Serenity23: Neurological symptoms - medical, stress, or SSRI withdrawal?

[Serenity23]

Hi Serenity23 - 

I am super super new here (I think I joined exactly a week ago) and have yet to be advised re a 'plan'. Frustration is definitely warranted - these symptoms aren't just uncomfortable; to me they are all-consuming and debilitating. I know what you mean re listening to the doctors... It seems like the most natural and healthy think, but somehow they often times make things worse (in these cases). I wonder if a more experienced SA-er could advise re a plan? 

I'm a mess, but I'm here for you.

Try and breathe. xo

Jaclyn

Hi Jaclyn,

 

Sorry I just saw your post now. I'm glad you found SA, too. I'm glad I am not alone here with being so new and so confused.

I'm sorry you're a mess too. I'm here for you too if you want to private message me.

Funny but I just finished a meditation course and it seems the time I need it most, it is the most difficult time to use it. So thanks for that reminder to breathe. Something as simple as focusing on inhaling and exhaling can do wonders.

 

~Serenity

[Meimeiquest]

I think your big job is to determine where central command is for your mental health. Who do you want to run your mental health care? Ethically, your providers are obligated to honor your wishes and beliefs unless you are a danger to yourself or others. This issue has been huge for me...but I have come to see doctors and other professionals as valued consultants who are hired (and fired) by the CEO, me. And I try to do what I can to accommodate my husband's beliefs and desires, like keeping a psychiatrist on the roster, and asking him if he thinks we're all up to another cut (believe me, the whole family is affected). But you have to decide which risks you choose (any choice you make in mental health has risks) and what symptoms you can tolerate. I found that the more my husband "studied" with me, the easier it is to stay on the same page together.

[Serenity23]

I think your big job is to determine where central command is for your mental health. Who do you want to run your mental health care? Ethically, your providers are obligated to honor your wishes and beliefs unless you are a danger to yourself or others. This issue has been huge for me...but I have come to see doctors and other professionals as valued consultants who are hired (and fired) by the CEO, me. And I try to do what I can to accommodate my husband's beliefs and desires, like keeping a psychiatrist on the roster, and asking him if he thinks we're all up to another cut (believe me, the whole family is affected). But you have to decide which risks you choose (any choice you make in mental health has risks) and what symptoms you can tolerate. I found that the more my husband "studied" with me, the easier it is to stay on the same page together.

Meimeiquest,

 

Thank you for the clear and simple food for thought. I want to be in charge of my own mental health care, for sure. I thought about it and I think for right now, because of how I ended up in the hospital with neurological issues, I will abide by the wishes of my support system and "stay on the 25mg for a few (three) months and reevaluate then."

 

That being said, I am not going to stand for the doctors telling me I have 'treatment resistant depression/anxiety". I won't feed into that. I will try to muster up the motivation these three months to work harder on self-care, even if it means having to drink 1 cup of coffee in the morning to be able to exercise and have some sort of "energy". I will read the self-care section here. I will try to be mindful with my side effects I am experiencing now instead of feeding into them with anxiety (current side effects on 25mg Zoloft: pressure behind 1 eye (it switches eyes), 1-sided migraine like headaches, non-deep sleep for the entire month, crushing fatigue, pins & needles in my hand (had been gone, came back today). I will try to just go with the flow.

 

What did you mean about "the more your husband 'studied' with you? I'm eager to understand that.

 

I am also curious how you are feeling on the Walsh Protocol?

[ang]

*post moved from tapering section and title of post added

 

Before tapering/How to prepare, what to do in the meantime, how do you know when you're ready

 

I'm doing relatively well on the 25mg Zolof updose, in that my neurological symptoms seem to be gone except I am still getting occasional 1 sided migraine like headaches and today I have the worst fatigue ever. I am not depressed or anxious but I swear going through this mess I can see becoming that way again, ironically.

 

I can't stop thinking about how close I was to being off of Zoloft by following the taper off method by going on low doses every few months which didn't work obviously, and that I should have followed the 10% taper rule instead. I don't fault the paxilprogress.org person who told me to do that; I think she was thinking that Zoloft is a different drug than Paxil so that it would work. I also was overconfident and in denial that I needed to do that kind of taper. I also found the whole thing about having to sliver off pieces, weigh pills, get liquid versions of meds overwhelming, not wanting to have to figure out how to explain this all to doctors to get scripts for liquid meds. Plus my husband kept telling me to just follow what the psychiatrist said to do (3 week weans that never worked), instead of "following something you read on the internet". Darn it I wish I could go back in time and follow the 10% taper. I feel like I wasted 2 years of my life.

 

I'm in my 40s and have been on and off SSRIs/SSNRIs since my 20s. I just want my life back already. I am still pretty shaken up over having landed in the neurological floor of a hospital a few weeks ago. They were all excellent there, but no one even thought that the Zoloft was causing this. In fact, when I came in and they asked what meds I was on, I said that I was on 12mg Zoloft but weaning off (the days before I had been on 6mg and a couple of days 0mg as a test). So they didn't give me any, probably thinking 12mg was such a tiny dose that why not just wean off completely.

 

I hate not having any control over the healing of my brain/central nervous system. I am worried I will never get off these drugs.

 

I also have no idea how to interact with doctors going forward. I don't want to come across as telling them what to do. I respect the medical profession; it is not their fault they weren't taught about this in school or by the drug companies. Then again, it's all so confusing because without meds, where would psychiatrists be?

 

My medical doctor thinks the neurological symptoms were anxiety from being on too low a Zoloft dose (I'd been on 12mg for about 2 years) as he's seen me from 10 years ago when I was suffering from true anxiety, and wants me to go up to 100mg Zoloft but for now he is respecting my wishes to stay at 25mg. I haven't broached the topic of Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome with him because I'm unsure how to.

 

My therapist suggested to go back to the psychiatrist, but I had stopped going to see him once we decided years ago for me to just go back on and stay on 50mg Zoloft instead of switching meds. When I decided to taper off of it, because I still didn't feel anxious/depressed anymore and felt it was because of going off the meds. in the first place, I was on my own. He was the one who did finally conclude that I seem sensitive to meds, but he also was the same one who kept switching meds for me to try to go off meds, only to tell me when I experienced symptoms, that it was a return of anxiety and depression, instead of SSRI Withdrawal. But at least he recognized that I was sensitive to meds. I don't fault him for thinking it was a return of anxiety and depression, as that is what they are taught in school. It's just frustrating, that's all.

 

I had another psychiatrist who was referred to me as a second opinion for "treatment resistant depression/anxiety"  who on immediately  meeting me just flat out stated that I had "treatment resistant depression and anxiety", (which I disagree with), and "need to be on antidepressants for life." He was not open to talking to me about SSRI withdrawal, being sensitive to meds, or about the gut-brain connection, in the least. Thing is, I can tell that the past number of years the symptoms I feel are neurological vs true depression/anxiety. The nurses at the hospital seemed to understand what I meant, but unfortunately the neurologist at the hospital did not. He agreed with my primary care physician that the neurological symptoms I presented with were likely "anxiety".

 

I am confused, frustrated, and unsure what to do next. I am also not sure how to not spend a lot of hours on this website because there is so much helpful information to read and it's a bit overwhelming. How do you all continue to live life while stabilizing after an updose, and not feed into all the symptoms of withdrawal? I still find myself thinking about what happened to me a few weeks ago that landed me in the neurological floor of a hospital, and worrying about the effect 2 decades of meds have done to my brain and nervous system. I worry I'll never get off of them and get my life back. I've always been a healthy person otherwise.

 

How do I figure out how long to stay on the updose? How do I make a structured plan for tapering when the time comes, and dealing with side effects? I think I need to find a way to give myself more structure with this. Any thoughts, suggestions, experience, would be greatly appreciated.

 I haven't broached the topic of Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome with him because I'm unsure how to.

 

 

Haha   I broached this subject with a new psychiatrist  (old ones who put you on the stuff, and never going to admit their errors, are they)?  New one, when I said I wanted to taper off effexor, jsut said nothing, was totally blank... he awaited, the fallout, with lots more meds.......  what could he say?  now I know he knew what the fallout would be, but what could he say?  If he told the truth, he would be breaking this code of silence that happens between doctors?      A gp even put me on 400mg of a drug, that I was 25mg on to help me sleep.  The gp didn't know that 400mg was for a completely differnet disorder, schizophrenia, yet my new psych doctor, said nothing?  All I can say is, they will not, and never will tell you the truth.  Learn from the rest of us sufferers, and good luckxx

[Serenity23]

 

*post moved from tapering section and title of post added

 

Before tapering/How to prepare, what to do in the meantime, how do you know when you're ready

 

I'm doing relatively well on the 25mg Zolof updose, in that my neurological symptoms seem to be gone except I am still getting occasional 1 sided migraine like headaches and today I have the worst fatigue ever. I am not depressed or anxious but I swear going through this mess I can see becoming that way again, ironically.

 

I can't stop thinking about how close I was to being off of Zoloft by following the taper off method by going on low doses every few months which didn't work obviously, and that I should have followed the 10% taper rule instead. I don't fault the paxilprogress.org person who told me to do that; I think she was thinking that Zoloft is a different drug than Paxil so that it would work. I also was overconfident and in denial that I needed to do that kind of taper. I also found the whole thing about having to sliver off pieces, weigh pills, get liquid versions of meds overwhelming, not wanting to have to figure out how to explain this all to doctors to get scripts for liquid meds. Plus my husband kept telling me to just follow what the psychiatrist said to do (3 week weans that never worked), instead of "following something you read on the internet". Darn it I wish I could go back in time and follow the 10% taper. I feel like I wasted 2 years of my life.

 

I'm in my 40s and have been on and off SSRIs/SSNRIs since my 20s. I just want my life back already. I am still pretty shaken up over having landed in the neurological floor of a hospital a few weeks ago. They were all excellent there, but no one even thought that the Zoloft was causing this. In fact, when I came in and they asked what meds I was on, I said that I was on 12mg Zoloft but weaning off (the days before I had been on 6mg and a couple of days 0mg as a test). So they didn't give me any, probably thinking 12mg was such a tiny dose that why not just wean off completely.

 

I hate not having any control over the healing of my brain/central nervous system. I am worried I will never get off these drugs.

 

I also have no idea how to interact with doctors going forward. I don't want to come across as telling them what to do. I respect the medical profession; it is not their fault they weren't taught about this in school or by the drug companies. Then again, it's all so confusing because without meds, where would psychiatrists be?

 

My medical doctor thinks the neurological symptoms were anxiety from being on too low a Zoloft dose (I'd been on 12mg for about 2 years) as he's seen me from 10 years ago when I was suffering from true anxiety, and wants me to go up to 100mg Zoloft but for now he is respecting my wishes to stay at 25mg. I haven't broached the topic of Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome with him because I'm unsure how to.

 

My therapist suggested to go back to the psychiatrist, but I had stopped going to see him once we decided years ago for me to just go back on and stay on 50mg Zoloft instead of switching meds. When I decided to taper off of it, because I still didn't feel anxious/depressed anymore and felt it was because of going off the meds. in the first place, I was on my own. He was the one who did finally conclude that I seem sensitive to meds, but he also was the same one who kept switching meds for me to try to go off meds, only to tell me when I experienced symptoms, that it was a return of anxiety and depression, instead of SSRI Withdrawal. But at least he recognized that I was sensitive to meds. I don't fault him for thinking it was a return of anxiety and depression, as that is what they are taught in school. It's just frustrating, that's all.

 

I had another psychiatrist who was referred to me as a second opinion for "treatment resistant depression/anxiety"  who on immediately  meeting me just flat out stated that I had "treatment resistant depression and anxiety", (which I disagree with), and "need to be on antidepressants for life." He was not open to talking to me about SSRI withdrawal, being sensitive to meds, or about the gut-brain connection, in the least. Thing is, I can tell that the past number of years the symptoms I feel are neurological vs true depression/anxiety. The nurses at the hospital seemed to understand what I meant, but unfortunately the neurologist at the hospital did not. He agreed with my primary care physician that the neurological symptoms I presented with were likely "anxiety".

 

I am confused, frustrated, and unsure what to do next. I am also not sure how to not spend a lot of hours on this website because there is so much helpful information to read and it's a bit overwhelming. How do you all continue to live life while stabilizing after an updose, and not feed into all the symptoms of withdrawal? I still find myself thinking about what happened to me a few weeks ago that landed me in the neurological floor of a hospital, and worrying about the effect 2 decades of meds have done to my brain and nervous system. I worry I'll never get off of them and get my life back. I've always been a healthy person otherwise.

 

How do I figure out how long to stay on the updose? How do I make a structured plan for tapering when the time comes, and dealing with side effects? I think I need to find a way to give myself more structure with this. Any thoughts, suggestions, experience, would be greatly appreciated.

 I haven't broached the topic of Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome with him because I'm unsure how to.

 

 

Haha   I broached this subject with a new psychiatrist  (old ones who put you on the stuff, and never going to admit their errors, are they)?  New one, when I said I wanted to taper off effexor, jsut said nothing, was totally blank... he awaited, the fallout, with lots more meds.......  what could he say?  now I know he knew what the fallout would be, but what could he say?  If he told the truth, he would be breaking this code of silence that happens between doctors?      A gp even put me on 400mg of a drug, that I was 25mg on to help me sleep.  The gp didn't know that 400mg was for a completely differnet disorder, schizophrenia, yet my new psych doctor, said nothing?  All I can say is, they will not, and never will tell you the truth.  Learn from the rest of us sufferers, and good luckxx

 

Sometimes I think the doctors stay quiet because what they see clinically with patients is not like anything taught in school. I blame the drug companies, not the doctors. I also personally don't believe in getting SSRIs from GPs unless for refills, because psychiatry isn't their specialty. I don't blame my GP for wanting me to up to 100mg Zoloft after what happened to me in February, he's just trying to help. But as long as he respects me when he sees how calm I am on 25mg then I don't mind having him refill it. I don't feel like anyone's keeping the truth from me, except for the drug companies. But that's just my two sense and my experience. Then again, I've had psychiatrists in the past who totally over medicated me. There are conservative ones out there, but they're not always easy to find. I spent 10 years feeling like a zombie from psychiatrists who had me on too high dosages. I also wonder what psychiatrists think about GPs giving us meds. Maybe that's why your psychiatrist was quiet? I don't know. :-( I am sorry you had to go through what you did. I remember how awful I felt on high dosages of meds and I never want to go there again.

[Serenity23]

UDPATE

 

I'm trying not to use the computer much, per my therapist's request. I actually feel calmer not being on the computer reading stuff.

 

Today I saw my psychiatrist. I hadn't seen him in a couple of years. I am very fortunate that he never pushed high dosages of meds on me like other psychiatrists did. He also believes in the importance of cognitive/behavioral therapy, and asks questions about work, marriage, personal life, hobbies, etc. Today he also talked about meditation!! I think it's great that scientific research is coming out now about the benefits of meditation for anxiety. His receptionist told me they also see differences in patients who have pets, and have helped some patients get permission for apartments, school, jobs, etc. for the pets to be "service dogs" and these patients have replaced meds with pets! Oh and exercise, too--there is scientific proof about that as well.

 

Well I don't exactly have a plan still about the Zoloft, but I will say that I am finally feeling better on the 25mg and the head-in-a-vise headaches have decreased a lot, although I still feel like not all the blood is reaching my brain so to speak. He still thinks that it is only Effexor (been there, done that, yikes!!) and Paxil cause withdrawal symptoms and that something like Zoloft may only cause GI upset when withdrawing and only in rare cases, other withdrawal effects. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree there. Or maybe I have to be honest with myself and figure out if I was seeing withdrawal effects from the Zoloft, or if I was seeing a return of anxiety. I just don't know. I asked him how to differentiate, and he seemed to feel if I was seeing anxiety, then it was anxiety.

 

One other fascinating thing he said, is that they are now seeing that panic attacks aren't just physical symptoms like racing heart, etc, but they see GI issues now as a form of panic attacks!! That fascinated me because I used to have horrendous IBS, which I knew was related to stress, especially when I was most anxious years ago (work stress and family stress used to cause horrible issues with my stomach). I had no idea those were a form of panic attacks. I thought others might find that interesting.

 

He gave me a very small amount of a prescription for a teeny tiny dose of Klonopin for when I am ready to get off Zoloft. I recall when he had given my Prozac when I was weaning off Effexor, it made me non-functioning nausea and my personality was so extremely flat. I hated it. So that's why he decided on the Klonopin. I asked him about Klonopin addiction and he said I'd only need it for about a week if I was feeling anxious getting off of the Zoloft. Does anyone have experience with this? My gut instinct is that one week of Klonopin is not going to be enough to get my brain re-used to being off of meds. I just kinda want a plan in place.

 

I know I really need in the meantime to step up my self-care. Does anyone have advice about that? I don't feel depressed, but I just can't seem to discipline myself to structure my day for things like meditation, exercise, etc. It's hard enough avoiding the computer.

 

Thanks to repliers in advance. Maybe there's still hope I'll one day get off these things...

[Serenity23]

UDPATE

 

I'm trying not to use the computer much, per my therapist's strong suggestion. I actually feel calmer not being on the computer reading stuff. I'm sure I exacerbated my neurological symptoms from all the research and reading I did on the internet when I was worried about my health.

 

Today I saw my psychiatrist. I hadn't seen him in a couple of years. I am very fortunate that he never pushed high dosages of meds on me like other psychiatrists did. He also believes in the importance of cognitive/behavioral therapy, and asks questions about work, marriage, personal life, hobbies, etc. Today he also talked about meditation!! I think it's great that scientific research is coming out now about the benefits of meditation for anxiety. His receptionist told me they also see differences in patients who have pets, and have helped some patients get permission for apartments, school, jobs, etc. for the pets to be "service dogs" and these patients have replaced meds with pets! Oh and exercise, too--there is scientific proof about that as well.

 

Well I don't exactly have a plan still about the Zoloft, but I will say that I am finally feeling better on the 25mg and the head-in-a-vise headaches have decreased a lot, although I still feel like not all the blood is reaching my brain so to speak. He still thinks that it is only Effexor (been there, done that, yikes!!) and Paxil cause withdrawal symptoms and that something like Zoloft may only cause GI upset when withdrawing and only in rare cases, other withdrawal effects. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree there. Or maybe I have to be honest with myself and figure out if I was seeing withdrawal effects from the Zoloft, or if I was seeing a return of anxiety. I just don't know. I asked him how to differentiate, and he seemed to feel if I was seeing anxiety, then it was anxiety.

 

One other fascinating thing he said, is that they are now seeing that panic attacks aren't just physical symptoms like racing heart, etc, but they see GI issues now as a form of panic attacks!! That fascinated me because I used to have horrendous IBS, which I knew was related to stress, especially when I was most anxious years ago (work stress and family stress used to cause horrible issues with my stomach). I had no idea those were a form of panic attacks. I thought others might find that interesting.

 

He gave me a very small amount of a prescription for a teeny tiny dose of Klonopin for when I am ready to get off Zoloft. I recall when he had given my Prozac when I was weaning off Effexor, it made me non-functioning nausea and my personality was so extremely flat. I hated it. So that's why he decided on the Klonopin. I asked him about Klonopin addiction and he said I'd only need it for about a week if I was feeling anxious getting off of the Zoloft. Does anyone have experience with this? My gut instinct is that one week of Klonopin is not going to be enough to get my brain re-used to being off of meds. I just kinda want a plan in place.

 

I know I really need in the meantime to step up my self-care. Does anyone have advice about that? I don't feel depressed, but I just can't seem to discipline myself to structure my day for things like meditation, exercise, etc. It's hard enough avoiding the computer.

 

Thanks to repliers in advance. Maybe there's still hope I'll one day get off these things...

[clearday]

 He still thinks that it is only Effexor (been there, done that, yikes!!) and Paxil cause withdrawal symptoms and that something like Zoloft may only cause GI upset when withdrawing and only in rare cases, other withdrawal effects. 

 

Your doctor sounds as stupid as my doctor.

 

They do look and sound impressive, especially in their office with all those books. I used to be fooled by that! 

 

Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, and the rest of them are ALL capable of causing severe protracted withdrawal.

 

It took me three years after I stopped Prozac to recover from severe symptoms I never had before or since the withdrawal.

 

And since my doctor couldn't recognize it as withdrawal, years later I went BACK ON this stuff.

 

And now I am in month 14 of Lexapro withdrawal. Ear ringing and head pressure, Not fun. Never had that until I stopped Lexapro.

 

Sadly, there are hundreds of stories of long-term suffering on this and many other forums clearly demonstrating that Prozac, Zoloft, etc all cause protracted withdrawal. For any psychiatrist to not be aware of this shows that at least he/she doesn't keep current.

 

At least he's working with you to get off the Zoloft, if that is what you choose to do. You can use him for that, and for the Klonopin script to get you through the rough spots if necessary. I used tiny amounts of Xanax, it got me through a typical 3-month Lexapro insomnia withdrawal wave that is long over now.

 

Here is a fellow who took 4 1/2 years to recover from severe protracted Zoloft withdrawal:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3523-success-recovery-from-protracted-zoloft-withdrawal-and-pssd/

[Flowers]

Hi Serenity

 

I have been going through something similar with Citalopram and a too fast taper as per my 'ex' Dr's instructions. I went down from 40mgs to 10mgs in a very short time and ended up being very ill and consequently updosing to 30mgs in December last year. I felt the benefit of this straight away,  It has taken a while for my body to recover from the trauma and at the moment I am having good and bad days.   I am just waiting to stabilise and then consider a very slow taper.

 

In the meantime I have very gradually been trying to get back to normal with exercise, relaxation techniques and  other activities  that I enjoy.

 

Some days I feel so tired it is hard to get out of bed but I make myself! I start the day whilst still in bed doing relaxation/stretching exercises. The mornings are always worse for me and so doing this I can feel any anxiety/stress leaving my mind and body. Then I shower and get dressed. I do an hours brisk walk and then might meet friends for coffee or do some shopping. Then if I have the energy I do some household tasks if needed or do some gardening which I love. Every day I make sure I have something to do. We eat healthily and I try to drink plenty of water.

 

 

 

My 'ex' Dr gave me a Benzo to take for 6 weeks when I first started tapering last Autumn. Unfortunately, I wasn't any the wiser and took them not realising that I could  very quickly possibly become addicted. All this I found out once I had joined this site. Since then I have avoided taking them unless it is an emergency. I haven't had any for quite some time now as prefer to use more natural methods and only want to have one drug to taper off.

 

I am relatively new to this site but hope that sharing with you what works for me might give you some ideas and inspiration.

 

Flowers xxx

[Serenity23]

 

 He still thinks that it is only Effexor (been there, done that, yikes!!) and Paxil cause withdrawal symptoms and that something like Zoloft may only cause GI upset when withdrawing and only in rare cases, other withdrawal effects. 

 

Your doctor sounds as stupid as my doctor.

 

They do look and sound impressive, especially in their office with all those books. I used to be fooled by that! 

 

Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, and the rest of them are ALL capable of causing severe protracted withdrawal.

 

It took me three years after I stopped Prozac to recover from severe symptoms I never had before or since the withdrawal.

 

And since my doctor couldn't recognize it as withdrawal, years later I went BACK ON this stuff.

 

And now I am in month 14 of Lexapro withdrawal. Ear ringing and head pressure, Not fun. Never had that until I stopped Lexapro.

 

Sadly, there are hundreds of stories of long-term suffering on this and many other forums clearly demonstrating that Prozac, Zoloft, etc all cause protracted withdrawal. For any psychiatrist to not be aware of this shows that at least he/she doesn't keep current.

 

At least he's working with you to get off the Zoloft, if that is what you choose to do. You can use him for that, and for the Klonopin script to get you through the rough spots if necessary. I used tiny amounts of Xanax, it got me through a typical 3-month Lexapro insomnia withdrawal wave that is long over now.

 

Here is a fellow who took 4 1/2 years to recover from severe protracted Zoloft withdrawal:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3523-success-recovery-from-protracted-zoloft-withdrawal-and-pssd/

 

I don't get it. I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Where, then, is the issue--is it that the doctors see us all with proctracted withdrawal symptoms but since they never learned about it in school, they think it's just returning anxiety? Is it that the drug companies didn't do enough research? Are there any doctors out there who see that there are hundreds if not thousands of people going through withdrawal symptoms? It just doesn't make sense to me. He seemed to think that Prozac was less troublesome than Zoloft.

 

He's worked with me before to get me off antidepressants, but every time it's over a 3-week wean and then he's put me back on meds since he doesn't see SSRI withdrawal; he sees return of depression/anxiety. It's frustrating. And this is all extremely confusing for me.

 

Oh jeez. 4 1/2 years to recover from Zoloft withdrawal??? Now that is scary. And did this person's doctor see it as protracted zoloft withdrawal, or as "relapse"?? This is very frustrating.

[Serenity23]

 

 

 He still thinks that it is only Effexor (been there, done that, yikes!!) and Paxil cause withdrawal symptoms and that something like Zoloft may only cause GI upset when withdrawing and only in rare cases, other withdrawal effects. 

 

Your doctor sounds as stupid as my doctor.

 

They do look and sound impressive, especially in their office with all those books. I used to be fooled by that! 

 

Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, and the rest of them are ALL capable of causing severe protracted withdrawal.

 

It took me three years after I stopped Prozac to recover from severe symptoms I never had before or since the withdrawal.

 

And since my doctor couldn't recognize it as withdrawal, years later I went BACK ON this stuff.

 

And now I am in month 14 of Lexapro withdrawal. Ear ringing and head pressure, Not fun. Never had that until I stopped Lexapro.

 

Sadly, there are hundreds of stories of long-term suffering on this and many other forums clearly demonstrating that Prozac, Zoloft, etc all cause protracted withdrawal. For any psychiatrist to not be aware of this shows that at least he/she doesn't keep current.

 

At least he's working with you to get off the Zoloft, if that is what you choose to do. You can use him for that, and for the Klonopin script to get you through the rough spots if necessary. I used tiny amounts of Xanax, it got me through a typical 3-month Lexapro insomnia withdrawal wave that is long over now.

 

Here is a fellow who took 4 1/2 years to recover from severe protracted Zoloft withdrawal:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3523-success-recovery-from-protracted-zoloft-withdrawal-and-pssd/

 

I don't get it. I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Where, then, is the issue--is it that the doctors see us all with proctracted withdrawal symptoms but since they never learned about it in school, they think it's just returning/relapse of depression/anxiety? Is it that the drug companies didn't do enough research? Are there any doctors out there who see that there are hundreds if not thousands of people going through withdrawal symptoms? It just doesn't make sense to me. He seemed to think that Prozac was less troublesome than Zoloft.

 

He didn't really answer me when I asked him, "How do you tell the difference between relapse of anxiety/depression vs symptoms of withdrawal from the meds? He didn't think that neurological symptoms were at all related to medication withdrawal.

 

He's worked with me before to get me off antidepressants, but every time it's over a 3-week wean and then he's put me back on meds since he doesn't see SSRI withdrawal; he sees return of depression/anxiety. It's frustrating. And this is all extremely confusing for me. I still remember telling him about the brain zaps I had getting off of Effexor. They were especially bad anytime I turned my head over my shoulder to look in my blind spot while driving. Effexor was the worst for me of all the meds to get off of. He didn't respond when I told him about that. I wish I knew what he was thinking. I mean, if dozens upon dozens tell psychiatrists what happens when we "wean" off these meds, doesn't it make sense that something somewhere with the information they are taught is missing? Or were we all just guinea pigs or something.

 

Oh jeez. 4 1/2 years to recover from Zoloft withdrawal??? Now that is scary. And did this person's doctor see it as protracted zoloft withdrawal, or as "relapse"?? This is very frustrating.

 

[Serenity23]

I have a friend who is taking a couple of years weaning off of 300mg Wellbutrin. She said she's working with a GP who is very into supplements, and is using her as a guinea pig so to speak to see which supplements can help a person get off antidepressants. She said it took a while, but she's now down to 100mg Wellbutrin and is taking a few supplements that seem to help her. I found it interesting that one of the supplements she is taking is Dopamine. She said that her doctor tests her levels of neurotransmitters via urine and blood tests, and that's where they found that her dopamine was very low. I thought that was interesting, and was curious if that's related to antidepressant use or related to depression/anxiety. Has anyone successfully gone off antidepressants here by using a dopamine supplement with a medical doctor's oversight?

[Meimeiquest]

 

 

He still thinks that it is only Effexor (been there, done that, yikes!!) and Paxil cause withdrawal symptoms and that something like Zoloft may only cause GI upset when withdrawing and only in rare cases, other withdrawal effects.

 

 

Your doctor sounds as stupid as my doctor.

 

They do look and sound impressive, especially in their office with all those books. I used to be fooled by that! 

 

Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, and the rest of them are ALL capable of causing severe protracted withdrawal.

 

It took me three years after I stopped Prozac to recover from severe symptoms I never had before or since the withdrawal.

 

And since my doctor couldn't recognize it as withdrawal, years later I went BACK ON this stuff.

 

And now I am in month 14 of Lexapro withdrawal. Ear ringing and head pressure, Not fun. Never had that until I stopped Lexapro.

 

Sadly, there are hundreds of stories of long-term suffering on this and many other forums clearly demonstrating that Prozac, Zoloft, etc all cause protracted withdrawal. For any psychiatrist to not be aware of this shows that at least he/she doesn't keep current.

 

At least he's working with you to get off the Zoloft, if that is what you choose to do. You can use him for that, and for the Klonopin script to get you through the rough spots if necessary. I used tiny amounts of Xanax, it got me through a typical 3-month Lexapro insomnia withdrawal wave that is long over now.

 

Here is a fellow who took 4 1/2 years to recover from severe protracted Zoloft withdrawal:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3523-success-recovery-from-protracted-zoloft-withdrawal-and-pssd/

I don't get it. I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Where, then, is the issue--is it that the doctors see us all with proctracted withdrawal symptoms but since they never learned about it in school, they think it's just returning anxiety? Is it that the drug companies didn't do enough research? Are there any doctors out there who see that there are hundreds if not thousands of people going through withdrawal symptoms? It just doesn't make sense to me. He seemed to think that Prozac was less troublesome than Zoloft.

 

He's worked with me before to get me off antidepressants, but every time it's over a 3-week wean and then he's put me back on meds since he doesn't see SSRI withdrawal; he sees return of depression/anxiety. It's frustrating. And this is all extremely confusing for me.

 

Oh jeez. 4 1/2 years to recover from Zoloft withdrawal??? Now that is scary. And did this person's doctor see it as protracted zoloft withdrawal, or as "relapse"?? This is very frustrating.

My doctor knows one of the doctors who wrote an email to Alto about withdrawal. He is on the board of several pharm companies. I told my doctor I thought that dr. (Sheldon) should at least let his information be known. He said, "If he told what he knows, he'd have to give up his boat and all his other toys."

[clearday]

Serenity23,

 

There are a few reasons why doctors continue to be in denial about protracted SSRI withdrawal.

 

First, pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma) don't like to acknowledge that their products cause harm, in the same way that Big Tobacco denied for decades that cigarettes caused cancer. These are both multi-billion dollar industries, and there is just too much money on the line here. It took so long and so many cancer victims to finally get the tobacco companies to admit that cigarette smoking caused cancer.

 

Doctors and hospitals are monetarily linked with the pharmaceutical industry. The industry pays doctors and hospitals to distribute their products. Drug companies also pay millions of dollars to host luncheons and other gatherings for hospitals and doctors, to promote their products and win the favor of the medical community. 

 

Second, it is much easier to blame patients "mental illness" on their withdrawal symptoms because patients lose credibility when labeled as "mentally ill". Doctors can get away with it very easily. And the public is leery about folks with "mental illness", they side with the doctors. Meanwhile, many of us are average people just trying to take the edge off of normal anxiety and depression.

 

Third, withdrawal symptoms sometimes mimic anxiety and depression symptoms. And the fact that withdrawal symptoms often hit out of nowhere, months after stopping the drug, the cause and effect is lost. When I stopped Prozac, I was fine for four months, and got hit hard at that point, and was sick for years. Even I had no clue that it was the Prozac that did it. Looking back, it is clear now, the symptoms have all been verified by comparing with dozens of other Prozac survivors on forums. There's just no doubt. And believe me, I looked into every other possible cause; I had three years while sick to research the cause, and my life was on the line. I had multiple medical tests done, all a waste of time. It was the Prozac all along. I am a very healthy person otherwise.

 

Fourth, many people do not suffer protracted SSRI withdrawal. Genetically, we all have different nervous systems, some can weather these drugs much better than others, the same way some people can handle alcohol better than others. The same way some people get cancer from smoking, others do not. So if some patients don't get sick, the doctors can think that the others are just making it up, or it is relapse, or whatever. 

 

Fifth, doctors don't want to admit that the tools of their trade - SSRIs - can cause such harm. Many are in denial themselves. Many just don't want to know. They are afraid of being held accountable for causing harm. Much easier to blame the patient. They are only human. They don't want to admit mistakes.

 

We know these drugs cause harm, because we have experienced the symptoms firsthand, our doctors have not.

 

Reading hundreds of stories day after day, it becomes like a tragic broken record on here. All these victims of years of being on the meds, and they wind up HERE to finally get their answers? If their doctors knew what was going on, their patients wouldn't be left wandering the Internet to finally find their answers with strangers. All the stories eventually sound the same - it is a story of a nervous system gone haywire from chronic exposure to SSRI drugs. 

 

And all the stories are very clear: the medications are causing bizarre, long term, brutal neurological symptoms, most of which no one had before they went on the medications. Withdrawal consisting of months and years of numbness in extremities, inexplicable joint and muscle pain, sensitivity to light, visual disturbances, abnormal dizziness, unusual sweating, crawling/burning skin, ear ringing, bizarre head pressure, brain zaps, brain bubbling, severe unexplained fatigue, fast/irregular heart beat, levels of anxiety and panic never experienced before going on the meds - these are NOT relapse of anxiety or depression. These are all dysautonomic symptoms clearly associated with long term exposure to nerve altering drugs. SSRIs are designed specifically to radically alter our nerves. That's how they work. For better, or for worse.

 

I am off these drugs for over a year now and I feel GREAT. No anxiety or depression. I feel better than all five years while on Lexapro. Sleep better now, more energy. All I have is this persistent ear ringing and head pressure, occasional brain zaps and brain bubbling at night, slight left side body numbness and scalp numbness as my nerves heal. This is clearly nerve damage from the well-known Lexapro head pressure/ear ringing/paresthesia. It is slowly getting better. I will never go back on these drugs. The main information I pass on to my child is to be aware of the dangers of these drugs. These drugs can help many people, but they have cost me (and so many others) too much time, energy, confusion, suffering, and long term damage. They robbed me.

[Serenity23]

UPDATE:

 

I was just in the ICU for 5 days. The Hospitalist said that SSRIs can cause hyponatremia. (Please note this post isn't to complain about SSRIs, since they helped me a lot when I needed them.) I was diagnosed in the hospital with hyponatremia, encephalopathy, SIRS, and other kidney values and electrolytes were very low. I was told to stop the Zoloft (I guess they figured 25mg was low enough to stop) and to go see a kidney doctor.

 

There could be other reasons this happened, but I am curious if anyone knows of this happening on SSRIs? I'm sure if it does, it is extremely rare. My husband has no plans to stop his Zoloft because of this happening to me. I was also told recently I have a birth defect which could have effected my kidneys, but I would have thought that would have happened already?

 

I've now been completely off of the Zoloft for 11 days. So far I'm doing okay, just nausea and I have headaches, but it may not be related. Is there anything I should be looking out for as far as stopping it cold turkey like that?

 

Any input is appreciated.

[SelmaLady]

Serenity,   So sorry that you were in the hospital.  That can be a scary place to be. 

 

I did look up hyponatremia and found a couple of places where cases histories were listed of the association off SSRI's and this condition.  Apparently this most often happens with elderly women (past 65), underweight, history of diuretic use and others.  Here's one study :

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16896026

 

Just wondering why you were advised to stop Zoloft since you apparently don't meet these criterion?  

[Serenity23]

Serenity,   So sorry that you were in the hospital.  That can be a scary place to be. 

 

I did look up hyponatremia and found a couple of places where cases histories were listed of the association off SSRI's and this condition.  Apparently this most often happens with elderly women (past 65), underweight, history of diuretic use and others.  Here's one study :

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16896026

 

Just wondering why you were advised to stop Zoloft since you apparently don't meet these criterion?  

I am not sure. I think there was some discussion that there may be something wrong with my kidneys, so perhaps that made me high risk? I am not over 65, underweight, or have a history of diuretic use.

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Can someone please direct me to the correct place on this forum of how I can deal with the cold-turkey of the Zoloft? For the most part I am feeling okay, but my anxiety still comes back at times, (pretty badly one time when I was dealing with a toxic person who triggered me), I have low energy, and headaches in the back of my head toward my neck. Then again I don't know what's related to being off Zoloft and what's related to whatever is going on medically. Thank you.

[Petunia]

I've now been completely off of the Zoloft for 11 days. So far I'm doing okay, just nausea and I have headaches, but it may not be related. Is there anything I should be looking out for as far as stopping it cold turkey like that?

 

 

Hi Serenity, I'm sorry you had to go into the hospital, I don't know anything about SSRIs causing hyponatremia, but I do know that going CT off SSRIs can cause withdrawal, nausea and headaches could very well be withdrawal symptoms. Please see:

 

What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

Can someone please direct me to the correct place on this forum of how I can deal with the cold-turkey of the Zoloft?

 

Here is the link to our symptoms and self care section, you may find some useful ideas to help manage symptoms as you recover.  Especially read the topics pinned at the top.

 

It sounds like you are doing ok at the moment, but sometimes, withdrawal symptoms can arise after a period of feeling relatively ok. Usually, if this is going to occur, it happens within a few months, but I've seen people have delayed withdrawal up to a year after a too fast taper or going CT.

 

Do stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

[nz11]

I was told to stop the Zoloft (I guess they figured 25mg was low enough to stop) ... My husband has no plans to stop his Zoloft because of this happening to me.

 

I am sorry you have decided to basically CT-ed the zoloft.

If you have decided to go down this road then its best to keep yourself away from any stressful situations and away from people who might trigger conflict no matter how small. It is going to be rough going for some time perhaps a long time even. imo.

 

.

Has your husband considered a slow taper?

I would like to rec a book for your husband  its called 'Psychiatric drug withdrawal ' by Peter Beggin.

 

Can someone please direct me to the correct place on this forum of how I can deal with the cold-turkey of the Zoloft?

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7562-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-reduce-withdrawal-symptoms/

According to medical knowledge, reinstatement is the only way to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.

[Serenity23]

I was told to stop the Zoloft (I guess they figured 25mg was low enough to stop) ... My husband has no plans to stop his Zoloft because of this happening to me.

 

I am sorry you have decided to basically CT-ed the zoloft.

If you have decided to go down this road then its best to keep yourself away from any stressful situations and away from people who might trigger conflict no matter how small. It is going to be rough going for some time perhaps a long time even. imo.

 

.

Has your husband considered a slow taper?

I would like to rec a book for your husband  its called 'Psychiatric drug withdrawal ' by Peter Beggin.

 

Can someone please direct me to the correct place on this forum of how I can deal with the cold-turkey of the Zoloft?

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7562-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-reduce-withdrawal-symptoms/

According to medical knowledge, reinstatement is the only way to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.

Thank you for your post. I felt like I had no choice. They took me off the Zoloft during the 6 days in the hospital. They told me it could've been causing my kidney issues. This is all so very confusing. Listen to the doctors, don't listen to the doctors. I'm already finding myself easily triggered. How long will this last??? I wanted to do the slow taper but asking doctors for help with that (liquid zoloft, etc.) was impossible. They all kept telling me that 25mg was not a clinical amount and to just stop taking it.

 

Thank you for the links you provided.

[Fresh]

This could last for years Serenity , see post 49 above.   It is your choice whether or not to follow your doctor's suggestions.

 

Surely everything you've read on this site indicates that 25mg zoloft is a dangerous dose to cease?   Especially considering that you've been taking

ssri's for 20 years , give or take 5 years.   Please , take a look at post 1 of my thread if you want to see how sick you might get.

 

"I am not sure. I think there was some discussion that there may be something wrong with my kidneys, so perhaps that made me high risk?"

 

Unless you have a very good reason (like , you're going to die imminently), I'd be inclined to reinstate asap and avoid the disaster of the "cold turkey" process.

 

 

[apace41]

Serenity,

 

So sorry you wound up in the hospital. They are not good places for people on psychotropics. A CT off 25 of Zoloft is not a small step. Sub-clinical? That is the starting dose for many situations.

 

I have never seen any suggestion these meds cause kidney issues. That sounds like a load of crap to me. I think Fresh gives good advice when she suggests you are not so far off that you can't reinstate.

 

Think about it. You've been on Zoloft a long time. All of a sudden it's causing kidney issues? Really?

 

Andy

[LoveandLight]

It's your choice but even coming off at 12.5mg I had severe withdrawal, I could barely stand up. So 25mg, Hhmm...

 

Don't want to see you suffer xxxx

 

Hugs..I know this is very very difficult and we shouldn't be in this crap position, but we are.

[Serenity23]

This could last for years Serenity , see post 49 above.   It is your choice whether or not to follow your doctor's suggestions.

 

Surely everything you've read on this site indicates that 25mg zoloft is a dangerous dose to cease?   Especially considering that you've been taking

ssri's for 20 years , give or take 5 years.   Please , take a look at post 1 of my thread if you want to see how sick you might get.

 

"I am not sure. I think there was some discussion that there may be something wrong with my kidneys, so perhaps that made me high risk?"

 

Unless you have a very good reason (like , you're going to die imminently), I'd be inclined to reinstate asap and avoid the disaster of the "cold turkey" process.

 

 

Sorry, I thought I posted a reply but I tried to post it via my email link and it bounced back.I went back on the

 

 I went back on the Zoloft, 25mg, Tuesday night. I thank you for your posts. I find this all very overwhelming. I hope 3 weeks without it didn't screw things up. I had one awesome "honeymoon" like week where I felt normal. But then things started going downhill and I didn't like how I was.

 

Ok, my PCP says that this was NOT caused by the Zoloft, since I've been on SSRIs so long. We're all pretty sure it's my salt vs fluid intake. I agree, just hard to face. Perhaps the hospitalist just didn't want to take any chances, since he did not about my salt vs fluid intake, or then again I'm not sure if he asked my husband. I guess it's a rare thing to see, I don't know.

 

Fresh, thank you, I will take a look at post 1 of your thread. I get very easily overwhelmed by forums like this so thank you for directing me to what I should read. And I am sorry for any withdrawal symptoms you had gone through.

 

Thank you again. I could already feel neurological stuff like clumsiness and my ankles feeling weird, in addition to the emotional stuff coming back up.

[Serenity23]

Serenity,

 

So sorry you wound up in the hospital. They are not good places for people on psychotropics. A CT off 25 of Zoloft is not a small step. Sub-clinical? That is the starting dose for many situations.

 

I have never seen any suggestion these meds cause kidney issues. That sounds like a load of crap to me. I think Fresh gives good advice when she suggests you are not so far off that you can't reinstate.

 

Think about it. You've been on Zoloft a long time. All of a sudden it's causing kidney issues? Really?

 

Andy

Hi Andy,

 

Again I replied to your post, too, but mistakenly sent it via email instead of online here and it bounced back from the moderator. Sorry about that.

 

I'm curious why you wrote "hospitals are not good places for people on psychotropics".

 

Thank you for saying that a c/t of 25mg is not a small step. I wish the Hospitalist didn't take me off of it. Because of your post and Fresh's, I went back on 25mg Tuesday night. I could have sworn I heard a doctor say that 50mg was the clinical starting dose, but maybe I am wrong.

 

My doctor still wants to check my labs again, now that I'm back on the Zoloft. I can't remember if I've other labs in the past with low sodium or marginally low sodium, but I'm certain it was from the way I was eating and drinking. I was eating way too little salt for the amount of fluids I was taking in. (Guess it's not just marathoners who do that....)

 

Your post, as well as Fresh's, were perfect. Written so I could "hear" it. For that, I thank you both. 

[Serenity23]

It's your choice but even coming off at 12.5mg I had severe withdrawal, I could barely stand up. So 25mg, Hhmm...

 

Don't want to see you suffer xxxx

 

Hugs..I know this is very very difficult and we shouldn't be in this crap position, but we are.

LoveandLight,

 

I thought I was the only one who suffered coming off of 12.5. My balance was all off, too!

 

It just gets all confusing because doctors think 12.5 or even 25 is no big deal go cold turkey, and I don't understand why they are taught that.

 

Thank you for the hugs. :-) Yeah I'm trying to remind myself all the good the SSRIs did for me, instead of thinking about the crap of withdrawal, but it is hard. I worry now that I'm going to be on these for life and then when I'm an elderly lady I will run into the hyponatremia issue again. But what good does it do to worry about the future....

 

Thanks everyone for getting me to reinstate. I can be stubborn especially when I'm not feeling physically well, so thank you for getting through to me.

 

 

I try to eat healthy to try to live in good physical and mental health. It's a hard pill to swallow (no pun intended) that my trying to eat/drink healthy caused this.

[Fresh]

High five Serenity and Andy . . . you've really dodged a bullet there.   It may take a while to stabilize , but it will come.

Then you can taper slowly , there's no reason to think you'll be on them for life.

 

I waited  months after my big crash before I started tapering , and now I'm down to 30mg from 50mg in February.  And improving all the time.

A "different person" to how you see me here 

, 14 months ago.

 

It's morning here and the sun is shining , and you've made my day Serenity!

 

[Serenity23]

HELP PLEASE: my anxiety is through the roof. Never had anxiety attacks like this before. Can't sleep. Deep breathing not working. Nothing's working. Racing thoughts. Easily triggered by a tv show. Have no Xanax on hand. Have no sleep aids. Took benadryl to help sleep. Slept an hour. Mind won't stop racing. Body is all tingly and warm. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

[Serenity23]

Update: Went to ER. Stayed over night in a special part of the ER. Everyone was wonderful, I am very lucky. They think going back on the 25mg Zoloft was too much after being off of it for 3 weeks. I am now on 12.5mg Zoloft + 0.25 or 0.5 Xanax as needed. I had some kind of crazy OCD thing happen. I had to call 911. I have had terrible insomina since going back on the 25mg Tuesday so I will be taking the 0.25 Xanax at night. I am back home but still not feeling like myself. I'm sure the anxiety over my medical stuff did not help. I tend to get obsessive with medical stuff.

 

Anyone want to add their thoughts, opinions, experience, or advice it would be greatly appreciated. This was an extremely scary experience. I had severe anxiety, insomnia, and intrusive thoughts.

[Serenity23]

Very confused. Therapist thinks I have bad OCD and need to be on 200mg Zoloft. Thing is, these intrusive thoughts only happened when I was on Effexor years ago, and now. I've always been a little OCD but it was kind of just quirky. I don't want to go on 200mg Zoloft. I'm going backwards here. The OCD emergency happened because the hospital took me off the 25mg Zoloft! I'm seeing my psychiatrist soon. Curious what he'll say. This sucks. I was doing so well. I also hate being on Xanax now. I'm scared because it's addictive. Fresh, Andy, your firm, clear replies helped tremendously. I am so confused right now. I don't know what to do.

[Fresh]

Hi honey , when you change the dose it takes 4 days to reach a steady-state in your blood-stream , so you'd just be beginning to feel the updose

to 25mg now.  

I would give it at least another week before making a big decision like trying 200mg zoloft.

 

We know how unsettling changing meds can be , so that's likely to make things worse for the next few weeks anyway.  

I had OCD-type behaviours during withdrawal that i'd never had before - so weird.  But It's common , it's not permanent , and it's from the drugs.

 

You can do this - changing to 200mg isn't going to be a quick fix.

[Serenity23]

Hi honey , when you change the dose it takes 4 days to reach a steady-state in your blood-stream , so you'd just be beginning to feel the updose

to 25mg now.  

I would give it at least another week before making a big decision like trying 200mg zoloft.

 

We know how unsettling changing meds can be , so that's likely to make things worse for the next few weeks anyway.  

I had OCD-type behaviours during withdrawal that i'd never had before - so weird.  But It's common , it's not permanent , and it's from the drugs.

 

You can do this - changing to 200mg isn't going to be a quick fix.

Hi Fresh, :-)

 

I didn't know that it takes 4 days to reach a steady state in my blood stream! That is very interesting! So I'll be patient now that the psychiatrist said to go back up to 25mg if I'm feeling panicky. I did go back up to 25mg today and feel okay, but still very easily triggered.

 

How do I avoid being triggered? Is there a link on this site with helpful hints?

 

Yeah there's no way I'm going up to 200mg. I'll have to talk with my therapist about this. I know he wasn't advising it, as he knows he can't do that, but it was more like "my OCD patients only do well when they're on 200mg" or something like that. I still don't think OCD is my main issue. It's one of them, and he caught it like none of my other therapists did, and for that I thanked him. But I want some tools to make sure this panic attack does not occur again, and what to do when I'm feeling anxious.

 

I've had horrendous insomnia the past few days, too. I don't know if it's from the Zoloft withdrawal, hormonal, or what, but my body temperature has been very hot. The psychiatrist gave me trazodone but I really don't want to become dependent on that. I asked if I could take Melatonin. He said yes but hung up before I had a chance to ask how.

 

Thank you for telling me you had OCD tendencies during withdrawal. I think I've always had OCD tendencies, but they became much more prominent during withdrawal.

 

It's my fault....I should have gone right back on the Zoloft when I got out of the hospital. I should have called my psychiatrist when I got home from the hospital. But it was too late, I was already obsessing about what happened to me and what caused it, etc., and being over-confident that since I felt fine without the Zoloft, I could just do without out it. Bad mistake. :-(

 

Thanks for your post. They really cheer me up, my Aussie friend! :-)

[apace41]

Fresh, Andy, your firm, clear replies helped tremendously. I am so confused right now. I don't know what to do.

Glad it was of some help, Serenity.

 

I said what I said about hospitals because they tend to have no understanding or concern about dosage and tapering. Their primary goal tends to be to calm/sedate patients to move them along. I've seen many hospitals set a taper back a long way.

 

200mg of Zoloft is a BIG dose. That's an awful lot of med and seems an excessive jump for the doc. He seems to be knee-jerking in a tough moment. That's not good. You were never on more than 100mg based on your signature.

 

I know you are struggling but I think Fresh is spot on. Stay on 25mg for a bit and see if you see any improvement over the next week. That's what I would do.

 

Good luck with it,

 

Andy

[Serenity23]

 

Fresh, Andy, your firm, clear replies helped tremendously. I am so confused right now. I don't know what to do.

Glad it was of some help, Serenity.

 

I said what I said about hospitals because they tend to have no understanding or concern about dosage and tapering. Their primary goal tends to be to calm/sedate patients to move them along. I've seen many hospitals set a taper back a long way.

 

200mg of Zoloft is a BIG dose. That's an awful lot of med and seems an excessive jump for the doc. He seems to be knee-jerking in a tough moment. That's not good. You were never on more than 100mg based on your signature.

 

I know you are struggling but I think Fresh is spot on. Stay on 25mg for a bit and see if you see any improvement over the next week. That's what I would do.

 

Good luck with it,

 

Andy

 

Hi Andy,

 

That is a very good point. That's why I'm in this predicament in the first place. And now I have to worry about becoming addicted to Xanax because I haven't been able to sleep and I'm still getting anxiety attacks. I can't wait for the 25mg to set in. I should've gone back on it immediately, but he made me fearful that the Zoloft caused the hyponatremia. My psychiatrist gave me Trazadone to use for sleep instead of the Xanax. I'm hoping that's not addictive either.

 

I should have clarified. It was my therapist who mentioned that his OCD patients who do the best are on 200mg Zoloft. That freaked me out. He wasn't giving medical advice, he wouldn't do that. He was just stating a fact. But it caused me a tremendous deal of anxiety. He said I could go see a psychiatrist who specializes in OCD. But that would mean more meds. He did say there are some "natural" stuff out there, but I didn't have a chance to ask who would give me information about that.

 

I feel like I'm going backwards here.

 

I do see my psychiatrist in 2 weeks. I'm guessing if he thinks the Trazadone (I should really try it at least) and the 25mg Zoloft isn't working, maybe he will updose the Zoloft. I called to ask him about Melatonin and he said I could take it, but he didn't sound happy. Maybe I should try the Trazadone at night, keep on with the 25mg Zoloft, and see what happens?

[Fresh]

Hold on Serenity . . . your doctor may have forgotten to tell you that Trazodone is an SSRI , and perhaps isn't aware that it should not be prescribed with zoloft.

 

From www.drugs.com:

Interactions between your selected drugs

trazodone ↔ sertraline

Applies to: trazodone, Zoloft (sertraline)

Using traZODone together with sertraline can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience these symptoms while taking themedications. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

Trazodone may also interact with your xanax:

alprazolam ↔ trazodone

Applies to: Xanax (alprazolam), trazodone

Using ALPRAZolam together with traZODone may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people may also experience some impairment in thinking and judgment. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

[apace41]

Beat me to it, Fresh (as usual).

 

Trazadone is not a good addition in my view, Serenity.  The mixing is bad to begin with as Fresh points out, but you have another med to taper off of when the dust settles.  Even if it helped it would be sort of "robbing Peter to pay Paul."

 

As painful as it may be, I would sit tight on the 25mg of Zoloft and do your best to care for yourself.  Hopefully, that amount will take hold soon and you will be in a better place.

 

Andy