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Mikey1975: Sertraline withdrawal


Mikey1975

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Hello Dan what confused me is i didnt think it was withdrawal because it didnt get really bad till the best part of 18 months later all the symtoms are there mind but when i doctor tells you you cant have withdrawal that long after i beleived her i will get through this and NEVER touch a AP again

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It seems to be different for everyone. Brains are funny things, no-one really knows how they work, or what these drugs do to them.

 

I have the sinus and eye pain too. It got real bad when I cold-turkeyed, and has improved since reinstatement. 

2001: 20mg paroxetine
2003-2014: Switched between 20mg citalopram and 10mg escitalopram with several failed CT's
2015: Jan/ Feb-very fast taper off citalopram; Mar/ Apr-crashed; 23 Apr-reinstated 5mg; 05 May-updosed to 10mg; 15 Jul-started taper; Aug-9.0mg; Sep-8.1mg; Oct-7.6mg; Nov-6.8mg; Dec-6.2mg
2016: Jan-5.7mg; Feb-5.2mg; Mar-5.0mg;  Apr-4.5mg; May-4.05mg; Jun-3.65mg; Jul-3.3mg; Aug-2.95mg; 04Sep-2.65mg; 25Sep-2.4mg; 23Oct-2.15mg; 13Nov-1.95mg; 04Dec-1.75mg; 25Dec-1.55mg.
2017: 08Jan-1.4mg; 22Jan-1.25mg; 12Feb-1.1mg; 26Feb-1.0mg; 05Mar-0.9mg; 15Mar-0.8mg; 22Mar-0.7mg; 02Apr-0.6; 09Apr-0.5mg; 16Apr-0.4mg; 23Apr-0.3; 03May-0.2mg; 10May-0.1mg

Finished taper 17 May 2017.

Read my success story

 

I am not a medical professional. The information I provide is not medical advice. If in doubt please consult with a qualified healthcare provider.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I really didn't mind the weight loss, one of the few good things about withdrawal.

2001: 20mg paroxetine
2003-2014: Switched between 20mg citalopram and 10mg escitalopram with several failed CT's
2015: Jan/ Feb-very fast taper off citalopram; Mar/ Apr-crashed; 23 Apr-reinstated 5mg; 05 May-updosed to 10mg; 15 Jul-started taper; Aug-9.0mg; Sep-8.1mg; Oct-7.6mg; Nov-6.8mg; Dec-6.2mg
2016: Jan-5.7mg; Feb-5.2mg; Mar-5.0mg;  Apr-4.5mg; May-4.05mg; Jun-3.65mg; Jul-3.3mg; Aug-2.95mg; 04Sep-2.65mg; 25Sep-2.4mg; 23Oct-2.15mg; 13Nov-1.95mg; 04Dec-1.75mg; 25Dec-1.55mg.
2017: 08Jan-1.4mg; 22Jan-1.25mg; 12Feb-1.1mg; 26Feb-1.0mg; 05Mar-0.9mg; 15Mar-0.8mg; 22Mar-0.7mg; 02Apr-0.6; 09Apr-0.5mg; 16Apr-0.4mg; 23Apr-0.3; 03May-0.2mg; 10May-0.1mg

Finished taper 17 May 2017.

Read my success story

 

I am not a medical professional. The information I provide is not medical advice. If in doubt please consult with a qualified healthcare provider.

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Hi Mikey! Hope you feel better and work through it all. Taking good care of yourself is important no matter what Is causing you to feel this way (if its withdrawal or something else). You can look at it as an opportunity to just get even better at taking care of yourself and going easy on yourself. It's not your fault you are feeling bad. I'll be rooting for you! Working slowly to get off my medicine and very lucky to have this forum and a doctor who is open to working with me on my terms. Take care!

Found this site for real in 2015. Decided to taper slowly.

** I should mention that anytime I haven't been in a wave, I've felt pretty amazing! I only record the waves to look for patterns : ))**

50 mg Zoloft 6/2015, with intermittent fish oil

6/9/15 alternated 50 mg/37.5 mg - doc's idea (she meant well) 6/17 terrible morning anxiety and rumination, flu symptoms, and prickles in legs. 6/18 up to 45 mg liquid Zoloft. 6/26-29 cortisol mornings and bad anxiety. 6/30 started to take mag 100 mg and fish oil regularly with med 7/4 44 mg. 7/8 42.6 mg. 7/16 40 mg. 7/23 39 mg 8/1 32 mg (bad idea).

8/5 fatigue, anxiety, can't sleep, depressed. 8/7 36 mg resolved to be patient and try to keep to THE THREE KIS's. 8/13-15; 8/17- 23 painful physical and mental wave. Started light therapy 20 m in am. 8/25 34 mg, added 80-100 mg liquid mag during day. great window til 8/29 2 day down stretch 9/8 32.8 mg 9/11-14 wave added acupuncture 9/22 31.5 mg teeny wave 10/6 30 mg small grumpy wave 10/19 28.5, same pattern- small wave at day 5. A few tough weeks. Held around 29 until 11/18 when dropped to 28 mg; 11/22 the usual fluey fatigue. 11/30 27 mg 12/14 25.75ish mg "hold til Xmas club" (in my case New Years) Xmas was tough, kept holding: by 1/15, feeling good again. 1/25/16 Mirena IUD out after nearly six years- I think it was affecting my mood and taper- feeling super great! 2/2 down to 24 mg. symptoms much less severe. One day, not too bad wave on 2/8. 2/15 down to 20 mg from 24. A week later, two restless mornings and one morning of brain fog. 3/2 from 20 to 16 mg! Wish me luck.

 

Medicine History:

Currently tapering from 50mg Zoloft. Ten years of SSRI's including Celexa, Prozac and Zoloft, as well as a stretch with Wellbutrin added to the Zoloft. When I started on Zoloft (4 years ago?) I was on 100 but was able to taper down to 50 via 25 mg increments slowly around 2013. Have used light therapy and fish oil intermittently since around 2013. Have tried unsuccessfully to get off the meds since then in what I know now to be too large a taper (for example, jumped from 25 to 12.5 and that did not work). Motivated to do this slowly because that's the only way it will happen.

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I've had delayed symptoms too. 4 months off Zoloft CT. Luckily for me I reesabilized on Prozac. After a long journey I found this site and am now well into my taper from Prozac. Only 2mgs to go. I am abit worried about when I finally make the move to come off and won't feel safe for a few years after my end date but fingers crossed the slow taper is the key to success. Best of luck to you Mikey1975

2003 Zoloft for PND. No other Psych history before this.

2009 CT. Huge withdrawal. Voluntary hospital admission. Successfully stabilized on 40mg Prozac.

2012 CT after 2 years of tapering to 10mg. Another Disaster. No hospital admission. Stabilized 40mg Prozac

2014 CT after 2 years of tapering to 5mg. Destabilized but not as bad as previous. Found this site. Reinstated 5mg. Stabilized quickly but held for 6 months.

Feb 2015 4mg Prozac

March 2015 Tramadol for Pain after an OP. Didn’t realize it was an SNRI.

March 2015 3 mg Prozac

April 2015 2.5mg Prozac

May 2015 2mg Prozac

June 2015 Destabilized (After research believe it was delayed withdrawal due to the Tramadol)

July 11th 2015. Updosed to 2.5mg

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I think it is withdrawal. A very delayed one but still withdrawal. Hoping tomorrow brings you more peace.

2003 Zoloft for PND. No other Psych history before this.

2009 CT. Huge withdrawal. Voluntary hospital admission. Successfully stabilized on 40mg Prozac.

2012 CT after 2 years of tapering to 10mg. Another Disaster. No hospital admission. Stabilized 40mg Prozac

2014 CT after 2 years of tapering to 5mg. Destabilized but not as bad as previous. Found this site. Reinstated 5mg. Stabilized quickly but held for 6 months.

Feb 2015 4mg Prozac

March 2015 Tramadol for Pain after an OP. Didn’t realize it was an SNRI.

March 2015 3 mg Prozac

April 2015 2.5mg Prozac

May 2015 2mg Prozac

June 2015 Destabilized (After research believe it was delayed withdrawal due to the Tramadol)

July 11th 2015. Updosed to 2.5mg

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I think think its even worse at the moment after stopping a 5 week period on zoloft as the doctor keeps saying its anxiety but i hsve told her all along theres no anxious thoughts like i had when i was put on zoloft years ago all different symptoms but we all know doctors they wont have it

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I'm 100% sure my symtoms are WD ,headaches on one side ache around ear with what i call a twinge now and again ,sinus like ache at top of nose aches in chest and leg , internal tremors / vibrations with spells of panic and nervousness for no reason at all that just come out of the blue and waves of insomnia , i will never touch this poison again

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Do doctors really not know about the long WD from AD or isit they dont want to know ? It sounds like from other people on here that most doctors around the world are the same , the doctors where i'm from in south wales always say the same you can only have WD in the first few weeks of stopping , well i know and you all know that isnot true , mine started gradually and i was getting more and more symptoms and got worse and worse from a good 12 months after , it annoys me so much that the doctors wont help and just say its a replapse, how can it be a replapse i was put on AD for OCD which thankfully dosnt exist anymore its just all new symtoms that i never had before AD

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  • Administrator

Hello, mikey.

 

No, doctors are truly ignorant of psychiatric drug withdrawal of any kind.

 

How much sertraline were you taking this last round? Did you feel better or worse on it, or the same?

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.

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Hello i was on a 100 for years before i was tampered off in a month but apart from the sickness , memory loss and weight loss i was ok for a good 10 months and then the sideeffects started little by little and when i hit the 16 month mark its got bad , panics and horid internal tremors vibrations that ive had everyday since near enough with onesided headaches and pressure around ear and eye , well in the end she convinced me it was a relapse , but these are all different symtoms ocd i was put on the poison for and thats gone , so going back to mid march this year she put me on 50 and then she said i was no better and put me up to 100 id say there was no improvement so i stopped taking them and i wont take them again i was back on for 5 weeks finishing end of april

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Doctor's have no clue.  You"ve been  "duped". Follow the advice here.  You will get well. :)

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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So fed up right now i was feeling bad enough before i stupidly listened to the doctor and she put me back on sertraline for 5 weeks and then i just stopped now about 10 weeks after stopping i feel so rough not only the onesided headaches and constant tremors going in through my body i have the added feelings of feeling sick and body aches all over i've had enough of this now

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I've had the internal shakes/tremors. Awful symptom

2003 Zoloft for PND. No other Psych history before this.

2009 CT. Huge withdrawal. Voluntary hospital admission. Successfully stabilized on 40mg Prozac.

2012 CT after 2 years of tapering to 10mg. Another Disaster. No hospital admission. Stabilized 40mg Prozac

2014 CT after 2 years of tapering to 5mg. Destabilized but not as bad as previous. Found this site. Reinstated 5mg. Stabilized quickly but held for 6 months.

Feb 2015 4mg Prozac

March 2015 Tramadol for Pain after an OP. Didn’t realize it was an SNRI.

March 2015 3 mg Prozac

April 2015 2.5mg Prozac

May 2015 2mg Prozac

June 2015 Destabilized (After research believe it was delayed withdrawal due to the Tramadol)

July 11th 2015. Updosed to 2.5mg

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Hi Mikey,

 

The only way I can describe internal tremors is to say that it feels like my insides are shaking or vibrating within my body but my actual body was not shaking. Very weird feeling. I only had this symptom when I was pregnant and had gone cold turkey.

 

I refused to take this medication when I was preganant, my obgyn adivsed me to take it and assured me that it was safe, (Zoloft at the time, which has since been proven to cause major birth defects) I continued to refuse as I had given up the day I found out I was pregnant. I can only continue to hope that my beautiful baby boy, now 7, has suffered no developmental damage. So far, all seems perfectly healthy. I believe my doc was the crazy one, not me.

 

The internal shakes, as I called them at the time, went away when I gave birth and re-instated my meds. I haven't had them since as I have been slowly tapering to minimise my symptoms).

 

Sending love.

2003 Zoloft for PND. No other Psych history before this.

2009 CT. Huge withdrawal. Voluntary hospital admission. Successfully stabilized on 40mg Prozac.

2012 CT after 2 years of tapering to 10mg. Another Disaster. No hospital admission. Stabilized 40mg Prozac

2014 CT after 2 years of tapering to 5mg. Destabilized but not as bad as previous. Found this site. Reinstated 5mg. Stabilized quickly but held for 6 months.

Feb 2015 4mg Prozac

March 2015 Tramadol for Pain after an OP. Didn’t realize it was an SNRI.

March 2015 3 mg Prozac

April 2015 2.5mg Prozac

May 2015 2mg Prozac

June 2015 Destabilized (After research believe it was delayed withdrawal due to the Tramadol)

July 11th 2015. Updosed to 2.5mg

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Hello mine feel like that asif my insides are constantly moving about ive had this symptom for close on a year now i hate it , takecare

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Should i have still tapered off the latest stint of zoloft even though i was only on it for 5 weeks

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  • Administrator

It's hard to tell, Mikey. Did your symptoms get worse after you went off Zoloft this last time around?

 

Do you have any Zoloft left?

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.

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I felt ok this morning and this afternoon and then about tea time i could feel the wave come over me for no reason at all ive felt awful this evening , how much longer have i got to put up with this

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Could someone please tell me why my body constantly twitches inside and if there is anything to stop it

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Still feeling Awfull what did all of us do to deserve this , i feel sick , body is full of internal tremors and aches and the feeling of will this ever pass , when i feel like this i often ask myself wouldnt it have been easier to stay on the zoloft , i dont feel like the same person i was years ago

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 Have read you thread, and don't know what to say.  you just have to keep going. .  none of us , is the "same".  Keep on. :)

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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  • Administrator

Withdrawal symptoms mean your nervous system has become unstable and is generating odd sensations. Please read What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

Withdrawal syndrome can last months or even years. You will have to be patient while your nervous system heals. See The Windows and Waves Pattern of Recovery

 

Many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/
 

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.

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what did all of us do to deserve this?

I wish I knew-I ask myself this every day.

went on Prozac 1994-99,60mg.poopout ct  back on 2001-2002,prozac weekly 2002,not working,Effexor 75 mg.?2003-mar.2004 gaining weight 8wk. taper,wellbutrin 150 mg.mar. -may 2004 ctmedfree til july 2005 back to Prozac gaining weight again,back on wellbutrin jan.2006150-300 mg.bad constipation.also was taking aygestin(hormone)perimenopausal irregular bleeding.back on Prozac around sept,?2006,hysterectomy jan30.2007(adenomyosis)off&on Prozac til 2009,citalopram about 1 mo, April 2010 no effect,Effexor again may -mar, 2011.ct,Prozac aug,-dec, 2011 &sept-nov 2012,paroxetine oct,23 2013-may 4 2014 20 mgs.tapered 6 wks.-failed RI in Oct.2014-in protracted WD.started 10 mgs. Fluoxetine May 25 2021 .Stopped fluoxetine May 2022 at 5 mgs.

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A couple of not too bad days early in the week and then as usual out of the blue the nervousness comes over me last night which brings the one sided head twinges with really bad internal vibrations and muscle twitches and body aches but i suppose i am having the odd half tidy day so i should be grateful for that

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Feeling awful these last few days my body aches all over with muscle twitching and the usual internal tremors my mind dosnt feel to bad apart from feeling so fed up with feeling so physically ill

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One of the symptoms that i hate the most is the constant internal vibrations its hard to explain it its like your insides are moving and jumping around i have had this symtom for the best part of a year now if only it would go , anyone else on here get it ?

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Hello Mikey

Yes these are definitely withdrawal symptoms.  I tapered for a year and a half and went through it with side effects that I could deal with...after going off completely  after about 6 or 8 months later side effects became worse and then then 18 month mark go ever worse...now I am 2.3 years off and still suffering so much with side effects.

 

Do you have visual distortion or anything with your eyes - I have that, plus pressure bridge of nose and forhead, lightheadedness, feeling of blocked ears, daily migraines that are more silent than not -  profuse sweating at night, waking up with anxiety, sweating and crying -  lately my whole head and face feel like is it swollen but it is not.....

 

But as I said to you before - it does not stop me from doing everything I have to do - I somehow learned not to fear it too much and now go out the door without fear -  albeit doing groceries and banking and stuff is very difficult, but do it anyway....good job I wear sunglasses so know one sees my tears -  I have to wear sunglasses because of sensitivity to light

 

Hang in there Mikey you are not alone.....we will get through this    promise

xxx

Zoloft started for 8 years - 150 mg capsules

Started tapering December 3, 2011,

Off Zoloft May 17, 2013

While tapering WDS were tolerable

Off Zoloft debilitating WDS the worst starting around 6 months off

even worse after 18 months off

Now 35 months off - still in a terrible wave for months now.

 

 

 

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Hiya Divalee yes i get like pressure around the one eye and ear and the sinus like pain across forehead i also get dizzy and im always waking up in the night in a panic and sometimes sweaty with onesided headaches , you takecare of yourself

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