Njm80: tickling sensation - sertaline - Is this gonna be worth it?

[Njm80]

Hi all

I've been taking SSRI medication for about 10 years now and have been taking Sertaline for about 3 of those which I'm currently on. 

 

I wanted to try and come off these to test whether or not I am who I should be if that makes sense. 

 

I went on medication after an awful bout of Depression and OCD which took about 6 months of my life and then years after to recover. 

 

I currently taking 100mg one day and 50mg the next in an aim to reduce and come off completely. 

 

At the moment though I'm having a tickling sensation which if was temporary could be perceived as quite nice however it's relentless and lasts all day. It's like someone slowly tickling your feet. 

 

Other times it feels like ants in your feet, my hands also have this feeling however not as severe. 

It's been about 5 weeks now since calling my doctor thinking I had athlete's foot or MS....

 

He recognised it instantly as a symptom of dropping down however I thought it would have passed at this stage. 

 

It's not been everyday, it seems to come for 4 days and then goes or when I'm busy I don't notice it. 

 

Just after a bit of reassurance really. I know some have it way worse so I'm not moaning as my mood hasn't altered. 

 

Life is very different than 10 years ago in many ways so I wanted to see who I was now even though the idea these change who you are has never really been proved or documentated. 

 

It's a big risk coming off as the place 10 years ago is somewhere I would never like to re visit as the 9 week wait for this kind of meds to start to work is unbearable. 

 

Anyway I'm rambling. Thanks for taking time to have read, any nice positive outcomes welcome.

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, Njm80.  We're happy to help you with your Zoloft taper.

 

To start, we strongly recommend against tapering by alternating doses.  It causes the amount of the medication in your bloodstream to go up and down, battering your nervous system and making withdrawal worse.  How long have you been alternating doses?  Once you're answered that question, we'll be able to advise you on a stable dose and, once you've stabilized on that dose, advise you on a safe taper.

 

We recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your current dose every four weeks.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

This link is specifically about tapering Zoloft, including how to get the 

Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft)

 

The tickling/tingling feeling you describe is a typical withdrawal symptom.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Paresthesia: Pins & Needles, Numbness, Tingling, Burning ...

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium (glycerinate is a good form) and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can ask questions, answer my question and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Njm80]

Hi Grindley, I would say it’s been around 5-6 weeks, this was the advised way to proceed by my doctor. It’s tablet form by the€ way. 
 

The tickling hasn’t been everyday. However tonight it’s driving me mad!
 

Thanks for taking time. 

[Gridley]

1 hour ago, Njm80 said:

this was the advised way to proceed by my doctor.

It's a terrible method.  

 

I'd suggest you stabilize by taking a consistent dose of 75mg every day around the same time.  Then I would give yourself 3 months, perhaps more, on that dose. Once you're feeling stable, you can begin a slow, safe 10% taper down to zero.  If you're able to split a 50mg tablet in half using a pill cutter (available at pharmacies) and get a consistent dose, that should be fine.  If the tablet crumbles, you'll need to use one of the methods described in the Tips for Tapering Sertraline link I provided previously, either using a scale to measure doses or using a liquid form of the drug.

[Njm80]

Hi Gridely

 

My tabs are 100mg doses. If I go to the doctor's this week should I ask for 50mg doses to try the above? 

[ChessieCat]

Another idea is to request 50mg tablets and liquid sertraline so you can take part of your dose 50mg in tablet and the rest as liquid.

 

OR

 

You could get 50mg tablets and take 50mg tablet and make your own liquid with a 50mg tablet, or 100mg tablet if you still have them.  You could get 4 doses from 1 x 100mg tablet.  It lasts about 4 days.

Edited August 23, 2020 by ChessieCat

[Njm80]

Thanks so much guys. Can I ask when you came off medication did you feel any different or just free because you didn't have foreign chemicals knocking about your bodies? 

 

I only stayed on meds as I was so so scared of returning back to that place. I have small relapses from time to time but nothing like that. 

[ChessieCat]

People getting off their psychiatric drug need to learn skills to cope with whatever was the reason they started the drug in the first place.