Zoloft Withdrawal! Please help!

[jimmy 1965]

My doctor (psychiatrist) took me off ZOlOFT. I was on Zoloft for about 5 months at a max dosage of 100mg. When he decided to take me off he did the tapering down process in 25mg increments every five days so I thought that was a good tapering process. I even asked my family doctor and he said yeah that is a safe way to get off the med. I took my last 25mg dose this past Monday night. I never had issues when I was coming off the medicne but about three days ago I started having spells of feeling light headed. I have had bouts of flu type feelings and I feel very tired and worn out. Basically I feel like **** and I dont have the flu. My question is, How long does it take to get Zoloft out of your system? I know your never to stop taking SSRI meds abruptly but when you follow a good tapering schedule and you still deal with wwithdrawal symptoms that's enough to tick a person off. My doctor wants me to start Lexapro but he wants me to wait until Zoloft is completely washed from my system. How many days do I have to put up with this ****? Any answers or advise is much appreciated. You know the medical world tells us that you cant become dependant or addicted to these meds but I tend to dissagree the more I read about people having discontinuation syndrome after following doctors orders on a good weening off process.  

Take Care
Jimmy

[ZoloftAlternatives]

Thank you for validating my research on nutrients and supplements to augment the tapering process. I found that site that you recommended very helpful - http://www.theroadback.org/aaapretaper.htm.

I am actually taking a liquid nutraceutical that has many of those same pharmaceutical grade ingredients already, so I think that I may just up my dosage during this time and do a slow tapering. It is great to have many of those ingredients in one drink as opposed to having to buy 5 different products. Will let you know how it works out...

I have always done the weekend holiday with Zoloft even though I have been at the 150 mg. level the rest of the week and am wondering if that will make my tapering a little easier. In fact, I am thinking of going from 5 days to 4 days on Zoloft for a while and see how that works rather than lowering the dosage... Don't know if that will work or not. Has anyone done it that way?

[Bethie1]

One more thing I forgot to say was that maybe we don't see many success stories posted because people get better and don't bother to let us know. They move on and that is wonderful! But let us if we do get through the withdrawls and months down the line we are feeling good and doing well pls. remember to post so that we can let others know there is hope and it is possible. They need that from us.It's great to have a place to go to to vent, cry out and try to get support from others but we must give back in the end and let them know we made it out of the valley and they can too.

[Bethie1]

Just wanted to say I am doing good so far. I posted about a week ago. I have been on 50mg for 8 years. now I am down to 12.5 every 4 days and I am copying much better. Not so anxious and uptight. I agree with another post that supplements are very helpful. I take magnesium,fish oil(but i read not after 4pm because it needs time to metabolize before you go to bed) also I have begun to take St. John's wort and SAMe. I have not had any brain zaps or much dizziness to speek of. I am not completly off I realize yet but, I think I am doing good compared to some. Also, I don't let a day go by with out walking either on my treadmill at the lake or around the neighborhood. I really watch what I eat limiting junk food considerably. Lots of fruits(I make a shake EVERYmorning with blueberries and any other fruit I have, flax meal and flax oil ,aloe vera juice, milk, and powdered greens). I am trying very hard to do all I can to support my body with good foods and excercize. In the past I have really let myself go. I weighed 198 and I am 5'6. In the last few months I have lost about 8lbs.and I am happy for that.
I want you all to know I am keeping you in my prayers! There is power in prayer and the Lord does not want us in slaved to these drugs. Zoloft helped me when I needed it but its like you sell your soul to the devil. He lures you in by making you feel good then you have to pay dearly when you want out. But I keep proclaiming "I can do all things through Christ who strenghthens me!" We will over come!      

[HateTheDrugs]

I want to apologize for the semi-double post.  This laptop is a piece of junk and  clicks on whatever it wants to, whenever it wants to.

[HateTheDrugs]

I first posted back on March 22nd.  Almost all of the symptoms I had from the withdrawl seem to be gone.  All except for the clicking ears.  My ears have been clicking and popping for 2 months now.  It started when I stopped the Zoloft, but I've been everywhere to try and figure out what's going on. I've been to 3 ears, nose and throat doctors and 2 dentists because two of the ENT docs thought it could be TMJ.  So I went to a TMJ specialist... he told me I had none of the symptoms.  So there goes that.  

The clicking is driving me so crazy that I just can't do it anymore.  I sleep as much as I possibly can just so I don't have to deal with it. I was in the emergency room last night because I was crying so bad because I just can't take it anymore.  I really, honestly can't and NO ONE seems to give a damn.  Well, I get a CT scan and it ends up coming back perfectly normal.  Great.  So they STILL don't know what the hell is going on.

The doctor comes back in the room and says he went online and did a little bit of research and said that Zoloft seems to cure those types of symptoms.  He called it "Tinnitus" (sp?) Except for the fact that my ears don't ring!  They click!!  There wasn't anything he could do for me.  He suggested I go to my family doctor and talk to her about going BACK on the Zoloft because he believes that's the only thing that will EVER help this stop.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!  I don't WANT to go back on that sh*t!!!!  I don't ever want that back in my body.  I've got enough problems now thanks to that stupid drug!!!!!  And he mentioned Lexapro... that it was one of the "lesser troublesome" drugs or some **** like that.  And I remember reading here that someone had lots of trouble with that.  Besides, I refuse to take any more SSRI's.  

These companies need to be held RESPONSIBLE for what they do to us.  They COVER the symptoms, they don't CURE them. Not to mention the fact that they create brand NEW ones!!!  Something really needs to be done.  I can't live my life this way and I shouldn't have to!  None of us should!!  We give in because we feel like we've lost all hope and that there's no other choice.  But they know exactly what they're doing.  And if they don't, they certainly don't seem to care!

No one else's ears click??  I don't know what to do.  It feels hopeless.

[HateTheDrugs]

I first posted back on March 22nd.  Almost all of the symptoms I had from the withdrawl seem to be gone.  All except for the clicking ears.  My ears have been clicking and popping for 2 months now.  It started when I stopped the Zoloft, but I've been everywhere to try and figure out what's going on. I've been to 3 ears, nose and throat doctors and 2 dentists because two of the ENT docs thought it could be TMJ.  So I went to a TMJ specialist... he told me I had none of the symptoms.  So there goes that.  

The clicking is driving me so crazy that I just can't do it anymore.  I sleep as much as I possibly can just so I don't have to deal with it. I was in the emergency room last night because I was crying so bad because I just can't take it anymore.  I really, honestly can't and NO ONE seems to give a damn.  Well, I get a CT scan and it ends up coming back perfectly normal.  Great.  So they STILL don't know what the hell is going on.

The doctor comes back in the room and says he went online and did a little bit of research and said that Zoloft seems to cure those types of symptoms.  He called it "Tinnitus" (sp?) Except for the fact that my ears don't ring!  They click!!  There wasn't anything he could do for me.  He suggested I go to my family doctor and talk to her about going BACK on the Zoloft because he believes that's the only thing that will EVER help this stop.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!