Meeka: Zoloft with horrible insomnia

[ChessieCat]

I've moved your new topic to an existing topic.  SA likes to keep similar information in one place so it is easier to find.  Before creating a new topic please do a search to see if one already exists.  If it is a symptoms, go to Symptoms and Self Care forum and search there.  If it is about tapering go to that forum.

 

tips-to-help-sleep-so-many-of-us-have-that-awful-withdrawal-insomnia

 

[Meeka]

Can I get someone to answer my questions please 🙏 

[Meeka]

@Altostrata 

@Shep

[Altostrata]

What are your questions, @Meeka? You popped up in January 2020 with Zoloft withdrawal syndrome, then we didn't hear from you again for 2 years.

 

What does this mean in your signature? "2022 Jan/ Take Sertraline 50mg pill every 3 weeks (stopped completely about march 2022)"

 

On 11/12/2022 at 9:12 PM, Meeka said:

OK meds are

 

Mornings, 

Daily birth control 'Estelle'

 

Nights taken at 7.30.

 

25mg seroquel for sleep

15mg mirtazapine for sleep, tapering from 30mg

Two nights ago I started taking 2mg melatonin.  

 

Please explain how you've been tapering mirtazapine.

 

Did you see @ChessieCat's request on Saturday for daily notes?

 

Please bring your signature up to date with your current drugs.

[ChessieCat]

On 11/13/2022 at 3:15 PM, ChessieCat said:

DATE:

 

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

 

Edited November 17, 2022 by ChessieCat

[Meeka]

I'm thinking about reinstating zoloft to ease the insomnia.  

I reinstated 25mg and insomnia was manageable with the seroquel so I thought I was in the clear. I upped my dose to 50mg with no issues except my insomnia got worse and better again. 

Till I was only taking zoloft when I would feel brain zaps which was probably about 1 every 3 week ish then i took my last pill in March.  And since then my insomnia is persisting. 

I'm wondering to reinstate liquid dose very slowly.

Is that something you recommend I do?

Is this insomnia still from zoloft from the adverse reaction.? 

I'm at 15mg mirtazapine now it gave me restless leg and nerve pain so I reduced. Been at 15mg now for over a.week now.  No real issues have occurred yet.

 

[Meeka]

Sorry yes I will write the daily notes starting tomorrow. 

Just need to know if this inomnia is still from zoloft.  

I also have trouble ever feeling tired. I'm always wired and it getting horrible. 

[Meeka]

@Altostrata

Questions are above.

I've updated my signature 

[Meeka]

Here 

 

13 hours ago, Meeka said:

Just need to know if this inomnia is still from zoloft.  

I also have trouble ever feeling tired. I'm always wired and it getting horrible

 

And 

 

13 hours ago, Meeka said:

I'm wondering to reinstate liquid dose very slowly.

Is that something you recommend I do?

Is this insomnia still from zoloft from the adverse reaction.? 

 

[Altostrata]

I have no idea if your current insomnia is from the Zoloft you went off in January 2022. What drugs have you taken since January 2022? When did the insomnia start?

 

To answer your question about reinstatement, we also need to see those daily notes.

[Meeka]

My insomnia started with the adverse reaction. It started when they increased my dose. That's why they gave me seroquel. Can it go on this long  with the insomnia 

[Meeka]

The only other drug I've been on is Mirtazapine but the insomnia was before that 

[Altostrata]

@Meeka, please understand that I do not know your story as well as you do, and answer my questions with dates, etc. 

 

21 minutes ago, Meeka said:

My insomnia started with the adverse reaction. It started when they increased my dose. That's why they gave me seroquel. Can it go on this long  with the insomnia 

 

Do you mean the adverse reaction you had in November 2019, which you describe here:

On 11/11/2019 at 12:46 AM, Meeka said:

I need some advice, and reassurance. I have been on Zoloft (Setraline) for about 5 years and I have never really had any problems going on it from what I remember, I was on 50mg and never went up any higher occasionally if I forgot a dose I would be reminded with brain zaps, I occasionally got dilated pupils which may have been the zoloft and thats really the only issues I got. Then one day I went to my Dr about some issue and she then decided to up my dose to 100mg. Faithfully like a good patient I took it and about a month later I had horrible insomnia and racing heart so I was put back on 50mg. The side effects subsided within a week and that all was fine until, 2 months being back on the 50mg I got the same symptoms again, racing heart and insomnia, so I decided to quit them. After about a week my heart is back to normal but 3 weeks later i'm still suffering really bad insomnia.... 

 

From your signature, you reinstated Zoloft, took 50mg for a few months, then tapered off rapidly between April 2021 and January 2022 :

Quote

 

2020 Jan/ 13th Zoloft 5mg, reinstated 2020 Jan 15th/ increased to 25mg Zoloft, 2020 Jan 22nd/ increased to 50mg Zoloft 

2021 April/ started decreasing Zoloft 

2022 Jan/ Take Zoloft 50mg pill every 3 weeks or when I feel WD brain zaps (stopped completely about march 2022, 

 

 

How was your sleep between January 15, 2020 and April 2021? Why did you not stay on 50mg Zoloft longer?

 

How did you taper off between April 2021 and January 2022? How was your sleep during this period?

 

What happened to the 25mg quetiapine you started in November 2019? 

 

What effect have you felt from the mirtazapine you started in March 2022?

[Meeka]

At the start of this thread they said that the insomnia was caused by the zoloft . Because it was increased to quickly then I tapered to quickly and caused kindling  reaction. 

I've had it since. 

I was concerned as I seem to still have it and wondered if others had the insomnia for so long after.

Either it's that or maybe it's my body is seratonin depleted?  

 

Yes it started back then.

My sleep was good in that time but I still continued the seroquel since then.

I haven't been off the seroquel that's been consistent.

I tapered by just taking a pill every so often. I didn't go down in dose but gradually just stopped taking it. 

I haven't felt any effects from mirtazapine. I feel like it's not doing much.

Since being off zoloft my insomnia is.up and down. Seems to be horrible for 2.weeks then I gradually sleep OK. But I don't nap anymore or.really feel tired when I should. Always wired. 

 

 

[Meeka]

I need something for my anxiety but don't want to go on anything new. I know zoloft gave me adverse effects with the increase in 2019 but at least it was helping with my anxiety. I also do think that once it stabilised again it was helping my sleep. I was sleeping in, even feeling tired.

Is that something you hear about from others that they feel wired?

@Altostrata

 

 

[Altostrata]

@meeka, please read these questions and answer them completely.

 

5 hours ago, Altostrata said:

How was your sleep between January 15, 2020 and April 2021? Why did you not stay on 50mg Zoloft longer?

 

How did you taper off between April 2021 and January 2022? How was your sleep during this period?

 

What happened to the 25mg quetiapine you started in November 2019? 

 

What effect have you felt from the mirtazapine you started in March 2022?

 

 

5 hours ago, Meeka said:

I tapered by just taking a pill every so often. I didn't go down in dose but gradually just stopped taking it. 

 

 

You were taking 50mg Zoloft but then "tapered" by taking a pill now and then between January 15, 2020 and April 2021?

 

What was your sleep like during these 16 months you were "tapering" Zoloft?

[Meeka]

I already answered those questions. A couple of posts back. 

 

5 hours ago, Meeka said:

Yes it started back then.

My sleep was good in that time but I still continued the seroquel since then.

I haven't been off the seroquel that's been consistent.

I tapered by just taking a pill every so often. I didn't go down in dose but gradually just stopped taking it. 

I haven't felt any effects from mirtazapine. I feel like it's not doing much.

Since being off zoloft my insomnia is.up and down. Seems to be horrible for 2.weeks then I gradually sleep OK. But I don't nap anymore or.really feel tired when I should. Always wired. 

 

[Meeka]

I can't really remember but I know I wasn't taking it every day at that time

 Just when I felt brain zaps. 

My sleep was OK. I still needed seroquel but I was sleeping in and feeling tired. 

[Meeka]

My insomnia still would come in waves.and stick around for 2 ish weeks . some nights I would go without sleep others I would sleep OK. 

[Meeka]

But since I've stopped completely taking it I don't sleep in and my brain is wired. Like I've lost the ability to feel tired.

[Meeka]

18th Nov 2022

 

7am.         Woke up

9.30am    Took Estelle pill

10am.       Breakfast

10.30am   Feeling overheated

2pm.         Bad ringing in ears

5.50pm.   Ringing in ears subsiding 

6pm.         Had dinner

7.30pm.    Meds, plus 1mg melatonin 

8.30pm.    Panic attack

10pm.       Tried to sleep

12pm.        Slept till 7am

[Altostrata]

You have withdrawal insomnia and maybe other withdrawal symptoms, such as overheating. This is to be expected because of the irregular way you took Zoloft off and on for nearly a year. 

 

What is an Estelle pill?

 

On 11/18/2022 at 2:46 PM, Meeka said:

7.30pm.    Meds, plus 1mg melatonin 

 

Please name the drugs you took, with their dosages.

[Meeka]

Thank you for your reply 

 

Sorry meds as in 

My 15mg Mirtazapine 

1mg Melatonin 

25mg seroquel 

 

The Estelle pill is like a birth control pill. 

Should I add that to my signature?  

 

Would reinstating zoloft help my insomnia? Or at least help ease the symptoms. I also want to get off Mirtazapine 😩 

[ChessieCat]

We need at least 3 consecutive days of daily symptom notes to compare your symptoms.

 

When writing the list, every time please state the drug names, not just "meds" so that we don't have to look back to get the information.  Thank you.

[Meeka]

19th Nov

 

7am.  woke

9am.  breakfast 

9.30.  Estelle pill.  'Birth control pill'

10am slight headache

1pm lunch

3pm anxious 😟 

5.30pm dinner

7.30 pm took 15mg mirtazapine 

                       25mg seroquel 

                       1mg melatonin 

9.pm   bed

3am woke

4.30pm slept till 7am

[Meeka]

Note:   Although I must say my sleep has been better the last few days .

Usually when my insomnia flairs it's chronic. I will struggle to get 1 hour at nights. Then it gradually improves then returns again. 

For the past 4 days has been better but the previous 2 weeks were horrible! It starts of with one bad night then gets worse then gradually I will get 2 or 3 hours unbroken then improves again. But still can't sleep in or have the ability to feel tired when I need to be. 

 

[Meeka]

 

 

20th Nov

 

7am.            Woke

9.                 breakfast

9.30.            Estelle pill birth control 

12pm.          Feeling a bit overheated

1pm lunch.  Little nausea 

5.30pm.      Dinner 

7.30pm.       took 25mg seroquel 

                       15mg mirtazapine 

                        1mg melatonin 

8.30pm.      Bed

10.30pm.    woke but fell asleep 

1.00am.      woke fell asleep

5.30 am.     woke fell.asleep

8am.            Woke

[Meeka]

Do you need more daily notes @Altostrata

[Altostrata]

We need daily notes every day.

 

Do you always get a headache or overheating after taking your Estelle pill?

[Meeka]

No not always.  I seem to overheat doing simple tasks.

Sometimes I get headaches in the afternoons aswell. 

[Meeka]

Im reinstating zoloft liquid dose to see if my sleep improves

i should get the prescription today.  But I'm also taking 15mg mirtazapine and 25mg seroquel should I stop one of them before reinstating zoloft. Also how much should I reinstate? And when should I see improvements? @Altostrata

[Altostrata]

On 11/19/2022 at 8:26 PM, Meeka said:

Note:   Although I must say my sleep has been better the last few days .

 

Since your sleep has improved, why are you adding another drug? We strongly advise leaving well enough alone.

 

Is it your intention to stay on some combination of psychiatric drugs?

[Meeka]

The thing is that I feel wired all the time, I cant sleep without taking the Seroquel and I also have anxiety ruling my life, my thinking is that if I start Zoloft again I will at least start feeling sleepy again like I use too. And less anxious. Then I can quit Mirtazapine or Seroquel. I don't want to be on any of these pills. 
My sleep has improved since my last insomnia flair but I'm scared that my insomnia will keep happening and I will never sleep normally again. I dont know what to do.
 

[Altostrata]

@Meeka you went off Zoloft in a very rough way, added mirtazapine to quetiapine, and now it appears your system is stabilizing from withdrawal from either Zoloft or the mirtazapine reduction. If I were you, I'd accept the gradual recovery -- if what you want to do is reduce your drugs.

[Meeka]

So the insomnia is from the zoloft withdrawal?

Is not feeling tired a common thing when this happens? 

 

[Altostrata]

Insomnia is a very very very common psychiatric drug withdrawal symptom. You might also feel fatigued from not sleeping.