Wifey004: Humble plea from a spouse.

[Wifey004]

My husband is not doing well. He wants to change...but he doesn't have the motivation right now to research and find a solution so I am advocating on his behalf.  We desperately need advice.

History:

•2013-2021: Lexapro 20mg
In those years he tried to wean himself off at least once and would forget to take pills or run out of an rx for a few days which always led to fuzzy/light headedness. He was frustrated because he felt like he didn't need the medication anymore but he had to take it to avoid withdrawals. 

•Feb/March of 2021 he'd had enough and  weaned himself off over a few months going from 20 to 10 to 5 to none.

 •May 2021-September 2021 no medication.  The withdrawals were brutal. I don't know exactly what he felt, he kept to himself and was generally very irritable.  In September he decided to talk to his primary care Dr and get a new rx.  She recommended Zoloft.

•October 2021-Now: 50mg Zoloft increased to 75 in December currently backed himself down to 50.
Zoloft is way worse.  Could it be hypersensitivity?  He has no sex drive and avoids touch.  He doesn't really have feelings  but expresses an underlying general unhappiness. He's having anxiety in situations that previously were not stressful for him. Easily irritated.

We know his nervous system is sensitized and the taper needs to be super slow.  My question is do we have him reverse out of Zoloft (since he feels so terrible on it) back onto Lexapro and do the gradual taper on Lexapro?  Or does he just deal with how Zoloft makes him feel and do the taper on Zoloft?
Any other thoughts or recommendations?  Thank you so much in advance...finding this community has given me a glimmer of hope.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by ChessieCat
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[Kiasofia]

Welcome @Wifey004

I'm glad you found us. This forum is run by volunteers who have been through and survived, or are surviving, the negative effects of psychiatric drugs. Your husbands taper was very fast. A successful taper can take many years to complete. We advocate a slow taper of 10% of current dose every 4 weeks. It would have been best to have restarted Lexapro at a low dose (1mg), not Zoloft. But it is possible he would have reacted negatively to Lexapro also. Restarting these drugs after stopping doesn't always work and can make people feel worse.

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

 

Now that he has been taking Zoloft for a few months, a switch back to Lexapro could cause Zoloft withdrawal and further sensitize his central nervous system. So it's not recommended. Rather he can try tapering to a dose that causes less side effects, stabilize there for a while and then slowly taper off.

Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft)

NEVER SKIP DOSES TO TAPER

 

Have you noticed a change in symptoms when reducing Zoloft from 75mg to 50mg? This is a big reduction that can cause withdrawal symptoms. How long has he been on 50mg? It can take at least a month to stabilize on a new dose. Often longer. Especially if the reduction was too big.

What is withdrawal syndrome?

Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization  

 

I recommend learning more about these drugs and their effects:

The Council for Evidence based Psychiatry

Interview with Whitaker - anatomy of an epidemic

 

When your husband is ready to taper it would be best if he can create his own account so that we can work directly with him. If you have further questions we can try to answer them though. Please ask them in this introduction thread. Wishing you both better times to come❤️

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Kiasofia