Taking Zoloft for 2 weeks, can I just stop? I'm a mess! Please help me out...

Feelsick

There is a guy that just posted going through similar problems and a user of lexapro for ten years replied you can't take it on and off and you will not feel right until your at your right dose my gf took it for a while for ppd and she was moody but no panic attacks until she smoked marijuana QND had a panic attack and she is no longer on it after about a year of use and she has anxiety issues now which I do also but I am not sure if you can just stop you should call your doc or a doc and ask before stopping because it could make it worse by messing with the serotonin levels and what not

LovingMomma

You should call your doctor. Just stopping it cold turkey may make your symptoms worse. Also, it takes about 6 weeks for your body to get the full effect of the medicine. And the more times you have stopped & started Zoloft, the higher the dose you will need to feel the same effect. Also, you need to stay on the medicine for at least 6 months to "train" your body to produce the right amount of seratonin.

call your doctor and if your doctor doesn't know the things that i've mentioned, then you need to find a new doctor.

Foxxii

So I did stop taking it. The last one I took was Saturday night. Didn't take it Sunday night obviously, and I woke up Monday morning feeling ALOT better, no dizziness at all! It's been 3 days without it now and so far, so good. I don't really think it was in my system long enough, or a high enough dosage to cause any major withdrawal effects (1 week on 12.5 & 1 week on 25). Just some REALLY horrible start up s/e!
Saturday morning I had such a bad panic attack I was gonna go to the ER, I really thought something was wrong with me. I was dizzy to the point where I felt I would pass out, had palpitations, shaking inside and out, BOTH of my arms were tingling down to my hands, and my NECK on both sides, like up behind my ears, was tingling. If I turned my head to the left or right it got worse. I never had that happen before and it scared the crap outta me! So I took a .5 xanax and after about a half hour I was fine. Seems that the Zoloft just made the panic attacks worse, more frequent, and definately different! I have decided that i'm just gonna stick to my xanax, this seems to help me, so I figure why fix what's not broken.... Thanks for your advice though, it really meant alot that someone actually answered my post.

Conch

Foxii, Just be careful on the Xanax, it really is a PRN or as needed drug. Maybe a different SSRI would work for you

Foxxii

Thanks for your concern Conch. So far i've been getting by on taking a .5 at night before bed, that's when it seems my anxiety is worse for some reason, and if I get anything during the day, i just break one in half and take .25 just to take the edge off. I know how addictive they can be so I try to only take them when i really need to, and the lowest dose I can get by with.

Conch

No problem Foxii, I think the best method is low and slow
on any SSRI. That is low dose and slow titrating, often with
a Benzo on board to mitigate side effects for the first month or so.
I found Klonopin very helpful as far as a Benzo, less sedating than Xanax
and lasts longer throughout the day. Xanax is great for anxiety, I reserve it for only a few
times a year when I'm under huge stress at work.

Good luck, don't give up on the SSRI's, I couldn't tolerate Lexapro
for more than 5 days but have worked up to 50 mg of Zoloft and starting to see Anxiety
fade away,,,