Seroquel
10:20 p.m. Feeling dizzy
10:30 p.m. Fell asleep
2:30 a.m. Woke, took 3mg Ambien (NOT "took 1/2 tablet Ambien")
2:45 a.m. Fell asleep
4:30 a.m. Woke but got back to sleep