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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by daisy4 on February 21, 2006, at 8:34:15
Looking for a light at the end of this tunnel. I went on Zoloft for post partum several years ago and have been wanting to go off it for a year. So I started very slowly a year ago by cutting from 100 to 50mg. Then I got pregnant again a few months ago and I decided I want to be off this while I am pregnant (and forever now that I know the hell of withdrawl). So I took it slowly and over the course of a month and a half I went from 50mg to 25 to every other day, then finally 2 weeks ago I stopped altogther.
Not only am I experiencing horrible morning sickness, but I also am going through some horrible withdrawl. I fly into fits of irritability and even rage. I cry so much at the drop of a hat. I have no patience with anything. I am so tired it is as if I am drugged. I can barely function to make it to work. My husband is not sure what to think but he really doesn;t even want to talk to me and I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to be around me either. I am complaining mostly about the mood swings. It is horrific. When will this go away? Is there anything I can do to lessen the withdrawl side effects? Other than go back on Zoloft...I will never go on it again. Will this last forever? Thanks.daisy4
Posted by Phillipa on February 21, 2006, at 8:34:15
In reply to zoloft withdrawl hell, posted by daisy4 on February 19, 2006, at 20:37:30
Post this on the withdrawal board. More answers. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by fenix on February 21, 2006, at 8:34:15
In reply to zoloft withdrawl hell, posted by daisy4 on February 19, 2006, at 20:37:30
> Looking for a light at the end of this tunnel. I went on Zoloft for post partum several years ago and have been wanting to go off it for a year. So I started very slowly a year ago by cutting from 100 to 50mg. Then I got pregnant again a few months ago and I decided I want to be off this while I am pregnant (and forever now that I know the hell of withdrawl). So I took it slowly and over the course of a month and a half I went from 50mg to 25 to every other day, then finally 2 weeks ago I stopped altogther.
>
> Not only am I experiencing horrible morning sickness, but I also am going through some horrible withdrawl. I fly into fits of irritability and even rage. I cry so much at the drop of a hat. I have no patience with anything. I am so tired it is as if I am drugged. I can barely function to make it to work. My husband is not sure what to think but he really doesn;t even want to talk to me and I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to be around me either. I am complaining mostly about the mood swings. It is horrific. When will this go away? Is there anything I can do to lessen the withdrawl side effects? Other than go back on Zoloft...I will never go on it again. Will this last forever? Thanks.daisy4Yes there are things you can do to lessen the withdrawal. The most important thing would be to tell your doctor what has happened, and that you should be on benzodiazepines for a short while; those will most definitely help the symptoms.
Posted by ace on February 21, 2006, at 8:34:16
In reply to zoloft withdrawl hell, posted by daisy4 on February 19, 2006, at 20:37:30
Posted by daisy4 on February 21, 2006, at 8:34:16
In reply to Re: SSRI withrawal syndrome....stay away from SSRI (nm), posted by ace on February 20, 2006, at 8:20:28
These benzos, they look like they will just make me sleep? Will these really be beneficial>? They look like they are depressants? I don't get it...how will they help me? I appreciate your help, daisy4
Posted by Maxime on February 21, 2006, at 8:34:16
In reply to zoloft withdrawl hell, posted by daisy4 on February 19, 2006, at 20:37:30
Hi there is a Withdrawal board which you should post on. http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/
Welcome to the group.
BTW, switching to Prozac would help because it has a long half life and so you would be able to get off that quite easily.
Maxime
> Looking for a light at the end of this tunnel. I went on Zoloft for post partum several years ago and have been wanting to go off it for a year. So I started very slowly a year ago by cutting from 100 to 50mg. Then I got pregnant again a few months ago and I decided I want to be off this while I am pregnant (and forever now that I know the hell of withdrawl). So I took it slowly and over the course of a month and a half I went from 50mg to 25 to every other day, then finally 2 weeks ago I stopped altogther.
>
> Not only am I experiencing horrible morning sickness, but I also am going through some horrible withdrawl. I fly into fits of irritability and even rage. I cry so much at the drop of a hat. I have no patience with anything. I am so tired it is as if I am drugged. I can barely function to make it to work. My husband is not sure what to think but he really doesn;t even want to talk to me and I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to be around me either. I am complaining mostly about the mood swings. It is horrific. When will this go away? Is there anything I can do to lessen the withdrawl side effects? Other than go back on Zoloft...I will never go on it again. Will this last forever? Thanks.daisy4
Posted by fenix on February 21, 2006, at 8:34:16
In reply to benzodiazepines?, posted by daisy4 on February 20, 2006, at 11:22:17
> These benzos, they look like they will just make me sleep? Will these really be beneficial>? They look like they are depressants? I don't get it...how will they help me? I appreciate your help, daisy4
Benzodiazepines can make you feel sedated, yes, but it is a comfortable kind, in that, you may feel more encouraged to sleep but it won't actually force you to or anything. They will relax you and they are often times used when someone is withdrawing from particular substances.
They are depressants, CNS (central nervous system) depressants. Yeah, they can sometimes make you feel a little more down of course (actually in my experience, they tend to make me "looser" and not so tightly wound up, they can actually sometimes help depression but perhaps not through the healthiest mode, in that, they can cause one to be a bit more apathetic to that which depresses them).
Anyway, what is more important is the withdrawal symptoms you are having. Benzodiazepines can be a tremendous help, and you won't have to be on them for that long (a couple of weeks). They can become physically/psychologically addicting after being taken for a period of time (it kind of fluctuates from person to person, actually concerning benzodiazepines, a lot fluctuates from person to person... ). If you have a lot of anxiety they can especially become addicting, why?... Well, frankly they work so damn well. Also, they are quite safe, etc. You can learn more about them at some various websites.
Let's not get too technical though, it gets so boring.
As you can see from this post and various others, I am obviously a big proponent of them (but not SSRIs, neuroleptics, etc.). They are so vastly useful, and so safe; I believe that the benzodiazepines are one of the most important medicine ever discovered. The only medicine I hold in higher esteem is the "HUL GIL"; the pragmatic poppy is proof that, however hidden it may be, Nature has goodwill.
Posted by blueberry on February 21, 2006, at 8:34:16
In reply to zoloft withdrawl hell, posted by daisy4 on February 19, 2006, at 20:37:30
I agree with Maxime's suggestion of prozac. It won't take much. Even just half of a 10mg capsule mixed in a glass of juice once every 3 days or so will help. The withdrawals won't completely go away, but they will be a lot less. After a sip of prozac, half of it will still be in your system a week later. It lasts a long time.
When I withdrew from zoloft, I took 5htp. Started at one a day, moved up to three a day. The 5htp definitely helped smooth things out. The only zoloft withdrawal I could still feel in the background was the dizziness thing. Once that was gone, about 2 weeks, I weaned off the 5htp with the only withdrawals from that being some dizziness.
Posted by Phillipa on February 21, 2006, at 18:04:44
In reply to Re: zoloft withdrawl hell, posted by blueberry on February 20, 2006, at 18:28:17
They say prozac or benadryl helps with withdrawal. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by SLS on February 23, 2006, at 7:50:04
In reply to zoloft withdrawl hell, posted by daisy4 on February 19, 2006, at 20:37:30
In my opinion, you discontinued Zoloft too rapidly. With the exception of Prozac, you should never skip days of dosing. You would have been better off lowering the dosage by 10% every few days by taking very small doses several times a day.
Now that you have discontinued the drug, I doubt you will want to go back on it and perform a slower taper. The Prozac suggestion is a good one if you feel the withdrawal symptoms are intolerable. I believe the stress of withdrawal will have a negative impact on your developing child. You could possibly use Benadryl or Phernergan to reduce the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms. A course of treatment with Phenergan, might be best, as it would also address the morning sickness.
Let us know what you decide and how you are doing.
- Scott
This is the end of the thread.
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