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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

Going cold turkey on Sertraline/Zoloft?

D

dj_

Greenlighter
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
14
I have been on zoloft 200mg (prescribed) for a year and decided to go cold turkey on it for undisclosed reasons.
I had actually been taking 300mg daily and last week i stopped them, i know your supposed to wean yourself off of these type of drugs, especially SSRI's, to balance the serotonin levels in the brain, but i just stopped.

So its been about 12 days now and i noticed over the last 4 - 5 days i have been getting these weird type of brain zaps, and electrical impulses zapping through my hands/ fingers/ legs /feet, and occasionally my left ear goes warm and numb. Very weird.

I also get very bad stomach PAINS, to the point where im to afraid to sit up or move and notice my emphasis on PAIN, it's that intense.
The only way i could describe it, is like small sharp knives stabbing you constantly from the inside of the stomach going outwards. It lasts from a few seconds a time up to an hour.

The thing which is my main concern at this stage is the weird zap like feelings i get in my head and hands, rarely in the legs, but it does happen.

It feels like your body is trying to go into a seizure but the feeling comes with the zaps and they happen so suddenly and fast, and seem to happen at random.
Other withdrawals i have noticed are increase in appetite, sluggish/tiredness, loss of focus/concentration (thats not entirely true, its just the best way i can describe it, its like you daydream and when you look at something it takes a couple of seconds to fully register if that makes sense?)

Has anyone had any experiences like these?
Has anyone also decided to go cold turkey?
If so, do you feel like reality isn't quite what it should feel like?

Any feedback on this would be of great value to me. Honestly i feel a bit worried that i shouldnt have done this, and i hope i dont end up with serotonin syndrome or something, because that could be fatal.

Thanks,

dj_
 
All these symptoms are completely normal for SSRI withdrawal.

Cold turkey is never ideal, so I would reevaluate that decision if I were you.

If you choose to get back on and do a taper, start at the lowest possible dose which negates your withdrawal symptoms, and take the taper from there.

The other option is to ride it out. The symptoms of SSRI withdrawal are not known to be dangerous.
 
I've gone through the same type of WD symptoms, although at a lower dosage of 150mg. It took me a bit over a week to get through the zaps, but they're gone...

As to the DP/DR, I had that to begin with and I don't recall having much in the way of acute symptoms after my severance.

It's unpleasant, but Chrom is right, they are not known to be dangerous. Continuing the cold turkey or going on a taper is a question of personal comfort.
 
Switch to an equivalent dose of Prozac and taper week by week. Its extremely long half life is the perfect remedy. Think of it like valium for benzo withdrawal.
 
^ That's good advice, and actually done in practice quite often.
 
I took zoloft for about a year eventually switching to lexapro which I'm still on. With both drugs there have been multiple occasions where I forgot my meds for a weekend or so and by the end of the weekend I didn't have the "zaps" as you referred to them but I definitely got that weird feeling about reality as you mentioned. It's hard to describe but I know what your getting at. I also just felt like, physically, my body was similar to a tracer on a light or something, it always felt just one step behind. You stated you're quitting zoloft for personal reasons and by no means am I questioning or asking you to reveal those reasons but do those same reasons also require you to quit cold turkey. You stated knowing that you're supposed to wean off these types of drugs so clearly you've heard it before from your doctor or someone with knowledge of the subject. Being on these types of drugs for about 3 years it just doesn't seem like a good idea. But hell you're already 12 days in so it can only get easier from here on out right? Good luck
 
thanks for replies so far everyone.
The last 2 days i have had about 3 zap type feelings overall. Its definitely going away that's for sure.

I may as wel ride it out now since its been a little over two weeks and i am slightly feeling more myself.

I'll just add on a personal note, and maybe someone can relate (?) But im surprised the inventors of zoloft havent been prosecuted as of late, for obvious reasons, need i say what they are.

Thanks again all, and any more comments are more than welcomed.
 
Ok ignore my previous post. These pulse zaps things are going crazy on me today, and all of last night. Strange how random it is too. I find booze usually takes the jittery zap edge off. Although its not a permanent fix of course lol.
 
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