tiredbuttrying: My experience so far with tapering off Sertraline

[tiredbuttrying]

Hello,

 

I am a 23 year old aspie and I am currently tapering off of Sertraline.

 

I have been on sertraline since I was 12. In 2020, I tried to taper off because I did not like the emotional blunting effect that it gave me. With no support from a psychologist/therapist, I tapered off every 3 weeks (according to what the doctor told me I should do). Safe to say that was a disaster, so I increased my dosage back to 150 mg and then to 200 mg and sometime later I was down to 150 mg.

 

Now in 2024, I am trying this again, but much slower. I went down 25 mg from 150 mg this summer and so far have had really overwhelming experiences. my OCD is kind of bad, I notice that I am now also capable of feeling romantic love (which is something that was difficult to feel before) but the experience is overwhelming and even a positive a feeling such as that seems to be difficult to manage. I have also been near suicidal, and this last week sounds seem to be really obnoxious, kind of like when you're falling asleep and background sounds are louder than usual, if that makes any sense. My misophonia is also worse and I do not tolerate being around crowds well.

I wanted to ask if anyone else has had similar experiences like this, and what you did to manage it? Feel free to ask questions.

Edited August 9 by Emonda
Name to title

[Emonda]

Welcome @tiredbuttrying

 

So the moderators can best help you, please complete your drug signature by following these instructions. Adding a signature ensures your drug history appears at the bottom of every post, making it more efficient for those trying to assist. This link should go directly to your own signature: Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

Whilst your signature is missing at the moment, it sounds like you have tapered way too fast on both occasions, with predictable WD symptoms as a result.

Why taper by 10% of my dosage? The reductions should get smaller and smaller each month, for example: 10mg, 9mg, 8.1mg, 7.3mg etc. This process involves a degree of trial and error, as there is no way of predicting how an individual will respond. Importantly, if you develop unpleasant side effects from tapering, halt the taper, give yourself time to settle, and once stable, taper more slowly and by smaller amounts moving forward. The experience of others suggests that the lower you go in dose, the slower you need to go with tapering.

Those that taper too quickly often develop very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. This Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) is a helpful summary of what many experience.

6 hours ago, tiredbuttrying said:

I wanted to ask if anyone else has had similar experiences like this, and what you did to manage it?

Plenty here have had this experience. I'd taper no further and give your body time to adjust to it's lower dose - think in terms of many months of holding. Once you add your signature, someone may be able to comment further. Also, have a read of some success stories. Tapering can be successful if you go as slow as a snail.

Recovery from ADs and tapering is not linear. There are good days and not-so-good days/weeks/months. This is referred to as the Windows and waves pattern of stabilization.

Some general links that may help:

Non-drug coping strategies

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

Magnesium

 and

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Avoid alcohol.

Don't change the manufacturer of your AD.

Once again, welcome to S.A.

Emonda