Gotrojans927

[Gotrojans927]

Hello!

 

Here is my history. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed at the idea of all the med calculations for tapering but so hopeful that there might be a path forward to get off these meds after all this time. I’m so grateful for the help.

 

2008-2009: Prozac due to eating disorder 

2009: abruptly stopped Prozac. Withdrawal symptoms and restarted a few months later

2011: switched to Effexor

2012: taper off Effexor and on to Prozac. Moderate physical withdraw. Mental/emotional not too bad due to transition to Prozac

2013: tapered off Prozac. Withdrawal symptoms

2014: Moderate anxiety so started 0.5 Klonopin daily 

2016: added Prozac to klonopin

2016: fast taper off Klonopin did fine had some physical symptoms 

2017: fast taper off Prozac. Very rough physically and emotionally 

2018: extreme anxiety/fear/hypochondria Diagnosed with Hashimotos. restarted Klonopin and Prozac. Added Synthroid for Hashimotos 

2018: fast taper off Klonopin. Did well 

2019: fast taper off Prozac due to pregnancy. Did ok. 

2020: Jan- postpartum. Extreme fear/anxiety. Started 0.5 Klonopin and 20 mg Prozac, Aug-taper off Klonopin and did fine, Nov-fast taper off Prozac due to pregnancy, did ok.

2021: postpartum anxiety July-0.25 Klonopin and 25 Zoloft, August-tapered off Klonopin and did fine

2022: February-tapered off Nexium/Pepcid. That was rough but doing better now. August-attempted taper 12.5 Zoloft but had anxiety and trouble sleeping so went back up to 25 Zoloft 

 

current meds: Synthroid 50 mcg, Zoloft 25 mg

supps: jigsaw adrenal cocktail (vit c, postassium, salt), digestive bitters (6 droppers/day)

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by ChessieCat
resized font and bolded current info headings

[Gotrojans927]

Hello again! I guess I wanted to add some more info to my timeline and talk about what my goals are. I’m a 34 year old female.
 

I was put on SSRIs at 19 due to an eating disorder. I had mild anxiety/depressive symptoms that were definitely all related to the ED. In my 19 year old brain, I would do anything to lose weight so I was happy to try the meds.

 

It’s now almost 15 years later and I believe many of my issues have been caused by withdrawal symptoms and so many med changes. Looking back, the most significant withdrawal period I had was in 2018. I had tapered off of Klonopin 0.5 in the spring of 2017 then tapered from Prozac 20 in the fall of 2017. I had probably mild to moderate physical symptoms (mostly headaches and nausea) and mild to moderate emotional symptoms (depression, anger, hopelessness). I think I finished tapering before the end of 2017 and then in early 2018 started moving in the anxiety direction. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos in March 2018 and that’s when I fell apart. Extreme hypochondria. Constant intrusive thoughts. Saw many many doctors to rule out all these terrible disease I thought I had. I had derealization and depersonalization which were the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. My psych NP put me back on the Prozac and a klonopin and slowly things started to get better.

 

After that I had two pregnancies (2019 and 2021) where I was able to get off the meds during the first trimester. I felt crummy the rest of the pregnancies but just assumed that was being pregnant. Immediately after my daughters were born I had big crashes again similar to 2018. Back on the meds. After my second pregnancy we tried Zoloft instead of Prozac because they said it was safer for breastfeeding. I was able to pretty easily taper off the Klonopin after about a month postpartum. 
 

It’s hard for me to sort out in my mind what are symptoms from Hashimotos vs side effects of the meds. I see now where I was in withdrawal in 2018 for sure. I spent the last 6 months (started April 2022) doing a nutrition coaching program to try to heal the Hashimotos with very little progress. One of the coaches mentioned that Zoloft was a heavy hitting drug and he thought many of my issues were related to it. I was surprised because my Psych NP always acted like I was on such a small dose it shouldn’t even affect me. In August 2022 (I think?)I tried to taper from 25 mg to 12.5 and pretty quickly had trouble sleeping, body aches, weird thoughts/dreams, etc. I stay home with two young children and just couldn’t deal with the symptoms so went back up to the 25 mg. So that’s where I’m at now. 

 

I somehow found this forum and I am so so grateful. It’s like the last 15 years of my life all make sense. I know it’s going to be a long road but I’m thrilled that getting off the meds is even possible. 
 

Does anyone have any experience with differentiating between Hashimotos and med side effects/withdrawal?
 

I currently deal with the following physical symptoms: headaches, fatigue, sugar cravings, unstable blood sugar (not diabetic), brain fog like crazy, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, sometimes body aches, reflux, gas/bloating. 

 

Mental/emotional symptoms: irritability is my main issue, lack of motivation, overwhelm, sometimes random OCD thoughts. Not currently having any issues with hypochondria (a big issue I’ve had in the past) but I do fear the psychiatric symptoms that may come with tapering. 
 

Does anyone have recommendations for my current situation? Should I hold on the 25 of Zoloft since I just did that recent fast taper to make sure I’m stable before starting a 10% taper? Has anyone tried a 5% taper every two weeks to make it even smaller but still have 10% for the month? I’ve read about the brass monkey taper so I thought this might be similar. 
 

Also, I feel very overwhelmed at the idea of the nonstandard dosage calculations and either cutting pills or using liquid. My husband is going to help me but I’d love some reassurance and some recs on whether liquid or tablets would be easier. 
 

thanks in advance for the help!!

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Gotrojans927

 

As I understand it, you are taking 25mg sertraline and want to taper off? Has your nervous system settled from your recent attempt at decreasing?

 

Have you seen Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft)

[Gotrojans927]

Hi @Altostrata,

thanks so much for your response! Yes, that is correct about wanting to taper off of 25 sertraline.

 

I’m thinking my nervous system has probably not completely settled as I’m having some sleep issues and headaches. Are those signs that things are unsettled? I’m just learning about this nervous system stuff.

Yes, I have looked at that forum. I will read through again to make sure I’m not missing anything. It takes me several times of reading something to absorb it all these days.

 

[ChessieCat]

Hi and welcome from me too,

 

SA strongly encourages members to learn and use:

 

Non-drug techniques to cope

 

Stability

 

WDnormal

 

And Brassmonkey talks more about it here:

 

tao-of-the-brassmonkey

 

[Gotrojans927]

I think I’m starting to recognize the nervous system instability from that recent taper attempt. I also remembered that before I tapered I had several nights that I forgot to take my Zoloft and had body aches and headaches the next day. I’m going to hold at the 25 until the start of November to see if I’ve stabilized enough to make my first 10% cut. I emailed my Psych NP to see if she’ll prescribe the Zoloft liquid. My first dose at the 10% taper will be 22.5, correct? Is this easily measured using the liquid?

[ChessieCat]

Please add the date that you started Zoloft (ie before you tried to taper it in August 2022) to your drug signature because it is either not there or is very difficult to work out.  Thank you.

 

I think it would be better to wait for longer before making the next reduction, ie wait until December.  And you might consider making a smaller reduction, for 2.5%, not 10% for the first cut, just to see how you react to reducing the dose.

 

It is better to start from a solid foundation than to start reducing too soon.

[Gotrojans927]

I added it. Sorry about that, I was trying to simplify/fit everything and I must have accidentally deleted it. 
 

Thank you so much for the suggestion. I agree, I definitely would like to start with a solid foundation.

 

Do you always recommend starting with such a low trial taper (2.5%) or are you suggesting for me specifically because of my history?

 

After reading so many other stories and different posts on the forum I’ve realized that the stop/start over the years has definitely damaged my nervous system. Such a shame that psychiatrists aren’t educated about tapering.   
 

Thanks again for your help!:)

 

 

[ChessieCat]

3 hours ago, Gotrojans927 said:

I’ve realized that the stop/start over the years has definitely damaged my nervous system.

 

That is why I'm suggesting you start with a small reduction.  It can be difficult to know if we are completely stable; we might feel like we are okay but we have no idea if the brain is still making adjustments that we cannot notice.  It is better to not have to updose if you reduce by too much.  When I started tapering after I tried reducing from 100mg Pristiq to 50mg Pristiq (which is when I fortunately found SA), my first reduction after 2 months on 75mg was 10% and I ended up having to updose (I was trying to reduce my dose quickly because I was experiencing mild serotonin syndrome).  Thankfully it didn't cause any issues, but it would have been better if I had not had to updose so a smaller reduction to start would have been a good idea which is why I suggest it to other members who have jumped around in dose and experienced withdrawal symptoms.

 

If you are interested you can see my reduction amount and holding times here:  My tapering program  

[ChessieCat]

The effect of stopping and starting psychiatric drugs is cumulative.  We have members who have chopped and changed doses/drugs a number of times with (they say) no issues and then one day they do the same thing and it doesn't work the same way it did the times before because their nervous system has become sensitised.

[Altostrata]

Hello, @Gotrojans927 If I were you, I'd let all those withdrawal symptoms from the last decrease go away before you resume tapering. My guess is this is more than a month away for you.

[Gotrojans927]

Alright, sounds good. I’m going to track my symptoms and just keep holding until I’m feeling stable and understand how my nervous system is functioning a little better. Thank you both so much for your input! I so appreciate it.

 

[Gotrojans927]

Wanted to update my thread. It’s been almost a month since my last post. Feels longer.  Still holding at 25 Zoloft. Have definitely had some ups and downs. Overall pretty stable but struggling with fatigue, headaches, too much sleep at night, lack of motivation, lack of interest in things, feeling slightly distant/detached, and sugar cravings. I’m planning to continue this hold until the start of the new year and then decide if I’m stable enough to try a small taper. Not sure if these symptoms are the response to the withdrawal from august since those symptoms were the opposite of my current ones (anxious, couldn’t sleep, hyper, super motivated). 

[Altostrata]

How has your sleep pattern changed?

 

Do you get headaches at the same time each day? What time is that?

[Gotrojans927]

When I reduced to 12.5, I immediately had trouble falling asleep. Lots of energy until like 11 then trouble falling sleep and waking early. Currently, I’m exhausted after I put my kids to bed by 8. Usually asleep by 9. I wake up 1-2 times but get back to sleep quickly. Have to drag myself out of bed at 6 or 7. Feel exhausted for like an hour after waking.

 

Headaches: I’ve noticed them mid morning (~10) when I get them. Sometimes get them in the afternoon too (~1 or 2). They get more frequent as I approach my cycle. The headaches are new the last few weeks so I’ll try to keep better track them.

 

thanks!!

[Altostrata]

On 11/11/2022 at 5:37 PM, Gotrojans927 said:

Headaches: I’ve noticed them mid morning (~10) when I get them. Sometimes get them in the afternoon too (~1 or 2). They get more frequent as I approach my cycle. The headaches are new the last few weeks so I’ll try to keep better track them.

 

What times o'clock do you take your drugs, with their dosages? Do you drink coffee in the morning?

[Gotrojans927]

@Altostrata I take Synthroid 50 mcg in the morning before I eat, usually around 7 am. I take Zoloft 25 mg at 8 pm. I don’t drink coffee in the am or have caffeine at all. I can’t tolerate it. Hope that helps!

[Gotrojans927]

I woke up this morning and actually felt pretty good. I felt like the fog of depression I’ve been in for the last few weeks had lifted. I had a mild headache/felt slightly hungover but mentally felt SO much better. THEN I realized I forgot to take my Zoloft last night. Not good, haha. I took the Zoloft when I got up and I plan to take my regular dose as normal tonight. Is that the right thing to do? 
 

do you think the reinstatement of the 25 is what is causing the depressive symptoms or is it withdrawal from trying to drop to 12.5 in August.

[Altostrata]

How often do you miss a dose? 

 

Do you get headaches regularly at the same time o'clock?

 

How do you feel before and after taking Zoloft in the evening? When you started Zoloft, did you have any start-up symptoms?

[Gotrojans927]

Hi @Altostrata,

could you please help me. I’m freaking out a little bit. I very foolishly took a dose of hydroxychloroquine (200 mg) last night at 6 pm without checking the drug interactions. Hydroxychloroquine has a strong interaction with sertraline and can cause heart arrhythmia, which is why I’m freaking out. I did not take my sertraline dose last night but I’m concerned about missing any more doses. The pharmacist said the half life of the hydroxychloroquine is like 40 days or something crazy. I obviously cannot stop taking my sertraline for that long. I have an appt to meet with my NP tonight at 6:30 but I’m curious your thoughts or if you’ve come across this situation before. I don’t think my NP is going to be much help.

 

Thank you so much for any info you may have.

[Altostrata]

Sorry, we cannot help you with drug experiments gone wrong. If you suddenly quit Zoloft, you're in far greater risk of severe withdrawal than cardiac problems from a single dose of hydroxychloroquine.

 

If you have further problems, please talk to your doctor.

[Gotrojans927]

Thank you, I appreciate your response. 

[Gotrojans927]

I'm preparing to start my taper again after a long hold. I attempted a fast taper in August 2022 (25 mg to 12.5 mg). I updosed back to 25 mg after several weeks of trouble sleeping and anxiety. The next 5 months were rough and I basically missed a dose every month. It's currently March 2023 and I'm experiencing what I think is "poop out". I'm feeling depressed, apathetic, craving sugar, no energy. I went on a trip a few weeks ago where I had one night of reduced sleep and immediately started experiencing short moments of DP/DR. They resolved quickly after a good nights sleep but it just really showed me how sensitive my nervous system is. I'm nervous to start the taper but I think it might be my only option other than increasing my dose. I would say I'm stable from day to day but extremely sensitive to stress/change in routine.

 

I'm going to use the Brassmonkey sliding scale for my reductions.  Since my nervous system is so sensitive, I'm going to hold my first 2.5% reduction at least 2 weeks to see how I react. 

 

I have liquid and tablets, but I'm not sure the best way to start my reduction. My first reduced dose will be 24.4 mg. I was thinking of doing a divided dose between liquid and tablets. I could cut my 25 mg tablets in half (12.5 mg) and then use liquid for the rest of the dose (11.9 mg). I'm going to have my husband help me with calculating the liquid because I'm extremely confused about how the math works for the dilutions. I've read all of the info in those forums but my brain is scrambled eggs so I can't make any sense of it. If anyone has any suggestions that would be amazing.

 

Thanks!

[Altostrata]

On 3/13/2023 at 6:20 PM, Gotrojans927 said:

The next 5 months were rough and I basically missed a dose every month.

 

Taking doses irregularly can cause rolling withdrawal syndrome and "poop out".

 

On 3/13/2023 at 6:20 PM, Gotrojans927 said:

I would say I'm stable from day to day but extremely sensitive to stress/change in routine.

 

How does this sensitivity show itself?

[Gotrojans927]

54 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Taking doses irregularly can cause rolling withdrawal syndrome and "poop out".

 

That explains why I've been feeling worse and worse while taking the same dose.

 

54 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

How does this sensitivity show itself?

 

Anxiety/panic/vivid thoughts while falling asleep. Fatigue. Moments of DP/DR during the day. 

[Altostrata]

When was the last time you missed a dose or took it off schedule?

 

To taper properly, you'll have to be very regular with your dosing. You cannot skip doses, or you'll confuse withdrawal from that with withdrawal from your taper.

[Gotrojans927]

My last missed dose was January 4th. I’ve since set multiple alarms and have had my husband do the same. I also take at the same time every night. 

[Altostrata]

How has your symptom pattern changed since mid-January?

[Gotrojans927]

I don’t think my symptom patterns have changed much since January. They are the same as they’ve been since the fall just maybe more frequent? Mainly sugar cravings, lack of motivation, hopelessness, the vivid thoughts/panic when falling asleep, fatigue. The only thing new was during a family trip I only got a few hours or sleep and had pretty bad DP/DR the next day. It went away after sleeping normally the next night. I hope that answers your question!

[Altostrata]

On 3/18/2023 at 6:32 AM, Gotrojans927 said:

The only thing new was during a family trip I only got a few hours or sleep and had pretty bad DP/DR the next day.

 

When did this happen?

[Gotrojans927]

February 28

[Altostrata]

Since February 28, how has your symptom pattern changed? Since February 28, have you missed any doses, taken any off schedule, or had alcohol?

[Gotrojans927]

Since February 28 my symptom pattern hasn't changed much, if at all. I have not missed any doses, taken off schedule, or had any alcohol. 

[Altostrata]

But you had symptoms for X days after your trip on February 28, is that correct? What were they, how long did they last?

[Gotrojans927]

Yes. I only got a few hours of sleep on February 27. On February 28 I had several episodes of DP/DR which were more intense than I’ve experienced in the last year. (They are usually very fleeting moments and they maybe only happen a few times a month.) After I slept normally that night (Feb 28) the DP/DR went back to baseline and was no longer distressing. During the beginning of trip I did have more frequent issues with panic while falling asleep. The trip was 10 days in total. By Day 5 I would say symptoms had resolved back to baseline level. Hope that answers your questions!

[Altostrata]

On 10/10/2022 at 6:50 PM, Gotrojans927 said:

I’m thinking my nervous system has probably not completely settled as I’m having some sleep issues and headaches. Are those signs that things are unsettled? I’m just learning about this nervous system stuff.

 

Is this resolved?