Zoloft withdrawal, some odd side effects...

[Jessica]

I recently began experiencing some really crazy symptoms and this was within the same week that I went off Zoloft, kind of weaning myself off. I came on here and discovered someone else who had posted exactly what I was going through. I am going to quote it here word for word because I want input, I want to know how long it took Amy F. to feel better:

"What are the withdrawal symptoms of ZOloft? I'm a 27-year old female and have been taking Zoloft for chronic depression for a year and a half and decided not to take it anymore....

"I abruptly stopped 10 days ago and am starting to feel crazy. I'm light-headed, dizzy, disoriented, sleepy, irritable, and more emotional than usual. I'm having difficutly concentrating. Today I didn't feel "together" enough to drive my car. My nightmares have worsened in terms of intensity and violence (I have them every time I sleep) The strangest symptom withdrawal I've noticed is that I'm losing my taste for cigarettes."

"....I haven't discussed stopping with my psych... b) she gives me **** for being a daily pot smoker."

This is almost exactly a description of me, except I've only been on it for about six months, I took a week to wean myself off, and I am supposed to start a new presciption for Prozac, but these synptoms are terrible, (it's also starting to affect my breathing) and I wondered if anyone else has experienced this.

Thanks

[Karen]

I have been reading the numerous emails on Zoloft withdrawal and have experienced most of the symptoms mentioned.  I am 27 years old was on Prozac for two years for panic attacks.  I then came off because I always felt like everything was a dream and I still had anxiety.  I had absolutely no problem coming off of Prozac and to my amazement, I was panic free for one year.  The symptoms started to resurface so I got on Zoloft.  After about a year on Zoloft, I decided that I would come off because my husband and I would like to start a family.  I did not hesitate because of the good experience that I had coming off Prozac.  I called my OB/GYN and she told me to taper off over a two week period.  Boy was she wrong!  I was off of it completely about three days when the withdrawal symtpoms set in.  The one that frigtened me most was was that crazy eye delay (feeling like your eyes have to catch up when you look at something).  I also felt like a was extremely hung over even though I had not had anything to drink.  My husband is very supportive, but he thought that my anxiety was probably coming back.  I knew that this was different.  After feeling horrible for 3 days, I got on my computer and found these postings about Zoloft withdrawal.  I immdediately went downstairs and took my regular dose (50 mg/day).  Within a couple of hours, I was fine.  Monday morning I called my internist to get her advice.  She wrote me a prescription for 25 mg.  She suggested alternating between 50 mg and 25 mg every day and then EVENTUALLY alternating between 25 mg and 12.5 mg and so on.  She said that Zoloft withdrawal can be severe if stopped abruptly and that I should take it as slow as possible.

I haven't actually tried it yet--I guess that I am still afraid of experiencing those symptoms!  I know that I tend to get long-winded, but maybe this way may work for some of you.  If I find that something works for me, I will let you all know!

[Laura Hargrove Schneilin]

I had been on Zoloft for about a year, with side-effects of nausea, mild elation & dizziness.  About a month and a half ago, I was having to write 200 pages of my PhD and teaching at the same time, so I was getting very little sleep.  I made a suicide attempt by swallowing about 300 assorted pills, including 100 zolofts.  I was in a coma for 3 days.  My psychiatrist immediately took me off the zoloft, saying the manic feelings were symptoms of an overdose -- the anti-depressant basically acted as a powerful, amphetamine-like substance.  According to her, this is not an unusual consequence of zoloft-taking.  Having already tried prozac, paxil, wellbutrin and anafranil,I am now on Laraxyl (Elavil), and experiencing mood changes, chronic mouth dryness, mild facial twitching, some feelings of vertigo, but at least the sleeping has improved.  I would like to hear from anyone who has had similar experiences and/or who is currently using Elavil or a similar substance.

[Amy Wayman]

A couple of weeks ago I took the last of my Depakote, Zoloft and Klonopin and was unable to get a refill because I have temporarily lost Medicaid.  Right about that same time I started getting really bad dizziness/vertigo.  I had also started on Augmentin for a UTI which I have taken before with no problems but this time was unable to keep it down.  Just made me really sick to my stomach.  Well my UTI is still there and the dizziness has shown no sign of letting up and has been so bad that it makes it hard to function and so I finally got concerned and went to the ER tonight.  The doctors answer was that it was probably from not being on those pills and so he had the social worker come in and talk to me and she helped me with getting the scripts I needed.  I guess they paid for them.  Anyways, I am going to start back on the pills because I can't take this dizziness anymore but I am concerned because my husband and I had started talking about the idea of maybe getting pregnant since I was already off the medication.  Other than the dizziness as a possible side effect, I have been doing fine mentally, being off my medication and so we were wanting me to stay off and get pregnant.  Well, now I don't know what to do.  I won't get pregnant while on these pills (especially the Depakote) but can't handle the withdrawals.  What do I do?  I am thinking of maybe taking them again until the dizziness goes away and then over the next couple of weeks maybe slowly weaning off of them but don't know if that will make a difference with the vertigo.  I can't handle going through this dizziness anymore.  I have taken Depakote and Zoloft before and then stopped taking it real quick and was off it for a few years and never went through the dizziness before so I don't understand why it would affect me this time around.  The only thing I can think of is that I was not on Klonopin also then and maybe somehow that is making a difference this time around.  I am concerned about this.  I would like to get off these meds so that I can get pregnant but don't know how to avoid the side effects.  Any advice would be appreciated.  You can email me at angel_eyes10101***@**** .  

Thanks,
Amy

[REED]

I cannot believe all these stories I am reading!  All the side effects that everybody says they have had.  I want to let you all know that Zoloft has been a life saver for 3 of my family members, and they were all on it for more than 3 years and never complained of any side effects.  But each one of them was started on either Prozac, or Paxil, and had to stop them because they didn't work, or the side effects were to bad.  They would fight tooth and nail to tell anyone that Zoloft has been the best thing they could have ever taken for their depression and anxiety!  I also have a friend who started taking Celexa, and he says he is now impotent.  He had a perfectly healthy sex life with his wife before he started taking it for his depression.  Just thought I would let you know that you all are few and far between with people who experience bad side effects with Zoloft.

[brian]

I quit Zoloft cold-turkey on November 19, four days before Thanksgiving. My doctor happened to mention in passing that Zoloft had been linked anecdotally to weight gain, which I'd defnitely noticed over the course of a two-year program. so I asked him what else I should or should take, and he gave me a scrip for Wellbutrin. He said to switch over and I'd be right as rain. I decided to get off the Zoloft and see how I felt in a week or so, before starting the WB: figured if I could get off of meds entirely, then hooray for me! DUMB IDEA. On Wednesday, four days later, Thanksgiving Eve dawned grey and gloomy down here in Texas, but that was fine. I was looking forward to a wonderful holiday with my family (I'm 48, father of two college kids and happily married to the same woman). Doing last minute chores during the morning, I started feeling coldness in my hands. Yet it was 60 degrees out, which for me, is still shorts and pullover weather. Thinking nothing about it really, I put on slacks and a sweater and ran errands. Kept getting colder, so I turned the heat up, even fired up the seat warmers, which I NEVER use. Still couldn't get warm and started shivering. Within minutes, my teeth were chattering uncontrollably, and I pulled over to the side of the road to get myself together. By this time, I'm also feeling disoriented and dizzy...the same dizziness a woman above described as not being able to move your eyes and your head independently. Try THAT for a weird feeling! To top it off, I started getting that same "electric shock" sensation in my ears that others have described. So here I am, it's about 100 degrees in this car, and I'm shaking uncontrollably, I swear, almost convulsing, and not a little anxious about all of this, I might add. Now, I've been cold before...Toronto in the winter, and so on, but I'd never felt anything like this before. I figured it was the Zoloft, as I recalled hearing about it on a news program on ABC, so I called my wife from the cell phone and said, I'm coming home, have a zoloft tablet ready for me and call the damn shrink. I spent the rest of the day in bed, and the symptoms subsided about 40% within an hour: within four hours, I was at 60%. The next day, Thankgsgiving, was fine, altho I hit the sack early. today, I'm fine except for a muscle I pulled in my back this morning moving some furniture, and it's searing. Never felt a muscle spasm like this: it rolled right across my back over the course of three hours. To wind up this interminable story, the shrink confirmed that it WAS withdrawal, to get back to my regular dosage, stay on it a couple days and SLOWLY wean off of it, then switch to the WB. Morale of the story: I've had some weird stuff happen to me in my life, including a very painful surgery or two, but NOTHING compared to this. I'm going to VERY CAREFULLY get off this stuff and try to stay off it. If you're considering coming off Zoloft, PLEASE do it gradually (and stay off the highways!) If anybody wants to email me, it's ***@**** (that's letters BMEL, then numbers two-one-one. Have a great holiday!

[Jen to Nikki]

I think there's a good chance that what you're experiencing right now is not what you were like before the meds.  My aunt went off Zoloft after having been on it for 5 years and it took her six weeks before she felt somewhat normal again.  I've been on it since I was 17, I am now 23 and now I've been off it for a week.  It's been one hellish week.  I haven't actually run out. I'm getting to the point where I feel like taking just a little bit just to get through tonight.  But then I just worry about prolonging the withdrawal affects.  One thing I'd like to say though, since you're suicidality was primarily due to you period:  there's another option if you're open to using birth control.  My depression was not cause by my period but it did worsen around my period.  Now I don't get a period anymore.  I used to have such painfully debilitating periods that they kept me out of work.  I used to take the tri-phase type of birth control pills.  But my periods were still horrible.  I've been tested for every possible cause of painful periods except for endometriosis for which they would have to make an incision and go inside me.  My doctors kept trying different pills and finally one day my ob/gyn put me on a monophasic pill called Necon.  The first month I was on it I didn't get my period for the week I was on the sugar pills.  Of course I was somewhat concerned so I got a pregnancy test, it was negative, I went to my dr to get another one, which was also negative.  She told me that if I was comfortable not getting a period that I could just take the active pills continuously.  I could stop every four months if I wanted just for reassurance.  I know some women aren't comfortable with the idea of not having a period but I was glad to see mine go.  The last time I took the inactive pills I didn't even get one.  I must say prior to taking the monophasic pill I did notice a change in my moods throughout my cycle.  Now that I'm on the same dosage all month long my moods are more stable.  I don't go crazy around "that time of the month" anymore.  I know there's still some controversy surrounding this issue but there seems to be more and more evidence that it's perfectly safe as I have read about it in various women's magazines including Cosmo and Glamour, as well as in the Boston Globe.  I must say it's helped me a lot.  It's something you might want to consider asking your doctor about when you get through the zoloft withdrawal.  Not to mention birth control is a lot cheaper than Zoloft.  I also am now a firm believer that drs who don't specialize in psychiatry should not be prescribing psychiatric drugs...or at least not without a psychiatric referral.

feel free to email me
-Jen
***@****

by the way I tried your yahoo email address and it didn't seem to work.  Do you have yahoo messenger?