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Sertralinsomnia: Crash from Zoloft after 7 months


Sertralinsomnia

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Hi all,

I am new here, i was on zoloft 50 mg for 2 years, then to 25 mg for the next five, widthdrew for like 2 months, until 12,5 mg, then stopped all along, the first months i was ok, but had some weird symptoms during this period, like palpitations, rigid neck, and wakink up at nothing. Then after six to seven month it happened, i was at home, and suddenly had a strong headache out of the blue, the next days i had panic attacks (i never had them) and increased anxiety, i was very scared, after 3 weeks i still have panic attacks, altough they are less and more mild, now i am unable to sleep and when i almost sleep my body seems to shake me and i awake again. Also i developed a strange symptom, i am now unable to sneeze, i get the urge but cant finish. This is the beginning of my surviving journey. Anyone can relate?

Thank you,
Peter

Edited by scallywag
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Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Peter -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA)

 

Some people do experience delayed symptoms and/or a wave of symptoms months after the last dose. Some discussions about that are at these links:

Delayed onset of withdrawal symptoms

The Windows and Waves pattern of stabilization.

 

Sometimes doctors consider these symptoms as a relapse or as a new condition. Remember you get to decide what it is:

Withdrawal or relapse?

 

Here are discussions about the symptoms you've mentioned:

Tips to help sleep.

Waking with panic or anxiety -- Managing cortisol spikes

 

For anxiety,

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

The Dr. Claire Weekes Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System

 

What supplements are you taking?

 

Many people find it helpful to take omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil with high EPA & DHA) and/or magnesium. Pick one or the other, start low and go up slowly.

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil).

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker.

 

I hope you'll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation. I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but am glad that you found us.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Thank you very much Scallywag for your feedback. I found those articles helpfull, they confirm that what i am having, was indeed a protracted or delayed widthdrawall, altough i felt some of the same symptoms in isolated time windows after i quit zoloft completly, but i never suspected it was still zolof withdrawal, until the crash i had, wish added panic attacks.

 

Now, i feel the symptoms come out of nowhere, the symptoms i have now, that linger on daily basis, are sleep problems, lightheadness during the day, and a very strange feeling in my head, like a wave passing trough my had that gives the impresions yoy have instant loss of senses sensation in a matter of microseconds. The only symptom that seem to be reduced, are the heart palpitations, i now have like only 5 to 10 palpitations daily, most of them at waking up or during sleep. The wave sensation happens also when i am sleeping, because i feel it trough my head while lying in bed.

 

I had an holter last week wish revealed premature ventricular beats. But the doctor said to me, i have to do an cardiovascular effort trial to see if they are any risks of possible future heart problems.

 

I am really debiltated from this and i had to take free days from work. Trying to handle this as much as i can, i walk like 2 hours a day near the sea always thinking and hoping the best.

 

I am glad i can have support on this forum.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Peter thanks for the update.

 

A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly?

  • Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years.
  • Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)
  • Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016.
  • Please omit (leave out) symptoms and diagnoses.
  • A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs.
  • You can find instructions in this topic: Please put your withdrawal history in signature
  • If you are using a phone or mobile device, you need to switch to the "full" or desktop version of the site. Instructions are in Post 9 and Post 10

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Thank you scallywag,

 

I filled the signature. I forgot to mention, i tried to reinstate prozac at 5 mg per day, on 26 January, 2 days after the widthdrawal crash, i made a bad decision, had arrhytmias on it stopped 30 january, was on it for 5 days. Now i am thinking perhaps is better to reinstate to a low dose sertraline in liquid form 1 mg, because this symptoms are being unbearable, already passed 20 days since last dose of prozac, it is ok try to reinstate with zoloft after prozac?

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Sert/Peter, Thanks for filling out a signature. You can edit and update it using the same control panel page that you used to create it.

 

Would you add the attempted introduction/reinstatement of Prozac on Jan 26?

 

Since your withdrawal started after stopping sertraline, reinstating with sertraline is probably a better choice than fluoxetine (Prozac).

 

Please read about reinstatement here: About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms.

 

After reinstating you probably won't notice an improvement overnight because it takes about 4 days for the drug to reach a steady state in your body and at least another week for the CNS (central nervous system) to adjust to the new dose thereby slowing and/or stopping the symptoms. This easing of the symptoms can take place over many weeks; don't be discouraged if you don't see magical immediate results.

 

It's useful to track your progress and to monitor your symptoms. Please keep notes on paper of your symptoms and the times of your dose(s). This post has a useful format for a daily log:

Take notes of doses and symptoms.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Sorry, Its already on the signature, it was 25 January and not 26 sorry. Thank you for the tips scallywag. About the reinstatement, is there any difference between the pills and liquid form? Any post about the difference on effects? Also, is it safe to reinstate sertraline even if 20 days have passed? I was on 5 mg for 5 days, since january 25. Today is 19 february.

 

Thank you.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I just reread all your posts so far.
 
Let's recap your history:
 
Medication history

 

50 mg Zoloft 2009-2014

25 mg Zoloft 2014-2016

12.5 mg Zoloft May-June 2016

0 mg Zoloft July 2016 and later

5 mg Prozac Jan. 25 to Jan. 30, 2017

 
Symptoms after discontinuing:

  • first few months: mostly ok but a few weird symptoms (palpitations, rigid neck, and waking up during the night)
  • after 6 months: strong headache, panic attacks (never had them before), increased anxiety

Current symptoms since late January

  • panic attacks continue but are less frequent and less intense
  • unable to sleep
  • body shaking when almost asleep, waking you up again

After refreshing my memory, I would suggest that you not reinstate. It's been 6 months since you last took Zoloft.  REinstatements are more predictable the sooner they are started after the last dose. It's not that it won't work for you, it's just that after 6 months it's more guesswork than it usually is. There are, however, people who have found relief with very low dose reinstatements at 9 months and longer after their last dose.
 
If you choose to reinstate Zoloft, then your idea of starting with a 1 mg dose is wise. It should be fine to try Zoloft even though you took Prozac 3 weeks ago.
 
People tend to absorb liquids faster than tablets, and switching from one to the other can cause a few short-term problems so it's best to pick one or the other and stick with it. Since you have a commercial liquid, use that.
 
You may find it helpful to look at the content at these links. They help explain and describe what happens when we start taking these medications and then what happens when we stop. It helped me understand what was going on.
One theory of anti-depressant withdrawal syndrome
How your brain responds to psychiatric drugs - aka "Brain remodeling"
Youtube video, 4 minutes: Healing from antidepressants.

Those links may also shed some light on why it would be better to try Zoloft than to try Prozac.

 

Remember reinstating isn't guaranteed to make your symptoms go away or even to make them less intense. It takes time -- and your patience -- and it doesn't work for everybody.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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  • Administrator

Welcome, sertralinsomnia.
 
You might also find these supplements to be helpful
 
King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker
 
Taurine (L-taurine amino acid)

 

Magnesium and taurine can be relaxing and calming. Start low and go slow.

 

For sleep problems, see  Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems

 

What is your sleep pattern?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Hey Peter,

 

I am on two facebook pages.  one is for Zoloft and one is for this site (there is a link to the facebook page under "off-topic" on the introduction page of this site) and recently there have been posts by a couple of people who had withdrawn from Zoloft  and who started developing withdrawal symptoms and had reinstated and are doing much better now.  A young woman on the Zoloft page had been on Zoloft for 18 years, from age 12 to age 30 and had started tapering down her 100 mg dose over a year and then quit the drug.  For a year she suffered a horrible withdrawal and was forced to stay at home for an entire year and was crying daily and was miserable.  She reinstated at 25 mg this past July and later upped it to 50 mg and she posted in January on the Zoloft facebook page how she had gotten her life back and started a new job she loves.   

 

the other story from the SA facebook page was from a younger man who had been on Zoloft for 6 years and quit the pill and went into withdrawal.  He was a mechanic and having a terrible time at work because of cognitive problems brought on by withdrawal and was losing his mind.  He reinstated on 37.5 mgs of Effexor in November and posted at the end of January who he was feeling great and was doing well at his job.  I disagree that 6 months into wd is too long to reinstate and that reinstatement necessarily has to be a micro dose.  I have been going through wd for 3 years now and am extremely exhausted and have huge puffy bags under my eyes now.  I was on Zoloft and zyprexa and when I quit the pills and had horrible sleep for over two years.  My sleep is still not very good and I have problems with my short term memory now.  I had palpitations for the first two years, but they have since gone away.

 

Derek

Court committed to take Prozac, Paxci, and Respiradol from 8/95 to 3/96.   developed severe akithisia and brain damage.  Was unable to speak and walking in circles 15 hours a day.  Went in for 5 sessions of ECT during a 10 day period in March of '96 and my forced medication was discontinued at that time.  My akithisia and brain damage cleared up within a few days of stopping the meds.

 

On Zoloft (200 mg) and Zyprexa (17.5 mg) March 1998- Feb 2014

In between was placed on Effexor 200 mg and Abilify for six months in 2004.  Developed mild akithisia which went away once I stopped the Abilify.  Developed severe GI issues in Dec 2001 and from that time on suffered from fatigue and hypersomnia where I would sleep between 12 and 20 hours a day and rarely ever left my apartment. 

 

Had tapered to 100 mg of Zoloft and 7.5 mg of Zyprexa at the time of going cold turkey Feb. 2014

Went 5 days without sleep at the beginning while vomiting all over my apt.  Had brain zaps for a number of weeks and also lightheadedness which both eventually went away.  However 2 1/2 yrs later I still struggle with insomnia, depression, and fatigue.

 

 

 

 

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Peter.  Reinstating at a low dose is a harm reduction measure that helps to avoid a bad reaction when one has perhaps already become sensitized to the drugs. As Scally said , it may be too late for you - it's hard to say but I would like to explain why we suggest small doses to start with as sometimes it can be misunderstood by some. 

 

There is really no downside as you can always work your way up in dose until you find the minimum effective dose.That is the minimum amount of a particular drug that it takes to obtain " therapeutic" dose of a drug. Not everyone has the same reaction to these therapeutic doses. One person may experience no benefit at any dose , another may find they can only tolerate a low dose, while another may require a high dose. 

 

Since individual variation can't be accurately determined, it is best to play it safe by gradually titrating upwards from the lowest possible dose on all psychotropic medications.

 

By titrating up , you give your body a greater adjustment period. This allows for some adaptation rather than being shocked at a high dose which can be a jolt to the CNS.

 

It's easier to increase / decrease with fewer side effects and is less to taper off eventually if starting out at a small dose. For some the low doses can be even more effective than the high doses. Adding to that as I've already said some are very Med sensitive.  A standard dose for a highly med - sensitive person may have the same effect as a high dose in an average person. For these people there is a clear need to start low and titrate upwards.

 

At high doses sometimes the benefits can be overridden by the side effects. If you don't try the low dose you will never know if it provides benefit. For some it can be the answer. There is a high degree of individual variation. For one person a therapeutic dose may be extremely low , for another it may be high.

 

Also as you increase the dose , the potential for side effects also increases. The greater the effect of the drug - the greater the side effects. The larger dose has more control over your brain and physiology. This can lead to a further disruption of homeostatic processes.

 

The goal is to find the " sweet spot" where the person is getting therapeutic benefit from the drug at the lowest possible dose.

 

That is what we try to achieve and why we recommend starting at a mini - dose. Often it can achieve excellent results without the disadvantages of a higher dose. 

 

It may be that you don't reinstate which is perhaps not indicated at this time for you but I thought it was important that you at least know the facts as we see them regarding reinstatement and why we advise starting at a low dose for you and others.

 

Ali

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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Hi AlliG and All,

 

Thank you very much for all your support. In terms of starting safe and low, is there at least any example(s) in this forum for someone who started very low on Zoloft? Regarding "it may be too late for you", how will i know this? Is there a minimum time that most pass, so i can be sure it doesnt work? If so how much time? For example, if i take 1 mg zoloft, and have a bad reaction, could this be a side effect, instead of a bad reaction? And it would mean i had to go down or up?

 

I just remebered that upon reinstating with prozac i had bad effects,but curiously there were other symptoms that vanished in the third day of prozac, like the palpitations, but on the fifth day the palpitations started again, i believe this happened because prozac has a long half life, and the dose accumulates over the days to reach a steady state, and get higher while the days passes and  that our brains cannot handle.

 

5 mg of prozac each day could mean 20 to 25 mg of prozac on the blood on the fifth day, because the half life since the first dose can be 4 days, and that is to much for our bodies to handle.

 

On the other side, zoloft has only 26 hour half life and the body has more chance to adapt to zoloft than prozac , in my opinion.

 

But i agree to start low and safe. But if i have a bad reaction to a low dose, would this really mean i am now to sensitive, or does it only mean, the dose is to low and need to up a little? I am confused here.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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AltoStratta,

 

My sleep pattern is not consistent, and my body shuts me down on whattever hour of the night, when it can hadle the insomnia any more. But it last only one to tow hours.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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Speaking about being to sensitive, wonder if this protracted widthdrawal , or being many months on widhdrawal, makes you sensitive to other meds as well? Like paracatemol? Does this mean that we cannot take many medicines from now on or we will react baddly?

 

And, how do i measure 1 mg on the 20 mg/1ml zoloft solution? Would it be like 6,25 ml = 1,25 mg and 6 ml = 1mg? Any tips on this?

 

Can i find any example ftom someone who reinstated at a very low dose after long time snd stabilized?

 

Sorry for so many questionss.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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Many of us experience sensitivity to different medications after WD. Often the effect from stimulants and drugs can have paradoxical effect. Caffeine for example, reduces my pulse by 15-20 BPM. Alcohol, even in minimal amounts makes me sick for weeks. Paracetamol dont work AS intended for me. The nervous system is out of balance and is likely the cause of this sensitivity. It is important not to put extra stress to ourselves while we heal. Things like lifestyle, diet and stress management makes a difference in WD.

<p>Sept 2015: 5 mg Cipralex for 3 weeks. Lots of side effects. Reduced to 2.5 mg for 2 weeks. Experiencing withdrawal and side effects still after dose reduction. Quit after almost 4 weeks on 2.5 mg because of adverse effects. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms still. Reinstating 1mg after 3 weeks. Reduced to 0.50 after 2 days due to sensitive reaction (dysautonomia) and trip to ER. January 2016: After 14 months of tapering from 0.5 mg im now down to 0.08mg. Planing on one more drop before 4-8 weeks healing, then jump to zero. 14.03.17: Lexapro free!

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Thanks Cipramillion,

 

This is very frightening. I heard the story of AltoStrata, i hope she reads thi.

 

Altostrata, i heard you developed anesthesya sensitivity, how did you found you were sensitive and what happened exacly? In our cases how do we know we will have a severe reaction to anesthesya? I afraid i will have to do propofol to make a stomach exam in some months, in the state of protractive widthdrawal.

 

I the mean time, altostrata you asked for my sleep pattern. Yesterday, after 30 days of protractive widhdrawal, with insomnia at most of the days and with 5 days of low dose prozac in the middle, wish i quit immediately, i had a full night rest sleep, is this good or simply a window? I also see that some other symptoms are being more mild since today.

 

Is there someone here that got over protracted withdrawal, and eventually recovered from the med sensivity allowing it to take normal meds and anesthesya again? What about flu shots, are people with protractive widthdrawal sensitive to them and risking adverse reactions from it? I took flushoots for 6 years now, but now for the first time i am in protractive widthdrawal, so i am now being very alert on the risk of every med on this state were cns is wrecked!

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Administrator

I've done acceptably with anesthesia, but I always tell the surgeon and anesthesiologist that I am hypersensitive to drugs.

 

It might very well have been that 5mg Prozac was too much for you. Do you still have some left? You can make a liquid to take a very small amount, such as 1mg. This topic tells you how Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine)

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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I am off prozac 20 days now. And about the sleepin two days ago .. it was simply a window. Yesterday i was sleeping bad dnd with nightmares waking up constantly. I guess i am going to reinstate 1 mg zoloft, and if nothing happens i will up the dose. What would be the day that i should up the dose? I read here the the brain registers the reinstatement after 4 days, so i could up to 2 mg or 1.5 mg on the fifth day, until at least the widhdrawal symptoms stabilize?

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi,

 

It takes about 4 days for the drug to get to full state in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.  It is a good idea to keeps notes of your symptoms, improvements/worsening/staying the same and Rate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and Progress might help you to see improvement which you may not feel.

 

To answer your question it is best to allow about 2 weeks.  It is important to be patient.  The idea of reinstating isn't to get rid of withdrawal symptoms completely but to bring them to a level which is bearable.

 

If at any time you are finding the symptoms unbearable, I suggest that you post your daily symptom notes here and then the mods can assess them to try and figure out if reinstatement is working and whether increasing the dose might be an option.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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I need help, how do i measure 1 mg in Zoloft dropper, this dose is too low. On the other hand i can extract one drop with the dropper, how much is one drop? Any one knows?

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Please remind me: Are you using liquid Zoloft from the pharmacy or are you making your own liquid?

 

If the liquid is from the pharmacy, you can take the liquid and your dropper with you to the pharmacy and ask them to show you.

 

If you are making your own, we'll try to help you figure it out.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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I am using the zoloft from the pharmacy, but the dose is so low, that they said to me that 1 mg is almost impossible to measure. So perhaps i should measure and start with 2.5 or 3 mg wish would be 0,14 ml?

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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Scallywag and all,

 

 

I just decided i will reinstate do 2 mg of sertraline liquid, wish equals to 0.1 ml. I can do this measure on a small syringe of 100 microliters, in this case 2mg would be 10 microliters. Thats what i am doing tomorow, i have to do this, new symptoms are starting to arise.

 

Today i had a new symptom, pain on the back side of the neck and feeling it to hot.

 

I hope i start to feel better soon with this dosage. I have one question tough, as ChessieCat mentioned, i can have to wait at least two weeks to feel some effects, but until there if i dont feel better, should i updose?

 

I just need also an advise please, i was on prozac 5 mg for five days, until 30 of january. Today is 23 of January. So it passed 23 days. And i saw on the medication documents it says:

 

"Exercise particular caution when switching from fluoxetine to other antidepressant. Significant concentrations of fluoxetine or its active metabolite may be present for 5 weeks after stopping."

 

Still not 4 weeks have passed, so its better to wait until the end of next week before reinstatement? Please help.

 

 

 

Thank you all.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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Just to update you all, e ended figuring out that the prozac warning on waiting 5 weeks to switch to another AD refers on to KMAOS, if switching to another SSRI, wait at least 5 half lifes, wish i did.

Just took 2 mg zoloft liquid this morning, i hope i react well to it. If everyting goes well, i can plan a slow tapering schedule. But in my case, and surelly on many cases, even if you taper well very slowly and gradually, after you jump off, it could pass 1,2 months after sucessfull taper, and we might thing, i did it. But we might be very wrong and after 5 or 6 months a protracted withdrawal hits you stong. It happened to me, thats because i am very skeptic, since i had a great delayed widhtdrawal, i wonder if even i make a slow tapering, jump off, and be ok for a couple of months, the delayed widthdrawall happens again and our body diesnt care if we made a fast or slow widhdrawal, because on both ways, the body will react to both always with protracted withdrawal.

 

Anyone here made a sucessfull micro tapering, only to be hit strong with a second protracted withdrawal?

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

You can dilute the pharmacy liquid to get smaller doses.

 

Is the dose in the liquid you have 20 mg sertraline = 1 ml liquid?

 

If you are trying to get 2 mg doses,

  • Add 1 ml pharmacy liquid to 9 ml water. You'll have a solution where 10 ml = 20 mg sertraline.
  • Shake or stir.  
  • Take 1 ml (10% of the new solution) for a 2 mg dose.

 

I hope that's helpful.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Thank you Scallywag,

 

I ended using my micro syringe and extracted  0,1 milliliters wish equals 2 mg sertraline from the concentrated bottle, then i diluted that ammount on 120 ml of water (4 ounces). Stirred and drink. Of course, i also shaked the sertraline bottle first.

 

Now i would like to do my update for today, after the first reinstatement of 2 mg sertraline:

 

DAY 1 - 23/02/2017 - SERTRALINE 2mg liquid from = 0,1 ml

 

SYMPTOMS STILL LINGERING AFTER REINSTATEMENT:

 

     - Sensation of electric shocks in the heart, especially on late afternoon, and upon going to sleep, or out of the blue.

     - Strange sensation that seems to comes from my left side of the chest, near the heart, this sensation makes me feel really unwell, and panic starts. This sensation has 15 to 20 minutes   sensation. (This felling started one week ago)

     - Heart Palpitations - everyday basically

     - A feeling of spining in my head.

     - A strong knot sensation on the lower left of my abdomen

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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Hi all,

 

I was thinking about this for some time now and now is the time to ask? Is it possible that after a sucessfull tapering wish begun with a  sucessfull reinstatement / stabilizing from a protracted widhdrawal and jumping off, that the protracted widhdrawal could return months later again, but this time reinstatement doesnt work anymore?

 

If so, would not the benefits of maintaining a reinstatement forever outweight the risk of tapering even sucessfully (so we would believe). Because if i taper sucessfully and protracted widhdrawal returns again but this time resistant to the same reinstatement (Like a resistant bacteria to antibiotics), i would be dommed forever or being swithched to benzos or another ssris wish in turn would never solve the symptoms caused by the original SSRI.?

 

Any insights on this? I guess they call this the kindling effect? Did this happened to someone here?

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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Anyone can explain me if we can recover from the hypersensivity of the CNS caused by protracted widthdrawal after stabilization on a low dose reinstatement? Did anyone here, who discovered super sensivity to other meds after or during widhdrawal, stabilized on a low dose and was able to take other meds after it normally, like it did in the past? Like aspirin, paracatemol, anti histaminics, etc?

 

Thank you.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Yes people do recover after having sensitized the CNS by rapid tapering and after having experienced protracted withdrawal. You may find the site beyondmeds.com particularly informative. The owner of that site has made it through a very long, 6-7 years I think, recovery after discontinuing multiple neuro-psycho-active medications.

One challenge we have is that once people recover sufficiently from withdrawal -- protracted or not -- they are less likely to post. They are excited and enthusiastic about getting back to their full life and have little desire or need to revisit an awful time in their life.

You may wish to search the site for topics about sensitivity to medications. I ran a Google search with these search terms:
site:survivingantidepressants.org sensitivity medications
Here are the search results: https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Asurvivingantidepressants.org%20sensitivity%20medications

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Thank you Scallywag,

 

What about while we are on reinstating mode? If we are stable and remain that way, during this time, isnt the CNS recovering the same way, or only when the tapering is done?

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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Any ideas? I am afraid that if the reinstatement at a very low dose goes well and later start tapering, do well in tapering, jump off, and then if the protracted widthrawal happens again, my brain will not accept even the smallest dose of reinstatement, and from here i would be doomed for the rest of my life and in doctors trying to fix it, wish would only be fixed by reinstate the original drug. I could not go back anymore and stay miserable for the rest of my days. So if i reinstate and do well in a very low dose, would it not be better to stay on that low dose permanently, instead of jumping from the bridge and risk a tapper even if very slow, only to be hit hard again and then unable to go back?

 

I read some cases here of people who did taper, jumped off, but then could not reinstate anymore, and now they seem to have no way out unless more drugs that worsens the problem.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

The point of slowly and attentively tapering is to minimize the risk of symptoms occurring. You're thinking about this very thoroughly. There's a point where that thinking becomes overthinking driven by anxiety. You may be at or near that point.

 

Please read

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?.

Micro-taper instead of 10% or 5% decreases.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

Link to comment

Thank you Scally,

 

Even if i take years tapering i must try it.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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Just an updated i reduced my reinstatement to 1 mg, and even in that dose i am having severe insomnia, other symptoms curiously are getting much more milder. So i would please ask for support. I am thinking in skipping one or two days, and return with 0.2 mg to see how it goes. Is this ok? Please help.

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Protracted withdrawal happens following a period of feeling better after a CT or a taper which was too fast. If you reinstate, stabilize and then taper properly, which means slowly over a period of months to years, then its very unlikely you will experience protracted withdrawal.

 

The only difference between protracted withdrawal and 'normal' withdrawal is that the protracted kind starts after a period of feeling recovered, which could be anywhere from a few weeks to a year. Both of them are caused by stopping a drug too fast. If you taper slowly, using the 10% method, and also listening to your body and symptoms before making dose cuts, then its unlikely you will experience any kind of withdrawal.

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

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Please anyone help

Started zoloft 25 mg on October 2009. Started tapering May 2016 to june 2016, last week at 12,5 mg and quitCrashed 23 january 2017, severe headache and panic (never had this panic all my life) next morning.Tried to reinstate with prozac 5 mg a day on 25 January 2016, bad choice, got arrhytmias and stopped. Started propranolol 40 mg as needed on january23 - 28 Feb 2017 Tried zoloft reinstatement at 1mg didnt work, more akathisia and head pressure.

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