Mental Health Zoloft taper - low mood

[class-a-team]

I've been on Zoloft (Sertraline) for depression just over 6 months now and I want to get off it. It's not that the side effects are causing me much trouble, it's just that I never felt like it worked in the first place and I think I'm in a better place now as a result of situational factors and therapy rather than the medication itself. But my GP initially told me that I had to stay on it for 9-12 months minimum to prevent a rebound depression.

Now I've ignored her advice and started the taper 6 days ago - reducing my daily dose of 50mg to 25mg. I felt a little dizzy at first but it didn't bother me all that much. The last two days, however, I've been really emotional and I cry for no reason. I also fantasise about suicide, but I have no intentions of killing myself (note the latter happens to me about once a month anyway, with or without the medication). Strangely enough, I feel more like myself now with my low mood.

I really just want to know, is this low mood simply a result of the taper? Or am I reverting to my original state before I started the medication? If the former is true, I will try to stay at the reduced dose for another few days till it subsides.

 

[JessFR]

I posted on this subject just recently...

I tried quitting my antidepressant once, cause, you know, I'd been good for a while, over a year, thought I was through the rougher parts of my life and maybe now I can cope without my antidepressant.

Took a little while to get off it, things for fine for a little while, then within a few months I started looking back and going "I am so horribly unhappy, I mean things weren't perfect on antidepressants but I could at least cope with this crap without wanting to cry and slit my wrists". So I started them again and got back to that just-before baseline level of emotion.

For the record I'm not on an SSRI.

Now, I was on (and still am on) Cymbalta, an SNRI. And I certainly can't say that's whats happening with you. All I can say, is it's possible. Only way to know for sure is get off it, stay off it until the discontinuation effects subside, and see if you feel worse.

Feel for you.