Gayle16: tapering off sertraline 100mg

[Gayle16]

Hi, thank you for adding me to the group.

 

I was on 50mg of Sertraline for 18 months and was doing fine until some breakthrough anxiety. My Dr put me up to 100mg. The side effects were awful, and although some wore off I was left in a dazed like state, and had drenching night sweats every single night. I decided to try to taper down. I went to my Dr who said just go down to 50mg again, but I decided to drop to 75mg instead. The withdrawal effects are horrible! 

Tinnitus (constant and loud)

Shakey arms & legs

Spaced Out

Blurred Vision

Headaches

Sore Throat (I don't see this mentioned much, but presume it is to do with the tapering)??

Aching  (especially around the groin area)

Anxiety & low mood

 

I am going to hold at 75mg until my body has adjusted and then do the 10% taper, but I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this and how long it has lasted? 

 

Many thanks

x

[ChessieCat]

Hi Gayle and welcome to SA,

 

I am really pleased that you have found SA.  Not many medical professionals know about tapering and withdrawal which is why this site exists.

 

It sounds like you may have experienced serotonin syndrome/toxicity.  Increased sweating is a symptom of this.  I experienced mild serotonin toxicity when taking 100mg Pristiq.  I would sleep all night and then still have a 2 hour day time sleep.  My diastolic blood pressure increased, and I would sometimes feel my heart "flip" or miss a beat, my tinnitus increased badly.  I experienced agitation, anxiety, confusion and sweating.  Once my dose got lower the serotonin toxicity symptoms reduced.

 

I'm pleased that you thought to take 75mg.  Some of your symptoms may be side effects, and some withdrawal symptoms.  It is difficult to say what is what.  Please keep daily symptoms notes on paper.  This will allow you to see small improvements which you may not notice and also  help you to be objective.  Keep Notes on Paper

 

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. 

 

Q:  What symptoms have improved since your reduced your dose?

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?

 

When the drug is taken away too quickly we can get withdrawal symptoms:  Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Withdrawal Symptoms

 

This topic explains how to get the dose you need so you can take the same dose every day.  Tips for tapering off Zoloft (sertraline)

 

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

[ChessieCat]

I suggest you read this topic:  are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

Recovery isn't linear it happens in a Windows and Waves Pattern

 

When we take a psychiatric drug, we are adding chemical/s to the brain.  The brain then has to change to adapt to getting the chemical/s.  It might have to change something to do with A and then once that change has been made it affects B so another change has to be made and so on down the line.  It is a chain reaction, a domino effect.  That's why it's possible to experience such a vast array of withdrawal symptoms, and they can change, and be of different intensity.

 

The same thing happens when we take the drug away.  These explain it really well:

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

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

 

On 8/31/2011 at 5:28 AM, Rhiannon said:

When we stop taking the drug, we have a brain that has designed itself so that it works in the presence of the drug; now it can't work properly without the drug because it's designed itself so that the drug is part of its chemistry and structure. It's like a plant that has grown on a trellis; you can't just yank out the trellis and expect the plant to be okay. When the drug is removed, the remodeling process has to take place in reverse. SO--it's not a matter of just getting the drug out of your system and moving on. If it were that simple, none of us would be here. It's a matter of, as I describe it, having to grow a new brain. I believe this growing-a-new-brain happens throughout the taper process if the taper is slow enough. (If it's too fast, then there's not a lot of time for actually rebalancing things, and basically the brain is just pedaling fast trying to keep us alive.) It also continues to happen, probably for longer than the symptoms actually last, throughout the time of recovery after we are completely off the drug, which is why recovery takes so long.

 

AND

 

On 12/4/2015 at 2:41 AM, apace41 said:

Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are trying to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

It would be like if the World Trade Center Towers hadn't completely fallen - but had crumbled inside in different places.. Imagine if you were trying to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and trying to work in the building!  You'd have to set up a temporary elevator - but when you needed to fix part of that area, you'd have to tear down that elevator and set up a temporary elevator somewhere else. And so on. You'd have to build, work around, then tear down, then build again, then work around, then build... ALL while people are coming and going, ALL while the furniture is being replaced, ALL while the walls are getting repainted... ALL while life is going on INSIDE the building. No doubt it would be chaotic. That is EXACTLY what is happening with windows and waves.  The windows are where the body has "got it right" for a day or so - but then the building shifts and the brain works on something else - and it's chaos again while another temporary pathway is set up to reroute function until repairs are made.  

 

[ChessieCat]

Q:  Is sertraline / Zoloft the only drug you are currently taking?

 

The reason I ask is that generally serotonin toxicity happens when taking two or more drugs which affect serotonin.  However, for me it was just taking a high dose of Pristiq, and no other serotonin affecting drugs.

 

If you are taking other drugs, please add them to your drug signature.  Thank you.