MoMahmoudi: Zoloft withdrawal

[MoMahmoudi]

Hello,SA
I had been on zoloft for the past 5 years and i fast tapered off a 100 mg dose. I reduced by 25 mg every two weeks until i was completely off over the course of about 2 months. It's been 2 months off now and i feel awful, i have bad stomach pain, feel very agitated, vivid dreams, bad Anxiety, Nausea, sweating, fatigue and low appetite. My doctor prescribed mirtazapine to help with these symptoms But it didn't work out so well so i went off it after 2 weeks and now i feel hopeless, struggle with suicidal thoughts and feel very low.

[ChessieCat]

Hi Mo and welcome to SA,

 

The only known way to reduce withdrawal symptoms is to take some of the drug to which the brain has adapted.  Even though you tapered, you have done it at a much faster rate than recommended by SA.

 

You might want to consider reinstating a small amount Zoloft.  We suggest starting with a low dose.  You might find that 1mg is enough.

 

It takes about 4 days for a dose to get to full level in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.  If after 1 week on 1mg you find that your symptoms are still really bad you could increase your dose (by 1mg) and take 2mg.

 

The idea of reinstating isn't to get rid of the withdrawal symptoms completely but to bring them to a bearable level.

 

Please read Post #1 of this topic:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

This topic explains how to get the dose you need:

 

Tips for tapering off Zoloft (sertraline)

 

You will need to be patient during this time and try to stay calm and not panic.  When we panic we sometimes make bad decisions.  We have members here who panicked during the reinstatement process and taken too high a dose or increased their dose again  too soon and made things worse.

 

It's important to know that stabilising isn't linear.  It happens in a Windows and Waves Pattern

 

Please keep daily notes on paper of your symptoms, what improves/worsens, so that you use it as a guide to see if the reinstatement is helping.

 

Please let us know how you are going of if you have any questions.