Hi all, I've been off Zoloft for 8 weeks after being on it for 4 years, and coincidentally went off my birth control pills 4 weeks ago. My anxiety/panic that I originally went on for (which I believed I've made a lot of headway with) is definitely back, but also a disturbing amount of depression and self-doubt (along with lack of appetite and trouble sleeping), which I didn't have before. I think I am really afraid of getting by on my "own" and not sure I can do it. Does anyone have any advice for getting myself through this time or also any experience with going off multiple meds at once like I did? I know that there are people out there who have gotten off successfully, though maybe they're out having fun and not reading message boards. ;) Thanks for any help...

Did you taper down, and what was the dosage when you stopped?

Yes, I tapered over 4 months. I went to 75 then 50 then took a break for 6 weeks, then went to 25 and to 0 over 2 weeks - which may have been a little fast. I did have some side effects the first few weeks - numb tongue was the weirdest one - and increased anxiety. I definitely have more symptoms now, I think my original symptoms are back (and then some) and I also have low confidence because I relied on those darn things for so long. Thanks for any advice...

I was on Z for 5 years and went off five weeks ago. Since I was so sensitive to it I tapered very slow. In fact I went all the way down to 2 or 3 mg's before i stopped and i still got the withdrawal, albeit to a lesser degree.

From what I've seen on this board, the withdrawal shouldn't last for more than 6-8 weeks. We'll see.

Are you worried about getting your original symptoms back? How are you dealing with those feelings?

I was told that most [if not all] of the anxiety now is from the withdrawal process. If the anxiety comes back from my ptsd I'll try to deal with it in some other fashion other than meds.

For me, the bad withdrawals lasted about 3 months. I had horrible mood swings, depression, along with the physical withdrawal symptoms that no doubt you've read about in the many Zoloft threads. The good news is - it does get better. There were several times I almost refilled my prescription after I quit z - but I didn't.

I made a personal decision to take myself off those drugs. I don't think my doctor did me any favors by prescribing them to me. Sure, I suffered from pms and depression. I think most women do from time to time. I don't think my problems were severe enough to warrant medication. At first when I started taking z I thought this is great, a pill that will solve all of my problems! For me, I decided that wasn't the answer. I decided I was going to make a huge effort to control my moodiness and pms. After all, it's only a few days a month. I question our society. I realize for many the medication is helpful and even necessary for the rest of us I don't think a pill is the answer.

My advice to you is to hang in there. I feel totally back to normal, except for trying to shed the pounds I gained on z. Give yourself 3 or 4 months and I think you will be happy you did.

Wow, thank you so much for writing. I'm very glad to hear it does get better - maybe in another month I'll feel that way, too! Just curious, but how did you keep yourself motivated and what were some of the tactics you learned to deal with your moodiness and depression? Thanks again for writing, this has really eased my mind.

Sorry, another question. Do you feel your withdrawal moodiness was WORSE than your original moodiness? And if so, that's what you went through for 3 months? And now you're back to your original moodiness?

For me, I feel my depression and moodiness after going off Zoloft was much worse than before I had ever taken it. Honestly, I was a *b...h* to be around for a good month or two. I tried real hard to keep myself busy and if possible to stay away from situations that would upset or aggravate me. There were days I just felt like crying at work or lashing out at work. If I felt particularly bad I would put my earphones on and listen to music (essentially tuning the world out). That was a big help. I'm lucky. I have a job where I'm able to that. At home I bit my tongue a lot or had a lot of "me" time. I know that sounds selfish but it was a necessary evil for the good of the family.

I believe that I'm out of the woods now. I feel so much better. Instead of the "artificial-constant" contentment that Zoloft gave me, I experience real emotions. Most days are great. The other days are filled with normal annoyances, fears, and sadness. I can handle it. It's worth it!

Hi everyone-I just joined after reading many of the posts because I too am withdrawing from Zoloft and am on day five. I have suffered with PMS then it got so extreme it was diagnosed as PMDD, then 5 years ago I went into very early menopause at 35. If anyone recalls, The New York Times and New England Journal of Medicine named Zoloft as THE drug to help treat some of the horrible physical and mental symptoms of this disease. Having seen many gynos and doing the diet/exercise thing, progesterone therapy, and too many things to list with no success, I was finally given this drug. The dosage was 50mg a day twice daily. For the first 5 months I felt great, somewhat europhic and then it settled in and honestly, I didn't feel great, so why did I stay on it for four years I ask myself in hindsight? I admit I felt a little better on it but only when my dr. put me on birth control (after lots of tests, it was determined that my estrogen was being depleted and I was in the throes of premature menopause) so the two combined did help. I noticed about 8 or 9 months after being on Zoloft that despite my diet not changing (I was always a size 4, never had to diet), I was gaining weight practically overnight and I went from having a healthy sex drive and sexual thoughts like all women my age, to never thinking about sex again which was odd but it became so familiar, I dealt with it. I was terrified to get off the drug because the medical community treated me like a guinea pig since they know so very little about what causes women in their mid 30's to start menopause (my mom began in her early 50's), and since I read about this drug in top publications, I thought I was feeling the way I should and well the weight gain and loss of libido were things I'd have to deal with. I won't lie, I couldn't easily handle these side effects and finally decided that they outweighed the pros of taking this pill and so five days ago after agonizing over the decision, I stopped the drug (my internist helped to wean me off in a 3 month window). Anyway, I turned to these boards because I feel like crap, just in a general bad mood, irritable as can be and well, you all can relate. Without doing anything and still eating the same, I have already dropped some pounds and I am so angry that nobody bothered to tell me (or us) about the horrible side effects or that the drug is absolutely addictive. There are many health professionals in my family including my dad who is a pharmacist and he too was told there are no withdrawal symptoms, by who, the drug reps who sell the pills to the pharmacies and physcians? Would anyone out Pfizer in the pharmacy trade mags my Dad gets and sends to me-of course not, these drug cos are the ones who pay the advertising fees in the magazines? Every time I see the Zoloft commercial with those little blue sperm looking like things I want to scream because the media has proported this drug as something it is not and has completely negated to include that the side effects are enough to first put an individual into a depression! I was given this drug to alleviate some of the debilitating symptoms of early menopause and the loss of sex drive and nearly 50 lbs I've gained when I eat once a day (always have) could put anyone into a depression. I realize these drugs are dispersed for various reasons, OCD, panic attacks, and depression but I think they are given out too easily and the medical community does NOT know what they do to brain cells so it's easy for those who have never taken them to say there are no horrific side effects and no withdrawal symptoms-the Zoloft commercial clearly states.....not habit forming, yeah right! I have tried desperately since I work in the media to start a petition against Pfizer for their lack of educating the public about this drug in its entirety. I would love if anyone who feels like me, feels like they were misinformed, made to feel like an idiot when they reported symptoms to their doctors about withdrawal or those they experienced while taking the pill only to be dismissed, to PLEASE email me so we can collectively take action. I am first going through hell now trying to get myself off this medication because I will find other ways to deal with my severe perimenopause but I can't just ignore what has been done to all of us. Of course the general public is unbelieving about the addiction factor of these drugs because that is what the media has told them, pharmacists and physicians, therefore a huge group of individuals (including myself) who may not have ever taken Zoloft had we known of the addiction factor AND side effects, have been severely hurt. Yes I feel for some taking Z that the pros outweigh the cons of the drug and they should continue to take the medication, but for many, this drug is not the way to go and my beef really is with the lack of information distributed about them. I wonder if people were told they'd gain huge amts. of weight despite no change in diet or not think about sex (and the other side effects I've heard about) if maybe they would inquire into other medications without these side effects and then not have to experience the hell of withdrawing from them like many and myself are on the board and in society. Please email me so we can take some action and lobby against the lack of information aligned with this drug and please pray that I too can get off this medication with less hell than I am feeling now, thanks. newgirrll@hotmail.com

[This message has been edited by newgirrll (edited 08-29-2003).]

Wow, that was a long post. I'm sorry that you've been having so much trouble! I found my side effects on Zoloft to be aversion to sex, some weight gain, and forgetfulness - I would say I didn't feel as smart. I'm not sure yet whether the forgetfulness and not feeling smart are due to being older, but I have a feeling they're not. As for the sex drive, that's definitely back. As for weight gain, since I have no appetite at all, needless to say I've lost weight. As for the withdrawal effects, yes, they're wicked. And I really resent doctors saying the only thing they can do for you is put you back on or trivializing the withdrawal by saying it must be your original symptoms. When I first quit and had more symptoms after 8 weeks, my psychiatrist told me that I had permenantly bad brin chemistry and should go back on. Unfortunately, I believed him. Now, 2.5 years later, I'm trying again. Definitely struggling, but I want to see what happens. If you're interested in some good research on these drugs, check our "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" - readily available on Amazon - it's a very enlightening book.

Me too on the aversion thing but I'm using the tapering schedule suggested on another message and it's getting better. The other morning my ring and pinky finger were numb and tingling for 4 hours and the next day my thumb was twitching off and on all day. Is this a symptom of the tapering? I don't know. I also feel myself getting more irritable. I'm determined to get my body back. Hopefully, by the new year I will be finished tapering and totally off. Thanks everyone for all the encouragement.

It's amazing how the appetite has changed. When I went on Zoloft 5 years ago I was 6'00" and weighed 195 lbs. During the last 5 years my weight rose to 275lbs with an insatiable appetite for a 38 year old guy.

Since stopping Zoloft on July 23 my weight has dropped 12lbs and I have lost my appetite considerably.

Well, it's been 5+ weeks, the stomach problems [spasm, aching, nausea] are still here, the anxiety has actually increased the last 4 days. Hope it settles down soon but it looks like it may last a few months by what I'm reading here.

Topkitty,

Try taking a Magnesium supplement. You may find it to help with the twitches. Magnesium really helps. I take an additional 250 mgs in addition to a high potency vitamin.

I also want to say that I hear everybody's pain and anger over this drug. I have been struggling to fully become Z free for a year now. I refuse to give up! I will be Z free in 2003!!!!

Does anyone else have "zinging" in your feet, an other parts of the body? It's like putting your feet on a foot massager, then taking them off and you still feel the effect of the vibration. I have that all the time while on the Zoloft and now that I'm going through the withdrawl, I'm still having it and it is worse at times. will this going away eventually????

Optimist -- How are you feeling? I thought it was just me with the forgetfulness. It actually got downright scarey when I was driving. I would literally forget which way to turn and one time actually turned the wrong way down a one way. I was confused and didn't know where to turn. To this day, I still will forget what I was saying. It's so embarrassing. I'm now tapered down to 12.5 mgs every day. I'm tired and unmotivated. Today I was in a bad mood. I hope it gets better soon. :(

I've been z-free for 7 weeks now and everything is settling down a little bit. Still experience nausea, stomach pain, nervousness, anxiety, trembling fingers but it's to a lesser degree and less often.

Today is a really good day for me. I had a bad day yesterday and almost increased the dosage a bit, but decided to ride it out until today and I'm glad I did. I only took half of my dosage again today (I'm now down to 7.25 mgs) and feel great. I have my sense of humor back and no longer feel confused. I'm able to THINK again. My sexual desire is back (with a vengence <grin> ). I'm sleeping like a rock again, and, get this, my desire to drink has disappeared. I was drinking everyday on this drug (not alot but every day). Now, I find I am perfectly happy in the evenings and don't crave it at all.

I'm shocked at how much this little pill has changed me. I'm glad I'm coming out of the fog and being myself again.

There is hope. Never give up giving this stuff up.

Zfree

Hey Optimist,

How are you feeling now? I'm at 8 weeks and still getting nausea, trembling fingers, anxiety, dizziness. Although it seems to be lessening it still occurs. How about you?

Thanks

I hate to say I'm relieved, but reading all these posts makes me think that I'm on schedule for getting through this withdrawal stuff. I'm 6 weeks off, did a 6 month taper and just last week experienced panic/anxiety attacks -- which I have never had in my life before!!!! The rages are slowly ebbing away -- never had that "drop from the sky" anger before either...

I am appalled at what this drug has done to so many people, just pray we will all return to "normal" again.

I seriously believe that in the future - these AD's will be much more closely scrutinized....... If only the phrase "no they are not addictive" is stricken..

Gryffin

Gryffin,

How did the withdrawal symptoms present themselves and how long did they last.

Did they come in stages for you too?

I'll try to be sort of brief!! I keep lots of notes....

After the last Z dose (I was at approx 12.5mgs for 4 wks)

Week 1. No side effects till day 6. Started with sharp stabbing incisive head pains, recurring about every 3-10 min. - each lasting about 10sec. Also dizziness, lethargy. This went on for 2 days then the headaches disappeared, replaced by rapidly cycling emotions. Happy, sad, irritable, despondent, repeat...repeat...repeat....

Week 2. Swinging emotions, within an hour or two, might go from happy to crying to irritable etc... Very vivid emotion too, a lot of "depth"..

Week 3. Same high/low feelings --- and RAGE entered the picture. As in extreme "I could kill" rage. Totally freaked me out as they say. It happened 3/4 times in one day -- just out of the blue I was screaming.... So the day after this happened I started taking 50mg of 5-HTP (had researched this some time ago).

Week 4. Less irritability, no rages, more sadness/apathy/despondency

Week 5. Moderate irritability, increasing loss of motivation and I realized I was feeling increasing anxiety. Periods of high heart rate and irrational fear "of something".

After the last above episode (panic and fear) I'd decided to go back on Z. - but was going to wait more days. Miracle of miracles, I woke up fairly calm, punched "restarting Zoloft" on the search engine... and found this bb. After reading many many posts I felt I needed to give this withdrawal stuff more time.

Week 6. This week I have felt waaaayyyy better, no wildly swinging emotions, just ones I'd call "normal", a little happy, a little sad -- at appropriate times!!!

Sorry this got so long!!

Gryffin

Forgot to add, I had no nausea or anything else. Just the knot in my stomache that came with anxiety.

My appetite steadily decreased with the lessening of the dosage and since quitting Z., I've probably lost 5-10 lb. That's a nice effect.

Gryffin

I went through about the same but had bad stomach problems. Pain/ache like a nervous stomach but very vey much worse than normal.