yungsertaline: Introduction! Hi :)

[yungsertraline]

Hi all! Brief history: had a bad experience with withdrawing from Paroxetine a few years ago, where I ignored the tapering schedule given by doctor and essentially went to a slightly reduced dose then zero over a couple of weeks. Experienced withdrawal symptoms like brain zaps, vertigo, etc etc. Absolutely should not have ignored the schedule I was given.

Recently I've been taking Sertraline as was reassured that it's easier to quit (and with a mental commitment to doing it properly without rushing). The doctor has suggested I move to Duloxetine in order to help with a chronic pain condition but I'm really not sure I want to be bouncing between different medications- still undecided but leaning towards trying to remove all meds. Currently gearing up to begin a taper from the Sertraline and really appreciating the schedules on here & information shared.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Gridley

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, yungsertraline.

 

To start:

 

To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

You're right to be wary of bouncing around between different drugs.  Switching to a new drug will mean going into withdrawal from your current drug, and the new drug, here Duloxetine, may or may not mask the withdrawal from the Zoloft.  So it's a risk. This is especially the case when you're switching from an SSRI (Zoloft) to a SNRI (Duloxetine), as the two have different modes of operation.  

 

Some basics:

 

We recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your current dose every four weeks.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

This link is specifically about tapering Zoloft, including how to get the non-standard doses needed for a 10% taper.  An easy and accurate way to taper is using prescription Zoloft liquid, but I'm not sure about its availability in the U.K. with NHS restrictions, etc.  You can also make your own liquid Zoloft or you can taper by measuring powder from Zoloft tablets using a digital scale such as the Gemini-20, available on Amazon.  All these methods are described in the following link:

 

Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft)

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems. Get supplements that are single ingredient (not mixed with other types of supplements).

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can complete your drug signature, ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by Gridley

[yungsertraline]

Thanks for your in depth reply Gridley, I appreciate it! I was specifically researching tapering methods and that link is exactly what I needed! From my research the liquid isn't available to me.

My doctor feels that switching immediately to Duloxetene with no tapering would be a good option and that I would be unlikely to experience side effects but I'm very wary after my (self inflicted) withdrawal issues from Paroxetine. As Duloxetine is mainly being recommended for painkilling properties I'd like to taper off Sertraline entirely in order to try to go back to NSAID painkillers as I understand that these are generally not recommended when taking Sertraline. Would love to be medication free.

After reading through some interesting posts on this forum and especially the posts about Neuro emotions I am wondering more and more if the severe and obsessive rumination I have experienced over the past few years could have been exacerbated by the Paroxetine withdrawal. Certainly when I lowered my Sertraline dose one day, the next day I had that eerily familiar feeling of panic and obsessional thought loops- it lit a lightbulb in my head that this is the exact feeling I've had so much before. Of course it could be the resurgence of symptoms. I doubt my own mind sometimes and my brain is very foggy for things like dates so it's so hard to be sure what's going on.

[Gridley]

6 hours ago, yungsertraline said:

My doctor feels that switching immediately to Duloxetene with no tapering would be a good option and that I would be unlikely to experience side effects but I'm very wary after my (self inflicted) withdrawal issues from Paroxetine.

As I said earlier, you are correct to be wary.  Tapering the Zoloft would be my recommendation.

 

6 hours ago, yungsertraline said:

I am wondering more and more if the severe and obsessive rumination I have experienced over the past few years could have been exacerbated by the Paroxetine withdrawal.

That is very possible.  Rumination is a common withdrawal symptom, and protracted withdrawal can last a long time.  Altostrata, the founder of this site, was in protracted withdrawal from Paxil for a number of years.

 

Withdrawal is the elephant in the room that doctors constantly fail to recognize and misdiagnose.  They don't believe in the existence of protracted withdrawal, because that is what the pharmaceutical companies tell them about their extremely lucrative product.  Here is some information about withdrawal and the healing process:

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) 

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

Protracted Withdrawal or PAWS (post-acute withdrawal ...

When we take psychiatric medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

These explain the healing process really well.

 

Brain Remodelling 

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

 

 

 

[yungsertraline]

Thanks for those details! I started a proper taper today, using a digital scale to measure crushed tablets and then measuring out 90% of the original average weight per tablet into empty gel caps. Today is day 1 of the Brass Monkey scale.