SS1234: 23 year old student, starting Sertraline (zoloft) taper, guidance appreciated!

[ss1234]

Hello everyone!

 

I am a 23 year old student. History of anxiety disorders in the family (mom, sister, and aunt all have OCD). No OCD symptoms myself, but diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and perscribed 100 mg Sertraline in a time of a lot of life transition about 6 months ago. Worked great, felt calmer, more social and "in the moment" ; but gained 15 pounds that I can't attribute to anything else. Now six months later, my life situation has stablized and I am frustrated with the weight gain and want to taper off. I also am doing it as I want to start having a family in the next 5-7 years and don't want to deal with withdrawal before getting pregnant.

 

My main questions that I would love for some first hand experience guidance on, as there doesn't seem to be a lot of actual scientific literature on the topic:

 

1) Has anyone had experience with rapid weight gain on zoloft and then lost it after stopping? I have found conflicting experiences in the forums (which I guess just means its different for everyone?).

2) I am worried about tapering while I am in school - I am in an intensive program 9-5 every day with homework in the evening. Any advice?

3) Any tips to minimize symptoms. I am down to 50 mg now and have headaches and feel almost "hyperaware" like my mind is going really fast all the time (does that make sense?)

[NervousKitten]

Hey there SS... I can only talk about my experience with weight gain/loss on Zoloft. ADs make me gain weight, but it comes on gradually.

 

When I was on Effexor, the weight came on steadily and stayed on. There wasn't any diet or exercise that would take the weight off. When I tapered off that, I was able to lose the extra weight. But I was a nervous wreck and needed to go on something to stabilize me. Zoloft was the stabilizer and I lost a little more while I was on that as well.

 

I was able to take some weight off while I was on Zoloft, but it took some work (just like losing weight without it). Keeping a journal of what I ate and exercising everyday helped. Nothing fancy  

 

Something of note though: when I started to taper, I started putting on more weight. I think this was because I was covering up some of my anxious feelings with food. This might not have happened if I did a slower taper.

[mammaP]

Hello SS, welcome to SA. I am glad that you have found us, we certainly can help you to taper off the drug safely. 

First.....STOP for now, you are going too fast and suffering withdrawal.  

 

When did you start tapering and how did you get down to 50mg?  Doctors usually  advise a taper that is much too fast and then blame return of the illness when withdrawal hits!   We recommend a taper of no more that 10% of the current dose with 4 weeks between cuts, longer if there are any symptoms. 

You could also consider a micro taper, cutting by a smaller amount more often. The time frame is about the same but the smaller cuts can mean fewer symptoms.  I will get some links for you to read.   

 

As for the weight gain, some gain weight and some don't. I had weight gain taking effexor and lost all the excess weight while tapering without dieting! I did crave carbs before tapering and the craving lessened then went without me even noticing.  Side effects lessen as the dose gets lower so the weight issue will hopefully right itself for you too as you taper. 

 

It would help us if you can put a brief note of your tapering history in your signature strip for us. Here is how to do that.  Once we have the details of how you have tapered so far we can help you to get on track and have a successful taper hopefully without disrupting your studies. 

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

Tips for tapering sertraline http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/

 

About the micro taper http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2878-micro-taper-instead-of-10-or-5-decreases/

 

The 3 KIS, it is important to understand this http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6632-the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable/

 

Most people find that fish oil helps with any head fuzz and it is beneficial for the brain

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/

 

And magnesium is very calming and may help with studies even if there isn't any withdrawal symptoms

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

We find that most people find these 2 helpful but any other supplements are very much trial and error. 

 

That is a lot of reading for you to be getting on with, any questions, please ask. 

[ss1234]

Thanks @mammaP and @NervousKitten . I appreciate the suggestions and personal experiences. It helps to hear about other peoples experiences. MammaP do you think I should go back up to 75 mg ( I put my history in my signature like you suggested).

[dalsaan]

Hi

 

Did your symptoms only start when you dropped to 50? Are they staying the same, getting worse, getting better?

 

Dalsaan

[ss1234]

Hi

Did your symptoms only start when you dropped to 50? Are they staying the same, getting worse, getting better?

Dalsaan

Hi Dalsaan,

I 'd say they have been staying the same for the most part, except I have only recently begun feeling exhausted way earlier in the day than normal.

[dalsaan]

A conservative approach would say up dose a little bit, maybe to 60. See if you can stabilise on that and then go very slow with the taper so as to minimise withdrawal and thus school disruption.

 

I hesitate to up dose higher because these are powerful drugs and the doses given are quite high anyway. I also hesitate to stay at 50 because you have dropped quickly, are starting to feel it, it could get worse and you are concerned for your studies.

 

So that's what I would do if I was in your shoes and why

 

D

[ss1234]

Feeling really easily frustrated today, easy to anger, and exhausted by the time I got home from school. I am sticking with 50 mg because my pills are the not the kind you can split and are 25mg each, so I can't really go up by 10mg all that easily. Thanks everyone for your guidance The only person who knows I was even on sertraline in the first place is my boyfriend, who lives out of town, so its nice to get the support.

[Petunia]

I am sticking with 50 mg because my pills are the not the kind you can split and are 25mg each, so I can't really go up by 10mg all that easily.

 

Hi ss1234,

If you are going to safely taper off sertraline, you will have to eventually learn how to make small dosage cuts.  This topic will give you various methods to do that with sertraline:

 

Tips for tapering sertraline http://survivinganti...oft-sertraline/

 

And these topics will give you additional information:

 

Using an oral syringe and other tapering techniques

 

How to cut up tablets or pills

 

Using a digital scale to measure doses

 

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

 

I hope you had a better day today.