☼ 302zoloft

[302zoloft]

Hi all. Just checking in to say hi and see how you are. I'm still doing well. Have had a couple of wobbles but nothing compared to the start of this year!!

[Pugknows]

Yay yay, Zoloft!!!!!

[302zoloft]

Morning!!!! I have just spend the morning reading through my thread. I can’t believe it was five years ago since I went through all that. 

I now have a one year old son (I wanted to come off the meds back then as I had gotten engaged and knew we wanted to start a family after we were married). Interestingly the first trimester of my pregnancy was hell because of the HCG hormone which sent my anxiety in to freefall. But like a light switch, shortly after I moved in to the second trimester it all went away. Hormones aren’t my friend when it comes to anxiety. I also had a panic attack at my sons first birthday (arranging everything, not sleeping as worrying and thinking at night); just standard me stuff really. BUT I am honestly much less anxious than I was when I had the withdrawal; that was a totally different feeling to my initial anxiety and panic attacks which caused me to go on Zoloft and to the anxiety I sometimes deal with now. 

I realise I am an anxious person who likes to be in control and thinks ahead to overcome possible issues and this has served me very well in my job managing projects! But not so well in my personal life worrying about things unnecessarily and kick starting my under developed “fight or flight” which hasn’t quite evolved for modern day living where we are constantly on the go and doing a hundred things at once. My body can’t decifer between real threats and my perceived ones in my thoughts... which is fair enough. 

So I continue to work on living in the moment for the most part and when I feel anxious I manage it much more easily with the skills learned over the years form therapy and reading books. I do worry about getting pregnant again (which I would love) because of the twelve weeks of anxiety but it is worth that short period to have such a long period with a lovely little being I created. 

I still think when I first started having panic attacks and anxiety nearly a decade ago, that medicine should not have been the go to; I should have been given the chance to try other therapies first but I’m not angry anymore about that. I am also so so pleased to be seeing more news stories about doctors realising about SSRI withdrawal which is a very very big step to helping a lot of people hopefully. 

 

Wishing everyone all the best on this site. I hope sharing my story may help in some or any way!!!! Hope 2019 is the year you find your way out whatever rabbit hole you may be in. 

[Altostrata]

Thanks for that good news, 302. You've been off 5 years with no problems, while producing a new little citizen? Congratulations!

 

Please sum up what you've learned about tapering and recovery in a new Success Story topic here.

[Carmie]

Congratulations 302zoloft, 

 

That’s wonderful news💚

[rapunzel2]

On 1/10/2019 at 11:44 AM, 302zoloft said:

Morning!!!! I have just spend the morning reading through my thread. I can’t believe it was five years ago since I went through all that. 

I now have a one year old son (I wanted to come off the meds back then as I had gotten engaged and knew we wanted to start a family after we were married). Interestingly the first trimester of my pregnancy was hell because of the HCG hormone which sent my anxiety in to freefall. But like a light switch, shortly after I moved in to the second trimester it all went away. Hormones aren’t my friend when it comes to anxiety. I also had a panic attack at my sons first birthday (arranging everything, not sleeping as worrying and thinking at night); just standard me stuff really. BUT I am honestly much less anxious than I was when I had the withdrawal; that was a totally different feeling to my initial anxiety and panic attacks which caused me to go on Zoloft and to the anxiety I sometimes deal with now. 

I realise I am an anxious person who likes to be in control and thinks ahead to overcome possible issues and this has served me very well in my job managing projects! But not so well in my personal life worrying about things unnecessarily and kick starting my under developed “fight or flight” which hasn’t quite evolved for modern day living where we are constantly on the go and doing a hundred things at once. My body can’t decifer between real threats and my perceived ones in my thoughts... which is fair enough. 

So I continue to work on living in the moment for the most part and when I feel anxious I manage it much more easily with the skills learned over the years form therapy and reading books. I do worry about getting pregnant again (which I would love) because of the twelve weeks of anxiety but it is worth that short period to have such a long period with a lovely little being I created. 

I still think when I first started having panic attacks and anxiety nearly a decade ago, that medicine should not have been the go to; I should have been given the chance to try other therapies first but I’m not angry anymore about that. I am also so so pleased to be seeing more news stories about doctors realising about SSRI withdrawal which is a very very big step to helping a lot of people hopefully. 

 

Wishing everyone all the best on this site. I hope sharing my story may help in some or any way!!!! Hope 2019 is the year you find your way out whatever rabbit hole you may be in. 

Wow, please tell me more about pregnancy! 

I was just pregnant for 10 weeks. unfortunately had a miscarriage  But now I'm kind of scared about pregnancy, because it made me very depressed, especially at the beginning. I think my brain does not handle hormones well at all. I'm very encouraged to hear that you also had a rough time in first trimester, but it got better. 

How about post partum for you? Did you have problems after your baby was born?

Congratulations by the way - on being drug free and on making a brand new human being!  

[302zoloft]

Introduction for the second time

 

I’ve been here before. About six of seven years ago after being on Zoloft for years and struggling withdrawing, but I did and have been drug free since. 
mum pregnant and was prescribed many anti emetics after losing a lot of weight being sick for weeks. The one which worked for me was prochloperazine (stemetil). 5mg three times a day. Well I’m twenty two weeks now and feel ready to stop taking them so I did, as advised by my doctor. Massive crash, vomiting, racing disjointed thoughts, low low mood, jaw tightening....so I halved it but same happened. Then I tried reducing one dose by half but same thing happened. So I found out this is also used as an antipsychotic and maybe on my anxious brain it’s doing things aside from just stopping my pregnancy nausea and vomiting. And the doctors of course don’t buy it qnd tell me to just come off. So I find myself back here trawling the search for anyone else who has been able to come off it. I’ve only been on it for about ten weeks. How is this possible? Didn’t sleep lastnight as freaking out I am stuck on a drug again after the hell of getting off sertraline!!!!! 
I have a gp consultation on Monday and am going to propose they prescribe the liquid form so I can reduce 1mg at a time for a week. Any suggestions? 

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[ChessieCat]

 

23 minutes ago, 302zoloft said:

I’ve only been on it for about ten weeks. How is this possible?

 

From https://www.drugs.com/mtm/prochlorperazine-oral-injection.html

 

Prochlorperazine is a phenothiazine (FEEN-oh-THYE-a-zeen) antipsychotic medicine

 

It can take as little as 4 weeks for the brain to fully adapt to a psychiatric drug.  That being the case, you will probably need to taper it just like any other psychiatric drugs.  However, you might be able to go a bit faster.  You will need to listen to your body/symptoms and taper accordingly.

 

[Altostrata]

Hello, @302zoloft

 

If prochloperazine comes in liquid form, gettng the liquid is the easiest way to taper it. Be sure to tell the consultant the difficulties you've been having going off it.

 

Reducing each dose by 0.5mg every week might work, until you get down to 5mg total per day, then you're want to reduce slower. Please let us know how you're doing.

[302zoloft]

I reduced by 1ml per week till on 1mg last week and stopped. Since then not been able to sleep, throwing up, lost appetite. Yesterday was in the hospital as advised by the gp for monitoring baby and getting fluids in me. Just had my second night in a row of no sleep and I want to die. I can’t do this

[Colonial]

On 10/16/2020 at 5:52 PM, Altostrata said:

Reducing each dose by 0.5mg every week might work, until you get down to 5mg total per day, then you're want to reduce slower.

Your signature does not have the med update but it seems you went from 15mgs a day to zero in 6 weeks?

You were already having symptoms before Alto suggested no more than 2mg a month?

Until you got to 5 mgs and then much slower?

Were you not able to get the medication from the doctor or did you decide to continue so fast?

Just trying to get a better picture.

Are you able to reinstate?

 

Edited December 2, 2020 by Colonial

[302zoloft]

On 12/2/2020 at 8:26 AM, Colonial said:

Your signature does not have the med update but it seems you went from 15mgs a day to zero in 6 weeks?

You were already having symptoms before Alto suggested no more than 2mg a month?

Until you got to 5 mgs and then much slower?

Were you not able to get the medication from the doctor or did you decide to continue so fast?

Just trying to get a better picture.

Are you able to reinstate?

 

I hadn’t had any symptoms until I stopped on 27th November having reduced to 1mg twice a day. I’m now over a week in to withdrawal and I’ve read that antipsychotic withdrawal lasts two weeks and this second week should be easier. I still can’t sleep and it’s not racing thoughts of anything, I just can’t make the crossover from relaxed to sleep. Doctors are no help at all. 
I’m pregnant and was prescribed this as an anti emetic for severe morning sickness. I had no idea it was an antipsychotic. Having had withdrawal from sertraline six years ago I would have been far less likely to try it if I had known. I can’t go back on it now I’m in mh third trimester as it can cause withdrawal and breathing issues with the baby. Also we are having a homembirth as we have no friends or family having relocated and my husband would have to stay with our son if I have to go to hospital if I stay on the prochloperazine as the baby would need 24 hour monitoring after birth. I’m kicking myself for ending up back in withdrawal again. I have just been sick again tonight. I’m facing another night of no sleep and I fainted yesterday whilst out and ended up in hospital to check on the baby. All’s fine. Just exhausted.