Getting off Zoloft?!
Question: Following the death of my son's father while I was pregnant almost 6 yrs. ago, I was prescribed Zoloft. I have tapered myself off slowly (over six weeks) from 75 mg to 0 per day. However, I am haing awful side effects. I am irritable, I get a strange tingling sensation in my left hand/arm, and the dizziness is soo unpredictable! I took my last 25mg dose on Saturday. How long will this last??
Answers: Following the death of my son's father while I was pregnant almost 6 yrs. ago, I was prescribed Zoloft. I have tapered myself off slowly (over six weeks) from 75 mg to 0 per day. However, I am haing awful side effects. I am irritable, I get a strange tingling sensation in my left hand/arm, and the dizziness is soo unpredictable! I took my last 25mg dose on Saturday. How long will this last??
I just got off paxil about a month and a half ago and I had alot of the same side effects. I was on it for 10 years. I was only taking 25 mg a night but it still was awful getting off of. My doctor told me to start taking half for a week, then half of the half the next week, then that same amount every other day for a week. After that I still had headaches for a week or two longer but now the side effects are totally gone! It was not fun at all and at first I tried quiting cold turkey and I was way nauseous and threw up for the first dew days, so definitely don't do that! Those drugs are nasty!
Weaning oneself off of prescription psychoactive drugs is not advisable. Consult your family physician or psychiatrist who prescribed the Zoloft.
I was prescribed sertraline last September. While on it, I must have gained like 15 pounds and then was even more depressed then when I started so a few weeks back, I weaned myself off it and it took about two weeks for things to go back. So to answer your question Two weeks and then maybe a little, but just a little tingling after that until it finally dissapates completely. But u do realize everyone is different. Best of luck to you.
I went through the same tingling feelings, irritability, etc. It took about 3 months for all of that to go away completely. It does get better & less severe, but it is still really hard to deal with, I know. Just push through it & make sure your doctor is aware & helping you wean off your meds. Good luck!
You can wean yourself off slowly. not right away though probably get the lowest dose possible and only half a pill a day to no pills a day and when you feel you need it sleep it off I know I'm a nurse it works.
When I went off of it, I started a natural suppliment at Kroger called SAMe, Stress Relief Formula. It has natural amino acids that our bodies naturally make. I feel so good on it, and it helped me make the transisition. Otherwise seratonin levels drop so much after getting off zoloft causing all those symptoms you mentioned. In the past, the irritability (which I think was from the imbalance I developed from the drug) always lead me back to Zoloft. SAMe is what has gotten me off Zoloft for good. I don't like taking drugs but I feel good about taking this suppliment. Most of the time I don't even feel like I need it, and can stop and start it as needed.
just like any meds, if you are going t ostop taking them, get off of them very slowly and gradually. you can never just stop completey. you have to reduce your intake lsowly