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Hello everyone. Im thankful for this forum, it has really helped me understand what im doing through. Here's a short-ish decription of what im experiencing: Im hyper sensitive to noise. Normal and even low sounds do a 'thud' in my ear. After Zoloft, i hear more acutely and at the same time am more bothered by sounds. My own voice is overwhelming, its like it resonates in my head. When people around me speak normally, it sounds so loud. Im like Varys in that Game of Thrones scene where Joffrey yells 'I am the King'. Thank god my family is understanding and they whisper around me. Going outside is a challenge, especially in places with car noise. When i get home, its like my senses are overloaded and i need at least 30min of total quiet in order to relax. I constantly hear the thuds of neighbour's footsteps in other apartments and generally alot more neightbour noise - something ive never noticed before. Other effects i feel: some painful and tingly fingers for the last month, anxiety Ater skipping days for two years(my own uninformed way of slowly cutting dose), ive been doing a regular dose every day for the last 3 months. I feel like its time to start taper, especially since the noise sensitivity has been getting worse with time. I need some advice. Is is safe to start tapering at this point or should i hold more? Has anyone had similar sound sensitivity stuff? Even knowing others have had it helps. Has anyone had their effects get worse with time, rather than with dose?

What is the best way to taper from 25mg of Sertaline/Zoloft after being on it for 5 months.

I have been on zoloft since age 8. I'm now 39 it's been 5 months since I was forced to quit cold turkey do to loss of insurance and now I'm consumed by anger, outbursts of rage, and suicidal thoughts. I'm scared of ruining relationships. Please help what should I do ?

Hi all, my story is so very long but the short story is i was on zoloft 50 mg for 15 years (only drug i was ever on). I tried multiple times to get off but would get severe discontinuation syndrome each time so i thought i just had to stay on it for life. I will go into those symptoms if you ask. Anyways about 4 years ago i developed benign fasiculations and resting tremor. It took seeing multiple docs and finally a second neurologist and he said this is common with zoloft. So i had to get off it but i was scared to death because of the severe discontinuation that i would compare to heroin withdrawal. So i was so scared i never went back to the doctor and thought maybe i can live with BFS and the tremor. But then my neurological symptoms got worse and led to parkinsons which was drug induced and dyskinesia. The facial grimacing was way more annoying than the fasiculations and it affected my blood pressure too, thats how parkinsons works, it affects the autonomic system so i had bad orthostatic hypotension and that was dibilitating but somehow i pushed through. I had many more issues, if you ask i can write about them. Anyways this time i was ready to get off zoloft so i go to the doctor and he says "wow you've been on it for 15 years" and i thought "WOW you idiot. Your office is the one who has been prescribing this to me all these years". They never once told me to make an appt if i hadnt been there in a few years, they just kept refilling it. They should require patients to have biyearly appts and check them for neurological signs and if the patient doesnt make an appt than they should not get a refill. I am very mad at my poor healthcare and management (total lack thereof) but again my story is so long i can write it if you ask. Anyways my doc said to wean off over like 2 months. That was too fast so i did it on my on and weaned off 50 mg over a 6 month period and for the first time i did not get discontinuation syndrome! I was scared to death but i did it and was shocked i did not get discontinuation. Weaning that slow is the answer. I only had some mild things like some mood swings, swollen lymph nodes which always happens when i wean off for some reason, headaches, i can go into detail if you ask. My neurological disorders are also going away. I am 20 days off zoloft and feel great and i would say my neurological issues are like 80% better and i hope to recover completely with time (i might have permanent damage). Anyways i am posting because i am very angry at the healthcare community for their lack of knowledge on how zoloft, though rare, does cause dyskinesia, BFS, and parkinsonism. Docs do not seem to know to look for these signs and put a stop to it before irreversible damage occurs which is a disability. They are too freely handing out these meds to your average person with basic stress that can actually manage without meds like seeking CBT, meditation, yoga, qigong, etc. i am one of those type of people. Patients are never checked up on on these meds. I know personally from working in gastroenterology for years that almost everyone is on anxiety or antidepressants and that to me is a crime because every single one of them are having unexplained problems with a lot of expensive negative testing and they are frustrated but no one is relaying it is the medication causing it and how imperitive it is to get off it. I am against all these meds (unless the patient has true mental disorder like bipolar or is in a stage of suicidal ideation etc). I am just very angry. For me, to address that, i want and need to raise awareness but i feel no one would believe my story because it is so rare but i think more common than we know because it is being unreported and doctors dont know enough to spot tardive dyskinesia etc so it takes years. Anyone else with a story like mine?

Firstly, thankyou for allowing me to join this group. I have come here seeking answers (hopefully). This is not about myself but a close relative. They have been suffering from anxiety & feeling low for the past year. 3 months ago things were getting worse so her Doctor put her on Zoloft (not sure of dose). After about 3 weeks she was feeling worse but her doctor told her to stick with it. At the 8 week mark she was very distraught & her Dr told her to wean off it. I believe it was 1/2 then 1/4 over a month. Approx 10 days later she tried to commit suicide. Thankfully she survived. She now has extreme anxiety to the point of shaking & saying the same negative sentences over & over & over. She is now on a cocktail of Mirtazapine, Diazepam & Olanzapine. 3 weeks later & no improvement, in fact getting worse. How does someone go from being anxious & depressed to an absolute non functioning mess overnight...I wouldn't have thought that weaning off zoloft after 8 weeks would cause this disaster. I know this isn't about tapering off antidepressants but I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else. Thankyou in advance for any insight...

Hi everyone! I started 25mg Zoloft for a week and a few days into it began feeling dizzy (vertigo) and even an out-of-body like sensation (similar to THC effects) especially in public and crowded areas so I had several panic attacks and decided to stop at the 2 week mark cold turkey. Fast forward roughly a month now, I no longer have the out of body sensations anymore but am still feeling dizzy, forehead pressure, and some ear ringing throughout the day that is quite bothersome. I often worry that this will take very long to go away and as a result have developed a great deal of health anxiety. Has anyone gone through or heard of similar instances? It’s weird because I was only on zoloft for 2 weeks before stopping.

Hi! I just started to taper and I am in my second week of reducing from 20mg escitalopram. I already cut off 10%. What I find confusing: 1. Does it matter if I just take on ONE randomly chosen day 10% less (which I did already) or do I have to distribute the 10% cut throughout the 2 weeks? I can't see how the latter would be possible, given the infinitesimal amount that needs to be reduced this way, but I thought I will ask anyway :)> 2. Whilst I am aware of the huge variability in individual histories, I wonder if anyone here has been experiencing gradual tapering (as advised per medication here) and had withdrawal effects that were bearable and short-lived? In other words, if one does it right, generally speaking, and assuming that one is only on one antidepressant and all other variables are more or less constant, does it help avoid the worse of withdrawal effects? This is something that I am confused about. It is important for me, if any data, anecdotal or scientific exists in regard to this matter. Where can I look for this kind of information? Many thanks.

Hello, I'm a mum to my 13 year old son and have gradually come to the conclusion, that most of my health complications are due to psychiatric drugs, most recently sertraline. I've been prescribed a few in the last 10 years and no one warned me of dependency issues. I found out by researching with other patients. I would like to be able to give up work but can't afford to. I have been gradually reducing since 2020 and have been having terrible low mood including hormonal issues. Sadly I feel the medication has caused fertility issues now and I'm now 44 so it's too late. I hope this group helps me to keep going as the last few days have been awful. I have watched and researched into psychiatric withdrawal and how to taper and really want to come off this drug. I've had lots of therapy which helped but the medications caused far too many side effects.

Hi everyone, I am hoping for a little advice. So a few years ago I started taking CBD, some Ambien, and melatonin for my insomnia. Earlier this year I was going trough a lot of stress and had to up my ambien, and started using delta 9 to help me sleep. I used it for three of four months and I was using a lot every night to sleep. Got addicted and my anxiety went through the roof and I went to the emergency care unit and they proscribed Zoloft and xannex, Three days later i ended up in the hospital with anxiety and panic attack and thinking I was having a heart attack. I stopped the delta 9 and was told to keep taking the scripts. I had bad withdrawn on top of taking Zoloft. My insomnia got 100 times worst and I started taking Trazodone and Ambien and I still only get 4-5hrs of sleep. Half way through the detox and taking Zoloft I was up for 40hrs straight. After three and half weeks I decided I did really didn’t need to Zoloft so I asked my doctor what to do. He said to do a four or six week taper. Drop to 25mgs and then half of that and then stop. I stopped to 25mgs and had a few bad days. And about a six days later I felt much better. But I started reading this site a decided to hold at 25mgs. But my insomnia is still hanging around. And my work is starting to notice and I’m a a PIP which I might not survive, Any advice on how to deal with this? I’ve never used anything like these before and I don’t want to go through anymore withdrawals Thank you everyone.

I would like to say hello and thank this website for giving me hope. I have spent the last few days reading a lot of the posts and have found them to be full of information and great advice. The success stories are wonderful to read. I have never been in a medical situation like this and I was feeling lost and alone until I found Surviving Antidepressants. I was put on Zoloft (50 mg then upped to 100mg) in February 2016 due to depression over a long-term illness that at that time was still un-diagnosed. I got a diagnosis for my illness in April of 2016. I was hospitalized for that illness both in April and March and it was eventually brought under control. Once I got home from the hospital (both times) I was very weak and I had very confused thinking. I had multiple at-home treatments and medications to keep track of. Somewhere in there I messed up my Zoloft and either went cold turkey or was only taking it intermittently, but did not realize it at the time. Starting in May and ramping up in June I had all sorts of symptoms, which nobody in the medical field could figure out, including me. I was put on Gabapentin (600mg then upped to 900mg) to help with the symptoms. My symptoms included headaches, nausea, feeling hot and sweating but having a low body temperature, as well as the feeling of internal tremors in arms and legs, and actual external tremors. I also had jerky arm movements. I had what I call “vertigo light”, the whole room didn’t spin, just the floor moved when I tried to walk; I felt like I was drunk. I had brain zaps, motion sickness, insomnia, dizziness, nausea, and pressure in the ears like when flying on a plane. My memory was also bad. After endless nights of searching the Internet with my symptoms I realized I had withdrawal. Counting the actual amount of pills in the bottle and looking at the day it was prescribed confirmed that I had not been taking my medication. Once I realized what was going on I contacted my psychiatrist and I went back on at 50mg, which was twelve days ago. A dosage that high might be a mistake after reading about “reinstating” here on this sight, I don’t know yet. Since reinstating the brain zaps and vertigo have disappeared, and the other symptoms have gone down in intensity, however I am getting them more frequently. I’m now getting them every day, for at least a few hours and sometimes all day. Before going back on Zoloft they were really brutal but only for a few hours at a time, none of this all day stuff. Klonopin seems to help however my psychiatrist has suggested that I use it sparingly, he said that the Gabapentin should be helping with the symptoms. By the way, I feel I have an excellent psychiatrist. He did warn me when he put me on Zoloft not to go off of it without talking to him first and that there was tapering involved. He also responds to my frequent and desperate e-mails on a timely basis. I do recognize though that I need to be proactive when it comes to my health. This is my first time with a drug in the SSRI class. At this moment my goal is to stabilize. Eventually I would like to get off, but right now I just want the physical symptoms to go away. By the way, the depression, which was acute in February, seems to have disappeared, both while on and off the Zoloft. I am open to opinions, questions, and suggestions. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Hi all, I recently joint SA. My history: - Latest episode started in June 2020, when I started Sertraline on 50mg. I usually respond well and quickly to medications.. - During the course of 2020 and 2021, I was stablizing and gradually increased dosage to 100mg per doctor's advice to increase treatment efficiency. - Doing well throughout 2022. At some point I reduced to 50mg, still doing well. - Starting from 2023, I wanted to start tapering the medicine. - I started off by 50mg - 25mg alternating for 3 weeks (not recommended--I know), doing well. - The WD came when I switched to 25mg daily on 14/04: one week into such dosage, I started clear WD (irratability, fatigue, etc). Luckily, I held on to it and the the WD passed just after around 2.5 weeks. Since then, doing well. - HOWEVER, since 09/06--that's almost 2 months since the last dosage change--I started to feel low again (irritable, tired, low energy, low appetite, etc). This time, I cannot tell whether it's WD or relapse. The symptoms I'm experiencing now is not exactly the same as the WD in April--back then it was more intense and followed right after a dosage change; this time I feel "a bit low", with less intensity but resembling depression symptoms. So am I having a relapse while still on (a lower doasge of) sertraline--is it possible to have relapse while still on AD? Or is it ANOTHER wave of WD--is it possible to have another wave of WD months after the dosage change?

Hi everyone. I am hoping to get some much needed (and very much appreciated) advice on my situation. As you see, I had been on Sertraline for almost 2 years, or around the two year mark, before I began a too fast taper in 2016 which lead to my withdrawal syndrome in September 2016. My doctor had me taper in 6 weeks completely off Sertraline, jumping off at 25mg and not even tapering the 25mg, just cold turkeying the 25 per his instruction. Well, I was feeling some withdrawal symptoms, I just didn't realize what they truly meant, and my doctor had told me not to worry 'they will clear up in a few weeks" well they didn't really clear up, but actually got worse two-three months later. I want to make this as short as possible so it is easy to read, but long story short, I ended up reinstating Sertraline at 12.5mg first week, at the same time tapering the 30mg of buspirone my doctor had tried to test out on me for almost two weeks. Each week, he upped my dose of Sertraline during my reinstatement, until I reached 57mg and my body rejected anything above the 57mg. However, I did not know anything about withdrawal or tapering back then, and realize that I was put on way too high of a dose for reinstatement. This has me very scared and very anxious, I try hard not to be, and most of it is likely neuro related, but I wonder what I can do if I feel it's too high? I've got the anhedonia, but I've had this since December, and it actually was brought on more or less by my doctor trying to put me back up to 75mg, maybe that was just a coincidence, but I am not so sure. Each adjustment of the sertraline left me with worsened insomnia, worsened panic, trembling and what I can only describe as body jolts every morning for four months straight. And trying to sleep at night I felt like I was having seizures almost, where my body would jolt me awake just as I was drifting off to sleep, heart would be racing, fear and panic would run rampant and worsen in the morning. I still have mild teeth chattering every morning and especially when the anxiety or stress comes on. I reinstated pretty quick, where I reinstated as soon as my withdrawal symptoms started getting worse, I didn't wait it out even though I really wanted to. I didn't want to go back on the medication after what it had done to me, but didn't know what else to do. Then, everyone I trusted, my doctor especially, had me convinced I had developed several new mental disorders in a matter of three days. I was so so scared, and my anxiety was through the roof. I really stressed myself out a lot trying to figure out "what was wrong with me" because I did not know at the time. On top of that I had the professionals I trusted assuring me it was my "symptoms coming back" (they actually said that right after I already told them I never ever had these symptoms before in my life, not even one of them.) Then I happened to find SA, during my research into my symptoms and the ssri I was taking. I learned a lot in one night, and my jaw dropped. My gut had been telling me all this time it was the drug, it was withdrawal. But I ignored it and listened to the "experts" instead. HUGE MISTAKE!! Now I am stuck in a situation that makes me fear for the future, and not sure what I can do now that I am back on a higher dose. If I would've known better, I would not have allowed my doctor to titrate me up so high. I would've sat at the lowest possible dose, even the 12.5mg. My withdrawal symptoms had really settled down a lot for the last two or three months now though. My appetite came back, libido came back, depression lifted almost instantly upon reinstatement, the anxiety and panic took a while to lift but that has really settled down a ton and only sporadically (maybe lasting a second or two) I'll feel a blip of panic and anxiety (typically when under a lot of built up stress), and my biggest gripe for withdrawal symptoms as of now is the anhedonia, but even that was beginning to lift where I'd get moments of joy or contentment or my interests peaking through the veil of anhedonia. My sleep actually went back to normal in the last week or two, and I haven't been waking with the dread or anxiety for the past three months now, and I have been feeling pretty good except now I got back into this wave and I think it's because I'm stressing over tapering and my dosage after what I read last night. I read on SA someone said that being on too high a reinstatement dose can permanently damage your brain, where you will never heal from it. So I am really scared... I really need advice or wisdom on where to go from here. At this point, I worry I'll always feel this way and I'll never recover any further than where I currently am. I'd be fine if I felt somewhat normal, where I could handle the withdrawal symptoms temporarily until they pass, and I do admit that on my better days I certainly can handle them. But I feel like reinstatement was pointless or worse for me than just muscling through the withdrawals after what I read about high dose reinstatement. I feel like A) it's going to take forever just to stabilise on this dose and B it's going to be painful trying to taper when the time comes, due to that I may have permanently damaged my brain with my reinstatement. I guess what I am wondering now is, do I stay on this dose and wait for the anhedonia to completely go away, or how do I know when I am ready to begin tapering? At this point I am just feeling very confused and afraid about my dose and tapering in the future. I feel lost. I'd really appreciate any help! Thank you!

Hello: I am new to this forum. I am tapering zyprexa. I was put on 10 mg in the hospital at the beginning of December. In the first week of January, I cut down to 8.50, then 7.5. for 10 days. Right now I am at 6.25 mg, and have been at that level for 1 week. They decided to put me on zoloft in the hospital as it "works fast" the doctors said, and is being used "until the zoloft kicks in". I am very impatient to get off zyprexa, and figured if I join your group, I would get support from people to help me be patient and wait enough time between cuts. Still figuring out how to do the signature. Will add it when I do. I am also on a whopping dose of 200 mg Zoloft, also given in the hospital. Before that, I had been 6 months free of Zoloft after tapering it for at least 3 years or even more. It was a huge disappointment to end up in the hospital and to have to go on it again.

Thanks for reading its a long story bear with me. I’m 2018 after horrible pregnancy and birth and surgery I was placed on 50mg of Zoloft for PPA. Looking back it’s wasn’t anxiety I was physically just exhausted. Get little fuzzy here because my memory sucks. But at some point in 2020 I started forget to take my meds so missing days here and there. To the point Id only remember to take them around my cycle when my PMDD started up. I was feeling great so I decided to stop taking them. I’m thinking that was around the beginning of 2021. In October of 2022 my PMDD symptoms come back (or could have been withdrawals idk). So I started back up on 50mg of Zoloft. After second pill I started feeling feelings (now I know it was anxiety) I had never felt before and chest pains. Went to urgent care for them and did EKG and everything was fine. So I went home and continued taking the Zoloft. The anxiety started working its way into mild panic attacks. I message my GP and she says just give the meds time. December comes and I have check up with my GP and she asked how the anxiety I tell her is the highest it’s ever been ( seeing how I never experienced intense anxiety or panic attacks before). Should also state my life is great no stressors. Great family and very supportive friends. My GP decided to up my dose to 100mg. This is where I go from barely functioning to not functioning. Day 2 of the 100mg I was in full panic nonstop all day all night. I couldn’t sleep couldn’t eat. Chest pain was so bad i was rushed to ED by ambulance. I was in cardiac distress. At the ED they did full cardiac work up for hours. Said I was stable go home follow up with cardiologist. Not even 24 hours later I beg my husband to take me back. This time I demanded them keep me. I hadn’t eaten or drank in days I couldn’t move my body. Finally after. Long ED visit they decided to admit me to the mental health department. This was a Friday. So Friday I didn’t not take any Zoloft. Saturday they get me settled in and with no psychiatrist on that weekend they has to call one in which didn’t come until Sunday. So at this point I hadn’t had Zoloft Friday or Saturday and slowly staring to feel better. So I talk with doc on Sunday and she puts me back of 50mg of Zoloft. I take it mid morning and by that evening I was in full panic again. So the doctor the next morning cut me CT off the Zoloft. She diagnosed me with SSRI induce panic disorder. She decided to place me on gabapentin to manage the PMDD symptoms. After 2 days I was feeling good and sent me home. 3 days into gabapentin I started have tremors. I was told to wait it out take 4 weeks for it to start working. After 22 days of more hell. I finally told them I was weaning off. Researched new doctor and found one I love. Should also state started seeing a therapist just after release of hospital. I was in really rough shape on the verge of going back to the hospital every day. So my doctor prescribed Ativan .5 mg as needed to help calm my nervous system. I have PTSD from taking the Zoloft so starting meds are a real struggle. I final took the Ativan on a really bad day and that did help. I currently only take as needed because I’m afraid of becoming addicted and going through more withdrawals. For most part things have been manageable until my PMDD kicks in around my cycles. At these times I get severely depressed with intrusive thought. (Again nothing i experienced before the Zoloft). My new doctor is a holistic and a medication specialist. So last cycle we upped my b12 and folic acid to help with the cycles. It has help some with symptoms but still are so terrifying. So shes suggested trying buspar as needed around my cycles. This is the first med she ever suggested to me. She know I have PTSD from Zoloft. So that brings me up to today where I’m sitting 10 weeks off Zoloft wondering if I should try the buspar or will that restart my withdrawal symptoms. I’m sooooooo scared. I have young kids and feel like I’m watching them through a tv and not present at all. I hate all this so much. I have hard time leaving the house and can’t be left alone. I feel so bad for my amazing husband and kids. Thank you for reading this far. kelsears

Hello community! I'm glad to be here both to give and receive support. I'll keep my history short as there is so much to read here. I have almost always been on antidepressants from the age of 11, with one quick attempt to get off in 2013 without success (because I went off without supervision or information about withdrawal effects, and because providers advised I go back on and continue to be on for the rest of my life). At that time I experienced "brain zaps" nausea and a lot of anxiety and depression. The prescription of the drugs were for symptoms of OCD, social anxiety and depression. I have enjoyed a life full of lovely experiences despite anxiety and depression, although those have followed me along the path. I recently finished a Masters in Social Work, and am working as an outpatient therapist myself. I decided last year that I was doing really well, even with all of the changes in my life, and decided to go off of meds. At that time I knew about the importance of tapering, but had not heard of the 10% rule, and so discontinued at a slow pace, but one which here would be described as a "fast taper." I have been off of zoloft for almost 1 year (about 9 months) and continue to experience moderate depression. Of course, there have been many changes circumstantially that could contribute to this, however the physical symptoms - heart palpitations, panic attacks, insomnia, extreme fatigue, dry eyes, and occasional suicidal thoughts, would point to withdrawal as a factor at the very least. These complicate the process involved with becoming a therapist. Being new to this field is difficult on its own, with constant question and self-doubt, and in some ways I kick myself for trying to get off of these meds at this time. Feeling chronically fatigued and anxious does not allow me to be with clients in a way that I would hope. On a weekly basis I consider going back on, or trying something new, because there are times I feel I cannot go on this way. I feel it is negatively affecting my relationships with others and with myself, and has taken away the vibrancy and color of the world around. Then I wonder, am I still adjusting to what life really is like off meds? Is the world simply less colorful? Or will the color seep back with time and continued patience? Scarier thoughts include wondering whether damage has been done since I was on these drugs for so long (age 11-28)? And that I will always be a shell of a person with little energy or enthusiasm about life. Being a Narrative Therapist, I would say to myself, "I am not okay with this" and when answering the question of "why not?" I would say that it is extremely important to me to feel engaged and enlivened... because I know what that feels like... I am not okay with life being devoid of color and contentment. I hope here to meet those who have been through this and have come out the other side to find freedom, whether they have chosen to go back on medications, or whether they have persisted through and found that indeed there is an end to this, or whether they have found peace despite continued effects. I'm interested in all of it. Amanda

Hello, I quit drinking alcohol 11 years ago and a doctor at that time thought the anti depressant Zoloft would be beneficial for my "anxiety" from quitting. This is how I started using these drugs. It has taken me forever to finally quit. I'm a 43 year old male. I've quit Lexapro 2.5 mg 24 days ago and have had the worst three day stretch to date. I feel extremely tired and fatigued. I feel symptoms of brain fog, memory failures, cognitive decline, crying spells, sadness, slight headache, head pressure, eyes tired, some body ache, and slight brain zaps. I'm trying to stay positive and day to day but this is brutal. I feel like a zombie and would just want to sleep. I also have mild sleep apnea in which I have started using a cpap machine a week ago but have found no relief. I think I'm going to stop using the Cpap machine for a month to rule out the machine being the cause for recent three day stretch. I want to believe that the withdrawal symptoms are what is causing me to feel this way but I'm unsure now. I have always had some of the described symptoms on a day to day basis before. These symptoms went as far back as the last two to three years. They weren't nearly as severe. I haven't heard of anyone having the described symptoms as a result of actively taking the antidepressant drug. If this is something that can be confirmed I would feel much more at ease as I would have to wait out the withdrawal process. I guess I am looking for words of encouragement and hopefully some validation that these symptoms are from the withdrawal and this is a normal process. Last night I started myofacial exercises as an alternative to the cpap. I know it will be sometime before I see any benefit from them. I also ran 2 miles yesterday. This morning I practiced some Pranayama and will continue this daily. I'd appreciate any feedback and thank you for reading my story. Matthew

Hi all, would appreciate advice if anyone else has had a similar experience I've recently stopped venlafaxine. Now 6 weeks off after tapering down to 37.5mg over a few months then stopping completely. Prior to that I had been on venlafaxine for 8 years doses between 150mg and 75mg. I stopped as felt flat on it and that did not need it any more. first few weeks I had bad physical symptoms - flushes, sweats, nausea, vertigo, brain zaps, nightmares and shakes. In the last week I've had intense panic episodes/general feeling of dread. Incredibly tearful, ongoing insomnia and severe feeling of restlessness despite feeling exhausted. My doctor has put me on 50mg of sertraline in the hope it helps. Has anyone else had this experiencing with venlafaxine and came through the other side? I'm starting to lose hope of ever feeling normal again.

hi My name is Karen, I’m 46 and been on and off Zoloft since age 16. i was off once in my 20s and 30s for about 6-7 years and that was a hard and horrible time. Then I went back on about twelve years ago and have been on them ever since. I did lots of work cutting out alcohol and smoking plus now I’m non dairy, non gluten, low grain, high protein (as much as possible) with a ton of supplements for a mast cell disorder and osteoporosis. Fourth months ago I started tapering very slowly from 200 mg and just this past month I started having nightmares, high REM asleep, sleeping 10-12 hrs on weekends, horrible PMS, nearly got fired because of my crazy impulsive antagonistic behaviour and am driving my best friend insane…she hasn’t ever had mental health issues like this so she cannot relate very well even though she is generally sympathetic… today I went back up to my full dose. I got scared because I have been feeling suicidal and so “off” that I was feeling that I wanted to die. I was not going to act on it, I was just having ideation. But…I finally realised my tapering is not working. I HATE depression, well, for obvious reasons. I can stand physical pain much better than the pointlessness, worthlessness, anger, and despair that gets on me when I spiral down. in that four months, I only tapered down to 165 mg so I think it was slow enough… what did I do wrong… im so tired.

**TW: mental health/“s” Hi all, My name is Sarah and I’m a lifelong AD user and have used benzos for 10+ years. Decided to be an idiot in a state of panic & quit both meds CT. Scared of being judged but everyone here seems nice & people on Benzos Buddies have been so kind. Current prescription: 2 mg Xanax XR/day 100 mg Zoloft/day Quit cold turkey 1 months ago & having awful withdrawal - severe anxiety/panic, neuropathy/crawling ants sensation in limbs, cannot concentrate, restless, suicidal ideation, SEVERE tinnitus/zapping in ears, brain zaps (separate from ears), etc. Went to Dr way too late (around 21 days in) and he would not discuss taper. Wanted me to reinstate no changes except dropping to 1 mg Xanax XR. Said I wasn’t withdrawing despite vomiting for days straight at the beginning. Said you can’t go though long withdrawal no such thing - tried to explain but was told I’d need to find a new Dr if I don’t reinstate as planned. Don’t blame bill entire I was non compliant and I’ve messed up w meds before. Was uncomfortable w/ his plan so made appt w new Dr. Problem is soonest appt is 8/31 - I should have tried harder to find someone else that had sooner appts. Psychiatrists are usually booked about as you all know but I should have tried. Have gotten variety of responses regarding reinstating benzos. Some say reinstate/taper, some say don’t get back in bc it’s been a month & kindling is a issues and you will have to go through withdrawal again w/ taper and it might not help symptoms would even make worse. Was told to post here regarding Zoloft since it’s an SSRI. Does anyone mind sharing their knowledge on pros/cons of reinstating and safest say to do it? Regret ever starting it was on Prozac and I was fine but experienced acoustic trauma which has left me housebound and my meds weren’t keeping up w increased anxiety. Went against junk guy and switched to Zoloft. I think it might have had role in spiking my tinnitus to insane levels when I quit. Might have been the benzos too. Was desperate for relief so I switched. Should have found another solution. Upset that no Dr said anything about me being on these meds so long. Had no idea Xanax was built for short term - why did they let me stay on and even increased my dose w/ no warning!! Thanks everyone, and I truly appreciate you and any advice you have. Afraid this will never end and I’m on the edge of losing it. Already housebound now it’s 100x worse. It’s self induced torture and I’ll never forgive myself for the CT. I KNEW BETTER. Best, Sarah

Firstly hi, i wish someone can guide me, may 2021 i started on paxil 10 mg then 20 mg to the end of mars then i switched to zolof 50 mg then 25 mg but it gave me insomnia and lost my appetite so i switched to lexapro 5mg after 7 weeks on zoloft.. Lexapro always made me lose my appetite so i just stopped then i got into withdrawal so i used prozac to get rid of them after one week like this : one week 5 mg prozac One week 2.5 mg One week 1.25 It got rid off dizziness and zaps but nauaea it still there after i finished prozac ( when i was on it i didnt have much appetite too ) Its 10 days ago So what should i do now plz help me Tough it out ? For how long ? Or reinstate lex 2.5 mg but it will make me lose my appetite anyways Can i taper if i wasnt stable on it and still give me side effects ? Plz help and opinions and thanks..

Curious to know if anyone can give me their thoughts on my situation. My GP gave me Celexa at the beginning of February for general anxiety...very mild. I took the Celexa for 2 days and it made me few worse. She switched me to Paxil (took 5 days) and it did the same. I had panic attacks, felt like I was coming out of my skin, etc. I then went to see a psychiatrist, hoping he would give me advice on going the natural route. He said he thought SSRIs were not compatible with me, but suggested I try Zoloft. I really didn't want to, but he promised me it would be worth the shot. I took it for 11 days and on the 10th day, began having unwanted, depressive thoughts. He asked me to immediately stop the medicine, so I did. I had taken 12.5 mg for 5 days, 25 mg for 5 days and 36.5 for 1 day when I stopped cold turkey. The unwanted thoughts and anxiety increased for about 2 weeks and last week, began to taper some. I'm 3 weeks into being off them meds, but the depressive thoughts have not diminished. I was never depressed or experienced anything to do with mood swings or depression before SSRIs. I know what I am dealing with has to be my chemistry trying to balance out, but it's miserable. The doctor says I should be back to normal by week 4, but I'm struggling to have confidence in that...especially since he didn't think the Zoloft would mess me up in the 1st place. I feel like I've really messed myself up. I just want to be back to my normal self like I was before all of this. I don't like having thoughts of hurting myself or others...it's not me and I want it to go away. I would love advice or thoughts from anyone with similar situations.

Hello, First of all, I'm incredibly grateful for this site as it has really helped me to navigate my process of attempting to go off both Zoloft and Trazadone. Before recent taper I was on an SSRI (and briefly an SSNRI) for over 22 years in total. I titrated down off Zoloft over a 5 month period (starting dose 50mg). It was challenging but I was able to manage (I'm aware that I may have done this too quickly). About two weeks after my last dose of Zoloft 6/19/23 (I used liquid to go down to 1mg before discontinuing) I began experiencing GI distress that has been persistent since (daily diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain). For the past four weeks I've been experiencing tachycardia, arrhythmia, dizziness, some issues with breath, significant anxiety, and panic symptoms (which are not a typical manifestation of my anxiety). This is complicated by the fact that I (most likely prematurely) started titrating down off of Trazadone. I've been taking 100mg for a few years nightly for perimenopausal sleep issues. Some of the more intense heart rhythm issues and anxiety started up after I lowered my Trazdone dose (I did not use the 10% rule and went down 1/4 which I now realize was too quickly and I had not given my nervous system to adjust to being off Zoloft). Because I did these changes close together it's hard for me to have a sense of what is happening. I do believe I'm having protracted withdrawal symptoms from Zoloft the are probably being compounded by adding the Trazadone taper. So, my main question here is about whether or not reinstatement of a low dose of Zoloft (even 1mg) might be advised based on these symptoms and the amount of difficulty they are causing me. Or would it make more sense for me to go back up to 100mg Trazadone (from 75 - ongoing dose for years - or possibly less) to see if this helps. The level of anxiety I'm experiencing in addition to dizziness, heart rhythm issues, and GI issues is becoming incredibly difficult to manage along with normal life stressors. Side note: I do have an appointment for an EKG, heart monitor, and other lab work to further explore heart issues. Thank you for reading and I hoping this message is clear/makes sense!

When i started using zoloft and how i became clean. i started using zoloft in 2017 at 16 years old. now since june the 6th i came clean. what i experiences was weight gain . brain fog, and zombie feeling. impossible to break certain patterns. Worsening depression. now spark in the eyes after year 2 hormone imbalance that caused breast growth it was slowly, first i barely noticed anything only after year 2 i started noticing bad things happening. The decrease and tappering of from zoloft was pure hell and nothing more, i experienced depersonalisation, mania, worsening depression, dizzeyness, alot of mental stress, racing toughts. from 25mg till 10 mg i barely noticed anything, only when passing 10 a slightly discomfort until 5. then every mg down was a 2 days of hell. Withdrawl symptoms i got. Heavy mindfog. Depersonalisation and dissacotiation POIS like symptoms after sexual intercourse(mild) no libido or extreme high libido, racing toughs(alot) Autopiloted/impulsive behaviour. now i finally came clean, i noticed slight improvements. Positive outlook on the future, less brainfog (only after dopamine detox) Spark in the eye returned. breast growth decreased alot. Depersonalization goes away sometimes. i started to recognize my toughts again. My libido came back. Extreme rise in testosteron But i'm now about 6 weeks clean but i still suffer sometimes alot of these symptoms mostly because of dopamine rushes or anxiety, and confrontations. Heavy brainfog Racing toughts depersonalization and dissacotiation Depression and negative tought patterns Very impulsive behaviour and emotional. Agression especially towards my doctor or zoloft manifactioner it feels almost as if i became dumber or something. atleast it feels like it. My question is how long until my brain is completly healed, and how long till i can have dopamine rushes again? it goes better but i get these waves/cycles sometimes, but after the waves i see this light path that i hold on to and i feel awesome for a few moments of the day or the whole day. Almost bipolar. This is my first post, and i'm also not from a english speaking country. but i truly want to have advise or tel people my story

Dear all, I took Sertraline 50 (French name for Zoloft). for only a month and I have developped PGAD (Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder) following a too fast withdrawal. I read the story of some of your members who had PGAD when they withdrew from an antidepressant and their stories looked like mine and gave me hope and I hope they can confort me and assist me because I am in a very dark place. I read the stories of Hopefull anf Broken. Are they still on the forum ? How are they doing ? Until December 2016, I had never taken any antidepressant or a benzo in my entire life. I was leading an happy life with my husband and son in the West of France. We had a chemical accident in december. I mixed 2 products while cleaning my house, bleach and a cleaning product with acid and stupidly burnt my lungs and got a toxic choc on the 27th of december. My doctor thought I was anxious afer the accident and put me on Xanax 0.25, half a pill at night. I took it for a month in January 2017 and was sent to a psychiatrist who put me on Lisanxia 10, a pill a day. I felt suicidal because i didnt understand I was suffering from the Xanax withdrawal the doctors kept changing the pill without any tappering, I stayed on Lysanxia 10, a pill a day the whole February , then another psychiatrist decided to put me on Bromazepan 6 (4 quarter a day). I stayed on Bromazepan the entire March and he put me back on Xanax, all of that cold turkey. And that how I met my worse nightmare, the Sertraline AD: I was feeling very agitated on benzos, my lungs and entire skin were burning and everybody told me it was in my head. I didn't agree so I was hospitalised againt my wish in a psychiatrist hospital. There, they made me stop my Xanax 0.25 cold turkey and put me on Sertraline 50. This happened on Easter monday 2017 (April 17 th). After 2 weeks, I was sent home and started feeling very ill, I had tremors, agitation, fatigue, shakes, flu like symptoms and suicidal thoughts. I went to see a GP who told me I could drop the Sertraline to 25 because I had only been on it for 2 weeks and I could slowly stop it. I went on the 25 pill and then I started having violent withdrawal side effects (I don't know which ones came from Xanax or from Sertraline) : My symptoms : Sensitivity to light and smells, burning skin, hyperacusis, agitation, akathisia, tinnitus and when I thought it couldn't get worse, I started peeing every 10 minutes, got a hyperactive bladder, terrible pains in my genitalias, bladder and pelvic area and the worse of it permanent arousal. Since I have kept the tinnitus in my left ear, the akatisia and PGAD. I was sent to another mental hospital at the beginning of June because I thought they could help me with PGAD. They put me on Risperidone for a week while they made me stop the Sertraline very fast (they made me take it every 2 days for a week then they replaced it with Anafranil 25 that I kept for a week. My tinnitus got worse and my PGAD stayed the same. I was getting sicker and sicker so the psychiatrist stopped the Anafranil and the Risperidone and I was put back on Xanax. I am now back at home, my PGAD symptoms are terrible and I am considered manic and hypocondriac. My doctor wants to put me back in a mental hospital. I can't look after my family and Iam in a very dark place with suicidal thoughts My 3 main withdrawal symptoms : high pitched tinnitus, agitation and PGAD. Pins and needles in my lower back, legs and arms when the PGAD crisis start. . MY PGAD symptoms : Overactive bladder, ongoing arousal sensations in and around the genitals, having to go to the toilets every 10 minutes, pelvic pains, Pins and needle, shaking. It is atrocious and it makes me suicidal. I take 3 Xanax 0.25 a day and a Zopiclone 7 to sleep. I cannot sit because the symptoms get worse and I can barely walk because my bladder hurts. I spend my days crying on my bed with an ice pack on my lower parts. At night I cannot sleep well because of the tinnitus. I went to see an urologist, I had a cystoscopy done and they told me it is not an interstitial cysticis and gave me Lyrica (I am scared of taking it because I fear it will make my tinnitus worse). Nobody knows this symptom in France and people think i am crazy. Thank you for reading my story. Please can you reassure me ? I am terrified and I am suffering greatly. Would it go away ? Is it a withdrawal symptom ? Thank you so much for having this site on the internet. It gave me a lot of confort. Cathyfrench (I am french so I hope my English is not too bad, my apologies for my grammatical errors)

Hello, I’ve been reading and trying to learn from you all for the last few months. With my daughter’s permission, I’d like to ask for help. She’s at college and I’ve been working to support her and to try to stay in front of what’s happening. She’s 21, but thankfully is allowing us to help her navigate this. I’m reaching out to you all for support. She’s decided she'd like to try to reinstate Sertraline after being completely off since April 25, 2023. (She was on for 5 years.) She took 6.25 mg. this morning. I understand this introductory post may take a few days to hit your community. I mainly wanted to open the line of communication/ support for reinstatement. Sertraline Withdrawal: We didn’t figure out that she was experiencing withdrawal until she was 2 months off of Sertraline. We assumed it was the stress of a summer internship that she needed to push through until we googled what sounded like odd symptoms. (Burning in her shoulders and a constant pit in her chest that seemed new/ odd.) She’s done her own research and has questioned the timing of her intense symptoms emerging. The concept of doctors not fully understanding has been really tough for her to wrap her head around. (It does help her a bit to know that doctors in the UK are starting to taper differently.) We were trying to avoid reinstatement and having to go through this again– but I’m worried we may be at the end of her time window to reinstate at 4 months. More than anything, she’s tired of feeling crummy and just wants to feel better. Sertraline Use and Taper: She began taking Sertraline 25 mg in 2018 at age 17. When that was tolerated, went up to 50 mg. Dosage increased to 75 mg at some point a few years in. (Neither of us recall the specifics of why she went up.) In March 2023, she decided she wanted to go off Sertraline. She felt happy, confident and wanted to know who she was without the meds. We supported this and didn’t think too much about the process– other than we knew she needed to taper. Tapered under Nurse Practitioner in an established Dr. office in her college town: 75 mg for 2 weeks; 50 mg for 2 weeks; 25 mg for 2 weeks; off April 25, 2023 **She reported a headache while tapering, but this resolved. She seemed mildly not herself/ irritable when she came home for a few weeks in May/ early June. It occurred to us it could be going off Sertraline, but she said she thought she was experiencing more highs and lows– and this seemed reasonable. Then she left for an out of town internship. June 12, 2023– she started working variable days/ nights in a high stress environment. On her 1st night shift, she said she was worried about staying awake and drank a ton of coffee. Huge influx of symptoms began: Round #1 Symptoms: Nausea/ Vomiting a few times; Insomnia; Anxiety; Crying; Loss of appetite; Constant “pit” in her chest; “Burning,” uncomfortable feeling in shoulders; “Burning” in arms and legs. **Mornings were the worst, but things sometimes let up by the evening. June 27th, she messaged her Nurse Practitioner (from college) who prescribed Atarax as needed. She took it once, felt better briefly and then immediately worse as soon as it wore off. I started googling her symptoms and we started to realize this could be withdrawal. Around this time she started taking Benadryl at night (based on reading this helps with AD withdrawals) and this seemed to help. July 7, she left the internship, came home and stabilized quite a bit. She wasn’t 100%, but her trajectory was promising and we thought the worst was over. August 8th, I took her to a Functional Doctor who suggested she take a supplement in our efforts to keep making her stronger: Contents of CereVive and dose: (In addition to Vit C, Vit B 12, Vit B 6, Niacin, Folate, Magnesium and Zinc) Inositol: 1 g; L- Tyrosine USP: 400 mg; Mucuna Pruriens Extract (10% L Dopa): 400 mg; 5-HTP: 150 mg; L- Theanine: 100 mg; Gamma Aminobutyric Acid (PharmaGABA): 100 mg Influx of symptoms came back within 3 days of beginning the supplement. We cut the CereVive in half one day, another ⅔ the next day and off. Unclear if it was the CereVive that caused the wave or maybe she wasn’t doing as well as we thought. It has felt like 2 distinct healing periods. She stabilized a bit and hoped time would do the trick again. She went back to college and is functioning/ getting to where she needs to go. Overall not great though– and actively seeking a solution to feel better. Round #2 Symptoms: same as before + new ones: Tingling and/ or burning in arms; burning in neck with numbness in arms; lack of concentration, increased crying, decrease in appetite, feeling like she can’t breathe, a bit of despair that this is happening again. This week, my daughter messaged her Nurse Practitioner about reinstatement and was prescribed 25 mg. of Sertraline. Dosage for reinstatement: My daughter agreed to cut the pill into a ¼ (6.25 mg.) She’s using a pill cutter for consistent portions. I asked if she could split it into an ⅛ and she said the pills are too small and this seemed to overwhelm her a bit. I’m thinking that ¼ is the best we can do to also keep it manageable for her. (Open to input and ideas how to go smaller if that's better. Or is it too late and we need to stick with ¼ pill?) I sent her a scale to try to get smaller portions, but I sent the wrong one at first. Another is on its way but again-- we're balancing her being overwhelmed. She did not ask the Nurse Practitioner for liquid– and given how she managed the initial taper, I’m not sure she’s the one to ask. I honestly don’t think it’s realistic for my daughter to make her own liquid at this point. Symptoms since starting 6.25 mg today: dry mouth (resolved), headache (resolved with Tylenol). Some negative symptoms that caused her to reinstate may be getting somewhat better. Still a bit of burning in her arms and she's exhausted but can't nap. **My daughter said the headache feels the same as when she went off. Kind of in the back of her head. (I don’t know what significance this holds.) Supplements/ Medicines she’s still using: Benadryl when physical symptoms are bad at night; Probiotic; Allegra; Midnite (Extended release melatonin); Magnesium Glycinate ;Vitamin D3 with K2; Fish Oil: Omega MonoPureA 1300 EC. I know this is a lot and I appreciate any help and feedback. My biggest concern is that I feel like she’s the wrong doctor and a crummy day away from starting a new medicine. She’s very strong minded and was really thriving before all of this. She was really excited about being off the Sertraline. Crossing all fingers and toes that the reinstatement (followed by a gradual taper) will work. In addition to practical help, I’d welcome any prayers or good thoughts anyone would like to send her way. MommaJ