Impotentfury1977: So far into WD, but where do I go now?

[Impotentfury1977]

Dear SA

 

I took my last dose of Sertraline/Zoloft on the 23rd of May 2022 having started taking it approximately the same month in 2019.  Having only just recently joined SA I now know that going from 50mg a day to 0mg a day in 24 hours was a bad idea!  The WD symptoms have been severe.  I wont list them all here as I'm sure most of you will be familiar with them. However as of the beginning of July while the other WD symptoms have subsided I'm still having paresthesia (all over body hot and cold pins and needles), muscle pain, joint pain and a burning sensations in my arms, in particular my hands.

 

I had a blood test from my GP which came back looking fine (GP said that some of my measures were 'excellent').  But I live in a constant state of fear that these are not WD but something more serious and terminal (anxious much?) I quite like myself not on AD's, I feel like my old self before all my problems started years ago but I have been making active plans to start taking an AD called Duloxetine (SSNI) only in very small 5mg doses (daily minimum is 30mg).  I'm considering going back onto anti-depressants just to find some relief from the WD.  The GP gave me a prescription for Duloxetine at my last appointment but I have yet to take it.  I feel like what I need is a point in time in the future to aim at that I can say 'okay, I need to try a new approach to defeat WD because the others have plateaued'

 

Questions:

Will going back on AD at a very small dose of 5mg be enough to remove my current WD symptoms?  As in somehow it will 'trick' my nervous system into thinking it has the drug back without becoming an addict again.  Does that make sense?

 

Does anyone else have the same experience of having lingering paresthesia long after other symptoms have subsided?

 

Has the amount of time I have been WD even that long by comparison.

 

Thank you in advance for any and all commentary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Frogie]

@Impotentfury1977

 

Welcome to SA. We are a volunteer ran site helping people taper off psychiatric medications or have tapered off and are healing.

 

This is your introduction page where you will receive information, ask questions and meet other members. We ask that you only have one introduction page so we can keep all your information in one place.

 

Can you please create a signature.

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature

 

Because you basically went off Sertraline/Zoloft cold turkey, that is why you are having the wd symptoms you are having.

 

Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist

 

I would not start a different antidepressant at this point. I would try 1 mg Sertraline and hold 7-10 days to see if that brings some relief. You can always updose in small amounts if needed, but it's much harder to go down in dosage.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

What is withdrawal syndrome?

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

 

What is happening in your brain? - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

 

How psychiatric drugs remodel your brain - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft)

 

We don't suggest a lot of supplements on here because they can be stimulating. But we do suggest 2. You could try one in a small amount and wait a few days before introducing the other.

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

 

After you have read the links provided, please reach out with any questions you may have.

 

 

[Impotentfury1977]

Dear Frogie

 

Thank you for the information.  I will take some time to read it and make an informed decision in due course.  I think it best to take the time to do it right this time rather than try to rush to feel better only to end up feeling worse.  I agree with you that if I do reinstate Sertraline then a 1mg dose carefully monitored with a diary is the best approach.  Im currently still learning about how my mind and body are reacting to withdrawal.  Having just read about 'sensitisation' I now realise how much of my AD experience has been my reaction to the AD, NOT my being somehow fundamentally broken.

 

At this stage of WD I'm just trying to alleviate paresthesia and joint and muscle pain.  I feel extremely lucky considering some of the other stories Ive read on SA and hopeful that there is a better tomorrow for all of us.

 

All the best

[Blossom71]

Hi @Impotentfury1977

Just wanted to say Hi.   I am also in the UK and tapering sertraline.

 

Every time I have done a drop that is too large the joint pain is the thing I find the most unbearable.  With trail and error I've now found the level of drops that seem to suit me.   Did you re-instate?

[Impotentfury1977]

Hi Blossom71

 

Thankyou for getting in touch.  I know that my joint pain is WD related still my spirits are lifted when I know Im not alone in this.  I am making plans to reinstate at 1mg a day whilst keep a meticulous daily diary.  Im still working through the process of how to accurately create a 1mg dose.  I have all the equipment necessary but just need to practice using it.  I think that within the next 7 days I should have the process perfected.  Im hoping that reinstatement will help bring the joint pain under control.

 

 

 

 

[Impotentfury1977]

Ive decided that today Im going to reinstate Sertraline at 25mg daily.  I tried to work out the process for a 1mg dose but the truth is Im just so tired and worn out from the WD that I cant bring myself to get it done.  Breaking a 50mg tablet in half is the easiest thing at this point.  I can barely function on wave days.  Im praying that if I can stabilise my WD at 25mg then over the next several years I can bring the dose down by 10% increments.

 

 

 

 

   

[Impotentfury1977]

Starting from the 30th of July 2022 and lasting until Thursday 11th of August. I was experiencing very serious and painful side effects from Reinstating 25mg of Sertraline on the 29th.  Shooting/flashing pain and painful constant aching from my groin, pelvis, abdomen and all through my genitals.  The pain and fear this has caused I'm sure many of you will have experienced first hand.  I decided that I had to stop immediately and ALL the previous pains have subsided as the 'drug' has left my system on the 15th of August 2022

 

The reinstatement at 25mg DID have the desired effect of stopping the other withdrawal symptoms I was experiencing but at a very painful cost.  I made my decision to discontinue for a 2nd time from reading through various accounts on this website.  So many men and women have felt this pain that I understood that Sertraline was the primary cause.  Of course the other WD symptoms have returned but Im glad that I know what they are and have some means of dealing with them.

 

[ChessieCat]

From Post #1 of the Reinstatement topic that Frogie gave the link to above:

 

On 10/9/2012 at 10:17 AM, Altostrata said:

 

If you had adverse effects while you were taking the drug, a low dose may not trigger the adverse effects but still reduce withdrawal symptoms. Adverse effects tend to be dosage-related: The higher the dose, the worse the reaction.

 

 

[Impotentfury1977]

Bless you ChessieCat. That gives me a way forward if I still need to reinstate.  Thankyou