• 🇳🇿 🇲🇲 🇯🇵 🇨🇳 🇦🇺 🇦🇶 🇮🇳
    Australian & Asian
    Drug Discussion

    Welcome Guest!
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

SSRI discontinuation syndrome: how to reduce symptoms

P

psytaco

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
1,673
I have started tapering of zoloft 50mg about a week ago. Up until today the symptoms haven't been bothering me that much. But today is the first day I have experienced the 'zaps'. for those who don't know it is like having a bolt of electricity going through your brain. I'm only get mild ones at this stage, but they are occuring probably every 30 seconds. Not enough at the moment for me to be in alot of discomfort, but enough to be annoying.

I was wondering if anyone knows of any tips, medications or supplements/vitamines to reduce the symptoms of SSRI withdrawal. I am now down to between 35-30mg a day, and was looking to drop to 25mg in a few days.

My other symptoms are:

Insomnia.
Lethargy
Dizziness
Nausea
Brain zaps
Headache
Rebound insomnia and anxiety (mild).
Sweating excessively if exercising - its also summer in australia which doesn't help.

I am currently taking fish oil capsules (they help with the headache/zaps a bit but not too much), ginger tablets for nausea, paracetemol and codeine, and doxylamine (sedative antihistamine) for insomnia.

Any other suggestions or words of advice? I would like to get off zoloft in the next month or so.
 
Do a CWE on the codeine and get some relief for a few hours?

Also, 5-HTP may help. Pharmacies with naturopaths and herbal dispensaries in them sometimes sell it, can be pricey though.

ETA: Also, how fast are you tapering?
 
I used to be on 300mg of effexor xr (for about 4 years) so I know all about the brain zaps. Unfortunately I don't know how to help with them. Make sure you taper off your meds properly, take your medication at the same time each day. Best thing to do is speak with your GP and make sure your tapering for the right amount of time.
 
Mr Blonde said:
Do a CWE on the codeine and get some relief for a few hours?

Also, 5-HTP may help. Pharmacies with naturopaths and herbal dispensaries in them sometimes sell it, can be pricey though.

ETA: Also, how fast are you tapering?
Click to expand...

My original plan was to drop the dose by 12.5mg a fortnight. Because it was easy initially, I have sped up a bit - down to between 35-30mg a day after a week.

I was thinking of finishing quicker because I've noticed in the last month I am putting on weight really easily, and it isn't coming off despite going to the gym most days. So the quicker my metabolism gets back to normal (or whatever the hell goes on with ssri's and gaining weight) the better. but I'll taper more slowly if it becomes unbearable.

Myinnerself: did you notice that brain zaps can get alot stronger and more painful the lower you taper? or do they stay at about the same level of discomfort. Because though they are present, and frequent atm, they are more annoying than disturbing.
 
^ A slower taper might be needed. The quick drop to less then half your dose after a week is probably what is causing the zaps.
 
Diaz helps ime but that's not always a good option for everyone. Plus Vitamin B1. Betamine 100mg Thiamine twice a day. Not sure if you can get it without rx.

Or if its that bad you possibly look at swapping to Prozac. It's way longer half life allows a smoother taper as it stay in your system a,lot longer and you can still reduce with it in your system.
 
psytaco said:
I have started tapering of zoloft 50mg about a week ago. Up until today the symptoms haven't been bothering me that much. But today is the first day I have experienced the 'zaps'. for those who don't know it is like having a bolt of electricity going through your brain. I'm only get mild ones at this stage, but they are occuring probably every 30 seconds. Not enough at the moment for me to be in alot of discomfort, but enough to be annoying.

I was wondering if anyone knows of any tips, medications or supplements/vitamines to reduce the symptoms of SSRI withdrawal. I am now down to between 35-30mg a day, and was looking to drop to 25mg in a few days.

My other symptoms are:

Insomnia.
Lethargy
Dizziness
Nausea
Brain zaps
Headache
Rebound insomnia and anxiety (mild).
Sweating excessively if exercising - its also summer in australia which doesn't help.

I am currently taking fish oil capsules (they help with the headache/zaps a bit but not too much), ginger tablets for nausea, paracetemol and codeine, and doxylamine (sedative antihistamine) for insomnia.

Any other suggestions or words of advice? I would like to get off zoloft in the next month or so.
Click to expand...

Hey mate... All these SSRIs SNRIs etc... I think are a fucking bullshit solution to anxiety. I am currently on 50mg Pristiq, and to try and taper off those bad boys is like gettin off benzos!

I personally don't know what could work for you, but cannabis works for nausea for me. Codeine helps with headaches and the dizzy feeling, but the brain zaps, I don't think ANYTHING will work for those. I decided to forget about tapering off, and just started back up to 50mg a day. I can't afford to feel like shit for a couple months.

Hope you find something, and I hope someone has an idea for the brain zaps!
 
Best thing ever for me was Prochlorperazine (Stemetil) Yep it helped with the brain zaps :) Gotta get your doctor to prescribe this. Switching to a longer half-life ssri can help, although I'd guess it'd prolong things.

I came off effexor xr at 225mg. Was hell! Couldn't do anything but lay in bed. Luckily saw a good psychiatrist who tapered me off slowly...the slower you can go the better, give your brain a chance to stabilize with each reduction. Split the lowest dosage tablets into smaller amounts if you have to.

Wouldn't compare them to coming off benzos though, different kettle of fish.

The worst bit about SSRI WD is how little was known about it. A few years ago if you stopped taking one and went to the doctor complaining of those symptoms, they usually wouldn't take you seriously. I'm pretty sure it still isn't widely known and I'm unsure how much we know about it in detail. Pharmacists and Psychiatrists seem to know a lot more about it these days thankfully.

Keep working at it psytaco...it was well worth it for me. My memory improved, I felt proper emotions again, noticed things like the sun on my skin and a gentle breeze, friends/family noticed a difference and commented about getting the 'old chris' back, sense of humour returned, life became amazing again instead of 'meh', sex drive returned :D. Hadn't even noticed how effexor had effected me...it happened slowly and subtly. Probably didn't need it in the first place. (note - 'life became amazing again' not all good mind you, the lows returned as well as the highs...I think the lows are important though, so long as you've not got proper full on depression)

Talk to your doc before trying any of these suggestions...get a referral to a good psychiatrist if possible as they know what they're doing, unlike most GPs.
 
Last edited:
Christ! said:
Best thing ever for me was Prochlorperazine (Stemetil) Yep it helped with the brain zaps :) Gotta get your doctor to prescribe this. Switching to a longer half-life ssri can help, although I'd guess it'd prolong things.
Click to expand...

The problem there is though that you're meant to leave a gap between taking different SSRI/SNRI's to avoid seratonin syndrome (amongst possible things). This makes it catch-22 - you want to stop one so you can take another to help you stop the first one.

Christ! said:
I came off effexor xr at 225mg. Was hell! Couldn't do anything but lay in bed. Luckily saw a good psychiatrist who tapered me off slowly...the slower you can go the better, give your brain a chance to stabilize with each reduction. Split the lowest dosage tablets into smaller amounts if you have to.
Click to expand...

I refused to take more than 150mg Efexor(/Venlafaxine) (SNRI) after reading about all the issues people were having trying to come off it. Fortunately I think I mostly avoided the brain-zaps as I wasn't on it for all that long before finding this out.

I'd have to agree with the above - GP's don't seem to have a lot of knowledge on this. Basically to echo the above taper off slowly and hang in there.

Psytaco - did any of the prescribed anti-depressants actually have a beneficial effect or not? (None of mine did - short term marginal gains at best).

Oh, I was also prescribed Seroquel off-label to use to help with the insomnia, but it made getting out of bed in the morning near impossible, so chose not to take it.
 
Its best to do all this under the advice of psychiatrist. Is there a particular reason you're not?
 
My doctor finds no reason to refer me to a psychiatrist for depression/anxiety/insomnia
 
thanks for the all the replies guys.

I'm feeling a bit better now. I have found that if I sleep properly the brain zaps are minimal. Codeine helps. I have cut down to 25mg three days ago which is half my original dose. I'm still managing to exercise most days and am even making improvments at the gym despite feeling crappy. My emotions are becoming more complex and returning to normal (feel less flat and like a zombie), and libido is returning to normal too.

Vanth: I'm doing this in consultation with a doctor, and haven't needed to go talk to a psychologist for months. I have never seen a psychiatrist, so I didn't think it was worth the time or the money to do it now. I have a psych degree and have done plenty of research on antidepressants so I'm pretty confident in not getting any nasty surprises.

Berocca: yeah I do they think they helped. Initially they helped with getting over depression although in some respects they made me alot more emotionally unstable, and for want of a better word 'crazy'. also, in the first few months they made my anxiety worse in some regards. i think alot of my depression and anxiety cleared up when I moved out of an intolerable living situation (basically I was living with cunts). So, its kind of hard to differentiate how much they helped, but they did help a bit. However, the side effects pissed me off enough to want to quit them.
 
Jakeperson said:
My doctor finds no reason to refer me to a psychiatrist for depression/anxiety/insomnia
Click to expand...

you have the right to see a better doctor.
you can get 12 free visits to a shrink or a psychiatrist if you just tick 4-5 on every box on the psycho test ;)
 
^ It's to a psychologist, not a psychiatrist.

And yes, Jakeperson you deserve better health care then that.
 
Good luck psytaco! Glad to hear you're getting through it. Getting off SSRIs and SNRIs SUCKS. But it's doable, even if you suffer a lot while doing it. :(

I went through it with Aropax and Effexor- turns out they probably are the worst to get off, lucky me! I got off aropax in 1999 and Effexor (400mg a fucking day) in 2002. Someone I know, ahem, had a 2 gram plus a day heroin habit in the past and getting off that was a walk in the park compared to getting off Effexor. No joke. At least now a bit more is known about it, back then I was basically disbelieved by the psychiatrist about how fucking unbearable it was. The brain zaps didn't stop for about 4 months after I stopped, and I cut down really really slowly, reducing every few days over about 2 months. Effexor would be fucking illegal if it was up to me :X

I took some tramadol for back pain last month and after 5 days started getting mild brain zaps. So I looked it up and found it's distantly related to venlafaxine (Efffexor) so I'd advise giving that a miss to anyone who's had a nasty reaction to Effexor. But apparently it can be used to help in withdrawing from that shit drug too.
 
Well I have stopped taking it altogether as of yesterday. My god it sucks. I'm going to try and get the doctor to fit me in tommorrow because I have gotten unbearable anxiety. It is fucking horrible. The brain zaps suck, so does the dizziness and insomnia, but the anxiety I can't stand. I have got some tamazapam which will be running out in a day (got it filled on monday). I'm worried they will deny me benzos to treat the anxiety, but really tamaz does fuck all for anxiety and the insomnia.

Does anyone know of anything over the counter I can take to relieve the anxiety? I am doing CWE for codeine which helps with the zaps slightly, but it isn't strong enough to deal with the anxiety. I am praying it will start to get better in a few days, though Angel Dust's post doesn't fill me with hope.
 
^ Apart from the codeine, perhaps a sedating antihistamine so you can sleep it off? Also, metclopramide is a serotonin agonist/antagonist used for migraines and nausea that might help with some of your symptoms.

Best thing is to talk to the doctor though... I'd be wary of mentioning going through the whole temazepam script though.

Jakeperson said:
Did my phenibut suggestion get deleted?
Click to expand...

Didn't see this before... nope, didn't get deleted or unapproved. Bluelight has been acting weird lately, maybe it didn't go through right?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top