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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 definitely feel it when I go off Sertraline. I’ve been on 100mg for years. There is a lethargy and disconnect between my thoughts and my movements.
I specifically came to Mayo Connect today to see if anyone was talking about medically supervised psychedelic drug therapy!
@gingerbear22 I was on, compared to your dose, not very much and certainly not for very long but I agree..I felt super listless and could not focus for long on anything well for long...At this point I'm interested in hearing if anyone has used it, Sertraline, at any dose and has had a good experience with it....No way i'm going back to that drug, just interested in why..if it seems to have such negative long term drawbacks....why was that..at least in my situation....the Dr.s go to drug.....and.....psychedelic drug therapy.....I'm interested....!! I need to figure out the medical marijuana issue, first..but I didn't even know that (psychedelic drug therapy) was a thing...! I'm going out on a limb here in thinking if this state still thinks cannabis..in any form, is a bad thing just because it remains illegal....anything to do with psychedelic drug therapy is off the table.....laughs..I need to leave this state and join you all out there in the real world....!!!
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1 ReactionGood morning! I am almost positive that subject can and has been discussed on here. In fact, I saw a discussion someone had started on it. I live in Arizona and we can use it medically (with doctors prescription), for recreation and even allowed to grow a certain amount! If you would like, I can check around and see what is required legally and there might even be a Dr. in an adjoining state that is licensed in your state! Good luck to you and take care! @btsum68
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1 ReactionGood morning to you, my friend..!!! At this point.....I'll take all the help I can get...I'm in N.C. and the closest state to me that has..I think..a medical program...and maybe recreational, as well, is Virginia. I'll admit that after all these years I'm not optimistic..at all, that N.C. will ever join the 21st century in most progressive matters....especially the one we are discussing. I can't..or I guess refuse to, just give up altogether. Seems to me as a decidedly non-medical professional that since...NOT IF...since, it is a viable medical option it should be available as an option for those of us that want to try it. It has been many years, quite literally, since I have enjoyed the recreational benefits of that amazing plant and maybe my brain is so scrambled now that it won't work. In order to find out...the way I see it I have 2 choices. 1) just find some on my own..accept the illegality of it and just take my chances.....find out if it would work for me..and then...I don't know...use it illegally, and pay for it out of pocket or....2) wait until N.C. joins the 21st century and allows it to be prescribed by an actual Dr. I'm 57 years old and..laughs... option #2 is one I'm not sure I'll live long enough to realize the benefits of. I searched here using the tag medical marijuana and found basically nothing.....maybe you can point me in the right direction...? I do thank you for even bothering to respond to what must seem just this side of desperation....in fact...laughs in that most frustrated of ways..it IS...nothing crazy mind you....I have already resigned myself to the remainder of my days not only brain injured...and unable to walk or see properly...but to see and almost smell and taste that medical option..just out of my reach....Anyway....as always thank you for your help and take care of YOU..!!
Even if there was a medical marijuana program in your state, you would have to qualify for it. In my state there is a medical marijuana program, there are "recreational" use dispensaries, and it is legal to grow your own. Pretty liberal, but I still don't qualify for the medical marijuana card. Each state has a list of conditions for which they will give medical marijuana cards; the conditions are different in all states. To get the card you need a physical exam from your doctor, just to verify for the state you have a condition on the list. Some conditions can be found on just about every list, such as pain from cancer or other refractory pain, some conditions can't be found on any list, such as most mental health conditions or insomnia. You can find all this info online, no need to move to a state having no idea what their MM laws are. Because it is still illegal at the federal leveI, there is a dearth of quality research into effectiveness for many conditions. I have insomnia, for which I "self medicate" - that is to say I use it, my doctor even suggested it and certainly supports my use of it. Last summer I grew my own and have a ready supply, plan to do the same this year. It's a shame some doctors are so closed minded about it. It's a way to experience relief that doesn't give you a hangover or cause other side effects and health problems that prescription drugs do. It's not for everyone, makes some very anxious, sounds like you have some experience with it. Because laws are different in all states, and it is illegal federally, it is illegal to transport across state lines, regardless of legal status in your state. Also, there are conditions, mostly serious mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and illnesses that feature psychosis that would not be a good fit with cannabis; it can cause psychosis in those with some of these serious conditions. You mention both CBD and marijuana - I assume you do know that CBD does not contain THC and marijuana does contain THC, so big difference in effect. Good luck.
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2 Reactions@lauralouisenelson
thanks for the intel....Of course there are conditions..laughs..of course there are.. and I'll go out on a limb here in thinking that whatever they are...at least here in N.C. I would never qualify or whatever the term is for a card.... I do....or did...have quite a bit of experience with that amazing plant and...at this point..the, what I think of as big pharma poison, is just not helping and in fact is actually causing harm...You assume correctly that I do know the difference between cannabis and a lab version of it (CBD)....I have tried some of the CBD and it just doesn't do what I still think and remember cannabis flower can do for me...So do I just forget even trying to get a card..here or anywhere...and go rogue and get it on my own...try to fake my way through the drug test that will surely come..?? Seems utterly backwards to me....but..laughs desperate times will, in all likelihood, call for desperate measures....Thanks again for the intel....!!
Looks like N.C. has a bill right now that is likely to legalize medical marijuana for a very limited number of conditions - not yet articulated - but stay tuned, keep up on your state's legislation this year. Eventually all this state nonsense will go away when the feds smarten up enough to decriminalize cannabis, it's just a matter of time. I agree about cannabis vs other pharmaceuticals. I don't do well with drugs like AD, I do just fine with cannabis. You will not feel the "high" you're thinking of from CBD, because it contains only trace amounts of THC, the psychoactive part. Yes, cannabis would show up in a blood test, there's no faking your way through it. If you have a job or other situation where you have to test, you can't do cannabis. I don't know your condition, but if you want to know if it's one that is commonly on medical marijuana (MM) registries, it's easy enough to find out. Google "qualifying conditions" for just about any state. Here's a link to an article on MM legislation in your state.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajherrington/2023/02/21/north-carolina-senate-panel-approves-medical-marijuana-bill/
These are the qualifying conditions for my state, to give you an idea.
Cancer
Multiple sclerosis
HIV or AIDS
Glaucoma
Crohn's disease
Parkinson's disease
Post-traumatic stress disorder
PTSD requires attestation that the patient is an active therapy client. This can be provided through the Mental Health Care Provider form, or by simply providing the contact information for your therapist.
Medical conditions that produce one or more of the following symptoms also may qualify: wasting syndrome, chronic pain, severe nausea, or seizures.
It would be irresponsible of me to suggest breaking the law to get it on your own. I have, and I'd do it again if I had to, but that's a chance you have to decide whether you're willing to take.
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1 ReactionThanks again for the intel. !!! I had read about that bill here in N.C. but....laughs..I grew up here in N.C. and N.C. is what it has always been..slow and/or late to the party and always..always full of bullshit judgements..pardon my language... but I'm 100% over this state. I think it's more than fair to say/think that as a purely medicinal bill/act it should have many, many more "qualifying" conditions... So..unless I leave the state altogether I will have to find a Dr. here that will understand both the importance of what cannabis can offer and one that can find a condition that would qualify me for a card....that will have to be renewed every year. So far the Dr.s I have seen here use a turnstyle and I have never even seen the same one more than twice. And.....as I'm sure I've already written in this thread I ask and they (the Dr.s) auto dismiss the idea due to the legality..or illegality..of that plant.... Full stop. end of discussion and then I am THAT old man.....That bill has to pass, first..and not get revoked by the next administration AND I have to find a Dr, that will basically stay with me for more than a visit or 2 AND be ok with prescribing that plant for use...With all respect....I worked for many decades as a Chef in Hotels and once the drug test became basically a condition of employment....I/we managed to find a way to get pass the test. The Feds test may very well be different and those old tricks may not work.....damnit WHY do I even have to think about getting around a law like that..?? That actually physically upsets me..The system itself is broken....I need to either pack my bags and get ready to move or figure out a way to get around the testing....or..laughs the last option..which is, for me, really not an option...just go towards the addictive light of big pharma and give up on any semblance of living a life without that monkey on my back for the rest of my days..on that I'll pass with much conviction. I'd rather be miserable. Thank you for taking the time and for the intel. If it's not asking too much..perhaps we could stay in touch here....?? You seem like you know a thing or two about the plant in question and I realize that I get way to wound up when I even think about the government here in N.C. doing something that would cost them very little.....actually even help them make money and actually help patients like me that do not want to become benzo junkies...but....let me stop right there, thank you again for your help and offer my friendship here .....however I can do that...??
I've been taking 25 mg Sertraline for several years and it helps me a lot. When I wake up, feeling foul, I take the Sertraline and lie back down until it kicks in and I'm ready to face the day. So sorry it didn't work for you!