Lani : Want to taper Zoloft after 8 1/2 Weeks

[Lani]

Today is the worst I have felt since I’ve been holding at 35 mg.  I Have been urinating quite a bit until the last two days and not much now even though I’m drinking a ton of water. Excessive thirst too. And burning in my urinary tract. Also. Feel like my kidneys may be impacted. Kind of dizzy and achy.  And, some over all unwell feeling. Is this probably withdrawal? I haven’t felt this bad Physically since I’ve been tapering this time. The other withdrawal effects were more mental/mood and annoying (ie tinnitus, jerking. Etc). I’m so afraid I’m not going to be able to deal with the physical impact of this withdrawal. I did go to some of the non-drug Coping information… i’m just really scared for my physical health through all this. I was always so healthy and vibrant before. This is awful! 

[getofflex]

44 minutes ago, Lani said:

I Have been urinating quite a bit until the last two days and not much now even though I’m drinking a ton of water. Excessive thirst too. And burning in my urinary trac

This sounds like possible symptoms of a urinary tract infection.  Have you had this checked out by a doctor or urgent care center?  If it were me, I'd go to an urgent care center right away.  I've had many UTI's, and they can escalate pretty quickly.  

[getofflex]

3 hours ago, Lani said:

hello again. I wanted to ask your opinion on a Prozac bridge.

Here is a link that discusses this.  I will confer with the other mods, and one of us will get back to you.  

 

Prozac Bridge

[Lani]

I have too...many, but this feels A little different. I have read on other peoples I have read on other peoples posts that they get something similar, but they’re not UTIs they are a side effect from the medication. They go to the doctor and the doctor test negative for them. As I said it’s not quite like a UTI feeling but there is some burning. It’s hard to explain. Generally, I know that SA isn’t fond of Prozac bridges. But, I’m feeling so bad mentally after a year with dealing for my mom and now this that I feel like I need some sort of help to get me through it without having to cut pills/liquid etc.  I also feel like if I felt like I had an option that my CNS might recover quicker with less stress. This obviously is stressing me out big time with so much going on around me. I’m pretty sure what their answer will be, but thank you for asking. I’m obviously devastated, but I do want to get off these drugs at some point when I’m more stable. I’m still being woke up with suicidal ideation a lot of days and it’s such torture. My husband is so worried that I’m not going to make it through this. I know you’ve heard this before. And, I’m sure you’ve been there. I see you’re getting close and I wish you the best on your continued journey. I Know that I would need to pare down the Zoloft pretty quickly as I transition to the Prozac… And, that could be tricky.

[Lani]

I have too...many, but this feels A little different. I have read on other peoples I have read on other peoples posts that they get something similar, but they’re not UTIs they are a side effect from the medication. They go to the doctor and the doctor test negative for them. As I said it’s not quite like a UTI feeling but there is some burning. It’s hard to explain. Generally, I know that SA isn’t fond of Prozac bridges. But, I’m feeling so bad mentally after a year with dealing for my mom and now this that I feel like I need some sort of help to get me through it without having to cut pills/liquid etc.  I also feel like if I felt like I had an option that my CNS might recover quicker with less stress. This obviously is stressing me out big time with so much going on around me. I’m pretty sure what their answer will be, but thank you for asking. I’m obviously devastated, but I do want to get off these drugs at some point when I’m more stable. I’m still being woke up with suicidal ideation a lot of days and it’s such torture. My husband is so worried that I’m not going to make it through this. I know you’ve heard this before. And, I’m sure you’ve been there. I see you’re getting close and I wish you the best on your continued journey. I Know that I would need to pare down the Zoloft pretty quickly as I transition to the Prozac… And, that could be tricky.  Oh, Yes I have read all the information on the site about Prozac bridging, along with a lot of the posts on it after I did a search on bridge. Thank you.

[Altostrata]

@Lani, that sounds like a urinary tract infection, please get a test for possible infection.

 

The Prozac Bridge may work or it may not. It's very hard to predict.

 

If you taper more gradually off Zoloft, you might find it more tolerable than your prior attempt. Zoloft also comes in a liquid that enables tapering.

 

You will need to work with a doctor to cross-taper to Prozac. The decision is up to you. We cannot assure you a switch to Prozac would make it easier for you to go off antidepressants.

 

Please let us know how you're doing.

[getofflex]

If it were me I would just taper extremely slowly off the Zoloft using the liquid as altostrata suggests.   

[Lani]

@getofflex@AltostrataHello, I recall reading somewhere that there was a particular ingredient in antibiotics that Should be avoided. I know Cipro should also be avoided but I had a allergic reaction to that many years ago. I think it starts with an F. Your reply is appreciated.

[Altostrata]

The ingredient in antibiotics that causes problems is the antibiotic. People often have problems with Cipro and related drugs. If you had an allergic reaction to Cipro, you will want to put that in your health record and not take drugs from the fluoroquinolone family.

 

However, if you have a urinary tract infection and it can be treated with an antibiotic, you should take the antibiotic that is matched to the bacteria causing the infection. Urinary tract infections are often treated with Macrobid (nitrofurantoin). There are several others. You should tell your doctor you may be sensitive to antibiotics in general.

 

Please use common sense to address health issues.

[Lani]

@AltostrataThx.  Macrobid was the first I was allergic too many many years ago.  I have had a lot of UTIs but not in a few years til I took this crap!  My health had never been a prob til now...sigh..

[Lani]

@Altostrata. @getofflex

Hello.  I am having symptoms of TD.  My arms, legs, And now cheek/mouth/tongue are twitching a lot uncontrollably.  Do I need to take another approach on this?  This has been worsening over the past few weeks. I’m still currently holding at 35 mg....Actually when I redid the math it’s really 33 Mg. This is concerning me as I wasn’t on the drugs that long.  I know it could go away, but considering the taper in front of me I’m worried.

 

[Needofwisdom]

Question if you were on an antidepressant for only a couple months wouldnt tapering off of it for so long just cause more problems in the long run? 

[Dejavu]

Hi @Lani. I just wanted to pop in with a welcome and a few thoughts:

 

Regarding the muscle twitching: I will defer to the more experienced mods, but I don't think it's TD. It sounds just like the muscle jerks I sometimes get in a wave, and they always go away. 

 

Also the urinary issues you're having are identical to the ones I sometimes get during waves. I buy UTI test strips in bulk these days, but the results are always negative, and again, this symptom always abates when the wave ends. That being said, however, you should absolutely seek medical attention to rule out a UTI. Untreated, UTIs can affect the kidneys, and become quite serious, especially in girls our age. If no infection, I think you can safely assume this symptom is just another gift from the withdrawal gods, and thus, will go away in time.

 

You and I have a great deal in common. This withdrawal issue has temporarily derailed my and my husband's retirement plans as well. It's a very bitter and heartbreaking pill to swallow, indeed. He has been wonderfully supportive through all this. We've had a long hard road due to some serious tapering mistakes I've made in the past, and I hate to see you making some of those same mistakes now. Because I've knocked myself off the wall not once - but twice - by tapering too quickly, I am currently sitting still on 20mgs of Zoloft for the past 14 months, waiting to once again stabilize (however, I've made a lot of progress in that time). Please use my experience as a cautionary tale about going too fast. My new motto is: when you're in doubt, slow down, and even when you're not in doubt, slow down anyway. I had to learn it the hard way. The very hard way. 

 

Patience is everything in this game. It is the fastest and easiest way out of the predicament in which we find ourselves. So be patient and keep your chin up - it does get better. It takes a while, but it does.

[Altostrata]

@Lani are you taking an antibiotic for UTI? When did this start?

 

What times o'clock do you take each of your drugs, with their dosages? Is the twitching better or worse at any particular times of day?

 

When did you first notice the twitching?

 

16 hours ago, Lani said:

Actually when I redid the math it’s really 33 Mg.

 

You're talking about Zoloft? When did you make the decrease to 33mg?

 

15 hours ago, Needofwisdom said:

Question if you were on an antidepressant for only a couple months wouldnt tapering off of it for so long just cause more problems in the long run? 

 

Are you suggesting people cold turkey off their drugs? Look around in the Introductions section and see what happens.

[getofflex]

16 hours ago, Needofwisdom said:

Question if you were on an antidepressant for only a couple months wouldnt tapering off of it for so long just cause more problems in the long run?

No, it would not.  Our brains become dependent after just 1 month on the drug, and a gradual taper is necessary.  

[Lani]

Yes Zoloft.  I made the cut back in August as listed in my sig.  it shows 35, but I redid the math and it was actually 33.  I need to update.  The jerks have basically been all day the last 3 days, except when I try to Sleep.  Today they are not as bad.  Also, I have only been getting 4 hrs of broken sleep for several weeks now.  I haven’t had a full nights sleep in months since I cut out all OTC drugs.  The Trazadone 25 mg doesn’t help.  I take Sertraline w/Fish oil at 7:00 am and Trazadone with 200 Mag and Fish Oil at 8:00’pm.  Maybe Trazadone has become paradoxical.  I wonder if I slowly move it to earlier in the day if that would help.  Melatonin does not seem to work for me much. I do sleep with a mask, fan and blackout curtains.  I fall asleep for around 9 for about an hour, then, fall asleep again a little later and wake up around 3:30 am at which point I can’t fall back to sleep.  But, anxiety is high these days.  I don’t do caffeine or alcohol and I’m also not doing gluten or dairy.  I think I may have high histamine but need to have checked.  

[Lani]

Not sure who Needofwisdom is that asked the taper question above, but it wasn’t me JIC you didn’t catch that.

[Lani]

@Altostrata  @getofflex
forgot to tag you on responses above.

[Lani]

@Altostrata @getofflex

I am not on an antibiotic.  Those symptoms diminished about 4 days ago.  It didn’t feel quite like a UTI I’ve had and I read quite a few others had this symptom and recd negative tests, so I think it was a symptom only.  

[Altostrata]

@Lani, please describe these jerks.

 

How has your sleep pattern changed since you last made a drug change?

 

When did you start trazodone? Please update your signature.

[Lani]

@AltostrataThey are involuntary and go up and down leg and arms.  I tend to twitch with them too.  I feel them also in upper thigh and butt. Also, right side of face twitches too and sometimes tinge feels thick.  I started the Trazadone at 50 mg in April with Lexepro.  I eventually started taking 25 mg at some point, before I found SA, but don’t recall withdrawal but may have hit later when I started reducing Sertraline and had issues,since I didn’t know what I was doing.  I’ve stayed at 25 mg at least since June or July.  My sleep pattern has been bad for months.  OTC Drugs had helped some but I ditched them in Aug and sleep has been bad since.  I will update sig.

[Needofwisdom]

2 hours ago, Altostrata said:

@Lani 

 

Are you suggesting people cold turkey off their drugs? Look around in the Introductions section and see what happens.

 

No i am not suggesting that 

 

2 hours ago, getofflex said:

No, it would not.  Our brains become dependent after just 1 month on the drug, and a gradual taper is necessary.  

 

Why is it many people can come off their ssris in a much qucker taper than 10% a month even when being on them for many months or over a year and others cannot ? What if the slow taper is causing withdrawal symptoms for a longer period of time through the slower taper. During the 10% per month taper are you supposed to not feel withdrawals ? 

[Altostrata]

Please don't derail Lani's topic, @Needofwisdom

 

There is wide variability in people being able to tolerate psychiatric drugs, psychiatric drug dosage increases, and psychiatric drug dosage decreases. It's that simple. If you have further questions, please discuss in another topic.

[Lani]

@Altostrata

Yes sertraline.  I made the cut back in August as listed in my sig.  It did show 35 but I redid the math and it was actually 33.  I have updated. 
 

The jerks have basically been all day the last 4 days, except when I try to Sleep.  Also, I have only been getting 4 hrs of broken sleep for several weeks now.  I haven’t had a full nights sleep in months since I cut out all OTC drugs.  The Trazadone 25 mg doesn’t help.
 

I take Sertraline w/Fish oil at 7:00 am and Trazadone with 200 Mag and Fish Oil at 8:00’pm.  Maybe Trazadone has become paradoxical.  I wonder if I slowly move it to earlier in the day if that would help. I know it can interact with Sertraline.   Melatonin does not seem to work for me much. I do sleep with a mask, fan and blackout curtains.  I fall asleep at around 9 for about an hour, then, fall asleep again a little later and wake up around 3:30 am at which point I can’t fall back to sleep.  But, anxiety is high these days.  I don’t do caffeine or alcohol and I’m also not doing gluten or dairy.  I think I may have high histamine but need to have checked.  

 

The jerks are involuntary and go up and down leg and arms.  I tend to twitch with them too.  I feel them also in upper thigh and butt. Also, right side of face twitches too and sometimes tongue feels thick.  I started the Trazadone at 50 mg in April with Lexepro.  I eventually started taking 25 mg at some point, before I found SA, but don’t recall withdrawal but may have hit later when I started reducing Sertraline and had issues,since I didn’t know what I was doing.  I’ve stayed at 25 mg at least since June or July.  My sleep pattern has been bad for months.  OTC Drugs had helped some but I ditched them in Aug and sleep has been bad since

@Altostrata @getofflex

I am not on an antibiotic.  Those symptoms diminished about 5 days ago.  It didn’t feel quite like a UTI I’ve had and I read quite a few others had this symptom and recd negative tests, so I think it was just a symptom.

[Altostrata]

What are these jerks like? Are they twitches inside the muscle? Are they little? Are they big? Are they painful?

 

Are the jerks worse at any particular times of day or night? Did they start only a week ago?

 

We'll never know about the UTI, because your doctor failed to test for bacteria.

[Lani]

@Altostrata They are likely twitches inside the muscle.  Seems like they are more prevalent at the inside bend of my arms and above knees, but also on upper thighs and butt.  I would classify them as big as in big muscle group. They are not painful, but annoying.  They go on consistently all day.  I think they do slow down when I get my little bit of sleep. They probably keep me awake a little as well.

[HealthHopeHappiness]

3 hours ago, Lani said:

@Altostrata They are likely twitches inside the muscle.  Seems like they are more prevalent at the inside bend of my arms and above knees, but also on upper thighs and butt.  I would classify them as big as in big muscle group. They are not painful, but annoying.  They go on consistently all day.  I think they do slow down when I get my little bit of sleep. They probably keep me awake a little as well.

Just to reassure you, I experience twitches too, constantly. It’s such a disconcerting symptom but one I hope passes quickly for you. 

[Altostrata]

So they are tics? They probably will go away. You might take smaller amounts of magnesium throughout the day, it can relax muscles.

 

On 9/29/2021 at 12:34 PM, Lani said:

I take Sertraline w/Fish oil at 7:00 am and Trazadone with 200 Mag and Fish Oil at 8:00’pm.

 

That would be 33mg sertraline and 50mg trazodone? What effect do you feel from the trazodone?

 

[Lani]

@Altostrata

i guess you could call them tics. I will split up the mag.  Does the split amount need to be exact....,or just the daily dose?

 

Im only taking 25 mg Trazadone.  Been doing that since early summer before I found SA.  I don’t recall feeling bad from the reduction of 50 though.  It may have hit when I started reducing Sertraline and got some withdrawal. The Trazadone no longer helps me sleep at all. So I don’t feel anything from it unless it’s these twitches.  Even on 50, I only got 6 hrs sleep tops.  Less than my normal before these meds.

[Lani]

@Altostrata oh, yes 33 mg Sertraline.  Other answers are above.

Thx!

[Altostrata]

No, the magnesium doses don't have to be exact. You may want to take more than 200mg total per day, that's not very much.

 

How do you feel before and after taking sertraline?

[Lani]

@AltostrataMy mornings between 3:00 am and 7:00 am are the worst before I take it.  So I guess it helps. I sometimes have meltdowns after I do take it on really bad days.  I don’t think I get any immediate physical side effects right after taking it tho. My mom in law got COVID (she had both vaxs sigh).  She just had back surgery too.  She’s 87.  So obviously this is stressful right now for my husband who is caring for me in my sad state.  This has already ruined our retirement plans so anxiety is high.  Yes, I have a therapist, but as with many not sure she believes withdrawal,

[Lani]

@AltostrataThe answers to your other questions are up the thread a bit.  Thx Alto.

[Altostrata]

40 minutes ago, Lani said:

I sometimes have meltdowns after I do take it on really bad days.

 

What do you mean by "meltdowns"? What are these bad days like?

[Lani]

@AltostrataSometimes I get SI early in the am when I wake up...not every day. But those are the days The meltdowns May continue thru the morning.  I’m 61 snd my total personality has changed from a neat freak. Very active, task oriented, outgoing person to not wanting to leave the house or see other people. So it feeds the meltdowns as our plans for our retirement (in another state) look dismal. I know I need to do things to get past it, but I feel like I’ve ruined our lives and that of my husbands bc he’s really scared for me...me too.  My family doesn’t understand.  Hubs is starting to get it and handles my dosing.  Lots of anxiety bc I know he’s going to have to see his mom soon and I’m not good at traveling right now. TMI..but That and my family feeds the Meltdowns...tho not everyday.

[Lani]

@AltostrataAlso, at this point I would go full 50 mg Zoloft just to feel somewhat human again, but I feel my history and already withdrawing has ruined the effectiveness of doing that as well as trying another med.  that would probably be a disaster so I’m stuck.  Is it possible that if I hold at 25 mg for a while...when I get there... I might feel a therapeutic effect at some point, since that would be a convenient dose..or no?