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West: dealing with effects of coming off Prozac, having to start Zoloft


West

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When you went from prozac to zoloft, did you feel better immediately at the 12.5 dose, which is ~5mg of prozac, what made you want to do that switch?

 

I am trying to figure out things for myself right now

Klonopin Mar 2013 - Feb 2021 - used .000 gram scale to cut pills did very slowly from 2017-2021, had no issues stopping after final dose that was sub .5mg diazepam equivalent (If anyone wants advice for tapering Klonopin with a gram scale, feel free to ask!)

tapered off zyprexa twice over 2 weeks in my 20's, had little issue with that after about 3-4 years of use both times.

Prozac 40MG for 5 years - 2016 - 2021 (Total of 13 years of consecutive use)

(Most recent after last break, been on cumulatively in my life 14 years all times combined, 3 separate on/off occasions, all successful except most recent 3/4)

Recent Issue:  Tapered gradually from 40MG down to 0MG from May 7th - Aug 18th

Felt fine through Oct 5th, slowly started getting depression, panic, and anxiety (Was original thing I was treated for)

Decided to go back on SSRI Nov 1st, reacted very bad to 20mg reinstatement, day 1 was fine, day 2 had ADR. Doctor said to drop dosage.

Took 5mg for 2 weeks, 10mg for 2 weeks, still felt physically sick, could not take 20mg for more than 3 days, looking for advice going forward (ADR)

Not happy about it, but on 1.5mg 3x ativan and temazepam 15mg for sleep

(Was sleeping 2-3 hrs nightly prior to temazepam, was first thing that broke 2-3 hr then wide awake sleep cycle)

Main symptoms: headaches from certain foods and meds, sleep is broken, anxiety and agitation is extremely high, cortisol spike sensitive, bad in morning better at night, panic attacks, concentration is awful, focus is awful, anhedonia is awful, sensitive to light and noise, especially noise, extreme depression, intense bouts of fear, every looks and feels 'scary' at times, stress tolerance extremely low, have bouts of extreme anxiety, and bouts akathesia, and bouts extreme anticipatory anxiety over basic events/tasks. Nervous system is clearly crashed.

No Prozac for 249 days.

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3 hours ago, UserMan1775 said:

When you went from prozac to zoloft, did you feel better immediately at the 12.5 dose, which is ~5mg of prozac, what made you want to do that switch?

 

I am trying to figure out things for myself right now

I did feel better nearly immediately. My most distressing symptoms were 1) physically shaking and 2) mental terror that made it impossible to concentrate on anything. 4 hours after taking my first dose of Zoloft, I noticed a reduction in these, and my overall state has been improving steadily since then. I also gained new problems (diarrhea, extreme lack of appetite, sleepiness) but those were an acceptable tradeoff at the time and seem to be improving.

 

I had been off 20 mg of Prozac for 4 weeks when I started Zoloft. My psychiatrist recommended an antidepressant, but didn’t want me getting back on Prozac because of how violent my reaction was to reinstating 20 mg.

 

For transparency, know that at the time I began taking Zoloft, I didn’t understand that my symptoms were due to antidepressant withdrawal. I only knew that something seemed to be physically/mentally wrong with me, and I was frantically trying different cures that didn’t work until Zoloft came up next on the list of options. I think that if I knew then what I know now, I still would have started Zoloft, because I was out of options—sitting through my symptoms day to day was starving me and endangering my job. But I hope to get off Zoloft when I can, and I feel that this choice was essentially a deal with the devil to get me to a base level of human functioning.

 

I’ve been following your thread still, and I’m so sorry for how much you’ve been suffering. I hope this information is helpful in a small way.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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Today: I slept more than 8 hours for the first time in many weeks. My appetite is still decent, but when I was eating lunch, I felt the old nausea coming back because of how emotionally distressed I was (due to outside COVID-related circumstances). My head was also very foggy today.

 

Tomorrow, I travel to my mom’s house for a month, and I hope to see my nervous system continue to calm once I introduce that beneficial element. I plan to start doing gentle yoga again to try to address the continuing back pain. I also plan to get the booster vaccine soon—up until now I’ve been putting it off because of how fragile I am physically, but getting COVID would also shatter my hard-won progress, so it’s a choice I have to make. I hope that I don’t go into a bad wave as a result. I had a strong reaction to both my initial doses, and the second made me hallucinate, which was incredibly distressing.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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I had to wake up early for a flight today, and that combined with the anxiety of travel during COVID seems to have made today hard on me. I felt nauseous and panicky while eating lunch, and although snacks feel OK to eat, meals are hard. I’m also having a lot of body aches overall. I did take a nap, which feels like a big step forward because usually I’m too wired during the day to even consider sleeping.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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I am having a very bad morning. I thought that staying with my mom would make me feel better, but I woke with so much anxiety. I'm hyper-obsessed with every bodily sensation and I'm struggling to concentrate on work. I don't even know if caving and taking a propanolol for the first time in weeks would help because my heart is beating normally—it's the tightness and warmth in my neck and shoulders that I can't stand. After taking my dose of Zoloft, I had an hour where I felt sleepy and dissociated, and now this. I have 2 weeks off work after today, but I'm so scared to face the social expectations of the holidays while feeling this way.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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You will do fine over the holidays west, glad to hear from you!

 

How is the zoloft stabilization going, still on the same amount? What time do you take it btw, and I heard it make you sleepy, is that good side effect, does it help you sleep?

Klonopin Mar 2013 - Feb 2021 - used .000 gram scale to cut pills did very slowly from 2017-2021, had no issues stopping after final dose that was sub .5mg diazepam equivalent (If anyone wants advice for tapering Klonopin with a gram scale, feel free to ask!)

tapered off zyprexa twice over 2 weeks in my 20's, had little issue with that after about 3-4 years of use both times.

Prozac 40MG for 5 years - 2016 - 2021 (Total of 13 years of consecutive use)

(Most recent after last break, been on cumulatively in my life 14 years all times combined, 3 separate on/off occasions, all successful except most recent 3/4)

Recent Issue:  Tapered gradually from 40MG down to 0MG from May 7th - Aug 18th

Felt fine through Oct 5th, slowly started getting depression, panic, and anxiety (Was original thing I was treated for)

Decided to go back on SSRI Nov 1st, reacted very bad to 20mg reinstatement, day 1 was fine, day 2 had ADR. Doctor said to drop dosage.

Took 5mg for 2 weeks, 10mg for 2 weeks, still felt physically sick, could not take 20mg for more than 3 days, looking for advice going forward (ADR)

Not happy about it, but on 1.5mg 3x ativan and temazepam 15mg for sleep

(Was sleeping 2-3 hrs nightly prior to temazepam, was first thing that broke 2-3 hr then wide awake sleep cycle)

Main symptoms: headaches from certain foods and meds, sleep is broken, anxiety and agitation is extremely high, cortisol spike sensitive, bad in morning better at night, panic attacks, concentration is awful, focus is awful, anhedonia is awful, sensitive to light and noise, especially noise, extreme depression, intense bouts of fear, every looks and feels 'scary' at times, stress tolerance extremely low, have bouts of extreme anxiety, and bouts akathesia, and bouts extreme anticipatory anxiety over basic events/tasks. Nervous system is clearly crashed.

No Prozac for 249 days.

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24 minutes ago, UserMan1775 said:

You will do fine over the holidays west, glad to hear from you!

 

How is the zoloft stabilization going, still on the same amount? What time do you take it btw, and I heard it make you sleepy, is that good side effect, does it help you sleep?

Thanks for the encouragement. :)

 

Yes, I am still on the same amount of Zoloft. I don’t plan to go up or down until I feel completely normal again. I take it at 8 or 9 AM each morning, which means that the sleepy side effect is unfortunate because it comes when I’m trying to start my day and focus—although I am still able to do what I need to despite feeling weird. It goes away in a couple hours, so by the time I’m ready to sleep for the night, it has no effect. I’m considering switching to taking my dose at night (by moving back the time I take it by an hour each day until I reach 10pm) but I haven’t started yet since I want to wait another week to see if this side effect goes away with time as the GI issues have been.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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Would anyone be able to tell me how getting the COVID booster affected their withdrawal symptoms? I am getting scared of how it’s going to mix with the daily struggles I already have. I’m getting Pfizer, if it matters.

 

I also just met with my therapist for the first time since I put all this together, and he seems more understanding of the withdrawal theory than my psychiatrist. Or at least he didn’t judge me when I explained why I disagreed with the psych. So I have at least once source of support—but he’s very focused on the mental issues that may be contributing to this, as that’s his profession, so I don’t know how much he can do when it’s really a physical problem.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

There is a topic about this.

 

coronavirus-covid-19-covid-19-vaccine-psychiatric-drug-tapering-withdrawal

 

And the search results for covid, vaccination, or vax in the Introduction forum.  There may be some overlap, and these searches may not have captured all of them, eg if a member used the brand name of the vaccination they had, or used the term needle or jab or something similar, but there should be enough for you to get an idea of how other members have reacted:

 

covid

 

vaccination

 

vax

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Thank you, ChessieCat. I already read through the vaccination topic a couple days ago and didn’t see much about the boosters, but I should’ve thought to use the search terms!

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

I don't think many people in general have received boosters yet.  And possibly not many members.

 

From what I have heard in the media here in Australia, there seems to be less reaction to the booster than the initial 2 vaccinations.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Search for booster:

 

booster

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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2nd day of bad anxiety. I'm so frustrated because I'm literally doing the most relaxing things possible, lying in bed and reading entertaining mindless material. But I feel viscerally unsafe and like my whole upper body is somehow crawling with fear. I'm so thankful that some of the physical problems are going away, but I don't know how to address the mental problems if both trying to live normally and trying to give myself space to do nothing and heal make me feel equally terrible.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

Link to comment
  • Moderator

I’ve just had my covid booster today (21st Dec). All three have been Pfizer. I’ll let you know how I get on with it. I’m in a similar position as yourself in trying to stabilise on Zoloft 50mg (sertraline where I’m from). I’m expecting a few days disruption then hopefully back to my withdrawal normal by the end of the week.

Active Monday-Friday UK time

 

MEDICATION:

1) Sertraline:

50mg - Oct 2020, 100mg - Dec 2020, 50mg - April 2021, 75mg - May 2021, 50mg - Sep 2021; Failed taper attempt (50 -> 49) - Jan 2024; Second attempt to start taper - 17 Feb 2024

Current dose: 48.9mg (Feb 2024)

2) Mirtazapine:

15mg  - Nov 2020

SUPPLEMENTS:

Cod liver oil

Link to comment

@west

 

I had my booster a few weeks ago. All 3 shots were Pfizer. I had sore arm, tiredness, achy all over, and swollen lymph nodes. The worst past in 3 days and I was recovered completely after about 8 days which is longer than most people. All in all it was not too bad.

Current Psychiatric Medications

  1. Paxil 10mg daily (a.m.) 2017 - Present
  2. Carbamazepine IR  190 mg twice daily (380mg Daily) 2011 - Present (Currently Tapering)

Past Psychiatric Medications From 1994 to August 2021   Seroquel (in Recovery since August 2021 final dose 6.25mg), Depakote, Lithium, Risperidone, Xanax, Lamotrigene, Olanzapine, Lorazepam, Welbutrin, Trazodone, Oxazepam, Gabapentin, Abilify, Topiramate, Prazosin, Ambien (See Attached Spreadsheet And Seroquel Tapering And WIthdrawal Summary)

Current Non Psychiatric Medications Levothyroxine 88mcg (a.m.)-Vitamin D3 1000 IU (p.m.)-Fexofenadine 180 mg twice daily -Clonidine 0.1 mg (p.m.)-Azelastine Nasal Spray

Other - Fish Oil Twice Daily-Multi-Vitamin (a.m.)-Vitamin C 1000mg Daily (a.m.)-Saline Nasal Spray-Salsalate 750mg twice daily PRN, Diclofenac Gel on affected joint PRN-Magnesium Citrate 250mg twice daily, Betaine HCL & Digestine Enzymes With Meals

Quitting Seroquel_A Vacation In Hell_Redacted.pdf

Other Documents https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/26099-feralcatman-recovering-from-seroquel/?do=findComment&comment=633907

 

 

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@Erimus Thank you for letting me know! I hope you have an easy time with the side effects. I’ll also be interested to see how Zoloft/sertraline treats you—I’m wishing healing for us both.

 

@FeralCatman Thank you as well. That does seem like a long time, but I’m glad to hear it’s over and wasn’t too terrible.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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@west

 

I want to share something with you that you may or may not find useful but it is something that I do to get through and it has to do with something I learned in the military.

 

Years ago I went through the Nuclear Power training program in the Navy. Part 2 of the training was Nuclear Power School which was 6 months long and is regarded as the toughest academic program in the military. The attrition rate at the time was 70%. The expectation was to take the technical material that is taught in a civilian Nuclear Engineering Technology program which is 2 and a half years long and learn it all in 6 months with full day comprehensive exam at the end of it. Everything was classified so you could not take materials out of the classroom so all studying was done at your desk and all materials had to be locked up if you left the room. Since I don't have a photographic memory it meant I spent 14 hours a day, and sometimes more, at that desk either in class or studying. As you can imagine it was intense and very stressful. We had students who were engineers fail out in the first few weeks because they could not maintain the pace.

 

What they taught us in the very beginning was to break every problem down into the smallest chunks possible and then focus on the chunks one at a time instead of always focusing on the whole problem. That way you avoided getting overwhelmed and could digest the material. This way of doing things is something I still do to this day and, at least for me, it works. Special forces and extreme athletes do the same thing and I have spent many hours watching videos on how these people deal with adversity. Much can be learned from them and applied to any situation.

 

A good example of using this technique is when I had the flu a few years ago. I have an immune deficiency so even a cold is a big deal for me. I was acutely sick for almost 30 days and it took me another 2 months to completely recover. In that first 30 days I couldn't get out to check my own mail or take care of much of anything else. To feed the cats I rolled off the couch and crawled to the closet to get the cat food and change their water and scoop the poop and then crawled back to the couch. My dad had to come up 3 times to take me to the ER for fluids and to shovel snow. I was a mess but didn't want anyone staying with me because I did not want to get them sick. While laying on the couch the first 30 days I picked a spot on the ceiling and focused on it and broke my days down to a few minutes at a time and sometimes even one second at a time. At the end of each block of time I would treat it as a victory and move on to the next block of time. I kept it up until I got through it and could start functioning again and throughout the process I kept reminding myself that nothing is permanent and that it would eventually pass. I did not realize it at the time but because I was so sick and could not keep my meds down I was also in withdrawal from Seroquel, Tegretol, and Paxil at the same time. It was miserable. Breaking things down into small chunks of time was how I got through it.

 

Tapering down and withdrawing from the Seroquel required that I do the same thing and when things were at their worse I broke things down into very small chunks and made my way through it.

 

Not sure if this will help you or not but I thought it worth mentioning. Nothing is ever permanent. Each situation, feeling, task, test, etc. is temporary and will pass so it is just getting from one end to the other step by step.

 

 

Current Psychiatric Medications

  1. Paxil 10mg daily (a.m.) 2017 - Present
  2. Carbamazepine IR  190 mg twice daily (380mg Daily) 2011 - Present (Currently Tapering)

Past Psychiatric Medications From 1994 to August 2021   Seroquel (in Recovery since August 2021 final dose 6.25mg), Depakote, Lithium, Risperidone, Xanax, Lamotrigene, Olanzapine, Lorazepam, Welbutrin, Trazodone, Oxazepam, Gabapentin, Abilify, Topiramate, Prazosin, Ambien (See Attached Spreadsheet And Seroquel Tapering And WIthdrawal Summary)

Current Non Psychiatric Medications Levothyroxine 88mcg (a.m.)-Vitamin D3 1000 IU (p.m.)-Fexofenadine 180 mg twice daily -Clonidine 0.1 mg (p.m.)-Azelastine Nasal Spray

Other - Fish Oil Twice Daily-Multi-Vitamin (a.m.)-Vitamin C 1000mg Daily (a.m.)-Saline Nasal Spray-Salsalate 750mg twice daily PRN, Diclofenac Gel on affected joint PRN-Magnesium Citrate 250mg twice daily, Betaine HCL & Digestine Enzymes With Meals

Quitting Seroquel_A Vacation In Hell_Redacted.pdf

Other Documents https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/26099-feralcatman-recovering-from-seroquel/?do=findComment&comment=633907

 

 

Link to comment

@West

 

Also, while tapering I sometimes found it necessary to not record any information for small chunks of time and just live. Recording the information is important but there are times when it can also keep you hyper focused on the problem to the point that you can't recognize the progress you are making and the small victories you have had along the way.

Current Psychiatric Medications

  1. Paxil 10mg daily (a.m.) 2017 - Present
  2. Carbamazepine IR  190 mg twice daily (380mg Daily) 2011 - Present (Currently Tapering)

Past Psychiatric Medications From 1994 to August 2021   Seroquel (in Recovery since August 2021 final dose 6.25mg), Depakote, Lithium, Risperidone, Xanax, Lamotrigene, Olanzapine, Lorazepam, Welbutrin, Trazodone, Oxazepam, Gabapentin, Abilify, Topiramate, Prazosin, Ambien (See Attached Spreadsheet And Seroquel Tapering And WIthdrawal Summary)

Current Non Psychiatric Medications Levothyroxine 88mcg (a.m.)-Vitamin D3 1000 IU (p.m.)-Fexofenadine 180 mg twice daily -Clonidine 0.1 mg (p.m.)-Azelastine Nasal Spray

Other - Fish Oil Twice Daily-Multi-Vitamin (a.m.)-Vitamin C 1000mg Daily (a.m.)-Saline Nasal Spray-Salsalate 750mg twice daily PRN, Diclofenac Gel on affected joint PRN-Magnesium Citrate 250mg twice daily, Betaine HCL & Digestine Enzymes With Meals

Quitting Seroquel_A Vacation In Hell_Redacted.pdf

Other Documents https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/26099-feralcatman-recovering-from-seroquel/?do=findComment&comment=633907

 

 

Link to comment

@FeralCatman That’s good advice, and I really appreciate you sharing all that with me. I agree that it can be bad to focus on the details so much, but it’s so hard because it also makes me feel reassured when I write down the details for some reason. I guess I can try both ways and see what feels best.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

Link to comment

@west

 

In the end we are all different so no one thing will work exactly the same for 2 different people. However, get enough input from enough sources and you can take a little from one and a little from another and piece something together that works for you. Whatever that looks like for you it is just taking it one step at a time. You will ultimately get through this.

Current Psychiatric Medications

  1. Paxil 10mg daily (a.m.) 2017 - Present
  2. Carbamazepine IR  190 mg twice daily (380mg Daily) 2011 - Present (Currently Tapering)

Past Psychiatric Medications From 1994 to August 2021   Seroquel (in Recovery since August 2021 final dose 6.25mg), Depakote, Lithium, Risperidone, Xanax, Lamotrigene, Olanzapine, Lorazepam, Welbutrin, Trazodone, Oxazepam, Gabapentin, Abilify, Topiramate, Prazosin, Ambien (See Attached Spreadsheet And Seroquel Tapering And WIthdrawal Summary)

Current Non Psychiatric Medications Levothyroxine 88mcg (a.m.)-Vitamin D3 1000 IU (p.m.)-Fexofenadine 180 mg twice daily -Clonidine 0.1 mg (p.m.)-Azelastine Nasal Spray

Other - Fish Oil Twice Daily-Multi-Vitamin (a.m.)-Vitamin C 1000mg Daily (a.m.)-Saline Nasal Spray-Salsalate 750mg twice daily PRN, Diclofenac Gel on affected joint PRN-Magnesium Citrate 250mg twice daily, Betaine HCL & Digestine Enzymes With Meals

Quitting Seroquel_A Vacation In Hell_Redacted.pdf

Other Documents https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/26099-feralcatman-recovering-from-seroquel/?do=findComment&comment=633907

 

 

Link to comment

I’m considering asking my psychiatrist to go up to 25 mg of Zoloft. My morning anxiety has been the same or worse all this week, and I’m starting to struggle with eating again. I can’t stop myself from ruminating on things that terrify me for hours on end. I know healing takes time, but I need to be functional for my family and my work. Thanks to everyone who’s been encouraging me—I wish I had anything better to report.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

Link to comment
  • Moderator

Just thought I’d pop in and let you know about the booster. Felt a bit worse for wear the following day (tiredness and aches) but all in all out of the three jabs that was the mildest. I’m in a bit of a wave of anxiety at the moment so difficult to distinguish between withdrawal and booster. Hope Christmas was ok and keep going.

Active Monday-Friday UK time

 

MEDICATION:

1) Sertraline:

50mg - Oct 2020, 100mg - Dec 2020, 50mg - April 2021, 75mg - May 2021, 50mg - Sep 2021; Failed taper attempt (50 -> 49) - Jan 2024; Second attempt to start taper - 17 Feb 2024

Current dose: 48.9mg (Feb 2024)

2) Mirtazapine:

15mg  - Nov 2020

SUPPLEMENTS:

Cod liver oil

Link to comment
10 hours ago, Erimus said:

Just thought I’d pop in and let you know about the booster. Felt a bit worse for wear the following day (tiredness and aches) but all in all out of the three jabs that was the mildest. I’m in a bit of a wave of anxiety at the moment so difficult to distinguish between withdrawal and booster. Hope Christmas was ok and keep going.

That’s great to hear that it was the mildest shot for you! Thanks so much for keeping me updated. I hope your wave starts to get better soon.

 

I have my shot tomorrow morning and I’m scared but determined. Christmas has been OK—my appetite has been very low, which is tough on a holiday that’s so food-focused, but I’m not losing weight, so I think I can stop freaking out about what I’m eating and just exist. My back pain is getting pretty gnarly and has this weird pattern where it hurts most when I’m lying down relaxing, so I’m seeing a doctor this week just to make sure it isn’t a concern. 

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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I had moderate booster side effects last night (fever, full-body pain) but I think I’m over the worst of it. Today I’ll mostly be resting.

 

I had a question about my Zoloft tablets. What I’m taking is actually generic sertraline, and so far they’ve come from the manufacturer Aurobindo. Now, I got a refill that says it’s from Lupin instead. Is this change going to mess me up, or are the manufacturers similar enough that I’ll be OK?

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Some members have had issues when they get a tablet made by a different manufacturer.  However others have had no issues.  The drug in the tablet is the same but the other components might be different.

 

If you still have some of the old brand left then it is suggested to do a cross over which is gentler on your system:

 

cross-over-changing-form-eg-tablet-to-liquid-of-drug-or-changing-brand-of-same-drug

 

In the future, if you cannot make an arrangement with your pharmacist to get the same brand, or you cannot get brand Zoloft, then it would be a good idea to get your script filled whilst you still have some of the ones you are using left so you can cross over to the new ones if they are different.

 

Personally, even though I didn't want to give Pfizer any more money for my Pristiq, I decided to keep with the brand.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Thank you, ChessieCat! I am scared to mess up the amounts (I don’t have a scale or anything) so I think I’ll try to call the pharmacy and ask if they can get Aurobindo. This scenario is tough because I’m away from home, but hopefully I can get the same manufacturer consistently once I’m not traveling.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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My back feels so messed up. Not really sure why I'm posting this, as there's nothing anyone can do to help, but I'm just frightened and have exhausted everyone around me venting about it. For 5 weeks I've felt like I have a "knot" in the area of one particular vertebra of my spine, with occasional instances of pain on both the left (duller) and right (sharper) sides of the knot. Nothing helps—not pain medication, heating pads, lying in bed, or doing back-focused yoga. I want to believe that this is stress/withdrawal related, but I don't understand how it could be so powerful and not diminish regardless of how I'm feeling in other areas. It also follows patterns that make medical websites say "talk to your doctor ASAP because it could be serious" (getting worse when I lie down and not improving with time or other methods). I'm making an appointment to talk to a doctor about it, but nowhere has availability until 2 weeks in the future, so until then I guess I'll just be uncomfortable and scared out of my wits. Otherwise, my healing seems to have plateaued. I can eat (small bits) and do daily activities, but there's constant fear overlaid on all of it, and it's made 200% worse by concern about my back.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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I wanted to post an update since I’m doing a lot better. Pretty much all of my withdrawal symptoms are gone, except that my back still hurts and when I get stressed I still experience the “burning nerves” feeling throughout my chest. But I am managing day-to-day life quiet well, albeit with a lot more caution about overstressing myself. This is my 6th week on 12.5 mg of Zoloft, and I plan to hold on this dosage.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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This is a long shot, but does anyone have recommendations for a psychiatrist in the NYC area who understands protracted withdrawal or who would simply be OK with prescribing me a subtherapeutic dosage of Zoloft indefinitely? I just talked with my current provider again, and she's fine with me holding at 12.5 mg if that's my comfort level, but she keeps talking about how she wants me on the full 50 mg eventually "once I feel ready." I wouldn't be comfortable deceiving her (i.e. saying I'm taking 25 but continuing to cut the pill to get 12.5) because making medical decisions without the aid of a psychiatrist is what got me into this mess in the first place. If I need to, I plan to email new psychiatrists and ask them a set of questions to see if we'd be able to work together based on my needs.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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I don’t have much to report, but I figured I would continue posting because I think having examples of relative success is helpful for others who read these forums. (It definitely was for me.) I had a few blips over the past few days where I felt some of my withdrawal symptoms coming back (anger, tearfulness, disgust at food, racing heartbeat). However, they’re much more short-lived—some days are hard, some are easy, but the worst never stays for long. I can now do light exercise daily and manage typical 8-hour workdays. The most troubling part is that this whole experience seems to have sent me into a period of depression. It would be great to eventually feel back to my old self, but I’m willing to wait and let it take time.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm still doing about the same nowadays. I'm more forgetful on Zoloft, which is upsetting, but I think it's the price I have to pay for now.

 

I started calculating what a taper would look like for me—not because I plan on doing it any time soon, but because I wanted to know what the difference would be if I stayed at 12.5 mg or went up to 25 mg as my psych wants me to. The results were frankly shocking. On this "low" dosage I currently take, doing a 10% reduction every 4 weeks, it will take 2.5 years for me to be finished! I've checked my work several times, so I know it must be true, but... wow. (25 mg would take me 3 years.) I also don't plan to begin this process until January 2023 based on a bunch of different life factors, which makes the whole thing even more drawn out.

 

I have one specific question: Is there a general "accepted" dose of Zoloft that people jump off to 0 at? I picked 0.39 mg essentially because after that, the curve gets quite a bit flatter and the reductions more and more minuscule.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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Hi @West

Yes, I was shocked when I did my schedule and it’s going to take me something like 5 years plus to get off 50mg sertraline. And that’s based on the assumption that I have no blips and can continue 10% per month, every month 🥲


I’d be interested to see what peoples experiences are of jumping off sertraline as my schedule goes down to 0.5 as I couldn’t imagine being about to measure quantities lower than that.

Sertraline (Lustral):  2014. Sept 50mg. Oct 100mg. Dec 150mg. 2015-2019. 150mg. 2019  Apr-May 0mg. Beg May 150mg. End May 100mg. Late June 125mg. Late Aug 100mg. 2020 Jan 75mg. April 50mg.

2022  50mg. 1Jan 45mg. 1Feb 40.5mg. Water T24Feb 39.5mg. 3Mar 38.5mg. 18Mar 38mg. 25Mar 37.5mg. 22Apr 37mg. 5May 36.5mg. 18May 36mg. 1Jun 35.3mg. 15Jun 34.5mg.  30Jun 34mg. 15Jul 33.5mg. 22Jul 33mg. 5Aug 32.5mg. 19Aug 32mg. 1Sept 31.5mg. 1Oct 31mg.  27 Oct 30.5. 16 Nov 30mg. 30 Nov 29.5mg. 14 Dec 29mg

2023. 2 Jan 28.5mg. 6 Feb 28mg. 10 Mar 27.5mg. 1 Apr 26.5mg. 1 May 26mg. 1 Jun 25.5mg. 1 Jul 25mg. 1 Aug 24.5mg. 17 Aug 24mg. 5 Sept 23.5mg. 9 Oct 23mg.

 

Desogestrel:  2014 -  present:  

Supplements Magnesium. 400mcg  Vitamin D. 10mcg.  Multivit/min. 1 tab. B Complex

 

Certirizine:   2022 May 10mg. Dec 20mg. 2023. 15mg.

 Omeprazole.:  2016 20mg. 2022  20mg.  15Jan 15mg. 9Feb 10mg. 25Feb 6.5mg. 15Mar 3mg. 3Apr 1.5mg.  15Apr 0mg   2023. 20mg. 15 Sept 15mg.

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2 hours ago, Blossom71 said:

Hi @West

Yes, I was shocked when I did my schedule and it’s going to take me something like 5 years plus to get off 50mg sertraline. And that’s based on the assumption that I have no blips and can continue 10% per month, every month 🥲


I’d be interested to see what peoples experiences are of jumping off sertraline as my schedule goes down to 0.5 as I couldn’t imagine being about to measure quantities lower than that.

Wow, yes, that's such a long time! I see from your signature that you've come pretty far already, though, so congratulations :)

 

I haven't even thought about measuring quantities yet, or what form I'm going to get the medication in—I'm sure that makes things even more complicated, like you say.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus
8 hours ago, West said:

I have one specific question: Is there a general "accepted" dose of Zoloft that people jump off to 0 at?

 

Usually about 0.025mg or lower if needed.

 

When to end the taper and jump to zero?

 

If you put in all the hard work to taper off it is worth taking a bit longer.  Going down to a very low dose takes away a lot of the stress caused by wondering if you did the right thing.  It's got nothing to do with how strong or determined you are as a person.  The brain dictates the taper rate.  When I got to low doses I kept telling myself that I didn't need the drug but my brain did.

 

If you jump off too soon and have to reinstate then it might end up taking longer than if you had just keep going along steadily.  Because I had other health issues I ended up going down to 0.0025mg of Pristiq which I could do because I was making a liquid.  It seemed ridiculous going that low, but I had no issues after I stopped and it was well worth it after a 6 year taper to take a little bit more time.

 

And Zoloft can be made into a liquid.  See Post #1 of this topic:

 

Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft)

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment

Thanks West

 

I think I was pretty fortunate to get down from 150mg-50mg without too many issues, but i figured I’d slow down before my luck ran out!   The last drop was the hardest which is why I stuck there for a while.

 

I read the links ChessieCat sent and was struck by this comment by Rhiannon, so I will keep reminding myself of this:

 

“So I would say, make those last cuts small and the breaks between them long. Take your time. I have seen many many people get into trouble and fail tapers because of going too fast at the end, but I've never seen anyone fail by going too slow”

Sertraline (Lustral):  2014. Sept 50mg. Oct 100mg. Dec 150mg. 2015-2019. 150mg. 2019  Apr-May 0mg. Beg May 150mg. End May 100mg. Late June 125mg. Late Aug 100mg. 2020 Jan 75mg. April 50mg.

2022  50mg. 1Jan 45mg. 1Feb 40.5mg. Water T24Feb 39.5mg. 3Mar 38.5mg. 18Mar 38mg. 25Mar 37.5mg. 22Apr 37mg. 5May 36.5mg. 18May 36mg. 1Jun 35.3mg. 15Jun 34.5mg.  30Jun 34mg. 15Jul 33.5mg. 22Jul 33mg. 5Aug 32.5mg. 19Aug 32mg. 1Sept 31.5mg. 1Oct 31mg.  27 Oct 30.5. 16 Nov 30mg. 30 Nov 29.5mg. 14 Dec 29mg

2023. 2 Jan 28.5mg. 6 Feb 28mg. 10 Mar 27.5mg. 1 Apr 26.5mg. 1 May 26mg. 1 Jun 25.5mg. 1 Jul 25mg. 1 Aug 24.5mg. 17 Aug 24mg. 5 Sept 23.5mg. 9 Oct 23mg.

 

Desogestrel:  2014 -  present:  

Supplements Magnesium. 400mcg  Vitamin D. 10mcg.  Multivit/min. 1 tab. B Complex

 

Certirizine:   2022 May 10mg. Dec 20mg. 2023. 15mg.

 Omeprazole.:  2016 20mg. 2022  20mg.  15Jan 15mg. 9Feb 10mg. 25Feb 6.5mg. 15Mar 3mg. 3Apr 1.5mg.  15Apr 0mg   2023. 20mg. 15 Sept 15mg.

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On 1/21/2022 at 9:06 PM, ChessieCat said:

 

Usually about 0.025mg or lower if needed.

 

When to end the taper and jump to zero?

 

If you put in all the hard work to taper off it is worth taking a bit longer.  Going down to a very low dose takes away a lot of the stress caused by wondering if you did the right thing.  It's got nothing to do with how strong or determined you are as a person.  The brain dictates the taper rate.  When I got to low doses I kept telling myself that I didn't need the drug but my brain did.

 

If you jump off too soon and have to reinstate then it might end up taking longer than if you had just keep going along steadily.  Because I had other health issues I ended up going down to 0.0025mg of Pristiq which I could do because I was making a liquid.  It seemed ridiculous going that low, but I had no issues after I stopped and it was well worth it after a 6 year taper to take a little bit more time.

 

And Zoloft can be made into a liquid.  See Post #1 of this topic:

 

Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft)

That's shocking but good to know—thank you for answering my question. That would be 5 years, then.

 

This is just me asking questions rather than trying to argue, since I'm coming to you all for your expertise, but: I wonder if there's a point where the helpfulness of getting down as low as you can is counteracted by the effect of having to focus so obsessively on the taper (particularly at the end, where I would be doing what it takes to measure hundredths of a milligram). It seems like something that could take over a lot of your brainspace considering you have to make the solution, monitor how you're feeling all the time, and decide when you're going to reduce or if you need to stay at the same dosage for longer. This is just me personally, but focusing deeply on my health usually actually makes my mental (and physical, transitively) health worse because I can get quite obsessive.

Celexa

January 2017–July 2017, 10mg (last dose, switched to Prozac)

Prozac

July 2017–October 2019, 10mg

October 2019–July 2021, 20mg (last dose, went off starting in June by taking 20mg every 2 days, then every 3 days)

10/18/2021–10/31/2021, 20mg (last dose, stopped CT)

Zoloft

12/1/2021–present, 12.5mg

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