Lenyams: Feeling bad during slow taper from Sertraline! Help

[Lenyams]

Two years ago I was cross tapered from citalopram 20 to Sertraline 50 with all the side effects that everyone knows!

to make long story short , I tried in 2023 to taper on advice of my GP from 50 to 25!

the first week was ok but starting the second week I developed severe wd symptoms (panic, heart palpitations, nausea , not sleeping, couldn’t stop crying, completely debilitated)

I couldn’t go to my work as I am

a flight attendant and you can imagine that I couldn’t function as I have different shifts !

I immediately went back to 50 after 3 weeks of pushing through the symptoms!

The symptoms started to ease but I was feeling really not myself and it took a while to stabilize.

 

In April of 2024 I visited a psychiatrist who told me to taper again and he also said cut 50% and then from 25 try go easier. I was sure that it was wrong and I asked him to give liquid Sertraline and try to go easier as I saw YouTube videos of dr.Mark Horowitz who says hyperbolic taper would be preferable.

So I got the liquid form and knowing that I’m sensitive to taper I cut 10% of 50 mg (in liquid ) 2,25 ml

After 1 week I started feeling bad so i reinstated till 2,35 which settled !

When settled I started very slow

by 0,01 ml reducing!

after each 0.01 reduction I would struggle with symptoms(anxiety, dizzy, nausea, breathing quickly, insomnia , nightmares,)for 2-3 weeks after which would settle and I dit it this was for the last 3 months!

my last reduction of 0,01 was in June 20th and since then could go further cause. It seemed to be settled in July by 15th but now since 2 weeks I started getting horrible WD even worse after each 0,01 reduction even though I haven’t tapered anymore!

I thought I’m getting crazy cause it’s really debilitating ( crying for no reason, heart palpitations and anxiety, feeling fog in my brain,

insomnia, irritable, panic, nausea and Gi problems such as diarrhea every day!

I couldn’t go to work again after all the suffering so today is my second day that I reinstated 0,04 ml back so I’m no taking 2,34 ml

back hoping that this will ease.

it seems that psychiatrist do t understand what we are going through.

did someone experience something similar??? I’m desperate! Pls tell me I’m not crazy even though I’m feeling so!

what is this? Why despite the slow taper I’m going through this and why has to be so difficult!

I don’t know how slower should I taper cause this is slower than most people would do!

its like my CNS is turning against me! I’m desperate!

would be really happy if someone can reassure me!

I hope the reinstatement of 0,04 ml will help as I didn’t want to go back up to 2,50ml!

im really thankful for all the support on this site and to the creator of this site and all the members 🌹

God bless you all!

Edited August 5 by Emonda
Name to title

[Erimus]

Hello, and welcome to Surviving Antidepressants. We are a peer support forum to assist in tapering off psychiatric drugs safely, or recovering from psychiatric drug withdrawal.

 

This topic is for anything relating to you, and any questions you have. Please do not start another topic.

 

All the answers you are looking for regarding tapering and antidepressant withdrawal are on this site. Please search around and continue to read as much as you can manage. Use the site search function to search for specific words or phrases, such as drugs or symptoms.

 

Is 2.50ml of your liquid equal to 50mg sertraline? Are you taking your dose at the same time every day? What syringe are you using to measure your dose? At such small amounts it can become difficult to accurately measure the liquid.

 

On 8/4/2024 at 12:53 PM, Lenyams said:

did someone experience something similar???

Yes, you are not the only one who has to taper extremely slowly.

[Lenyams]

I use 1 syringe of 2ml and 1 of 1ml(the insuline type)!

I do take it at the same time!

I feel myself strange and have anxiety , dizziness!

I have been outside in the sun in the last 2 weeks and it was so warm! I felt since then very dizzy and not myself! Could it be that I had a heat exhaustion and my nervous system beeing sensitive at the moment to react like this? I also experience a lot of GI problems since then (diarrhea, gasses, nausea on top of all the other symptoms, but it’s strange why now cause 2-3 weeks after the last small reduction I started to feel ok for 2 weeks and now I get this 😥

 

[Erimus]

It would be beneficial for you to keep some daily symptom notes for a week or two, and then post them here.

 

See this guide on how to best collect the notes:

 

Tracking your symptoms with daily notes

 

20 hours ago, Lenyams said:

I have been outside in the sun in the last 2 weeks and it was so warm! I felt since then very dizzy and not myself! Could it be that I had a heat exhaustion and my nervous system beeing sensitive at the moment to react like this?

Yes, we are extra sensitive to any adverse weather.

 

  

20 hours ago, Lenyams said:

I also experience a lot of GI problems since then (diarrhea, gasses, nausea on top of all the other symptoms, but it’s strange why now cause 2-3 weeks after the last small reduction I started to feel ok for 2 weeks and now I get this

 

Have you changed brand of liquid, or has it been sat in the sun at any point? Do you keep it in the fridge, and how long have you kept it since opening it?

Edited August 6 by Erimus

[AriesGirl]

I experienced a lot of GI problems which I thought may of been from switching to the liquid Sertraline for tapering.  First 2  months were fine, then slowly after that started having bad stomach pain and cramps, extreme nausea, gas, bloating, distended stomach, stomach hard and eventually got to be unbearable.  I contributed it to the liquid but then I found out that a lot of that could be just from withdrawal symptoms because by this time I was starting to experience severe withdrawal symptoms from tapering too fast.   So I really don't know if it was from the liquid or withdrawal symptoms.  Would like to know if anyone else has had similar symptoms from liquid Sertraline.   I also questioned if maybe the liquid went bad.  It had a one year expiration date, however, but when you google how long it's good for after opening it says 30 days.  Couldn't find any literature on it specifically "after opening".  Called different pharmacies, got different answers.  So frustrating!

[Erimus]

13 hours ago, AriesGirl said:

I experienced a lot of GI problems which I thought may of been from switching to the liquid Sertraline for tapering.  First 2  months were fine, then slowly after that started having bad stomach pain and cramps, extreme nausea, gas, bloating, distended stomach, stomach hard and eventually got to be unbearable.  I contributed it to the liquid but then I found out that a lot of that could be just from withdrawal symptoms because by this time I was starting to experience severe withdrawal symptoms from tapering too fast.   So I really don't know if it was from the liquid or withdrawal symptoms.  Would like to know if anyone else has had similar symptoms from liquid Sertraline.   I also questioned if maybe the liquid went bad.  It had a one year expiration date, however, but when you google how long it's good for after opening it says 30 days.  Couldn't find any literature on it specifically "after opening".  Called different pharmacies, got different answers.  So frustrating!

How long have you been using it since you opened it? It only lasts so long.

[Lenyams]

Unfortunately I had to go back on 50mg and stop the tapering because I cannot function , I became so disabled and had to call sick at work !

I talked to my prescriber who told me I must be very sensitive to tapering and maybe it’s not the good time…

I was becoming a zombie and couldn’t even listen to a normal conversation without having intense anxiety and heart palpitations plus dizziness…

I don’t know guys how will I manage to ever quit this medication .

maybe I’ll be for ever on it!

im so happy to have this place here where we can express ourselves!

[AriesGirl]

I got a 90 day supply from the pharmacy because it was a little cheaper.  I got 3 bottles, 1 was from the original manufacturer and sealed and the other 2 bottles were the plastic bottles from the pharmacy where they poured in the liquid sertraline.  So I really have no idea how long the liquid in the other 2 bottles were opened.  Do you think that had something to do with it?  

[Erimus]

1 hour ago, Lenyams said:

Unfortunately I had to go back on 50mg and stop the tapering because I cannot function , I became so disabled and had to call sick at work !

I talked to my prescriber who told me I must be very sensitive to tapering and maybe it’s not the good time…

I was becoming a zombie and couldn’t even listen to a normal conversation without having intense anxiety and heart palpitations plus dizziness…

I don’t know guys how will I manage to ever quit this medication .

maybe I’ll be for ever on it!

im so happy to have this place here where we can express ourselves!

I would suggest holding on 50mg for the next 6+ months. When you try to taper again use the dry-cutting method, rather than switching to a liquid. That way you stay on the same composition of the drug.

[Lenyams]

Thank you for your advice!

I just don’t understand how could I be ok the first 2 months without sever wd symptoms and starting the 3rd month I begin to develop this horrible nasty debilitating symptoms!

its like I’m not feeling myself, I feel the world is ending , so scary 😨!

what have I done wrong despite the tiny, tiny reductions!

it was just 0,01 ml every three weeks!

in total I quit like 5’mg converted to liquid over 3 months!

why I started to feel this way when everything was going so smoothly in the beginning!

if this is the case now , I cannot imagine how I would feel myself going more down!

glad I did it carefully and haven’t gone to quick cause now I could return to 50mg quickly…and still feeling crap without energy and motivation…!

thank you everyone for your support 

[Lenyams]

By the way ! This is my 3rd day back on 50mg…how long will take to feel normal again?

[Erimus]

1 hour ago, Lenyams said:

I just don’t understand how could I be ok the first 2 months without sever wd symptoms and starting the 3rd month I begin to develop this horrible nasty debilitating symptoms!

Could be that your liquid expired and you were still using it.

[Lenyams]

Just now, Erimus said:

Could be that your liquid expired and you were still using it.

No! The liquid bottle was new! I would get every month a new one!