RecoveringinFaith: Zoloft Was Helping but Forced to Quit, New Member

[RecoveringinFaith]

Hi, I am new to this site and even new to online forums and thought I would give this a try.  Zoloft was actually helping me deal with severe tinnitus.  Initially I was on Remeron, Seroquel, Ativan, Klonopin, and Ambien.  But nothing was helping and even though I have a great husband and two great kids I had suicidal ideations...a lot.  So the doc switched the Remeron out for Zoloft.  I was just getting my life back but from Day 1  the Zoloft caused GI issues.  Wasn't much at first but as the dosage was increased the GI issues got worse and I lost 22 pounds.  A colonoscopy dx'd me with lymphocitic colitis.  Docs say Zoloft didn't cause it as it's an auto-immine issue but that the Zoloft could have kicked it in to high gear.  So I actually did NOT want to go off Zoloft.  I am also now completely off Ativan and am tapering off Klonopin.  But I don't feel well and my tinnitus, which was reduced when I was up to 150 mg Zoloft, is now very loud again.  Years ago Paxil worked for me and without side effects, even when I quit cold turkey.  But now I know that 95% of our serotonin receptors are in the gut and I am afraid to try any AD again.  I am 25 days out from the last day of Zoloft.  I am hoping that my now depressed state and loud tinnitus is just a temporary set back from withdrawal but HOW do I know that for sure? Part of me wants to tough this out but part of me wants to try Paxil again, even though it's an SSRI.  I had three weeks of normalcy but it was snatched away very quickly thanks to the GI issues from Zoloft.  To all those also suffering you have my sympathy.  

[Petunia]

Welcome RecoveringinFaith,

I'm sorry to hear about what you are going through, it must have been devastating to have felt well for that short period, and then to have lost it. I hadn't heard of Lymphocytic colitis, so did a little research. Even though there's no conclusive evidence, it does seem there is a connection with long term use of some medications, including SSRI type antidepressants and Sertraline (Zoloft) in particular.

 

I'm a little confused, was tinnitus the reason you started taking medication in the first place? You said you took Paxil years ago, was this also for tinnitus? When did you take Paxil? 

 

How long did you take Remeron, Seroquel, Ativan, Klonopin, and Ambien? We also need some information about how you stopped taking all these drugs.

 

It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

 

Stopping any antidepressant or benzo too fast can cause withdrawal symptoms. We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Please read through this which will explain why:

  

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Are you having any other symptoms besides tinnitus? See:  What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

I suggest you stop tapering Klonopin for now to let your nervous system settle down

 

I can't recommend going back on Paxil, mainly because we are a support site to help people safely come off medications, but also because Paxil is another SSRI and is implicated as being a possible trigger for what you've been diagnosed with.

 

When we have a few more details, we will be in a better position to offer support and suggestions. I'm glad you found us.

 

Petunia.