client/patient informing my therapist/doctor- this isn't right!

ok, let me just start with saying:
I am not a medical professional. i don't know anymore than a normal person going to their doctor with
medical Q's...
I am an intelligent and educated (although not in medicine) person with interest in my well being & health.
that said- I am honestly shocked that someone in my position is going through what I am and have been with
the crazy drug named Zoloft.
bit of history:
i've struggled with emotional issues, etc...for quite sometime. As would anyone probably looking up zoloft in a forum:) anyway- i've been very resistant to drugs for a long time for many reasons. some probably very valid and others probably a result of my own paranoias.
anyway- being a single mom with a heroin addict ex & all the other life stresses that come anyone's way- i was having trouble functioning well even being in weekly therapy & exhausting all coping skills I knew of.
so..after a lot of thought and advice and encouragement, finally decided somewhat reluctantly, to try an antidepressant. I have tried some for VERY short periods before, but never long enough to really know what it might do.
so...i didn't have insurance- my doctor helped me get one of the drugs walmart will give you for $5 or whatever...and we decided to go with generic for zoloft.
i was one of those people that had really sucky side-effects upfront- which, although sucked- i knew was a possibility. I'm one of those people that reads all the side-effects on the paper-not to mention asked my doctor abt them as well. at least the doctors are somewhat more knowledgable on the side effects you might experience GOING on the meds. more for coming off of them to come !!!
anyway- my stomach was violently ill- (sorry for the TMI, but basically had diarrhea 24/7 for 2 days and nights)
yuck. i stuck it through though. and over time..(lots of time, like months) I began to come to the "realization?" that the drug was probably benefitting me. i was kinda numb- which i didn't like- but in all honesty, needed to be somewhat in my situation in order to function and get through life. so....it seemed to help and over time I increased my dosage to where I was pretty consistently on 100mg, sometime little more, for abt a year I think...
now on to my experiences that came as somewhat of a shock (literally!) to me.
first of all- a couple times I ran out of my zoloft & didn't have the $5 to go refill. The most I ever went unplanned was probably just over a week. I experienced what I now know is the brain zaps, very badly. At first- I thought I was having heart palpitations or something. Then, as the jolts got worse and seemed in my head and almost whole upper body- I really felt like a junkie for a couple days! I hurried to get my zoloft refilled and then everything was fine. It was kind of shocking, but still at this point didn't think too much abt it. I had, afterall, basically unintentionally come off cold-turkey, which anyone knows is not every advised.
So...over time I decided I was going to work on my nasty "fat" post-baby body. My son is 3 years and I'm not "fat" by most people's standards, but I had never gotten back to my pre-baby skinny-which I know can be normal and I finally had had enough. So....started excersicing -gradually increasing to almost every day-at least 45 minutes of hard cardio. I also began being more attentive to diet as well. Not only could I not lose ANYTHING, i felt that I was just increasingly getting fatter. I finally started researching zoloft and when I discovered it slows your metabolism and found others that had experienced exactly the same thing I was furious! Now of course everyone know weight gain is a possible side-effect. but I figured that was just when you didn't care or try to lose weight. I was actively trying (which, I've NEVER really had to do my whole life!) and couldn't lose anything. I was so frustrated. I do have body issues, so this bothered me than it might others- but being fat can make me more depressed than almost anything and it just didn't sit right with me that my "ANTI !? depressant" was making me fat! So- it was then and there that I decided **** this. no more zoloft. i calledmy doctor and therapist- let them know and began to research tapering off this drug. ok, so here is when my eyes were opened! first of all- disclaimer- i know "fear of being fat" is not a "rational" reason for coming off of the drug. but come on now- people that take antidepressants are DEPRESSED.  does anyone really think we're going to stay on a drug that won't let us lose weight? and yes, i would answer the Q fat & sane or skinny & crazy- with I'd rather be skinny & crazy. ok- judge me now. almost everyone else would agree too if they were really honest with themselves. i'm working on my issues. in therapy. and now without hell drug zoloft. ANYWAY-
my therapist was 100% behind me, because she had always looked at the zoloft as a temporary thing anyway. so...here i go to my tapering. fortunately, I am interested in my well being enough (if not a little paranoid) to where I didn't just accept the honestly unknowledgable advice of my doctor or therapist abt how i should schedule tapering off the meds.
Once I did my research- knowing that I had already experienced bad brain zaps, I became scared to come off too fast. but i wanted this drug out of my system!!!! so...i researched A LOT, decided on a schedule that was faster than I'd like for the side-effect side of it- but longer than i'd like to get my metabolism back up- AND i purchased good brand supplements of Choline and Lecithin. (both help manufacture whatever it is in your brain that helps w/the brain zaps. i could've explained this clearer when i first did the research, but ask if you have Q's).
I have slowly tapered off with the brain zaps and other unpleasantness, but nothing got really really nasty until I had my first day completely zoloft free. I am on day 4 and I feel like a JUNKIE! this is pure hell. now- if i happened to not have a job or be a single mom with a normal crazy toddler maybe i wouldn't feel as crazy. but EVERYTHING is setting me off. i hate the world right now and i feel alwful for my sweet boy that i keep snapping at! I feel panicky, almost out of breath at times, horribly nauseous, weird all the time- can't stop crying at times- brain zaps BAD, etc..this is AWFUL. now- i can't blame anyone, because i did choose to go on this drug. but let me say this:
it is shocking to me that none of the WITHDRAWAL,  (yes i said withdrawal- that IS what it is!!!!!- ) symptoms are in fine print on your meds, none of the withdrawal symptoms are even KNOWN by most doctors?! I'm actually keeping my doctor up-to-date on my experience for HER sake to know as she deals with other patients on this ****. I can't imagine how much worse my brain zaps would be without the supplementing of choline and lecithin. and i found that on my own. most people aren't as paranoid as i am and probably don't research all this ****. I feel lucky that I stumbled upon information after i decided i needed to be informed. Doctors need to know abt this stuff!!!!!!!!!! and people need to be educated BEFORE they go on the meds. I don't regret going on the zoloft. I did need it for a time. but it is frustrating and upsetting to me that these important facts abt withdrawing cannot be found either in the answers/knowledge medical proffs give you or in the information on the drug!!!!? this is not right!  people getting on these drugs are not in there right minds completely at the start anyway-that's why we go on these! so- they should be carefully guided and informed on all issues that can be so significant and/or detrimental!!!! i posted this soley for the purpose of putting out info for others like me that "stumble" across this because they aren't getting real answers in the "real" places!!!! ugh. okay, enough writing for now. getting too many brain zaps, haha