Blossom71: wanting to be sertraline free

[DancingBee]

Hi @Blossom71:

 

I stumbled upon your intro thread today and am impressed with your consistent successful tapering—way to go! As a fellow gal on Sertraline (and Bupropion), I wanted to say hi. 

 

I particularly relate to your stomach, memory and word-finding issues. I started on ADs at age 21, nearly 30 years ago . I've had stomach and memory issues for decades, but am not sure if/how much they're related to the ADs. But hearing that those came up for you as you tapered makes me hopeful that it is the drugs impairing my memory and word recall, so that when I finally get off and heal from these drugs, I'll have a better memory in my 50s than I did in my 200s & 30s. 

 

Anyways, thank you for all the posts about your journey. Here's wishing you a very easy surgery in October and a fast, smooth recovery. 

 

Cheers,

Dancing Bee

[Blossom71]

Ah @DancingBee

Thanks for stopping in and saying Hi, I do love visitors 😘

 

In some ways it feels like I’ve been on my journey for a while, and I still have a way to go. But time passing has helped me be more patient. Tapering was all consuming to start with but it’s just in the background of my life now and it’s a wonderful place to be!

 

My stomach has been pretty bad on sertraline but someone on here (I can’t quite remember who ) said that sertraline is like paint stripper for your stomach. So it makes no wonder!

 

Thanks for your good wishes for my surgery, and wishing a smooth tapering journey x

 

[DancingBee]

@Blossom71

 

2019 seems like eons ago with all the changes in the world since then, so I can only imagine it feels like you've been on your journey for awhile! I commend you for your patience and diligence in your taper.

 

I have a long way to go being on 2 drugs and tapering one at a time. Mostly I don't feel any time pressure, although I sometimes fantasize about getting down to say 50mg (currently at 175mg) and how great that would be.

 

Wow, I've never heard that sertraline is particularly bad on the stomach, let alone being compared to paint stripper! I certainly hope when I'm finally off, I'll finally be able to find resolution of my gut issues.

 

Keep us posted on your surgery.

 

Best,

Dancing Bee

[Blossom71]

Yeah 2019 feels like forever ago doesn’t it @DancingBee?

 

It’s great you don’t feel the time pressure. Definitely the best way to be. 
 

I’m on omeprazole for my stomach. I did manage to come off it but with the fibroids squeezing my stomach I’ve ended up back on them. I think I’m going to start tapering them again soon so by the time I have my

op I’m on maybe half dose.  I think I also need to taper progesterone too. I won’t need them after surgery but I’ve read that they should be tapered too.

 

I did another 0.5mg drop on 5th Sept and I am almost definitely feeling this one! That’s 3 drops about 2 1/2 weeks apart and it’s definitely too quick. I feel like I’m starting to see the cumulative effects now. But I think it was a worthwhile exercise to try speed up while I was really stable and see what I can tolerate.

The effects aren’t too bad but I am feeling fatigue and my emotions are but all over the place. Again it confirms to me that it’s not particularly the amount of the drop, but the frequency that seems to get me.

 

So I’ll be holding here for a bit. I’d like to get to 23mg before my op but I’ll see how things settle before deciding.

[redkite]

HI Blossom just chipping in !! Seen you out and about on this site for a while and I wanted to say hello!!! Shame your feeling this last drop cause it looked like you were doing so well? I am holding at the moment cause it was unbelievably horrible. I can understand why you want to reduce before surgery but be careful, please!! You had some cat issues a while ago and I nearly contacted you them but my I then had laptop issues of my own!! At least its a bit cooler now as the weather in the midlands has been boiling hot which makes reducing and the menapause something to behold!!!!  Ive only got one rescue now now.... who is recovering form her latest illness!!!!! Stay strong. Take care redkite

[Blossom71]

Hi @redkite 
Thanks for coming to visit me 🥰

Hello back!

 

Sorry to hear you’ve been having a horrible time. This tapering is the gift that just keeps on giving!

 

This is the first time That I have started to become impatient and I dont even think I realised it was happening.  I’m not even sure why I feel the need to get a bit lower before surgery. My tapering spreadsheet has me tapering until about 2030 so like an extra couple of weeks is going to matter in the grand scheme of things? 

 

it’s been boiling here in Yorkshire too.  It’s finally cooled down today so hoping for a good nights sleep tonight.  That’s definitely not helped with my drop. If I drop too much I get problems regulating my temp so I’ve been a big sweaty mess for the last week.

 

Thankfully no cat issues at the moment. Well I say that. My old lady kitty has her annual check up last week and she has a slight murmur, eyelids starting to turn onwards from what he says was cat flu when she was a kitten, maybe the start of a tumour in her eye, and she’s got quite a hoarse meow so he said there could be something going on there. But he finished by saying that shes remarkably healthy and happy for a 16 year old 😂. We’ll just keep an eye on her and see how things go obvs.

 

Anyway, enjoy the cooler weather and I’ll drop by your thread and check out your journey x

[DancingBee]

@Blossom71

 

I hope reducing your omeprazole goes smoothly, and that the surgery will allow you to continue to taper while keeping your tummy content.

 

So sorry to hear about your fatigue and emotions being all over the place. That is hard. I guess the upside is you now have clarity that they are related to dropping your dosage too frequently. I often can't find any clear connections between symptoms and anything I'm doing or is happening in my life. So I'm glad you have something actionable. 

 

Cheers,
DB

[Blossom71]

So I’ve realised what the fatigue is all about - sodding menopause 😩.  And it’s got worse and it feels exactly like the post covid fatigue I had last year. 

 

I did think it was strange that I wasn’t getting quite the same set of symptoms. I didn’t get a ramp up of my tinnitus, heart beating harder or joint aches. Just the fatigue and brain fog, and now some other menopause symptoms have kicked in.

 

Monday I go in hospital for a full hysterectomy so I expect the symptoms to ramp up further.  I keep doing a bit of reading on various HRT methods but can’t really work out whether it’s a good idea if not. I do know however that this level of fatigue is not really sustainable as it’s making life pretty hard to manage. Doesn’t help that things have ramped up with my son and the last 3 weeks have been about as stressful As it could possibly be.

 

Plus side is that after my op I will

be off work for around 6 weeks so at least I have some time to figure out a plan of action.

 

I did do another drop yesterday of 0.5mg so now down to 23mg.

 

The hospital called to do a pre assessment and we talked about meds. I told them about tapering and they seemed uncomfortable with me doing this in hospital without a tapering plan for the doc. I told that that there is no way the doctors are going to give me a tapering plan to give you and they are uninformed and recommend going down much quicker than I am.
 

So I plan to dissolve enough for my 3 days stay and keep it in my bag. I have a private room with bathroom so I will just have to go in and take my dose without them knowing if needs be. But I will absolutely not set myself back to appease them that’s for sure!

[RachelSusan]

@Blossom71 I wanted to wish you good luck with your hospital stay.  I had the same problem with my medication when I had to go in hospital and had an odd size dosage.  I had to self administer just like you are planning to do. I was quite nervous about it but  it turned out just fine with no problems.

[Blossom71]

Thank you for the good wishes lovely @RachelSusan

I’m sure things will go fine with the meds. If need be and I can’t get out of bed I’ll get hubby to help. If it’s all dissolved he just needs to measure out the right dose into a glass and I’ll be sorted.

 

[Erimus]

Hope the op went okay @Blossom71. 

[CeruleanSea]

Hi @Blossom71!

 

how are things going with the operation? At age 48 I am on the estradiol patch myself.  I do have massive fatigue and stronger psych symptoms without it. 
 

I hope you’re doing well!

 

thinking of you,

 

Elisa l