So I've been on Zoloft since high school and now 33, have weaned off it in preparation for getting pregnant. I weaned from 50 mg to none over the last two months. Yes I have my bouts of depression and irritability with each wean, but nothing unmanageable. About every other summer I go on Asmanex for allergy induced SOB, and sometimes I end up changing to symbicort if it doesn't go away. This summer, at the same time I started to wean the Zoloft my "asthma" kicked in, and I quickly went from Asmanex to Symbicort to Breo 250, added 40 mg of prednisone(tapered over 10 days). As soon as the tapering starts, the SOB returns with a bang. New this summer is chest pain with the SOB, but a muscular pain, reproducible by touching the area of the pain, and Motrin helps relieve it. So I am spending $$$ with pulmonary function tests, cxrays, d-dimmers, CBCs, IgE levels, and what knot trying to rule out a PE, all of which are all perfectly within normal limits. I have never wheezed and my SPO2 is always 99%. Yet the sob is here when I wake up all day and all night and does not respond to my inhaler. I was not convinced for the longest time all this was related to SSRI withdrawal, yet my weans correspond to worstening of SOB with chest pain. I do not nor have not ever had panic attacks, which would be a good excuse for these symptoms. But it's now 3 months in, and I am no closer to relief of symptoms. It's hard to justify getting worked up for cardiac issues as I'm not having a 3 month long heart attack. No high BP/cholesterol, diabetes but yes a family history of atherosclerosis, CABG, aneurism, pulmonary HTN etc. I have done all my treatment through my pulmonologist. I have suggested a CT scan or pulmonary/cardio stress test but they say those are last resort due to radiation bla bla bla. I've never had cardiac issues before and it's most annoying that I can connect my weans in Zoloft to increased sob and chest pain as if this is all just an anxiety reaction. I just started another round of prednisone 3 days ago, this time a longer taper( 40mg x 5 days, then 30 x 5 days etc). So far no relief. I want to try going back on the Zoloft to see it that stops my resp/cardiac symptoms but it is killer to think that the past three months of withdrawal will be for nothing. On top of it EVERYBODY I talk to has had a horrific allergy/asthma summer so this is 99.9% related to that and not the Zoloft or me dying slowly of a heart attack. I know it's prob time to go the cardiac route, and trust me I know my symptoms scream go to the ER but it's not going to be a cardiac issue, my docs "would have/should have" sent me that route 3 months ago if that was the concern. Yes I am a nurse and feel like I am making a stupid decision to keep sitting on these issues, but every time I go for another test I just shell out more $$$ for my high deductible plan all for EVERYTHING to come back normal. It's just extremely frustrating and irritating. Why can't I get this to go away. It is allergies, ssri withdrawal or what. Thoughts?