Misc [Zoloft] Withdrawal Questions (Weaning)

[BarClay]

I have been on Zoloft 100mg/day for about a month and half now.
I have decided to wean off it, and rapidly.

I have taken 50mg the past 3 days, then 25mg today.

I have a couple questions that are causing me alot of anxiety:

1) How bad of WDs can I expect?

2) Will the WD symptoms show up immediately/soon or will it take a couple weeks?

3) I'm feeling good, at this point should I continue on 25 or 50, and for how much longer?

I picked up some anti-emetics today, and I have a very limited amount of xanax (4mg/day)
to help me get through the WDs, is there anything else that would help?

Any help is greatly appreciated
Thanks In Advance~

Additional Notes: I have Extreme Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder.

Also, I do not currently have a psychiatrist that I am seeing. I recently ceased seeing him
for multiple reasons.

 

[bdomihizayka]

I would work with your doctor for best results..... why are you deciding to come off if you're feeling good?

I've been on many and find the slower, the better.....

1. The wd really arent too intolerable, a bit anxiety rebound for me but everyones different.
2. It will talk a few days I ind in every case
3. I would ween off slow, like I said..... maybe decrease the dose and wait 2 weeks minimum before decreasing again.

This is all just my personal experiences... ive been on many on and off throughout the years, but i am no doctor, and your WD can be different than mine.

And dont mess with the xanax if not needed.... you think a antidepressant withdrawal is bad, wait until you feel a benzo withdrawal, theyre hell and can last months....im withdrawaling as we speak.

Excercise helps.... and a healthy diet.... supplements as well..... l theanine... 600mg minimum will relieve a bit of anxiety..... good luck and remember im no doctor, just speaking from experience

 

[BarClay]

I would work with your doctor for best results..... why are you deciding to come off if you're feeling good?

I've been on many and find the slower, the better.....

1. The wd really arent too intolerable, a bit anxiety rebound for me but everyones different.
2. It will talk a few days I ind in every case
3. I would ween off slow, like I said..... maybe decrease the dose and wait 2 weeks minimum before decreasing again.

This is all just my personal experiences... ive been on many on and off throughout the years, but i am no doctor, and your WD can be different than mine.

And dont mess with the xanax if not needed.... you think a antidepressant withdrawal is bad, wait until you feel a benzo withdrawal, theyre hell and can last months....im withdrawaling as we speak.

Excercise helps.... and a healthy diet.... supplements as well..... l theanine... 600mg minimum will relieve a bit of anxiety..... good luck and remember im no doctor, just speaking from experience

The Zoloft didn't help. It made me fucking psychotic. I hated it.

You're answer to my Question 2 didnt really make sense, could you clear that up a bit?

and I've been on xanax for a while, and don't plan on stopping it soon. It's the only
thing that lets me live normally.

thanks, btw.

 

[bdomihizayka]

Sorry about that..... the withdrawal symptoms will start showing up in 2-3 days in most of the meds I was on. They get worse after that. But not by much. You haven't been on long so I'd guess you'd feel off for maybe a week or 2 MAX. They are VERY tolerable IMO compared to other drug withdrawals.... stay busy and you will be fine.

Xanax or any benzo is a nasty withdrawal. Don't mean to preach but I took klonopin for my anxietys, my tolerance skyrocketed, and now I'm weaning down and it's making me NUTS. I withdrew from uppers and downers... dope sick and all.... but benzos is so much more mental. It is horrible and the withdrawal can last MONTHS IF NOT YEARS.

Diet and exercise will help you. And I mean intense HIIT/ weightlifting, jogging.... daily.... with a good diet on top maybe with some natural supplements. There are NUMEROUS studies shown that exercise is more efficient in treating anxiety and depression than meds. Most people are too lazy and want a quick pill though. It takes about a month or so, but it works wonders. I suffered immense anxiety, OCD, and depression, became a bodybuilder, and for years felt symptom free. Fell off track the past year, looked for my quick fix for my psychological troubles, and now I am in a world of hurt. Benzo withdrawal is kicking my ass.

Just warning you man I really don't mean to preach but I am in such a world of hurt and I want to see nobody in my place. And I was on;y taking 1mg klonopin 2xs a day for 3 months...and actually never abused them.... but good luck with everything

 

[BarClay]

Thank you very much for your help. That's pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear.

About the benzos, I know, but right now I can't survive without them.
I was going weeks without eating or sleeping because of my anxiety
and multiple panic attacks a day.

I lost 15 pounds in two weeks. 20 total. And I was already underweight.

Don't feel bad about your "preaching" It's far from that. It's helpful,
and I'm glad to see that you care enough to warn me this insistently.
I will talk it into account. So far, I haven't found anything else that helped
nearly as much, and I've been trying the diet/exercise thing for a while now,
and it is mildly therapeutic, but not nearly enough for what I needed.

A friend of mine said Lyrica helped him immensely with anxiety and that the
WDs from it aren't nearly as bad, so as soon as I get to a psychiatrist, I will
ask about that.

OH, another note, and I'll edit the OP, I don't currently have a psychiatrist anymore.
I told him to fuck off and that I'd never go back to him.

 

[bdomihizayka]

Cool man.... and I can understand. Don't give up. Do what you need to do. Lyrica is usually prescribed for pain; it's tough getting a doctor to give that to you for anxiety/ depression but it's worth a shot; it's all the luck of the draw on how tolerant your doctor is I guess. Just try and keep your xanax doses low and as needed, you don't want to build a huge tolerance and have a long bad withdrawal. There are many meds out there that do help; it's just a bitch because it takes so long for them to work and see if they are going to work for you, or be a dud, as you found out with Zoloft.

And L-Theanine for anxiety and comfort..... in the 600-1000mg ranges.... does work for anxietys and relaxation. That's the only natural supplement I found to actually work.

I told many doctors and psychiatrists to fuck off; its my body and I want to put what I want to put in it, I don't want to suck a doctors dick to get prescribed something I feel will benefit me. Doctors suck dude. Best of luck finding a sympathetic one!!

Good luck dude....

 

[BarClay]

Thank you very much. You're comments are pretty much
the first things that made me reconsider wanting more
xanax. I'm on pretty much the bare minimum I can live off
of. Its barely holds off the WDs in between doses, and barely
helps with anxiety since I've been on the same dose for so goddamn long.

Again, I can't thank you enough.