Hermena: Withdrawal from Zoloft

[johnson]

I'm not taking anything. I used to take magnesium supplements but I've stopped that as well. Good luck to you. 

[RachelSusan]

Hi Monika,

 

It sounds like you are feeling a little better, but not a lot.  Am I correct, or do I misunderstand?

 

If you do decide to go back on medication would you consider starting with a very low dose to see how it goes?  I remember your allergy and I'm concerned about that.  Also sometimes going back on medication is hard after being off of it for a while. The doctors don't always take that into consideration. Please think about it. If you have any questions about how to go back on medication and want to get another perspective that is different than your psychiatrist's perhaps you might want to reach out to your original moderator for suggestions.  AliG is very good.   I'm wishing you good luck with your psychiatrist.  I hope you feel better soon.

 

Rachel

 

 

[Gridley]

Hello, Hermena,

 

From what I read, you're doing pretty well and had a bad reaction to the physiotherapy.  Many--maybe most--of us in withdrawal cannot tolerate strenuous physical activity.  It is just too much for our compromised central nervous systems.  Have you tried epsom salt baths?

 

I would urge you to think long and hard about going back on medications, especially since you had such a bad reaction last time.  Please re-read AliG's posts earlier in your thread.  Your psychiatrist is going to recommend that you go back on drugs because...well, because that's what psychiatrists do.  It's their stock-in-trade.  You have made so much progress.

 

I have some agoraphobia too, but I would rather have that than try to treat it with drugs.  There is non-drug therapy to treat agoraphobia.  Here's a link to how other SA members have dealt with agoraphobia.

 

Agoraphobia - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

[Hermena]

Hi Gridely,

 

Thanks a lot for your support. I think you’re right that I reacted very  emotionally to the therapy. I have my personal view that trigger points therapy not only reduces muscle tensions but also releases emotions which are hidden in the body. Too much pressure put on the muscles implicated the burst of negative emotions. What I can tell from a two-month perspective of a manual therapy is that I sleep better, I am most interested in the world, I eat better and move more. 

The fear of going out is still a great problem. I feel guilty for that. At present I don’t work. Most of my friends don’t understand that. They even don’t visit me. I can only rely on my mum, cousin Irene and an elderly female neighbour. 

Now it’s been two hours of waiting for the visit. I feel a bit nervous with a slight tension in my upper backs. My last going out to town (the end of the December) was terrible. I experienced horrific panic attact (problems with breathing, stomache, tensed upper backs).

 

Best regards,

Monika

[Hermena]

Hi everyone !

 

My doc prescribed me Zoloft again. I had a feeling that she had no clue how to help me. She didn’t believe that I could be still suffering from withdrawal side effects after 7 months from tapering. 

It’s been a week and I still didn’t take the medicine.

Days are passing and I am still in a poor condition. To make matters worse I lost more than 10 kilos after withdrawal and cannot gain any more. I am 172 centimeters tall and weight 59 kilos.

I want to get back to life, socialize with people, work. Now I feel useless and without any hope. 

 

Monika

 

 

[Hermena]

Hi everyone ,

 

Today I’ve taken 1/4 of the pill - it’s about 12,5 mg of sertraline (Zoloft). Time will show if It was a right decision.

 

Monika

[ChessieCat]

Please keep daily notes so that you can see your symptom pattern:

 

Keep notes on paper about your drug dosages and daily symptom pattern

 

A symptom pattern that occurs regularly over several days could mean the symptoms are from withdrawal, other adverse effects of drugs, or something else you do on a daily schedule.

 

In the course of discussion in your Introductions forum topic, you may be asked to keep notes on paper of your daily symptom pattern, including when you take your drugs, their dosages, and any symptoms.

 

What we need to see for every individual day over several days is:

- Time and dosage for drugs taken in morning
- Time and description of any symptoms in the morning
 
- Time and dosage for drugs taken in afternoon
- Time and description of any symptoms in the afternoon
 
- Time and dosage for drugs taken in evening
- Time and description of any symptoms in the evening
 
- Time and dosage for drugs taken in middle of the night
- Time and description of any symptoms in the middle of the night (such as waking)
 
And so forth. A diary, in chronological order, such as:
 
6 a.m. Woke and vomited
8 a.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
10 a.m. Had diarrhea
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:35 a.m. Got a headache, lasted one hour
12:35 p.m. Ate lunch
4 p.m. Stomachache
5 p.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
6 p.m. Ate dinner
9:20 p.m. Headache
10:00 p.m. Took 50mg Seroquel
10:20 p.m. Headache got worse
10:30 p.m. Fell asleep
2:30 a.m. Woke, took 3mg Ambien (NOT "took 1/2 tablet Ambien")
2:45 a.m. Fell asleep
4:30 a.m. Woke with headache

 

An appointments diary is perfect for this and can be bought at stationery stores. 

They have a page for each day with times for appointments which can be filled in with doses, symptoms etc as shown by Alto.