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Mikey1975: Sertraline withdrawal


Mikey1975

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Hi Mikey!

Those internal vibrations sound awful! I really feel for you! Hang in there. I hope you get more good days soon!

<p>Became depressed and anxious after persistent bulliying at school. started with fluoxetine 20 years ago(1995), when I was 21, was changed to seroxat(citalopram) 20 mg after a couple of years or so because of side effects. This enabled me to get through university and beyond but whenever I tried to stop, usually tapering, I never got past one year off meds. This time I stopped around Christmas 2014. I did taper but very fast I guess, from 40 to 30 to 20, then 10, then 5(I think), over a few months. I cannot remember precisely. I stopped while moving from the Netherland to Holland so am no longer under any medical supervision. However I am trying a reinstatement; I tried 1mg from the 29th of June for ten days, 2 mg from the 11 th July 2015, 1.8mg from 10th Aug, 1.6mg from 16th Sept.

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Rosie they are awful its so stressfull it feels like your chest and stomach are jumping around inside i hate it

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I don't think I have anything like that; only the anxiety does sometimes make my chest hurt and give me butterfly feelings in my guts but it is feels like fear rather than vibrations! Goodness it is ao awful what these drugs do!

Have you found anything that helps with those?

<p>Became depressed and anxious after persistent bulliying at school. started with fluoxetine 20 years ago(1995), when I was 21, was changed to seroxat(citalopram) 20 mg after a couple of years or so because of side effects. This enabled me to get through university and beyond but whenever I tried to stop, usually tapering, I never got past one year off meds. This time I stopped around Christmas 2014. I did taper but very fast I guess, from 40 to 30 to 20, then 10, then 5(I think), over a few months. I cannot remember precisely. I stopped while moving from the Netherland to Holland so am no longer under any medical supervision. However I am trying a reinstatement; I tried 1mg from the 29th of June for ten days, 2 mg from the 11 th July 2015, 1.8mg from 10th Aug, 1.6mg from 16th Sept.

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Not the best of days my body aches all over and i have so little energy it is so hard going through this esp when i have to get up at 04 50 for work

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Mikey,

How have things been lately? Have you had any good days?

I have a few good days in between anxiety or depression, which I am grateful for.

Do you always have to start so early?! It is horrid having to force yourself to do things when you are feeling awful!

Take care,

Rosie

<p>Became depressed and anxious after persistent bulliying at school. started with fluoxetine 20 years ago(1995), when I was 21, was changed to seroxat(citalopram) 20 mg after a couple of years or so because of side effects. This enabled me to get through university and beyond but whenever I tried to stop, usually tapering, I never got past one year off meds. This time I stopped around Christmas 2014. I did taper but very fast I guess, from 40 to 30 to 20, then 10, then 5(I think), over a few months. I cannot remember precisely. I stopped while moving from the Netherland to Holland so am no longer under any medical supervision. However I am trying a reinstatement; I tried 1mg from the 29th of June for ten days, 2 mg from the 11 th July 2015, 1.8mg from 10th Aug, 1.6mg from 16th Sept.

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Hiya Rosie , how are you i'm not today these last few days thanks , ive cut out the tea and coffee this last week and im only having a couple of decaffs and im feeling better for it so far i feel a bit calmer as for work it is hard Rosie but it helps me to take my mind off things anyway takecare of yourself

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HI Mikey,

Glad cutting out the caffeine helped. I am not too bad. Had a really nice day on Monday, and since then have been quite stressed. I am not working but looking after my kids, who are fighting a lot together lately. That is probably why my good days are often on a Monday, the little one stays at nursery all day!

Take care!

Rosie

<p>Became depressed and anxious after persistent bulliying at school. started with fluoxetine 20 years ago(1995), when I was 21, was changed to seroxat(citalopram) 20 mg after a couple of years or so because of side effects. This enabled me to get through university and beyond but whenever I tried to stop, usually tapering, I never got past one year off meds. This time I stopped around Christmas 2014. I did taper but very fast I guess, from 40 to 30 to 20, then 10, then 5(I think), over a few months. I cannot remember precisely. I stopped while moving from the Netherland to Holland so am no longer under any medical supervision. However I am trying a reinstatement; I tried 1mg from the 29th of June for ten days, 2 mg from the 11 th July 2015, 1.8mg from 10th Aug, 1.6mg from 16th Sept.

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I'm feeling awful last night and this morning really shaky and down its times like this i think it would have been easier to stay on the zoloft and im so fed up with my moods constantly changing i also wonder if i have a mood disorder and i really need the tablets i dont know how much longer i can put up with this or how much longer my wife will put up with it

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Im feel so down at the moment i dont know how much longer i can take this or the everyday physical symptoms , i am temped to go back on the zoloft at least i was well physically then , this last year should have been my happiest after getting married but it has been one of my worst , im starting to think i need a tablet after all i have had mental health issues since i was 13 and im 40 now

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Hi Mikey ,   after a while it becomes hard to tell what might be a condition you had when you were 13 , and what isn't.  One thing we do know is that

after so many years on ssri's your central nervous system is dependent on them for stability , and what you're going through now is withdrawal.

 

Have you read the thread on Reinstating?   If you're thinking about it , you might try just 1 or 2 mg to see if you get any symptom relief.  Don't try a big dose - you may react badly.

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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Hi Mikey,

Sorry it has been hard! Maybe a small reinstatement would be worth trying. It really made a difference for me between not bearable and bearable. Even a small change can really help and would be much better than going right up to your old dose. I was amazed that such a small amount of drug could have such a large effect!

I know when you have been on medication for such a long time you have no idea really how you will be without it. I was eleven when I started being really unhappy and I guess that us often how it starts, before depression and other illnesses. So I guess we can only look forward now to where can go on from here, since there is no way backward in life.

I also felt generally better when on the meds but I really suspect I did not actually need them, I just could not come off them. And their side effects were hardly harmless.

I really hope you can keep going! Think about the reinstatement idea too, because it might make a real difference without setting you back too much from coming off meds.

Take care!

<p>Became depressed and anxious after persistent bulliying at school. started with fluoxetine 20 years ago(1995), when I was 21, was changed to seroxat(citalopram) 20 mg after a couple of years or so because of side effects. This enabled me to get through university and beyond but whenever I tried to stop, usually tapering, I never got past one year off meds. This time I stopped around Christmas 2014. I did taper but very fast I guess, from 40 to 30 to 20, then 10, then 5(I think), over a few months. I cannot remember precisely. I stopped while moving from the Netherland to Holland so am no longer under any medical supervision. However I am trying a reinstatement; I tried 1mg from the 29th of June for ten days, 2 mg from the 11 th July 2015, 1.8mg from 10th Aug, 1.6mg from 16th Sept.

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Sorry you haven't been feeling well. You're not alone, that's for sure- and I'm wishing you better days.

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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