Oliver1974: sertraline / Zoloft tapering

[Gridley]

1 hour ago, Oliver1974 said:

alarm bells go off telling me to brace for impact.  It could be something as routine as feeling hungry. I’m like, oh my God here comes the anxiety in my abdomen again,

 

Dr. Claire Weekes did pioneering work in dealing with anxiety.  What you are describing Dr. Weeke's called "second fear" or "fear of the fear," which feeds back into the original anxiety, in a vicious loop.  These links contain her suggestions on handling anxiety:

 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes

VIDEO:  Peace from Nervous Suffering - Claire Weekes (1 hour) (http://sendvid.com/vgquc1dg)
__

[Oliver1974]

Thank you Shep.  I truly appreciate your support and wisdom. If you celebrate this holiday, I hope you and your family are having a lovely Easter.  If you don’t celebrate this holiday then I hope you’re having a wonderful time all the same.

 

Stef

[Shep]

Actually, that link was gifted to you from Gridley. Nice to see Gridley stopping by with some Claire Weekes. Well worth exploring. 

 

 

[Oliver1974]

GOSH! 

 

Excuse me. Thank you Gridley. I was so eager to look at the links that I didn’t pay attention to the sender. 

 

Gratefully 

Stefan

[Oliver1974]

Friends,

 

Would you recommend  cross tapering from Zoloft to Prozac and then tapering off Prozac? Or should I just taper off Zoloft very slowly?

 

I know that Zoloft has a shorter half-life and that’s why people crossover to Prozac , but I’m wondering if I might be setting myself up for undue heartache  by adding more chemicals to the toxic soup.

 

Stefan

 

 

 

 

[powerback]

38 minutes ago, Oliver1974 said:

Friends,

 

Would you recommend  cross tapering from Zoloft to Prozac and then tapering off Prozac? Or should I just taper off Zoloft very slowly?

 

I know that Zoloft has a shorter half-life and that’s why people crossover to Prozac , but I’m wondering if I might be setting myself up for undue heartache  by adding more chemicals to the toxic soup.

 

Stefan

 

 

 

 

Hi Oliver I did this bridge since December and im still on a small dose of Effexor .I was extremely desperate so that's why I did it .I was probably wrong to do it but there were many variables to my misery ,even before I did the bridge .

If your functioning to some level a very slow taper mite be better .

Of course the mods are the ones to listen to ,theyl send you a very good thread about the bridge and read it loads of times . 

I thought the same about the half-life but I think I wistfully ignored the fact the Prozac hasn't taken away the edge of the Effexor withdrawal. 

Take care.

[Shep]

1 hour ago, Oliver1974 said:

Would you recommend  cross tapering from Zoloft to Prozac and then tapering off Prozac? Or should I just taper off Zoloft very slowly?

 

I know that Zoloft has a shorter half-life and that’s why people crossover to Prozac , but I’m wondering if I might be setting myself up for undue heartache  by adding more chemicals to the toxic soup.

 

This is from the Tips for Tapering off Zoloft thread:

 

On 11/13/2011 at 7:18 PM, Altostrata said:

Sertraline [Zoloft] is an SSRI with a half-life of about 26 hours. It is metabolized mainly by the liver enzyme P450 CYP2B6, plus CYP 2D6 (substrate, inhibitor), CYP 3A4 (substrate, inhibitor), and CYP 2C9 (substrate). It has an active metabolite, norsertraline, with a half-life of 62 to 104 hours, which may extend its effects.

 

I wouldn't worry about Zoloft's half-life because you still only need to take it once a day.

 

Bridging over to another drug will automatically put you in Zoloft withdrawal. It's possible that another drug such as Prozac can cover the withdrawal, but there are no guarantees. So it's a risk that doesn't have a lot of benefit because the drug you're currently taking has a 26 hour half life, along with an even longer half-life of up to 104 hours for the active metabolite. 

[Oliver1974]

Thanks powerback

 

I seem to be quite stable (touch wood) on 75mg of Zoloft. A compounding pharmacy has prepared me the recommended 10% dose reduction per month. I will start titrating this September.

 

Sadly I was incredibly ignorant the first two times I tried to come off Zoloft. The first time I lowered the daily dose by 30% and felt terrible by day 5. Five days later I dropped the dose by 1mg a day but after day 8 I was feeling evan worse! I’m quite sure all this has caused me a considerable amount of PTSD. I’m just afraid of feeling terrible again.

 

Stefan

[powerback]

52 minutes ago, Oliver1974 said:

I seem to be quite stable (touch wood) on 75mg of Zoloft

Brilliant ,so I wouldn't bother thinking of a bridge .live life instead lol.

 

54 minutes ago, Oliver1974 said:

considerable amount of PTSD.

Im destroyed by this process ,you mite not be so be careful thinking you are.

Take care.

[Oliver1974]

Powerback

 

You were destroyed by PTSD?  Was it directly related to antidepressant withdrawal? I don’t mean to use that term lightly. I hope I didn’t come across as flippant. 

 

Stefan

[powerback]

13 minutes ago, Oliver1974 said:

Powerback

 

You were destroyed by PTSD?  Was it directly related to antidepressant withdrawal? I don’t mean to use that term lightly. I hope I didn’t come across as flippant. 

 

Stefan

Oh no your fine mate ,I didn't think you were being  flippant .im slowly coming to terms with the fact my life will never be the same again .many many circumstances  come into play .my life wasn't a postcard by any means before withdrawl .I was just getting traction before withdrawl hit me .its been very severe for me .so PTSSD will always be just managed in my case .I have a very good phycologists set up for when its over but for me it will take years .im working on acceptance of how my life turned out .

 

When it goes on as long as it has like me,it starts to become about the people around  you and how they get dragged down .im not coping with the guilt very well .

Im stubborn so ile keep at it.

Take care.

 

 

[Oliver1974]

Powerback,

 

If you don’t  mind me asking,  why was withdrawal so effing severe for you?  I’m currently on 75 mg of Zoloft and I anticipate it taking more than a year for me to titrate off of this.

 

This doctor that prescribed me this junk didn’t really know much about it’s effects. He put me on 100 mg of trazodone 100 milligrams of Zoloft and 0.75 mg of Xanax.  I have never taken any sort of medication like this in my life. I had no idea how to titrate off of any of these drugs, so It became one horrendous  

trial and error after another.  

 

 I finally got myself off of the trazodone and managed to bridge over to liquid diazepam, and now I take 2 mg of liquidizer been a day including the 75 mg of Zoloft.

 

 But I’m not gonna live on this crap for the rest of my life. NO WAY!

[Altostrata]

Hi, Oliver.

 

It looks like you're stabilizing from your earlier changes in Xanax, diazepam, and trazodone, as Shep said. Good idea to wait until your symptom pattern becomes predictable before attempting another taper.

 

If you can, it's probably better to order your compounded doses in monthly batches, in case you need to adjust your rate of taper. Or, as you're taking 75mg Zoloft, when you want to begin tapering, you might want to request a prescription for 50mg tablets plus the Zoloft liquid. You'd continue on the 50mg tablets and reduce the liquid for tapering.

 

There are many combinations of Zoloft tablets, liquid, and compounded capsules you can use to reduce gradually, see Tips for tapering off Zoloft (sertraline) If you can directly taper a drug, that's preferable to a drug switch, to Prozac, for example, which carries the risk of adverse reaction to the switch or the new drug.

 

We can't tell you how you'll feel when you're off Zoloft (looks like you'll still be on diazepam). Do you have any side effects from Zoloft?

 

However, let's look at your current symptom pattern and see if we can't gently further stabilization. The sleep apnea is a complication, what is your current sleep schedule? How are you sleeping? What times of day do you take your drugs, at what dosages? Do you get any symptoms at the same times each day?

 

If your gut problems are pre-existing and haven't gone away or gotten worse through all these drugs, you might want to try a simplified diet for a couple of weeks, see Elimination or exclusion diets for reactions to food (food intolerance)  It could be a common food, such as dairy, has been causing gut irritation all along.

[powerback]

4 hours ago, Oliver1974 said:

Powerback,

 

If you don’t  mind me asking,  why was withdrawal so effing severe for you?  I’m currently on 75 mg of Zoloft and I anticipate it taking more than a year for me to titrate off of this.

 

This doctor that prescribed me this junk didn’t really know much about it’s effects. He put me on 100 mg of trazodone 100 milligrams of Zoloft and 0.75 mg of Xanax.  I have never taken any sort of medication like this in my life. I had no idea how to titrate off of any of these drugs, so It became one horrendous  

trial and error after another.  

 

 I finally got myself off of the trazodone and managed to bridge over to liquid diazepam, and now I take 2 mg of liquidizer been a day including the 75 mg of Zoloft.

 

 But I’m not gonna live on this crap for the rest of my life. NO WAY!

Trust me ,don't get caught up in the mindset/thinking  of its going to take a year .you need to think of being able to live life while coming off.this is paramount.

I never gave proper thought into my environment before I came off drugs[my living arrangements are not applicable for a peaceful healing process]   .ive a history of addiction [binge drinker ].Also genetics plays a part [mine are rubbish/sensitive to drugs].I believe being heavily medicated as a child destroyed any and what little  gut microbiome  I had .[steroids and antibiotics as a kid for serious asthma] .

Also any work I was doing during withdrawl was physical and I pushed myself too far .

 

I had undiagnosed anxiety my whole life ,probably even ADHD in there also [all this came to my understanding once I gave up alcohol and looked back on my life through introspection .

 

 But I’m not gonna live on this crap for the rest of my life. NO WAY!.

Please don't be hasty ,once the drug is in your system you need to thread carefully once coming off .its like making an agreement with the devil [you want off them but the cost is way to severe if you don't do it correctly] .I would give my left arm to turn the clock backwards and not come off my original 75mg Effexor .

Don't think youl be a severe case but don't push your luck either .slow and steady and live life .

 

Take care.

 

[Oliver1974]

Powerback

 

I’d say we have a few thinkings in common. Addiction (bing drinker- sober for a year) genetics/sensitivity to drugs. I’ve probably had undiagnosed anxiety my whole life and have been diagnosed with ADHD.

 

I plan on taking as long as it takes to taper so as to avoid the horrors of withdrawals. 

 

Stefan

 

 

[powerback]

11 hours ago, Oliver1974 said:

Powerback

 

I’d say we have a few thinkings in common. Addiction (bing drinker- sober for a year) genetics/sensitivity to drugs. I’ve probably had undiagnosed anxiety my whole life and have been diagnosed with ADHD.

 

I plan on taking as long as it takes to taper so as to avoid the horrors of withdrawals. 

 

Stefan

 

 

Well done being sober,dropping the adiction is the start.In my opinion alot of addiction is self medicating .

Many negative variables in my childhood contributed towards me seeking releif.

What.happens after the ADHD diagnosis?.

Yep its all about qaulity of life while getting off .at the moment ive no life.

Take care Stefan.

 

 

[Oliver1974]

Hello amigo,

 

After the ADHD diagnosis 20 years ago I was recommended Effexor of all things!? I decided not to take it. ADHD is such an umbrella diagnosis that it’s probably bogus to begin with.

 

I’d say you’re just a very sensitive person like me. This should not come as a surprise considering your sensitivity to medications. 

 

Your nervous system was sensitized from a very young age due to extreme stress and you’ve been doing your very best to normalize since then by self medicating. I totally get it.

 

How and why did you come off of antidepressants? And why do you have no life at the moment? 

 

Your comrade in arms.

Stefan

[Oliver1974]

Powerback 

 

Has also had a REALLY s..t childhood. 

Like I said I totally get it .

 

stefan

[Oliver1974]

Powerback 

 

Please read the book “Lost Conections”. seriously, if you have not read this book then you must. Trust me, it will be very  enlightening and comforting for you.

 

Stefan

[powerback]

1 hour ago, Oliver1974 said:

Please read the book “Lost Conections”.

cheers .

just googled this ,hes doing the rounds for a while on this book ,he was on joe rogan also .A lot  of the stuff he talks about society is bang on .people need to be very watchful of todays social media obsessed culture when it comes to there kids .I see depression and mental health getting a lot worse in years to come .

 kids Having access to vacuous "celebrities" lives at night especially before sleep .

theres two documentaries I must send you if you liked lost connections . 

1 hour ago, Oliver1974 said:

ADHD is such an umbrella diagnosis that it’s probably bogus to begin with.

I agree with this for the most part .I cant ignore what my School days were like though ,I would day dream and had no focus.

from my reading on anxiety ,especially having it  as a kid ,the HPA access is affected ,how can a kid concentrate on anything when there  mind is running wild and zoning out  .

A friend of mine says to me years ago "you think to much "  .Hes correct .

God knows what damage is there also from my self medicating .I loved being "out of my head". 

My reptilian brain is very active ,I react to criticism like a flash .always did.

1 hour ago, Oliver1974 said:

And why do you have no life at the moment? 

Withdrawl symthoms since December [the bridge] has left me mostly housebound .

1 hour ago, Oliver1974 said:

How and why did you come off of antidepressants?

Thinking I could at the time + not having a clue about withdrawl .

Theres along version ,im wrecked to write it lol.

1 hour ago, Oliver1974 said:

Has also had a REALLY s..t childhood. 

I need to be careful with this one ,my parents did there best .when I was a kid they just did what we all do and listen to the DRs .30 odd years ago it was a very different time .theres too much information out there now to not try different things for a kids health.people don't realise that a kids house and environment is a huge issue if they have certain conditions .

 

I was reading your thread and my question is "did you have sleep apnoea before meds".

Take care Stefan ,have a nice weekend .

[Oliver1974]

Powerback 

 

Yes, please send me those documentaries. As for being off my head, I was an Olympic champion!  As for my education, I was expelled from practically every school I ever attended. British bording school at seven, nightmare.

 

Unlike your parents who must’ve tried to do something good for you, mine was a total c..t

 

Friends also say that I always think too much. I would desperately like to, but it just seems to go on endlessly.  It’s like I’m always psycho analyzing myself and the world around me. I am my worst critic, and criticism is a major trigger for me.

 

Why did you bridge? Did you just want to get off medication or did your medication at the time stop working for you?

 

 Feel free to keep reaching out to me.  Seems like we have many things in common.

 

Stefan

[Oliver1974]

......... and I’m sorry you’re going through so much hell at the moment. 

[Oliver1974]

To answer your question:

 

I don’t know if I had sleep apnea before the meds because I never got it tested. That said, I’m pretty sure I’ve had sleep apnea for many many years. My sleep was absolutely c..p

 

 I think my sleep was affected by many factors. PTSD from my childhood, the use of self-medicating substances and apnea.

 

 I still need to get the sleep apnea confirmed by a doctor. The only reason why I know I have it is because I tried my friends sleep apnea machine and it said I was off the charts.  Not sleeping well can be the cause of practically everything.

[powerback]

5 minutes ago, Oliver1974 said:

Powerback 

 

Yes, please send me those documentaries. As for being off my head, I was an Olympic champion!  As for my education, I was expelled from practically every school I ever attended. British bording school at seven, nightmare.

 

Unlike your parents who must’ve tried to do something good for you, mine was a total c..t

 

Friends also say that I always think too much. I would desperately like to, but it just seems to go on endlessly.  It’s like I’m always psycho analyzing myself and the world around me. I am my worst critic, and criticism is a major trigger for me.

 

Why did you bridge? Did you just want to get off medication or did your medication at the time stop working for you?

 

 Feel free to keep reaching out to me.  Seems like we have many things in common.

 

Stefan

Theres an understanding about ones past that can only happen once addictions are dropped .we live in a egotistical macho world .there is many a "macho man" dead from hes own hand because of society's culture of stigma .the human mind is  an astonishing mystery.

I can just imagine what that environment was like in that school .students are a reflection on there school ,most of these schools don't give a f**k about the child .

I was desperate to get off Effexor so I bridged .the best way to bridge is to be stable first .funny enough today is a less cr*p day .

Nice to meet you Stefan .keep in touch .

 a counsellor years ago said to be I had the strongest self critic he  had ever  seen . [I question hes experience looking back ].

Take care . 

 

 

 

[powerback]

27 minutes ago, Oliver1974 said:

......... and I’m sorry you’re going through so much hell at the moment. 

Ah thanks but keep all your empathy for your own recovery .I appreciate and accept  the sentiment 🙏.

Dito to you also .

 

23 minutes ago, Oliver1974 said:

Not sleeping well can be the cause of practically everything.

Ye I agree ,keep at it and research and get to see specialists if you can .

Caffeine should not be consumed after midday .as if its only that says you .

 

 

[Oliver1974]

I don’t touch a bloody thing anymore.  No coffee, no cigarettes, no alcohol, no ganja, ZERO!

 

That said, occasionally I will stuffed my face with chocolate. 

[powerback]

13 minutes ago, Oliver1974 said:

I don’t touch a bloody thing anymore.  No coffee, no cigarettes, no alcohol, no ganja, ZERO!

 

That said, occasionally I will stuffed my face with chocolate. 

Oh the joys ,hey lol.

Take care.

[RachelSusan]

Hello Stefan,

 

I wanted to say welcome to the club, although we are a club that nobody wants to be a member of.  I am introducing myself because I am a Zoloft survivor.  I am now down to 3.0 mg after an original dose of 150 mg and much suffering along the way.  It does got better, at least it did for me once I learned to slow down and hold at those times that I needed to hold. It has been a long journey but it is doable.  I want to wish you the same success I have recently found with my very slow taper. I am now leading close to a normal life with just a few bumps now and then.  There is life after Zoloft, let me rephrase that, there is good life after Zoloft.

 

Warm wishes,

Rachel

[Oliver1974]

I’m going to put this out there and forgive me if it’s a no no, BUT it’s help me in some very VERY bad anxiety situation related to Zoloft WD. Diazepam in moderation is a very good tool to moderate anxiety. It’s a Benzo and you’ll need to taper off of it, but it’s really saved my bacon a few times.

[Oliver1974]

Hi Rachel

 

Yeah this club sucks, but its members are really cool!

 

How long have you been on Zoloft, how long did it take you to taper and what was your method?

 

Thank you for sharing

Stefan

 

 

[Songbird]

On 4/27/2019 at 10:56 AM, Oliver1974 said:

I’m going to put this out there and forgive me if it’s a no no, BUT it’s help me in some very VERY bad anxiety situation related to Zoloft WD. Diazepam in moderation is a very good tool to moderate anxiety. It’s a Benzo and you’ll need to taper off of it, but it’s really saved my bacon a few times.

 

We generally do not recommend adding in new drugs - please do not make drug recommendations here.

See: What will get you warned or banned.

[Oliver1974]

Songbird

 

OK sorry, this seems like it’s is an issue for SA. I’ll forgo anymore med recommendations.  That said, diazepam has really helped me a great deal with my recovery. I would have to say it has been an absolute lifesaver.  How do I share that with everybody without it being  considered a recommendation.  Can you help me frame this correctly please. Thank you.

 

regards

Stefan

 

 

[Songbird]

2 hours ago, Oliver1974 said:

Songbird

 

OK sorry, this seems like it’s is an issue for SA. I’ll forgo anymore med recommendations.  That said, diazepam has really helped me a great deal with my recovery. I would have to say it has been an absolute lifesaver.  How do I share that with everybody without it being  considered a recommendation.  Can you help me frame this correctly please. Thank you.

 

regards

Stefan

 

 

 

@Oliver1974If your doctor prescribed something for you that you found helpful, that is one thing.  I have myself found particular meds useful at particular times.  However, at SA we are not medical professionals, we do not prescribe drugs,  and we generally don't recommend adding in new drugs to counteract withdrawal as it tends to complicate the situation.  This site aims to help people to taper off drugs, not add in more drugs.  I understand you're trying to help, but can you see how, if we allowed drug recommendations, the site could quickly deteriorate into members comparing their favourites.  It's counter to the purpose of the site.  There are other sites out there like that, we don't want that here.  If you want to post your individual experiences with diazepam, that's fine, but it would be best to share them on your own intro topic rather than on other members' intros where they may come across as recommendations.  I hope you understand.

[Oliver1974]

Understood. 

 

This is gonna sound kind of silly, but do I have an intro topic already?  I’ve just been posting and responding to posts but I’m not quite sure I understand whether I have an intro topic or not.  I’m still getting a  handle on this posting thing.  I’ve never used a website like this in the past.   

 

regards

Stefan.

[RichT]

5 minutes ago, Oliver1974 said:

Understood. 

 

This is gonna sound kind of silly, but do I have an intro topic already?  I’ve just been posting and responding to posts but I’m not quite sure I understand whether I have an intro topic or not.  I’m still getting a  handle on this posting thing.  I’ve never used a website like this in the past.   

 

regards

Stefan.

 

Hi,

 

You’ll only have an intro topic if you’ve created one yourself.

 

To do that, you can go to the front page of the ‘introductions and updates’ forum and press the green button labelled ‘start new topic’

 

R

[Oliver1974]

Tanks RichT