BlueBar: Advice on tapering off sertraline from 25mg

[BlueBar]

Hi all,
 

I’ve been on sertraline for 12 months, starting at 50mg and then I went down to 25mg four weeks ago. My doctor has recommended staying at 25mg for six weeks and then stopping completely. While I trust their guidance, I feel more comfortable tapering off more gradually. That said, I don’t have the patience to follow the full 10% tapering method, though I might consider it for the final doses.
 

For context, I tapered off sertraline successfully four years ago, going from 50mg to 25mg and then to zero within four weeks (following my doctor’s recommendation). The only withdrawal symptom I noticed back then was brain zaps when I stopped completely. This time, I’ve had slightly more side effects but nothing dramatic. It could have also been sleep deprivation or PMS that affected my physical symptoms and mood irritability. 
 

I’m thinking of tapering from 25mg to 12.5mg, then 6mg, and eventually stopping altogether. Has anyone followed a similar approach? How long did you stay at each dose, and how did you feel during the process?

I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences to help me navigate this.

[Jane318]

Greetings @BlueBar and welcome to SA.  

 

Thank you for completing your drug signature.

 

On 12/9/2024 at 7:37 AM, BlueBar said:

My doctor has recommended staying at 25mg for six weeks and then stopping completely. While I trust their guidance, I feel more comfortable tapering off more gradually.

This is wise.  Most doctors are clueless about how difficult it is to get off these drugs and how to do it safely.

 

On 12/9/2024 at 7:37 AM, BlueBar said:

For context, I tapered off sertraline successfully four years ago, going from 50mg to 25mg and then to zero within four weeks (following my doctor’s recommendation). The only withdrawal symptom I noticed back then was brain zaps when I stopped completely. This time, I’ve had slightly more side effects but nothing dramatic. It could have also been sleep deprivation or PMS that affected my physical symptoms and mood irritability. 

I am grateful you had such an easy time before.  That said, we have seen that it often becomes harder to get off each successive time.  Not to discourage you, but just to let you know that it may not be as easy this time.

 

On 12/9/2024 at 7:37 AM, BlueBar said:

I’m thinking of tapering from 25mg to 12.5mg, then 6mg, and eventually stopping altogether. Has anyone followed a similar approach? How long did you stay at each dose, and how did you feel during the process?

I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences to help me navigate this.

Other members may respond to this.  Suggest you also search the site for sertraline to find other members tapering off this drug.  The best way to search this site for specific information is to use your favorite search engine. Type in survivingantidepressants.org then the symptom, treatment, supplement or information for which you wish to search.

 

As you seem to know, SA recommends the hyperbolic taper method, which you can read about here:  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?  The 10% always refer to the prior dose, so, with hyperbolic tapering, the reductions get smaller and smaller each month, for example a 10% hyperbolic taper from 10 mg looks like this: 9mg, 8.1mg, 7.3mg, etc. 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.

 

Of course, some people are able to taper more quickly.  It is very individual, and of course your decision.  I would just encourage you to pay close attention to your symptoms as you taper and be prepared to adjust the taper amount and schedule as needed to keep your symptoms in check.

 

Here are some other threads I recommend for you:

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

Tips for tapering Zoloft (sertraline)

 

This is your introduction topic.  Each member gets one intro topic- please post updates and questions here, in this thread.

 

Best wishes.

 

Edited December 12, 2024 by Jane318
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