Posted by Ryan's mom on May 4, 2005, at 14:48:41
In reply to Re: withdrawal symptoms coming off zoloft » KimD, posted by JaneB on May 3, 2005, at 17:02:10
Thanks for sharing. I was on a low dose of Zoloft (25 mg) for 6 yrs to get through a messy divorce and the panic attacks that came with all the nastinesss....and ended staying on it because it "evened" me out...thinking I could get off it anytime. Well, I stopped cold turkey six days ago and can't believe the dizziness, nausea, etc. I figured I just had a busy weekend doing renovation work and it might be a touch of the flu or bad allergies! Never would I have imagined withdrawl symptoms...especially on what I considered a low dose. I went on the internet to do a search for the Zoloft site to see it there was any information on the side effects of coming off. Nothing! Fortunately I found this thread and read so many confirming and similar accounts. While it doesn't take away the weird feelings, it is a comfort to know this is not abnormal...and that it will eventually go away. Yesterday I toyed with going back on to do a more gradual decrease...but now I think I'll stick with pushing forward. Thanks for the support!
> I did the taper so sporadically and gradually it is difficult to make a comparison.
>
> I wouldn't start up the Zoloft again and do the taper all over. However, if the dizziness, etc. is unbearable you could buy a pill splitter and take just a bit of Zoloft or Prozac. Otherwise, just wait it out. It took a good 3-4 weeks for the fuzziness to clear (after I took my very last teensy weensy dose.) I kept thinking "What's wrong with me. Do I need an ADD medication at my age (60)?" But then all of a sudden I realized I was doing so much better. For a while I experienced an extreme hyper-sensitivity to light, sound, supplements, etc. I bought a book by Joseph Glenmullen called "The Antidepressant Solution." But I never even really read it all because I had printed from the web an article that gave instructions and cautions about exciting my nervous system while discontinuing--even violence on TV. Don't get discouraged. But do listen to your body.
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> Fuzziness comes back if I don't eat right. I am following a diet for hypoglycemia. When I don't remember to eat right I fade away slowly and my thinking gets very fuzzy. Do you know anything about a hypoglycemia diet? It is just basically 6 small meals a day with a little protein and healthy carbohydrate in each. That really helps me.
>
> I am truly grateful for AD's and will continue to recommend them for those who obviously need them. But I have found that it is possible to go off them when they are no longer needed.
>
> Good luck and God bless,
> Jane
>
> > Dear JaneB,
> > Wow, your email was a huge comfort! Thanks so much! I actually quit cold turky (I forgot to mention that in my previous post). I did take 5 doses of Prozac at 10 mg to help the withdrawals. The prozac helped but a few days after the last dose, the withdrawals came back! Since it has been a full month, I don't know if it i worth it to start the Zoloft again then taper, do you? I kinda feel like I got so far already it would be a shame to start the process all over again. JaneB, how long did your withdrawal last for? You also remember feeling a little foggy headed and your concentration low? Thanks for your help so far!
> > Kim
> >
> > > Hi Kim,
> > >
> > > Your situation sounds very similar to mine. However, I tried a few times to go off and then erroneously concluded that my symptoms were a return of the original depression and not because of discontinuing the medicine. Be patient is the best advice I could give to you. My second month off the meds was the hardest. But after that second month things got better. Now I can laugh again, have more energy, think more clearly and have none of that AD-induced apathy. I can even sleep! I had thought that I would never be able to sleep normally again but I was wrong.
> > >
> > > I was on 50 mg for several months before I started to cut back more. I did it very slowly. Don't be in a hurry. Don't hesitate to shave a bit of the Zoloft after taking 25 mg for a while. Perhaps if you have a period of time when you can tolerate the dizziness,etc. you could go faster but as for me I just found that my life was interrupted a lot less by going s-l-o-w-l-y.
> > > Yes, it took more than a month but it has been worth it. Even the big "O" has returned.
> > > Hang in there.
> > > Jane
> > > > Hello there.
> > > > My name is Kim and I am new to this posting. Here is my unfortunate situation. I have been on SSRIs for 11 years. I starting taking them when I was very mildly depressed (situational depression) and stayed on them for so long only because I did not want to rock the boat and had no side effects on them. About one month ago, I stopped taking Zoloft. I was taking 50mg at the time. Well, the past month has been torterous, as you can imagine! I had the worst agitation/anxiety and aggressive moods (where are totally out of my character). I was never like this before I took an SSRI. Well, thankfully, the aggressiveness and irritability have stopped. But now, a month later, my symptoms are as follows:
> > > > extreme fatigue, despondance, trouble concentrating, foggy and light headedness. Has anyone here had withdrawal's that lasted for more than one month that can offer any words of inpsiration that it will end and if so, how long did it take to feel normal again? Thanks so much!
> > >
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> >
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poster:Ryan's mom
thread:465261
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050424/msgs/493688.html