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Quitting Zoloft. Advice or insights?
Hello, I’ve been taking between 25 and 50 milligrams Zoloft for about 14 years for anxiety. It helps but I’ve become increasingly worried about the long term effects. I have quit cold turkey and tried tapering off several times and I always return within a couple of weeks because of the withdrawal symptoms.. dizziness, crying, fogginess, and agitation mostly. The agitation is the worst part. I find myself so irritable I can’t bear it. And then I feel horrible for having been short with my husband or family. But I struggle with if I need medication and worry about the long term side effects. I wonder if it has changed who I am. I’d like to be off it. My doctor has also prescribed .25 mg Xanax which I rarely use. It gives me comfort just to know it’s there if I need it. Any advice or insight for stopping Zoloft? And thoughts on if taking Zoloft for this long changes your personality and who you are? Thank you!
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I also have been on Zoloft for a long time. I am trying to reduce from 50mg to 25mg. Wow! Not fun. Crying, low energy and brain fog...I do take Xanax to help which is not great. I am 71yrs old and it is hard.
Please start by cutting down ONE day a week for a month, and then TWO days a week for another month. It will take time but won’t be as painful. Getting off antidepressants is a serious thing and takes time to do properly,
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Headaches can last for several weeks. Rest and fluids is important. Hang in there and I hope it passes. Getting off Zoloft after 2 years myself but no symptoms. I do nap a lot and drink a lot of water so maybe I haven’t noticed other withdrawal symptoms myself.
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2 ReactionsDoes Efexer course weight gane
Ive been thinking about going on zoloft for trauma, weight loss but mainly imbalance issues. I have adhd with depression. Any insight?
If you still suffer from depression why are you tapering off Zoloft!?
Depression is something you will have to deal with your entire life. If Zoloft is working stay on it. You are taking a minimal dose. “If it isn’t broke why fix it”Remember what it was like when you were having a depressive episode. Do you really want to go through that again?
Good luck to you.
We really need a "not helpful" option. That's what I'd click for your comment.
I am sorry you feel that way.
I didn’t know I suffered from depression for many years. I just knew that there were times life was easy and there were times life was hard and very dark.
The advent of SSRI’s was life changing for me and more importantly my family. Yes there are sexual side effects but they didn’t outweigh my being a better father and husband. Ironically my son suffers from depression and by being open with my struggles he was able to address it right away his freshman year of college. He went on to get his law degree and is now a diplomat stationed in Kuala Lumpur.
My daughter suffered from OCD and anxiety. Like my son she sought help and is a tremendous wife, mother and extremely successful in business.
A good friend of mine has a wife suffered from depression for many years and was taking Prozac. They retired and she decided she could wean herself off Prozac because her stressful job was over. Long story short it was a disaster for her and her husband. Her depression came back and it took her six weeks to feel herself again once she resumed taking her medication.
Long story short depression is not something you can just wish away. It has a strong genetic component and like any other health condition you can’t just ignore it.
The descent in to depression is very gradual and once you are there unfortunately it can take up to six weeks to feel better once you resume your medication.
I have been there and done that myself. I was just offering advice based on my own experiences. That is what I thought this site was for.
Good luck to you.
You may be having some from of withdrawals. Watch your symptoms and be mindful of your pain level. Please wean yourself slowly.