BleysBrand: Sertraline Taper Issues with Psychiatrist

[BleysBrand]

I have been working on tapering off of Sertraline for about a year. I have fully tapered off of SSRIs about 10 years ago for about 8 months before ,but relapsed. Since then I have been working on trying to get off of SSRIs, but have not been able to. 

 

I had a psychiatrist who I thought was on the same page with me on my plan to taper off. When I spoke to her today I ask if she would prescribe me liquid Sertraline so I could taper off slowly. She recommend that I up my dosage and would only lower my dosage from 50mg to 25mg then to 0 after that. I told her that I did not think that I would do good with such an abrupt taper. We argued a little and she told me I was not interested in working with a doctor and the only way she would help is to prescribe me the regime I mentioned above.

 

Has anyone else come across this scenario before? Is it hard to find doctors that will prescribe the liquid version of SSRIs? I was taken aback by the  psychiatrists response and was very confused why she would not consider what I thought was best for my taper.

Edited September 28, 2021 by arbor

[arbor]

Hello @BleysBrand,

Welcome to SA.  

Congratulations on tapering this far.  

To give you the best information, we ask members to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in a vertical list format.  This link can help you with that.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

I'm sorry to read that your doctor isn't aware of the importance of a slow taper.  This must be very frustrating.  Have you considered changing doctors?  Perhaps you've read these links, but I'll share them so that you can also share the second one with your doctors. 

 

How to talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

What I have learnt from helping thousands of ... - PubMed

 

These links address the purpose of slow tapering:

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?  (The general philosophy of gradual tapering)

Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable

Questions and answers about liquid medications

 

It sounds like you're on the right track.  We don't suggest many supplements, but 3 that many of us find helpful are magnesium, omega-3 fish oil, and melatonin. 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 

 

I encourage you to browse the site.  There's a wealth of information and experience collected here.  This is your Introduction site where you can ask questions, report your progress, and connect with other members.

I'm glad you've found us. 

Arbor