rikib80: Cold turkey Zoloft 50mg

[rikib80]

Hi everybody, 

I'm a 41 years old man from Italy. My english is not perfect, I hope is understandable.

I've spent the last 10 years on AD.

Started in 2010 with Entact(Escitalopram) due to stress at work and others anxiety issues (social anxiety, agoraphobia, driving anxiety) which resulted in a depressive episode.

Took Entact for one year (don't remember the dosage) with good results and then fast tapered.

From there started windows and waves episodes which exacerbated in a bad crash at the start of 2013: akathisia, depression, anxiety, crying. At the time little I know of ssri withdrawal sindrome, so I went to another doctor: he prescribed me Zoloft 50 mg.

At first I took 25mg which resulted in a devastating paradoxical effect. However I kept taking the Zoloft and after the first months I did pretty well from 2014 to 2018 (it "helped" me to overcome the death of my mother, probably due the dulled emotions).

Zoloft stopped working in the summer of 2019, with episodes of high anxiety and inner agitation.

In march 2020 I took the Covid and stopped Zoloft cold turkey. In april I recovered from Covid and had the greatest month of my life : everything fine no acute withdrawal.

The problems started in May with episodes of insomnia (as I dooze off anxiety and terror creeps in) and windows and waves (mainly depressive). The condition worsened in march 2021, in a couple of weeks I experimented flu like symptoms, legs tremors, very high anxiety. I took amisulpride for one month which alleviated the condition. Now I'm med free, feeling pretty bad, I've still episodes of waves and windows but my condition in general has worsened, with very bad insomnia. It's very tough, I don't know if it's better to restart a little dose and try to slowly taper from there, or keep going...

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2021 by arbor

[arbor]

Dear @rikib80,

Welcome to SA.

 

I appreciate your listing your signature.  This will help others in responding to your questions.  To begin with, congratulations for surviving your withdrawals from these three medications.  Unfortunately, eventually w/d tends to catch-up with us, especially it seems when there are more than one drug involved.  W/d symptoms can even begin while taking the drug, when tolerance develops, and the drug stops working.  I'm so sorry you're experiencing these miserable symptoms.  I never knew anything could be as difficult and painful.

 

When you say you'd like to restart a little dose, are you referring to amisulpride?  I am not an expert on this, so I will share with you some links to address your situation in a general sense, and then if you are thinking reinstatement is an approach you would like to try, I will alert the more knowledgeable moderators to help you.  There doesn't usually seem to be a painless method.  People do recover as you can read in the Recovery Success Stories , but it often takes fortitude, patience, and time.  A commitment to taking care of your overall health also benefits us.  

 

Here are links on reinstatement that you may find useful:

About reinstating and stabilizing to stop withdrawal symptoms

 

Amisulpride - Mechanism of Action

 

I realize that you are in distress right now, so I recommend these sites to support you:

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

Tips to help sleep: so many of us have that awful withdrawal 

  

We don't suggest many supplements, but 3 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

 

Magnesium

 

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

Melatonin

 

This is your Introduction site where you can ask questions and connect with other members.

I'm glad you've found us. 

Arbor

[rikib80]

11 hours ago, arbor said:

When you say you'd like to restart a little dose, are you referring to amisulpride? 

I was thinking to restart the Zoloft or another AD at a little dose and taper...but actually the idea scares me more than the withdrawal. I've already started to take omega-3 fish oil I hope it will help me.

This article suggest using clonazepam at low doses to alleviate w/d symptoms:

https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/492693

 

 

[Go2zero]

Reinstating  antidepressant after such a long time of stopping it, is not recommended. It may may things worse. Also taking other drugs against WD symptoms may things go worse. So not recommended either. 

 

Time is the big healer. Fish oil and magnesium may give some relief. 

 

With anxiety Lavender Oil sometimes gives relief. Take only ORGANIC essential lavender oil. Put 2-4 drops in a glass of water (NOT pure drops only) and drink it. Start with 4 drops and see if relief comes in about 30 minutes. If not take 1 more drop in a glass of water and drink it. When no result after 30 minutes take a 4th drop and see if it works.

 

If it works, just take when needed. Not as a daily routine. It often works and gives no side effects normally.

 

Take a look at the links underneath. Non drugs coping techniques are very important.

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1112-non-drug-techniques-to-cope-with-emotional-symptoms/

 

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/14397-neuro-emotions/

 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2021 by Go2zero

[arbor]

Dear @rikib80

 

I wish you didn't have to be dealing with psycho-drug withdrawal.  I've read the article you shared, thank you, but on the strength of its evidence, I myself would have the same aversion to clonazepam as I have to AD's.  I understand the urge you may feel to research possible sources of help.  I wish there was proper, ethical research happening on akathisia drug withdrawal.  In this case, @Go2zerohas given you good advice.  

If you would like to add this article to the Journals and scientific sources link, you can find that on the main forum page.  Also you can browse what other members have been reading.  From journals and scientific sources - Surviving Antidepressants.

 

You have all my sympathy, dealing with the insomnia and sleeping issues.  Again, the success stories are very valuable to keep us going.

Arbor