Jessyb Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Found this site searching Zoloft withdrawals an thought I'd join and get some insight from people who have gone through them. I have been on Zoloft since I was 14, I'm almost 22 now. Then my doctor put me on buspirone when I was 18. I struggle with my weight and am prone to skin infections. I end up having to be on antibiotics several times a year. I'm allergic to a lot of antibiotics, so theyuse zyvox. Every time I end up on zyvox I have to go cold turkey off my antidepressants because together they can cause seretonin syndrome. I have just finished a round of zyvox and haven't had my antidepressant in 2 weeks. The other night I ended up in the er an was admitted to the hospital with bad heart palpitations. I'm not sure why I went to the er, I've been through this before..every time I go off my Zoloft and buspirone it happens. But I wanted them to stop. They were uncomfortable and extremely weird, every time I moved my eyes side to side I could set them off. I couldn't move without them happening. While I was there a cardiologist saw me, they wanted to look for a blood clot. They did a doplar and all that good stuff and found nothing. Bit because I have a history of atrial Fibb(only if I have a picc line in) they tried to force blood thinners down my throat. I've been on them before, I don't like them. They cause nothing but problems. The doctor would not listen to me when I told them I have them every time I quit my meds. They automatically assume because I was fat I had to have had a blood clot somewhere. They had me on a heparin drip for a day then started me on a blood thinner called xaleto or something like that. As soon as I took the first pill I cried for an hour, I did a lot of research on it and I just didn't feel safe taking it when I didn't have a reason to. I just wanted to make myself throw it back up it scared me so bad. But my s/o was sitting right there. So I'm having Zoloft withdrawals and a doctor who thinks there's something wrong with me there isn't. I finally got out today after lying and saying the palps were gone, and they are just getting worse. I refuse to take the blood thinner. I came home and started dry heaving, then got the worst pain in my chest I ever felt. I thought I was having a heart attack but it passed within a few minutes. Now I'm craving my Zoloft so bad, and one part of me wants to take it but I know if I do ill end up going through the same withdrawals in another month or two when I'm on zyvox again. As I'm laying here typing this on my phone the palpitations seemed to have stopped but I have a horrible headache. Palpitations have been my biggest symptom but I have been extremely irritable and crying a lot. Just hearing people's voice drives me up the wall and makes me want to bang my head on the wall. I can say this has been the worst so far as many times as I've been off my meds. And I don't know whether to deal with it and get off the medication period, or deal with monthly/bimonthly withdrawals Link to comment
VeryKariAnn Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Hi, I just found this site today too and I just posted something. I totally identify with what you are going through. I have been miserable trying to come off of my meds as well. I've also been miserable on them so it feels like either way I lose I wish I could something more helpful to you, but you are not alone at all. I hope that you feel better soon! Numerous types and combinations of meds for a bipolar diagnosis, from 10/2012 - 10/2013 I was typically on two to three of these at any given time; my history is a bit daunting: 1). Abilify: started 10/2012; 5 mg once a day for approximately two weeks along with Citalopram and Seroquel; asked to be taken off of it due to SE 2). Seroquel: started 10/2012; 25 mg at night for sleep, titrated up to 150 mg; had to titrate back down to 25 mg due to the SE at the higher dose; I still take 25 mg at night to sleep 3). Citalopram: started 10/2012; 10 mg every morning for about 7 months (up until 9/2013); was told this med caused me to "rapid manic cycle"; experienced profound WD (brain zaps) 4). Zoloft: started 1/2013; 50 mg once per day; I was switched from Citalopram to Zoloft because they thought the Citalopram might be making me "manic"; could not tolerate Zoloft (GI issues), was put back on Citalopram 5). Lithium: started 3/2013 for mood stabilization; took for three days then quit - it made me violently ill (GI issues) 6). Trileptal: started 4/2013; 300 mg in the morning, 600 mg at night; took for approximately five months along with Citalopram and Seroquel - added as a mood stabilizer; experienced intolerable SE and was asked to be taken off 7). Tegretol: started 8/2013; titrated off Trileptal and titrated up Tegretol in addition to being on Citalopram and Seroquel; 300 mg in the morning, 600 mg at night; experienced "mixed episode" during titration and had to be hospitalized **all meds stopped at this point (hospitalization) and an entirely new cocktail was begun**: 8). Lamictal: started 9/2013 along with Wellbutrin and Zyprexa; 25 mg once per day, titrate up to 50 mg; took it for about 3 weeks and became increasingly "manic"; became allergic to it (rash) 9). Wellbutrin: started 9/2013; 100 mg every morning 10). Zyprexa: started 9/2013; 5 mg every morning, 2.5 mg every afternoon, 5 mg at night 11). Trazadone: started 9/2013; 100 mg at night for sleep; took for two nights, developed allergic reaction (rash) **all meds stopped due to allergic reactions; one new med started**: 12). Geodon: started 10/3/2013; 20 mg twice per day; developed intolerable akithisia; abruptly stopped taking Geodon 10/19/2013 due to SE - felt worse than I have ever felt in my life 13). Ativan 0.5 mg PRN: last 3 months to help with anxiety I began to have due to SE from all the other meds; I never needed Ativan before I am currently WD off Geodon and probably everything else I have been on; still take 25 mg Seroquel at night and Ativan PRN Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted October 23, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 23, 2013 Hi Jessy, that is awful having to go through withdrawal every time you need an antibiotic, I haven't heard of that before! You sound really miserable with it all and I'm not surprised. I was rushed to ER years ago and had heaps of tests and scans , including a spinal tap because they thought I was having a bleed in my brain when it was actually withdrawal. In the end I told them I was going home, they wanted to do even more tests but I had enough and knew there wasn't any point staying there! Staff will be along shortly to advise you, in the meantime it would help if you can put the meds you have had, the doses and when you stopped. Welcome to SA, we are all in it together here **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 23, 2013 Administrator Share Posted October 23, 2013 Welcome, Jessy. How much Zoloft were you taking? You might want to reinstate a very small amount, say 5mg, to reduce the withdrawal symptoms, which can include palpitations. Zoloft comes in a liquid that should make it easy to do this. A very low dose is less likely to conflict with the antibiotics. Then, after you stabilize for a couple of months, you can taper off completely by very tiny amounts. See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/ Cold turkey repeatedly can make your nervous system sensitive to further drugs and drug switches. Whatever doctor is prescribing the psychiatric drugs -- I would not trust this person's judgment about these drugs any more. They are adding to your health problems. If I were you, I'd try to track down the cause of the skin infections. It could even be something in your diet that you can change. It might even be all the medications interfering with your immune system. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Jessyb Posted October 23, 2013 Author Share Posted October 23, 2013 I take 100mg Zoloft and 5mg buspirone I believe. The skin infections are from holding lymph fluid. If I lost a lot of weight I probably wouldn't have them as much - so I need to but I've been struggling with it for years. I was up to 200mg Zoloft but one time I went on zyvox in the end I just went to 100mg Zoloft. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 23, 2013 Administrator Share Posted October 23, 2013 You might want to try 5mg Zoloft to start and see if it helps with the withdrawal symptoms. Again, you might be able to address the skin infections in a more holistic way. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Jemima Posted October 23, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 23, 2013 When you have a chance, please add your drug history to your signature. Here are directions: How To Add Your Drug History To Your Signature Welcome to the form. I'm glad you found us. Psychotropic drug history: Pristiq 50 mg. (mid-September 2010 through February 2011), Remeron (mid-September 2010 through January 2011), Lexapro 10 mg. (mid-February 2011 through mid-December 2011), Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg. as needed mid-September 2010 through early March 2012"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's RazorIntroduction: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1588-introducing-jemima/ Success Story: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6263-success-jemima-survives-lexapro-and-dr-dickhead-too/Please note that I am not a medical professional and my advice is based on personal experience, reading, and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers. Link to comment
Jessyb Posted October 24, 2013 Author Share Posted October 24, 2013 Is there anyway to add it on the mobile site? I can't seem to find it and I don't use a PC. Link to comment
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