Hi Greta - Can I ask what caused you to go on Zoloft originally? I took Zoloft years ago (along with many other AD's since then) and stopping it was not a problem until about a month later when I noticed I was feeling depressed. I had never felt depressed before the Zoloft so I though maybe I had developed a depressive disorder so I asked the doctor to put me back on the Zoloft. When I did, it was as if the drug did not like me anymore. I did not react well at all and had to move on to another AD that fit me better. I was really bummed out because Zoloft had helped me for many years.

I did not know this at the time but in hindsight, I now believe it was the Zoloft discontinuation that had brought on the depression. If I had known that back then, I may have tried to reinstate and do a slower taper. Instead of my doctor picking up on it, he immediately put me back on antidepressants believing I had depression along with my panic and anxiety disorder. Needless to say, I have been on AD's ever since. I am going through awful withdrawals right now because I did a two week taper off of Lexapro like my doctor told me to do and I am feeling beyond horrible. The worst is the anxiety and waves of panic. But I feel that the Lexapro has run it's course and there is no point in continuing unless I can find another AD that agrees with me. It's been three weeks and I am praying that I am experiencing the worst of it.

I guess what I would tell you is to try and ride it out if you can. If not and you are unable to function, then maybe reinstate at a lower dose to see if you feel better and then taper slowly from that. Even if you hadn't stopped cold turkey, you still may have had problems due to being on the drug for so long. If these drugs take a 6 to 8 week start up, then how in the world do we go back to normal in only 2? Especially after years of use! It makes no sense.