JustDeb: intro - tapering Zoloft after 20 years

[JustDeb]

Hi. I've been on Zoloft for over 20 years and have tried to get off of it several times. The last time I swore to myself I would never do it  again because I got so sick. No one bothered to warn me that there would be side effects  or withdrawal, although I did taper over 6 months. 

 

Last night I started a new taper.  I'm also going to work on some cbt and maybe dbt to help with the mental health issues.  That is all for now. 

[ChessieCat]

Hi JustDeb and welcome to SA,

 

It is really great that you have found SA and know about tapering your drug.

 

What reduction have you made?  I am hoping that you have already found the information about tapering.  Just in case you haven't I will provide the information for you.

 

SA's recommended tapering protocol is to reduce by no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of at least 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.  If  you have made a reduction of more than 10% then my suggestion would be to increase your dose to the amount that you would have been taking if you had made a 10% reduction.  For example if you have reduced to 75mg from 100mg that is a 25% reduction.  The 10% reduction of 100mg would be 90mg so you would take 90mg the next dose you take instead of 75mg.  The sooner you do this the better.  It is not worth continuing on the 75mg and risk getting withdrawal symptoms in a few days time because it can destabilise your nervous system and can take longer for you to stabilise again.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

If the drug is taken away too quickly we can experience withdrawal symptoms.

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Post #1 of this topic explains to how to get non standard doses of your drug:

 

Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft)

 

SA encourages members to learn and use non drug coping techniques.  These will not stop withdrawal symptoms or get rid of them if they occur but can help us to cope with them if they do happen.  However the idea of tapering is to keep withdrawal symptoms to a minimum so that we can live our life as normally as possible.  If you experience bad withdrawal symptoms or symptoms that do not resolve quickly after a reduction it is a sign that you are tapering too quickly.  It is important to listen to your body/symptoms and taper according to those.  If at the 4 week mark you are still experiencing withdrawal symptoms then it is better to hold for longer.

 

Stability

 

WDnormal

 

And Brassmonkey talks more about it here:

 

tao-of-the-brassmonkey

 

Please create your drug signature following these instructions.  Remember to update it with the date and the new dose whenever you make a change.

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature

 

This is your own Introduction topic which is the best place to ask questions and journal your progress.