3 yrs after stopping Zoloft still having withdrawal symptoms every day

Posted by michelegray @michelegray, Oct 31, 2022

I'm at my wits end. I was on high levels of Effexor for 20 years and then Zoloft for 10 years. I felt I no longer needed antidepressants so weaned myself off Zoloft over 6 months. About a week after completely stopping, I developed tinnitus, lightheadedness and internal vibrations. It's progressed to the point that it is now almost constant. My primary care dr. felt that it was just a coincidence that the symptoms started and believed it was inner ear related as I do have moderate hearing loss. I've been to ear specialists, endocrinologist, and neurologists. Have had MRI, blood work, glucose tests, brain scans, vestibular tests and nothing has been found. My primary care put me back on a low dosage of Zoloft to see if that would help but it didn't. Every single day is a struggle. Should I try to take higher doses of Zoloft or, as said on the antidepressants withdrawal website, resign myself that I've permanently damaged my brain with withdrawing too quickly? I don't even know what kind of doctor to go to next because none of them seem to believe that SSRI withdrawal symptoms are a real thing. The closest large medical center to me is John Hopkins but they want a diagnosis before I can get an appointment there. The Cleveland Clinic needs to know what specialty. I have no idea what to say because I have no provable idea of what is causing this. I don't know if my insurance will cover the Mayo clinic and it is really far from me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated !!!

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@annewoodmayo

For ear-ringing, I tried LipoFlavonoid. It's over the counter. Ear doc recommended it to me. Took about 4-6 weeks to take effect, but it helped a lot!
Good luck to you all!

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@annewoodmayo
Thank you for your suggestion. I have used LipoFlavonoid for years and then I stopped it because there was unfortunately no improvement whatsoever.

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