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Greta2018
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Default Jan 23, 2018 at 04:25 AM
  #1
Hi folks,

I'm new to this forum.

I recently went off Zoloft cold turkey, after 15 years. It wasn't intentional at all. To make a very long story short, I switched jobs, my schedule turned inside out, my health insurance lapsed, and suddenly three weeks had gone by with no meds. At that stage, I started wondering if there was any point in going back on the stuff, since I was apparently doing all right without it. Many years ago, I tried tapering, and I had way more symptoms than this time around.

I'm now 7 weeks in and hanging in. The only side effects I'd experienced up until this point were really severe acne and headaches. Now, however, I'm starting to hit a wave of fatigue, and sadness is creeping up on me. I'm keeping active, exercising every day, trying to just keep pushing through. I don't really have any questions, just looking for a support group. If anyone
has experienced something similar, I'd love to hear about it.

I know this isn't the right way to go about getting off antidepressants, but since it just sort of happened, maybe I can get through this. If I have to, I'll go back on the meds, although I'd much rather not.

Thanks for listening.
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Smile Jan 23, 2018 at 05:43 PM
  #2
Hello Greta: I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

I do think some people seem to have an easier time coming off med's than others do. I have taken myself off med's multiple times in the past with no particular problem at all, although I will say I was never on anything for anywhere near 15 years. Anyway, I'd like to offer my best wishes for continued success with this process.

May I suggest you introduce yourself over on PC's New Member Introductions forum? Here's a link:

https://forums.psychcentral.com/new-...introductions/

There's a lot of support that can be available here on PC. The more you post, & reply to other members' posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are the chat rooms where you'll be able to interact with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) So please keep posting!

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Default Jan 23, 2018 at 10:49 PM
  #3
Hi Greta! I am slowly getting off all of my meds. I was too intimidated by the stories of people who had withdrawal symptoms to just stop. But I agree, after being off for 3 weeks, not much point in restarting. I hope things continue to go well for you.
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Default Jan 24, 2018 at 03:41 PM
  #4
I know when I've forgotten to take Zoloft for a few days, I get a really uncomfortable and a bit disturbing buzzing or zapping/tingling feeling. It's hard to describe. Also, some OCD symptoms return. You already know cold turkey isn't the best way to go about it, but I wish you the very best. Be careful if you feel depression creeping back in.

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KYWoman
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Default Jan 25, 2018 at 04:59 PM
  #5
I took Zoloft almost as long as you did and I am approaching the one year mark of quitting all pharmaceutical drugs. I am not worse without the drugs as I still suffer daily. The absence of many side effects was my determination as I seek alternative therapies. I hope you have a therapist to discuss your "plan" going forward.
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anxiousgal
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Default Jan 24, 2019 at 08:47 PM
  #6
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.
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Default Jan 24, 2019 at 10:40 PM
  #7
I realized after I posted that this was an older thread. Sorry! Hope Greta is doing better!
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