FVFI Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 Coming off zoloft, was on 137.5, now on 100 within 2 monthes. Still anxious but not as bad as last year. Was on 5 that was moved to 137.5 but it did not really help. Getting accupunture and foods and tea with l theanine. Have been on 100 10 days now. Don't now where to go from here. Anxiety is I the am not at night. Link to comment
Moderator Onmyway Posted July 3, 2022 Moderator Share Posted July 3, 2022 On 7/1/2022 at 3:54 PM, FVFI said: Coming off zoloft, was on 137.5, now on 100 within 2 monthes. Still anxious but not as bad as last year. Was on 5 that was moved to 137.5 but it did not really help. Getting accupunture and foods and tea with l theanine. Have been on 100 10 days now. Don't now where to go from here. Anxiety is I the am not at night. Hi @FVFI, welcome to SA. Your post is hard to understand and too brief to make sense of what is happening. Can you please fill in your drug signature. How to List Drug History in Signature - Introductions and updates - Surviving Antidepressants Here is a video that explains drug withdrawal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSjYH044-2Q We recommend reducing your dosage by no more than 10% of your previous dose every 4 weeks. Some people need to go even slower. Why taper by 10% of my dosage? - Tapering - Surviving Antidepressants Why taper? SERT transporter occupancy studies show importance of gradual change in plasma concentration - Tapering - Surviving Antidepressants Here are FAQs on tapering. Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ - Tapering - Surviving Antidepressants You can find more info on your symptoms here: Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants Hope you start feeling better soon, OMW "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment
Mentor RachelSusan Posted July 3, 2022 Mentor Share Posted July 3, 2022 @FVFI I see you are new and that Onmyway is helping you. I wanted to welcome you as well. I am not a moderator so I don't give any suggestions about tapering and reinstating or any of those things. I have however walked in your shoes and had a terrible time getting of Zolfot. As of Jan 1, 2022, after a very long and slow taper I was able to stop completely. I am grateful to the moderators and this site for helping me to achieve my goal. I am sure the moderators will be a great assert to you as well. If I can answer any questions about my situation and what it took for me to get off I am always happy to do so. Warm wishes. Rachel 1 I am not a health professional in any way. I do not give medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner. NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20, 575 to 500 (13%), Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg Medications: Gabapentin, Prednisone 1.5mg a day, Cortisol Inhaler daily. HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER Feb. 2016 to June 2016 - Was on 150mg Zoloft. Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June 2016, reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016. From July 2016 to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper. STARTING SENSIBLE ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE Dec. 10 2016 - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg. Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mg. Feb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%). Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg. May 9, 2020 1.375 mg. June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%). July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%). August 15, 2020 1.0 mg. Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg. Nov. 28, 2020 .75mg. Jan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%). Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg. May 1, 2021 .375mg. May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg. October 2, 2021 .043mg. October 10, 2021 .038mg. October 23, 2021 .035mg. October 30, 2021 .032mg. Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg. Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg. Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY Link to comment
FVFI Posted July 3, 2022 Author Share Posted July 3, 2022 Thank you Rachel, I am on 100 now and will go very slow. I am glad you were successful and I hope better now. I do have a question for you, I find my anxiety and fear and worse in the day and much better at night. Did this happen at all to you? Thanks, Fran Ps, I am better but not my old self. Link to comment
Moderator Onmyway Posted July 4, 2022 Moderator Share Posted July 4, 2022 Hi Fran, this is very common in WD. Mornings tend to be bad and evenings tend to be better. This is due to the sensitivity to the natural increase and then decrease of cortisol during the day. There are a few tips that may help here. Please don't forget to fill in your signature (see my earlier post for a link to how to do it). OMW "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment
Mentor RachelSusan Posted July 4, 2022 Mentor Share Posted July 4, 2022 @FVFI Hi Fran, Yes mornings were much worse for me. There were some other strange things about withdrawal. For example, for almost a year every day at around 2 or 3 p.m. I would start shaking, feel hot, and start sweating to the point where other people would notice it. It would last for about 30 minutes and then go away. I always said to myself to expect the unexpected with withdrawal. The good news is that after I slowed down on my taper it all worked rather nicely and I was able to get on with my life. I am not a health professional in any way. I do not give medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner. NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20, 575 to 500 (13%), Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg Medications: Gabapentin, Prednisone 1.5mg a day, Cortisol Inhaler daily. HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER Feb. 2016 to June 2016 - Was on 150mg Zoloft. Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June 2016, reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016. From July 2016 to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper. STARTING SENSIBLE ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE Dec. 10 2016 - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg. Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mg. Feb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%). Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg. May 9, 2020 1.375 mg. June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%). July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%). August 15, 2020 1.0 mg. Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg. Nov. 28, 2020 .75mg. Jan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%). Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg. May 1, 2021 .375mg. May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg. October 2, 2021 .043mg. October 10, 2021 .038mg. October 23, 2021 .035mg. October 30, 2021 .032mg. Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg. Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg. Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY Link to comment
Mentor RachelSusan Posted July 4, 2022 Mentor Share Posted July 4, 2022 @FVFI By the way, the reason the mods need your medication signature is in order to answer your questions in a way that is tailor made for you and your situation. You can see mine as an example or look at Onmyway's. I didn't want to do this at first but then I realized how important it is. You may also want to think about getting decaffeinated green tea. I had to cut out everything with caffeine while tapering. I drink green tea myself and it is hard to get it decaffeinated but I did manage to find some on Amazon. No guarantees but it might possibly help a little bit with the anxiety. I am not a health professional in any way. I do not give medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner. NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20, 575 to 500 (13%), Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg Medications: Gabapentin, Prednisone 1.5mg a day, Cortisol Inhaler daily. HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER Feb. 2016 to June 2016 - Was on 150mg Zoloft. Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June 2016, reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016. From July 2016 to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper. STARTING SENSIBLE ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE Dec. 10 2016 - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg. Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mg. Feb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%). Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg. May 9, 2020 1.375 mg. June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%). July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%). August 15, 2020 1.0 mg. Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg. Nov. 28, 2020 .75mg. Jan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%). Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg. May 1, 2021 .375mg. May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg. October 2, 2021 .043mg. October 10, 2021 .038mg. October 23, 2021 .035mg. October 30, 2021 .032mg. Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg. Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg. Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY Link to comment
Mountainsky Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 Hi Fran, I am on Zoloft as well. Went on it in October 2020. My highest dose was 100 mg. I wanted off after several months due to my extensive history with psych drugs but I was so desperate for relief of my anxiety ( which is very much situational) and kept putting off my taper. Then on my birthday this past March I really made a commitment to move forward with my taper. I've been experimenting with different ways to taper ( liquid form, making my own liquid, and cutting and weighing etc). It's frustrating and there are times I just want to throw in the towel and go cold turkey. Since tapering in March at 100mg I am now down to 75mg. I feel no different but that's when I know psych drugs just never were for me and gave me zero benefit. Paxil (I believe) gave me the most issues. To keep it short with Paxil I was on it for almost 10 years at 40mg then in late 2018 tapered...40mg to zero in only 2 months, yea not good. That's why I'm really going slow with the Zoloft taper. It stinks I know. Hang in there! 2009-2018, Paxil 40 mg. Tapered-0mg in 6 weeks. October 2020-May 2021 Zoloft, 25mg, 50mg, then 100mg. Tapered 25mg a week then 0mg less than a month. July 2021- Zoloft reinstated 25mg 1 week , 50 mg 1 week later, 100mg 2 weeks later. March 2022- began taper from 100mg, 10%/ 4 weeks. Got to 75mg around July 2022. Bad fatigue, body pain, OCD thoughts, intrusive fears/thoughts, occasional nightmares, memory loss, tongue tied, more frequent headaches, fear of losing everything, bipolar like behavior, paranoia that everyone is watching and judging me, unprovoked anger/rage, occasional flu like symptoms, dizziness, hair loss becoming the norm in the last few months. Still in treatment for Lyme Disease and Bartonella 4 years later as well as for Mycotoxins, EBV, MCAS with no resolution or positive responses to treatment protocols. May 2023-August 2023 75mg-62.5mg. August 2023-Current 50mg Link to comment
FVFI Posted July 4, 2022 Author Share Posted July 4, 2022 6 hours ago, Mountainsky said: Hi Fran, I am on Zoloft as well. Went on it in October 2020. My highest dose was 100 mg. I wanted off after several months due to my extensive history with psych drugs but I was so desperate for relief of my anxiety ( which is very much situational) and kept putting off my taper. Then on my birthday this past March I really made a commitment to move forward with my taper. I've been experimenting with different ways to taper ( liquid form, making my own liquid, and cutting and weighing etc). It's frustrating and there are times I just want to throw in the towel and go cold turkey. Since tapering in March at 100mg I am now down to 75mg. I feel no different but that's when I know psych drugs just never were for me and gave me zero benefit. Paxil (I believe) gave me the most issues. To keep it short with Paxil I was on it for almost 10 years at 40mg then in late 2018 tapered...40mg to zero in only 2 months, yea not good. That's why I'm really going slow with the Zoloft taper. It stinks I know. Hang in there! 8 hours ago, RachelSusan said: @FVFI Hi Fran, Yes mornings were much worse for me. There were some other strange things about withdrawal. For example, for almost a year every day at around 2 or 3 p.m. I would start shaking, feel hot, and start sweating to the point where other people would notice it. It would last for about 30 minutes and then go away. I always said to myself to expect the unexpected with withdrawal. The good news is that after I slowed down on my taper it all worked rather nicely and I was able to get on with my life. Hi RachelSusan, thank you. I will slowly taper. My psychiatrist whom I do not like said I could never come off but why should I stay on something that does not work. Also, most of my life I was not on any meds. I never thought this would happen with an ssri. I was on klonopin for 18 months on a low dose and came off it almost a year ago. It was horrible. Most of the side effects from that went away but I wonder if I still have some small effects. Also, the world is in chaos which can make some of us feel worse. Thanks again, Fran. Ps, I am glad you are better. 1 Link to comment
FVFI Posted July 4, 2022 Author Share Posted July 4, 2022 6 hours ago, Mountainsky said: Hi Fran, I am on Zoloft as well. Went on it in October 2020. My highest dose was 100 mg. I wanted off after several months due to my extensive history with psych drugs but I was so desperate for relief of my anxiety ( which is very much situational) and kept putting off my taper. Then on my birthday this past March I really made a commitment to move forward with my taper. I've been experimenting with different ways to taper ( liquid form, making my own liquid, and cutting and weighing etc). It's frustrating and there are times I just want to throw in the towel and go cold turkey. Since tapering in March at 100mg I am now down to 75mg. I feel no different but that's when I know psych drugs just never were for me and gave me zero benefit. Paxil (I believe) gave me the most issues. To keep it short with Paxil I was on it for almost 10 years at 40mg then in late 2018 tapered...40mg to zero in only 2 months, yea not good. That's why I'm really going slow with the Zoloft taper. It stinks I know. Hang in there! Thank you, I was on 137.5 for about 9 months. Before that on 50 for about 9 years. I am now on 100 and also do not feel a difference. I don't think it works for me either. Link to comment
FVFI Posted July 4, 2022 Author Share Posted July 4, 2022 17 hours ago, Onmyway said: Hi Fran, this is very common in WD. Mornings tend to be bad and evenings tend to be better. This is due to the sensitivity to the natural increase and then decrease of cortisol during the day. There are a few tips that may help here. Please don't forget to fill in your signature (see my earlier post for a link to how to do it). OMW Thank you Link to comment
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