sepbtmermaid: I need help - Zoloft

[sepbtmermaid]

Just thought I’d share my story and see what your opinions are. (Sorry a bit long)
I was diagnosed with panic disorder and GAD back in February, After going to the ER thinking I was dying or was having  a nervous break down. I then took some clonazepam .25 mg 1x for two days which really seemed to help me For a couple weeks, then again i experienced the same bad panic attack in March where i took the clonazepam again this time for 4 days 0.25 mg 1x per day. I then felt better for a couple of days. After that i started reading on benzos and decided i should stop taking it and that no matter what panic attack arrised i couldn’t take it again to not become dependent.  Well around day 7 of not taking it anymore my body went into full panic mode, i was experiencing light sensitivity , depersonalization, constant nervous and screaming crying worrying i wasn’t going to get any better not knowing what was happening to me. I then said okay it’s time to get on something else that will help me with anxiety. Immediately my doctor prescribed me zoloft. Which i was freaking out about  starting it and obsessively reading things online abt peoples experience with it. 

starting zoloft was hell in itself . I felt all symptoms you name it. It started with feeling of worried for a couple of days aand then feelings of being okay normal self for the next days and it would just be up and down up and down. I did start to notice that around my menstrual cycle the first month i would get deep feelings of sadness. Like a sadness i had not felt before. That would last until my period went away. the second month again, around my menstrual cycle is when i finally decided to cold turkey as per my doctor . I told her i had been experiencing weird thoughts on it, and that i would get moments of like racing thoughts where my mind wouldn’t shut up and I’d wake up with so much anxiety in the morning like in was going to go into another attack. So she suggested it might be some hormonal  issues interfering with the med and told me to just stop taking it. I asked her if i could taper since i didn’t want to just stop. She said i wasn’t on it long enough to get any withdrawal .I went down to 25 mg two days and then just stopped. When i stoped i felt instantly better back to my normal self For about 2 days and then around 5th day of stopping is when i started having crying spells, , brain zaps, body shocks ,more wnxiety, feeling like i was losing my mind again very worried about my self and getting better. It was just hell. 
Fast forward to a month from withdrawal of zoloft , im still having the really bad down depression 10 days before my period started. Idk what to do at this point. I just feel really angry because i shouldn’t have been put in Ssri if i had no symptoms of depression prior to the zoloft. 
my doctor told me to go on a mood stabilizer which i thought was for bi polar but I’ve never been diagnosed bi polar or had any episodes of mania/ hypomania.  I don’t want to go back to the same doctor that prescribed me the zoloft because. I know they will want to prescribe me something else. It’s getting really hard , i just keep trying to find a solution. Seeing that my vitamin d levels are low trying to bring that up. Just looking to see if there’s something else going on. But i cannot think about going another menstrual cycle feeling like this, it’s unbearable i cannot function it makes me feel like a bad wife and mother.once my period stop i noticed my mood starts to slowly lift back to being my normal self. Can someone share their story or a similar experience to an Ssri 

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  I'm sorry that you had this bad experience with Zoloft.  It sounds like you had an adverse reaction to the Zoloft, but yet your nervous system became dependent on the drug, and when you jumped off, you went into withdrawal.  Do you mainly have the symptoms before and during your period?  How long (how many weeks) were you on the Zoloft? 

 

Can you please give us specific information in your signature about your drug history for all drugs you are on and have been on, especially for the past 18-24 months?  It would be especially helpful to have the details of your drugs in a concise vertical list (no symptoms), only drug names, specific dates (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day) and dosages of each medication decrease or increase.  Use this format:

 

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Etcetera

 

Please read the link below for instructions.  This will allow us to give you the best guidance.  

 

How to List Drug History in Signature

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

These links will explain the issues that go along with an adverse reaction, and how to cope. 

 

Adverse Reaction

 

Techniques for Managing Adverse Reaction

 

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms.  Symptoms of adverse reaction are the same as for withdrawal. 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

Even though you had an adverse reaction, you may be able to handle a very small reinstatement dose.  This could help to reduce your withdrawal symptoms. This is best done very carefully.  This is temporary, and after stabilizing you would then taper gradually off of this.  There is some risk involved, and we need more specifics about your drug history before we can suggest a good dose at which to reinstate.  Here is some information about reinstatement.  

 

About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Please read through the information.  I know there is quite a lot here.  Let us know if you would like to try a reinstatement.