I have been on Zoloft for almost 7 years. After my moms passing my moods were always up and down. Crying for no reason and well alot of the same you all mention. I have tried several times to come off them and have gone both cold turkey and gradual. I have also put on alot of weight. I have now after tapering down even as far as going from 25mg every other 2 and 3 days amd having horrible withdrawal adn the weird thing is the withdrawal is getting worse as i am off them longer. NOW i am researching all this and I am freaked out....
I stopped taking zoloft three weeks ago, I thought since I was only taking 25mlg a day it would not be a problem to go cold turkey but this weekend was terrible. One minute I was crying the next I just wanted to rip someones haed off. Does anyone know how long it takes zoloft to get out of your system?
Any advice would be helpful.
Any advice would be helpful.
I actually feel a lot better after reading some of the posts on here. I've been taperiing off Zoloft rather quickly over the last month, and it's been a total roller coaster ride! My boyfriend doesn't know what to think. I'm crying on and off for reasons ranging from cute commercials, to facebook comments and hellos. I'm super agitated and much more impulsive than ive been in a long time. Had been on zoloft for about a year overall, taking 100 mg for the past six months or so. Augh, in addition, I have the "brain shivers" and spaced out feeling, and am really tired but not sleepy!! So, my plan is to keep taking 25 mg every few days for another week or so and then just bite the bullet and be done! hopefully my relationship will still be in tact at that point. On a happy note, my sex drive is back full force, I've already been more motivated about working out and losing some of the 20 lbs that have crept on fo rthe first time in my life, and I definitely feel more "alive". Seems worth it to me.
I was put on Zoloft for my depression/anxiety and it started to make me have worse depression, suicidal thoughts and i attempted suicide by overdosing with my medicine twice. Finally, my boyfriend made me stop taking my medicine. I have not been to talk to a doctor yet. Its been 2 weeks since I touched my medicine and I get depressed alot more and then I kinda get hyper at night.
Zoloft is very hard to get off of with having side effects[ I tried to taper off on my own once because I didn't want to get addicted & I was back to my old self alright, Not happy, I was mad all the time, didn't like anybody, telling everyone off and trust me I didn't even like myself. I am taking it for fibromyalgia. My pain was back from a scale of 1-10 about (10 &1/2) I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. I finially decided, I do much better when I'm taking it, & everyone around me is nicer.
Don't fight it, just be thankful for it. It's now generic & it's cheap. They want me to start taking cymbalta but I'm terrified of the withdrawals. Has anybody ever tried to make the switch? How did it go?
Don't fight it, just be thankful for it. It's now generic & it's cheap. They want me to start taking cymbalta but I'm terrified of the withdrawals. Has anybody ever tried to make the switch? How did it go?
I quit taking Zoloft approx 7 days ago and I feel like c**p. I started taking it four months ago after my mother died. Since stopping, I have had nothing but dizziness, insomnia and crying spells for no reason that start and stop suddenly. The nausea is unbearable. I feel like I am going to hurl every time I eat something.
I wish I had never started this drug and had gone to counseling to cope instead. I stopped taking it because I felt numb and drugged up all the time. I caution anyone to talk to your doc before starting and stopping Zoloft.
I hope I feel better soon :'(
I wish I had never started this drug and had gone to counseling to cope instead. I stopped taking it because I felt numb and drugged up all the time. I caution anyone to talk to your doc before starting and stopping Zoloft.
I hope I feel better soon :'(
Hi I had similar experience and exploded on my girlfreind hitting her and wrecking my whole life for nothing when i went off of zoloft cold turkey just a few days before. I was going to ask her to marry me as we had a special loving relationship and I would do anything in the world to make her happy. We had just watched a movie eating popcorn and sweettarts and went to bed and I got agitated because she was going to sleep which is no reason i had or ever would get mad over. My sexual satisfaction was getting the best of me as it wasn't as good while on zoloft and made me think of doing more to fill that void. How stupid and ridiculous how this drug made me feel when upping or lowering it was bad but when going off of it was even the worst. Now I am facing jail time for hitting my girlfreind and she got so mad she had to lie about what happened and gave the police a bogus lie of a reason why it happened instead of backing up what actually happened. And shes trying to sue me for money and lied about not going to work when i have proof of a Birthday party which one of her freinds saw her at and she was fine. I loved and still do love this woman and don't see how she didn't understand this wasn't me but that is the case. i was on 100mg so I understand your struggles okay man. I would like to talk to you so contact me via _[removed]_ if you can okay.
Yes, the course needed for zoloft to take effect is too long actually. it's amazing but it helps then. for more info just read some here http://yourzoloft.com
I WAS ON PAXIL FOR 11 YEARS,I WENT THROUGH HELL!! THE SIDE EFFECTS WERE HORRIBLE,BRAIN ZAPS,AND ALL KINDS OF OTHERS..NOW I AM ON ZOLOFT,AND I REALLY DO THINK IT IS IRRITATING MY IBS,I AM IN PAIN ALL THE TIME.NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. IT IS PRETTY DISCOURAGING.....SUE
I too went off Zoloft cold turkey after about 4 months of being on it, I was on the lowest dose and only taking half a pill (I tried taking the full one and I threw up), and before I started it my doctor said it would be fine to stop taking it at anytime if I felt like I didn't need it anymore. So I started getting sick, with something that I thought may be related to a bad reaction with the Zoloft and these antibiotics I had to take, so I stopped taking my half a pill, well a day or so later I started feeling...weird. I couldn't concentrate, randomly I felt like I was going to either vomit or pass out on the floor, and I break into random sweating episodes (it's -5 degrees windshield today). After going to another doctor he told me it could be several things: Lupus, Leukemia, tumors, so then on top of that I'm thinking I have a serious disease. Thankfully I found this site with people who have had similar problems that I can tell my doctor about. Just yesterday I thought I was dying, but hopefully this information will help me, with drawl feels like a b***h.
did anyone else get tapered off zoloft from a doctor but still having withdrawal?
this is how my doctor did it and I am still trying to understand why it was just down to 50mg and not less after a while: starting with my 100 mg
week 1- 50 mg every day
week 2 and 3 50 mg every other day
week 4 50 mg every two days
week 5 50 mg every three days
week 6 off (on this week now)
I took my last on sunday and it's now Wednesday. last night I could not sleep, I felt very cold and I was shivering and had interrupted sleep and then got too hot all over like I was burning. I've had the brain zaps all along on the days I didn't take it and some of the shivering and feeling a little dizzy too , very restless sleep on and off for these last few weeks. also some irritability, and very depressed and hopeless feelings and anger, some crying spells for no reason. I don't want to call the doctor because obviously they don't know what they are doing or I wouldn't have withdrawl symptoms at all.
did anyone go to a doctor to get tapered off but still having withdrawl? when will this go away finally? I just want to be free and be able to sleep again. :-( any advice?
this is how my doctor did it and I am still trying to understand why it was just down to 50mg and not less after a while: starting with my 100 mg
week 1- 50 mg every day
week 2 and 3 50 mg every other day
week 4 50 mg every two days
week 5 50 mg every three days
week 6 off (on this week now)
I took my last on sunday and it's now Wednesday. last night I could not sleep, I felt very cold and I was shivering and had interrupted sleep and then got too hot all over like I was burning. I've had the brain zaps all along on the days I didn't take it and some of the shivering and feeling a little dizzy too , very restless sleep on and off for these last few weeks. also some irritability, and very depressed and hopeless feelings and anger, some crying spells for no reason. I don't want to call the doctor because obviously they don't know what they are doing or I wouldn't have withdrawl symptoms at all.
did anyone go to a doctor to get tapered off but still having withdrawl? when will this go away finally? I just want to be free and be able to sleep again. :-( any advice?
Yes!
I have been tapering off of Zoloft extremely slowly and I still have horrible withdrawal symptoms. I am physically ill most of the time and trying to work full time as a middle school teacher! It's a nightmare!
I have been on Zoloft for 5 years and I have even tried tapering off slowly over an entire year but still could not tolerate less than 12.5 mg at the end because the withdrawal symptoms were so intense.
Here is how my doctor set me up to get off:
50 mg then 25 mg every other day for 2 weeks
25 every day for 2 weeks
25 then 12.5 (liquid) every other day for 2 weeks
12.5 ever day for 2 weeks
12.5 then nothing every other day for 2 weeks
Nothing
I have found that St. John's Wort works to lessen some of the symptoms (my doctor recommended it to me). It takes the edge off of my dizziness. However it's still a very difficult time.
My symptoms are:
Brain "zaps"
Distorted vision (for which I went to the ER once it was so bad)
Nausea
Diarreah
Dizziness
Loss of concentration
Can't think of words while talking
Trouble sleeping and night sweats
Intense fatigue during the day
No sexual desire
Tip: Use the liquid form of Zoloft when you get down to the lower tapering doses as it allows you to deliver a more precise dose than does splitting the pills with a pill cutter and hoping it's right.
GOOD LUCK.
I have been trying to get off for 5 years and I am still trying, so don't give up!
I have been tapering off of Zoloft extremely slowly and I still have horrible withdrawal symptoms. I am physically ill most of the time and trying to work full time as a middle school teacher! It's a nightmare!
I have been on Zoloft for 5 years and I have even tried tapering off slowly over an entire year but still could not tolerate less than 12.5 mg at the end because the withdrawal symptoms were so intense.
Here is how my doctor set me up to get off:
50 mg then 25 mg every other day for 2 weeks
25 every day for 2 weeks
25 then 12.5 (liquid) every other day for 2 weeks
12.5 ever day for 2 weeks
12.5 then nothing every other day for 2 weeks
Nothing
I have found that St. John's Wort works to lessen some of the symptoms (my doctor recommended it to me). It takes the edge off of my dizziness. However it's still a very difficult time.
My symptoms are:
Brain "zaps"
Distorted vision (for which I went to the ER once it was so bad)
Nausea
Diarreah
Dizziness
Loss of concentration
Can't think of words while talking
Trouble sleeping and night sweats
Intense fatigue during the day
No sexual desire
Tip: Use the liquid form of Zoloft when you get down to the lower tapering doses as it allows you to deliver a more precise dose than does splitting the pills with a pill cutter and hoping it's right.
GOOD LUCK.
I have been trying to get off for 5 years and I am still trying, so don't give up!
Zoloft is an awful drug!
I was prescribed 25-50mgs 9 years ago while I was in college. I began having great difficulty with public speaking and driving. The cute butterfly commercials were on tv at the time, and it was being touted for shy people. I am shy, but love people! I was also drinking gallons of coffee and staying up too late studying, possibly creating my problem. But my doctor was too dumb to figure that out, and gave me a script for Zoloft instead.
Before I begin with the nightmare, let me stress I WAS NOT SICK when I started this drug. I had anxiety (situational )and was a little tired. That is it. Other than these issues, I was as healthy as a horse, never been in the hospital, rarely if ever needed to go to the doctor. I was very active and on the go.
Well, Zoloft worked immediately, what can I say. I loved it. Loved it loved it loved it. I thought it was a gift from God, saved me and my college career. I wasn't as shy as I had been. I felt more social.
But then I found I could not get off without severe head pain and brain zaps. So, I stayed on it. Every few months I would think about going off again, but the symptoms I would get kept me on it, and very afraid to come off. So, I stayed on it for 8 long years. ( I forgot to mention I gained 25 pounds within the first 3 months on it. That was another reason I wanted off ).
After 8 years, I'd had enough. I felt like I no longer needed it, I had been long out of college and the original situations that gave me anxiety were long gone. So, at my doctors advice, I tapered over about 3-4 weeks.
Then my life was shattered. Completely shattered.
I was told the withdrawal would only last a week or two at most, so I rode it out. It never went away and only kept getting worse. So, I gave up and tried to go back on. I couldn't take the symptoms anymore. But my body was having none of that. Strangely, now when I took Zoloft, my body and brain reacted badly, as if it were rejecting it. I got a fever and felt like I was dying. I had no choice but to get off again. I was given other SSRI's, but none of them helped either, and all of them made me worse. I no longer tolerated meds like I did prior to Zoloft.
I kid you not, here I am 3 YEARS later and still very ill, and it all began when getting off Zoloft. Here is what I suffer 24/7.....
severe head pain and pressure
brain zaps/ electrical zaps shooting through brain down to toes
burning in extremities and brain
severe fatigue and weakness
dizziness/vertigo
severe depression ( never was depressed, ever, until coming off Zoloft )
severe anxiety
panic attacks...BAAAAD
daily crying jags
skin eruptions and rashes
bone and muscle pain
burning tongue
insomnia
digestive pain
cramping on right side under rib cage
hair loss
sensitivities to food and medications previously tolerated well
extremely sensitive to vitamins and minerals previously tolerated well
no motivation / severe apathy
loss of career and income/ on disability
derealization/ depersonalization
back and neck spasms
unable to drive, shop, or eat out
increased allergies to things once tolerated well ( smoke, dust, cats )
suicidal thoughts....pretty regularly and very scary
nightmares
jaw pain from clenching teeth ( I guess from severe stress )
agoraphobia...very heartbreaking since I used to be so busy
ears ringing
feeling like being hit it the back of the head with a shovel
pressure in chest, like a 100 elephants are sitting on me
racing pulse, even when resting
increased blood pressure and cholesterol
metallic taste
bladder spasms
loss of cognition/ mental function ( feels like I lost 50 IQ points )
difficulty concentrating and recalling facts
I wrote a letter to Pfizer, detailing my story and my symptoms. They blew me off and wanted a doctors opinion of what my illness is from. No doctor will admit to Zoloft being the cause of this illness, so Pfizer pretty much told me they take no responsibility. They ruined my life, and take no responsibility. They train their drug reps to educate doctors that these drugs are harmless. They know better, but rake in too much money to do anything about it.
They do not care how many lives they destroy, as long as they continue making their billions off innocent victims.
I was prescribed 25-50mgs 9 years ago while I was in college. I began having great difficulty with public speaking and driving. The cute butterfly commercials were on tv at the time, and it was being touted for shy people. I am shy, but love people! I was also drinking gallons of coffee and staying up too late studying, possibly creating my problem. But my doctor was too dumb to figure that out, and gave me a script for Zoloft instead.
Before I begin with the nightmare, let me stress I WAS NOT SICK when I started this drug. I had anxiety (situational )and was a little tired. That is it. Other than these issues, I was as healthy as a horse, never been in the hospital, rarely if ever needed to go to the doctor. I was very active and on the go.
Well, Zoloft worked immediately, what can I say. I loved it. Loved it loved it loved it. I thought it was a gift from God, saved me and my college career. I wasn't as shy as I had been. I felt more social.
But then I found I could not get off without severe head pain and brain zaps. So, I stayed on it. Every few months I would think about going off again, but the symptoms I would get kept me on it, and very afraid to come off. So, I stayed on it for 8 long years. ( I forgot to mention I gained 25 pounds within the first 3 months on it. That was another reason I wanted off ).
After 8 years, I'd had enough. I felt like I no longer needed it, I had been long out of college and the original situations that gave me anxiety were long gone. So, at my doctors advice, I tapered over about 3-4 weeks.
Then my life was shattered. Completely shattered.
I was told the withdrawal would only last a week or two at most, so I rode it out. It never went away and only kept getting worse. So, I gave up and tried to go back on. I couldn't take the symptoms anymore. But my body was having none of that. Strangely, now when I took Zoloft, my body and brain reacted badly, as if it were rejecting it. I got a fever and felt like I was dying. I had no choice but to get off again. I was given other SSRI's, but none of them helped either, and all of them made me worse. I no longer tolerated meds like I did prior to Zoloft.
I kid you not, here I am 3 YEARS later and still very ill, and it all began when getting off Zoloft. Here is what I suffer 24/7.....
severe head pain and pressure
brain zaps/ electrical zaps shooting through brain down to toes
burning in extremities and brain
severe fatigue and weakness
dizziness/vertigo
severe depression ( never was depressed, ever, until coming off Zoloft )
severe anxiety
panic attacks...BAAAAD
daily crying jags
skin eruptions and rashes
bone and muscle pain
burning tongue
insomnia
digestive pain
cramping on right side under rib cage
hair loss
sensitivities to food and medications previously tolerated well
extremely sensitive to vitamins and minerals previously tolerated well
no motivation / severe apathy
loss of career and income/ on disability
derealization/ depersonalization
back and neck spasms
unable to drive, shop, or eat out
increased allergies to things once tolerated well ( smoke, dust, cats )
suicidal thoughts....pretty regularly and very scary
nightmares
jaw pain from clenching teeth ( I guess from severe stress )
agoraphobia...very heartbreaking since I used to be so busy
ears ringing
feeling like being hit it the back of the head with a shovel
pressure in chest, like a 100 elephants are sitting on me
racing pulse, even when resting
increased blood pressure and cholesterol
metallic taste
bladder spasms
loss of cognition/ mental function ( feels like I lost 50 IQ points )
difficulty concentrating and recalling facts
I wrote a letter to Pfizer, detailing my story and my symptoms. They blew me off and wanted a doctors opinion of what my illness is from. No doctor will admit to Zoloft being the cause of this illness, so Pfizer pretty much told me they take no responsibility. They ruined my life, and take no responsibility. They train their drug reps to educate doctors that these drugs are harmless. They know better, but rake in too much money to do anything about it.
They do not care how many lives they destroy, as long as they continue making their billions off innocent victims.
I have been on Zoloft for about 9 years now. I started with 50mg. It was suppose to take 10 days to start working. In 1 hour I felt great. I grew up thinking the norm is a heavy stress feeling in my chest. I took the Zoloft and life has never been the same. I used it and loved it. I always felt like I cant live without it. Last year I went through some "stuff". I was bumped up to 100mg daily. Life is good again except...... No sex for me. I am now trying to cut down to 50mg with out the Doc knowing. I want to stock some up in case of a Terror fallout. The fear of not having it. Any way, just with this cut down I am having the electric flashes. They are bad on day 4 but Im getting along. Like many other I have a back issue. I take moraphine, zolofe, 1 xanax (.25) to help me sleep and over the counter stuff. I have no feelings :$ at all. Im numb. I don't care that I don't go out to meet others, no sex at 37 etc...
My goal is to cut down on Morafhine, get off the Xanax and get to 25mg of Zoloft by my self. I want to go out and meet a nice girl, have a sex life, have feelings and get a life. Is it possable? Who knows but I do know it must be done. I hope to find a class action law suit agens Zoloft as I was told that there is no habit forming issues. BULL POOP. Flash, flash, flash.
My goal is to cut down on Morafhine, get off the Xanax and get to 25mg of Zoloft by my self. I want to go out and meet a nice girl, have a sex life, have feelings and get a life. Is it possable? Who knows but I do know it must be done. I hope to find a class action law suit agens Zoloft as I was told that there is no habit forming issues. BULL POOP. Flash, flash, flash.
Ok, so I stopped taking Zoloft not by fault but, by accident. Lets just say that I'll never EVER do that again. I left my pills in my car over the weekend..so I forgot to take them. I didn't think it was a big deal. Sunday and Monday were the worst days. I felt really dizzy and I through up a couple of times last night. I've had really bad headaches...and it just sucks. I will never do this again. My moms a pharmacist and said that you're never EVER suppose to stop taking Zoloft cold turkey...you have to ease off of it. I think i'm going to try that...i just don't wanna feel like this ever again!