BlueOcean: Zoloft totally confused

[BlueOcean]

Hello everyone,

I've been on 50 mg of Zoloft for thirteen years, and I've been shaving my pills down to 30 mgs. I'm pretty confused and have memory problems. I kinda had memory problems when I was at my full dose, but now I'm totally discombobulated with constant headaches and eye twitching. I'm pretty worried. Is it the desensitized receptors causing the cognitive impairment?

Edited October 3, 2016 by scallywag
tags added

[nz11]

Welcome Blueocean

So it sounds like you are a little confused dont worry we all were until we found online support.

(Thats when i went from confused to humiliated and angered).

 

You might like to do a drug sig. and especially advise when you started the taper and how and when you do a drop. Doses times would be helpful.

Are you taking any other drugs then you could list those too.

 

yes withdrawal leaves the cns very impaired.

You may well be tapering too fast.

 

Check out the two links below

 

Tips for tapering off Zoloft (sertraline)

 

Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist

[ChessieCat]

Hi BlueOcean and welcome to SA,

 

Thank you for completing your signature.  It would be helpful if you could add the date you started reducing your dose and also a date for when you reached 30mg.  Also, are you taking any other prescription or non-prescription drugs or supplements?  This is important because if you are taking other things, there may be interactions.  These should also be included in your signature.  Thank you.  Please remember to update whenever you make a change so it remains current and can be seen at a glance.  Once we have more information on when you started decreasing your dose we will be better able to understand what might be happening now.

 

Please check out the following links and ask any questions you have:

 

Before you begin tapering what you need to know

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

These helped me to understand SA's recommended taper of 10% of the previous dose followed by a 3-4 week holding period to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug:

 

Brain Remodelling

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

 

You can ask questions here in your Intro/Update topic and journal your progress.  Click "Follow" top right and you will be notified when someone responds.

[BlueOcean]

I've thought about it, and I don't want to go back to 50 mg, but I think I am tapering way too fast. I've tried this before, and I've learned that I'm very sensitive to doing this. I'm in a world of hurt because of constant headaches and confusion. I've had trouble finding doctors who will write a compounding prescription or liquid. So I probably should reinstate and make my own liquid.

[ChessieCat]

If you are considering updosing, you wouldn't need to go back to 50mg.  Please do not go back on 50mg as it will probably be too much at this stage because your brain will have already made some adjustments to receiving a lower dose. 

 

However, before we can make a suggestion of how much you might increase your dose by we need the additional information:

 

As I posted previously:

 

"It would be helpful if you could add the date you started reducing your dose and also a date for when you reached 30mg.

 

Also, are you taking any other prescription or non-prescription drugs or supplements?

 

This is important because if you are taking other things, there may be interactions.  These should also be included in your signature."

[BlueOcean]

OK I've updated my drug signature, and I've already made the mistake of taking a full dose of 50mgs. I think I'm starting to feel a little better, but brain fog still not good.

[ChessieCat]

Hi BlueOcean,

 

6.2mgs 1-01-16
6.2mgs. 4-01-16
6.2mgs. 7-01-16

 

This information in your signature doesn't make any sense to me.

 

You said you are down to 30mgs.  We need to know when you last took 50mg (not the dose you have just taken though) as well as when you first got to 30mgs.  Please include this information in your signature.  Thank you.

[BlueOcean]

Sorry I'm not thinking straight, and the 50mg I took before I found out it was bad to do has me not feeling well at all. I've updated my drug signature again

[nz11]

oh i see what you are saying:

31 dec 15; 50mg

1 jan 16 ; 43.8

1 april 16; 37.6

1 july 16; 31.4 ......>30 mg (rounded)

[BlueOcean]

Yes

[ChessieCat]

Hi BlueOcean,

 

Thank you for clarifying your dose/drug situation.  Your taper drops have been more than SA's recommended 10% of the previous dose, but you have held for 3 months after each drop which is good.

 

QUESTION:  Are you taking any other prescription or non-prescription drugs or supplements?

 

If you are, then you may be getting interactions between them.  Please answer this question so we have all the necessary information.  Thank you.

 

Generally it is preferable to updose a small amount because whilst at the lower dose, in your case at 30mg for 3 months, the brain will have made some adaptations to receiving less of the drug.  Healing isn't linear, in other words it doesn't happen in a straight line.  Symptoms can appear and then abate, a new symptom may occur etc.  Please read:  Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization.  It is not advisable to updose at the first sign of a symptom, only if the symptom persists over a period of time and you cannot live with it.

 

Please also have a read of About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Please keep daily notes on paper of your symptoms, what improves, what gets worse.

[BlueOcean]

Hi Chessie Cat,

No I don't take any other prescription medicine, but I do take gummy fish oil, milk peptide, and .5 melatonin.

 

Im suffering from hard withdrawal, and it's too much. Ive had depersonalization, constant headaches, and memory loss. Time to start over.

[ChessieCat]

Thank you for clarifying that.  I was concerned that there may have been something we didn't know about and we were barking up the wrong tree, so to speak.

 

Please include the dose & date of the 50mg in your signature.  It makes it easier if we can see everything at a glance without having to read back through posts to get the information.

 

Have you returned to 30mg?

 

How did you feel after each of the other reductions?

 

Did you notice an improvement during each of the 3 month holds?

 

Were you stable before doing each reduction?

 

You said you had problems when on the full dose of 50mg.  How is what you have now different to what you had then?

 

I'm asking these questions trying to work out if it is side effect/s or withdrawal symptom/s as they can be similar.  Please have a read of this post. 

 

Here are some links to discussions :

 

Disconnect between interest and action/motivation

Anhedonia, apathy, demotivation, emotional numbness
 
Derealization or Depersonalization

[BlueOcean]

Hello, I definitely felt a surge taking the full 50mg dose, and it made me not feel good for three days, but now I'm ok. I was feeling so confused with memory issues. I went to the doctor, and told him my symptoms. He checked my blood, urine, EKG, chest x-ray, and a head CT scan. He said that I'm the healthiest person I've seen all week, and the effects that I'm feeling are from withdrawal. I'm so scared about permanent brain damage, but he said not to worry because he would've seen the scar tissue from nerve damage. He said there's wrong with my brain. I've been experiencing confusion while on the medicine too, and then I read a most interesting article's saying that long term anti-depressant use can damage the seratonin receptors and cause depression, anxiety, low I.q., food cravings, etc. I'm convinced that what's wrong with me.Thats how I feel like a zombie that can figure any thing out or remember. I'm gonna go back to the doctors after this hurricane hits Florida, and start receiving treatment for damaged receptors, and have a doctor wean me off Zoloft correctly. I can't keep taking it if it's damaging my receptors.

[scallywag]

You wrote:

I definitely felt a surge taking the full 50mg dose, and it made me not feel good for three days, but now I'm ok.

 

When did you take the 50 mg dose? Have you taken it each day since?

[Altostrata]

Hello, BlueOcean.

 

You've been shaving the tablets, is that correct? Are you also weighing them?

 

Without weighing, shaving tablets can be highly inaccurate. Inconsistent dosing could be the source of your withdrawal symptoms.

 

Please read Tips for tapering off Zoloft (sertraline) for other tapering techniques that are more exact.

[BlueOcean]

Yes I have been taking 50mgs for five days, and it stopped my headaches, and I definitely feel calmer. And yes Altostrata even the doctor said shaving my pills with a pocket knife is pretty inaccurate. I really didn't think a little crumb of the medicine wouldn't make a difference, but apparently it does. I guess my brain and nervous system really couldn't adjust to it. When I waited three months the first two reductions, I was smoking marijuana, and I never felt any withdrawal. But on the third reduction I wasn't smoking marijuana, and it hit me hard. But at the end of the last three month reduction I was starting to have rare windows where I felt calm, and kinda like I was thinking straight. I definitely would like to have a doctor write me a liquid prescription, or have a compounded prescription at a 5% reduction.