Yashakun: Zoloft Withdrawal\Discontinuation Syndrome

[Yashakun]

Hello All!

 

I was on Paroxetine (20mg) for a 10 years and decided that I was sick of feeling numb, so worked to taper off. I thought that coming off such a low dose would be inconsequential, but I was wrong. I made it a few months and then sought out psychiatrists who were quick to diagnose me as bi-polar in 1hr with no real testing and then threw me on Lamotrigine, then Prozac, then Wellbutrin, then another and another and another until I stuck it out with Zoloft for awhile. I got up to 100mg and felt so much worse than I had felt before, so decided to get off that too. I made it 1.5 months on nothing and I felt OK, but then crashed and started having severe panic attacks, fatigue, insomnia and I was encouraged to trial it again, so I went back up to 12.5mg and then up to 25mg for about two weeks and I went nuts. It got SO, SO much worse. I felt terrible, like I was being forced back underwater. Panic was worse, mood was worse, anxiety was worse, sleep was worse, lucidity was worse...I was encouraged to simultaneously take Buspirone and maybe Mirtazapine to help with sleep and that was all just too much. I decided to stop it all and just go through the withdrawal and try to learn to deal with things...make life changes, self care, exercise, eat better, do mindfulness.

The first day I stopped taking Zoloft, I felt so much better...3 days later, I started feeling heightened anxiety, severe insomnia, crying spells. I roughed it out and I'm a week and change into withdrawal. Sleep has been my biggest problem. It's like I've forgotten how to do it. I'm exhausted all the time, but I cannot sleep. I didn't get any brain zaps this time. I am more emotional. I am unsteady in my walk and I go days without sleep and even when I do, I am waking up with an elevated heart rate and it doesn't feel restful. I do not want to go down the rabbit hole of other meds for sleep - I'd like to think this will pass once my system regulates, but it is so painful to get through the days.

 

It's amazing to me because, yes, I was on an SSRI for 10 years...but I was only on Zoloft for a short-time. I know all the med changes and trials just messed me up further...it's so sad to me because I was seeking help and I feel like they all just made it worse and tried to tell me it would get better in time, but it just never did.

I'm turning here for support. I've read a lot online about withdrawal\discontinuation and I've heard success stories. I need to know that it will get better in time...it's just a hard road. I do not want to live my life on auto-pilot on an SSRI. Be numb to life. Be numb to emotions. I want to actually live and actually feel. 

[Emonda]

Welcome @Yashakun

 

Sorry to read of your experience. 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.

 

Without seeing your signature, I'm confident you will have tapered too quickly. 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.

What you initially describe sounds like WD symptoms.

19 hours ago, Yashakun said:

I went back up to 12.5mg and then up to 25mg for about two weeks and I went nuts. It got SO, SO much worse.

Does this link resonate? Kindling

Once you add your signature, we can chat further.

Emonda