gingerbaby: Don’t know what to do

[gingerbaby]

Currently on Sertraline 150mg and recently started bupropion for weight gain. I have OCD and generalised anxiety.

I need to get off Sertraline ASAP, as I have developed a severe hive-like rash which has lasted 5 months. I’ve now discovered it’s the sertraline, as the funded brand changed from Arrow to Setrona. I have had this happen twice before: once on penicillin, and once on citalopram when the medication brand changed. I was no longer able to access the original brand, and stopped cold turkey (2018). After about 6 months I was in the psychiatric emergency centre, and put on sertraline due to severe withdrawal effects and “relapse”. 
 

I have a one-year old daughter. During pregnancy, my mental health deteriorated and my dose of sertraline was tripled from 50 to 150mg (2020). I worked as a lawyer before having my baby in Sep 2020. After my year of parental leave, I still did not feel well enough to return to work. I am now a stay at home mum. As such, I cannot afford to have bad withdrawal effects - I have a baby to look after. But I cannot handle this rash. Also, as a side note, I gained 20kg within a year on 150mg sertraline (excluding pregnancy weight). On citalopram, I gained 10kg and lost it within a few months of quitting.
 

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated - I’m desperate!

 

History: Citalopram 2013-2018 (stopped cold turkey due to allergic rash). Sertraline 50mg 2018-2020, 150mg 2020-2021. Now bupropion and sertraline 150mg.

[Go2zero]

Hi gingerbaby,

 

Welcome to this support site. Before we can answer your questions, please give us more information first. Good that you came to this website. There is a lot of knowledge to be found and shared here. Also the members can support each other here.

 

Can you please give us specific information about your drug history for all drugs you are on and have been on, especially for the past 18-24 months?  It would be especially helpful to have the details of your drugs in a concise list (no symptoms), only drug names, specific dates (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day) and dosages of each medication decrease or increase.  Please read the link below for instructions.  This will allow us to give you the best guidance.  

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18343-please-summarize-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

1 hour ago, gingerbaby said:

Currently on Sertraline 150mg and recently started bupropion for weight gain.

 

What is the reason for adding bupropion? I understand you experience weight gain from sertraline. Bupropion does not give weight gain. But as long you use sertraline you will not loose weight either probably.

 

It is not wise to stop sertraline fast. This will most definitely trigger withdrawal symptoms. The only good way is to taper SLOWLY and in small steps of maximum 10% per month of the last taken dosage.

 

The bupropion which you added has a negative effect on the metabolism of the sertraline! This means that the sertraline stays longer in your body as if you have increased the dosage of it. So by adding the bupropion you have the effect of taking more than 150mg sertraline.

 

When and why did you start the bupropion?

 

Here some important info:

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/6632-the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable/?tab=comments#comment-525233

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-zoloft-sertraline/