I have read so many blogs and took the courage to go cold turkey myself, but it is different for me so I thought I should post a blog to help others. It is day 6 off 100mg sertraline (been on them for two and a half years)
I didn'd understand what the brain 'zaps' were - I do now - it is like being connected to a very slight electrical current - not anything too bad When I move I get a slight electrical feeling in my hands, I feel a bit like my reactions are slow (when I get up to move it feels like it takes a nanno second before my brain cathes up) I am lucky as I am not working at the moment and have not children so I can take it easy. I have had some great dreams and am sleeping a lot too. My mood is ok and I am eating, slepping, looing and everything all ok. Day 6 shall post again daily - hope this helps others
Glad you are getting off of it ok. I had bad reaction on it even coming off it after 4 days it has made me feel so sick hardly eating and not sleeping and 3 days after coming off It I am still the same. Do not think it agreed with me.
Can not imagine what you are going through. I have hardly slept all night and I do not work as I am retired must be really hard if you are at work.
Hope your interview goes well.
if you are having a hard day pm me and I will give you my email address will be good yo see how you get on. Are you on any tablets now or have your panic attacks gone.
Hello day 7 - so what can I say? the electirc in my body has intensified. Concentrating is not easy and I was very edgy this morning. So far I have decided that as I am on day 7 I am going to continue. I am fine - although I cannot say I am functioning normally at all- which suprises me! I have no children or job that needs me to put anything but myself first and I have a partner that is fully supportive. If I was not in this situation it might be a totally different story. Sertraline? If there were the same sensations going on the medication I would have questioned it a lot sooner. It did help me in a time of great need. But love and support would have done better. If you are reading this - and I hope some are (I keep getting badges and emails from tis site since I posted which was not my intention) Sertraline is a very very strange thing and I am glad to be getting it out of my system. Love and peace xx <3
Hi Victoria, Do I understand right ... you dropped the pill cold turkey and you are now on day 6! You have guts .... Dont you have any bad side affects like dizziness and burning hands and feet and nauseau. I've been on 50mg for a couple of months and are slowly weaning myself off .... I've actually cut the pill smaller and smaller until I now only takes a 1/4 every second day and stretch it out from here. Good to hear your mood is good and that you are sleeping. I battle with the sleeping and take 1/5 zolpidem to help. Hope you rock the weaning off and let us know how it went. XxX
Hi - it's about 16 days now! And yes I did go cold turkey - I had read so much about cold turky vs coming of slowly and slowly seemsed to have just as many side affects but for longer so I just went for it. Maybe I have been lucky and not had the vile side effects. Seem to be ok - been through a lot of family turmoil while coming off to and seemed to be able to cope. Glad to be responsible for my emotions again. Up to me now. How are you ?
Day 22 - Am I allowed to say this mr/Mrs Moderators? Yes get in...... guess what - sex drive back and fullly operational again so hence feeling gooooood
Wow ... so glad to hear you are feeling good .... I'm now on day 13 with no setraline and day 5 with no sleeping tablet. It's going ok, just the dizziness is getting to me. Brain zaps galore !! I must say, reading about your sex drive made me realize that I feel a lot closer to my hubby as well lately, which is on its own a good sign. Just hope these zaps would dissapear. It's nice to read about something positive like your script. .... stay well
I'm so grateful for everybody who shares their stories like this.
I've been taking a small dose/50mg of Sertraline for about 9 months. It's worked well/as it should, but I'm concerned about my lack of motivation, fatigue and general apathy. I also want to be in a natural state as I prepare to try for a baby next year. I stopped taking the contraceptive pill in August and am on a bit of a health kick with supplements, yoga and taking a more natural approach to my health and well-being. I also had a full blood test which told me I was B12, Iron and Vit D deficient - all can contribute to low mood and depression. I've since been taking high grade supplements to bring my levels up.
Taking Sertraline just doesn't sit right with me and, as a 25-year-old getting married this year, the total lack of sex drive is having a negative impact. I just don't feel like myself anymore. I'm a shell. I've had a very tough year and I think it felt like the only option when I was at my lowest. I just think its prolonged the 'moping' behaviour in all honesty.
I've been experimenting with a day on and a day off and I feel so sluggish and irritable. I didn't take anything yesterday and just took half a tablet this morning. I might take half for a week or two and then go cold turkey. I don't see the point in prolonging it. I'm in a position where I work from home and have a supportive partner, so there's no time like the present. As long as I let my family and close friends know what I'm doing, so they're aware and will hopefully recognise if I need any 'intervention'.
I'll try remember to update about my experience weekly, as I think this kind of information sharing is vital to others in my/our position. I don't feel GPs can always have our best interests at heart when they get 10 minutes a week with us.
Hi, I really hope people are still reading these! Ive been off sertraline cold turkey for about two weeks now and I have to say I am suffering. Im anxious all the time and although my sex drive has returned, my sleep pattern is messed up and im staying up all night and sleeping through the day. Im crying at absolutely nothing and keep feeling like I'm about to have a panic attack. The brain zaps aren't helping either. Any advice or anyone out there to lend an ear whilst I get this horrible drug out of my system? Im finding it hard to talk to friends and family about it as I feel they don't understand.
I hope you are doing well. I wanted to reach out as I too am thinking of quitting cold turkey. How long have you had withdrawal symptoms and are you still having them?
I can't express how happy & relieved I am to have come across this discussion.
I haven't taken my usual 100mg of sertraline for a week now. I struggle to explain to everyone around me how i feel but everyone on here has summed it up perfectly for me.
I have recently met someone who has been on the same medication and her support and understanding and the support and shoulder to cry on from my boyfriend has made the process slightly easier for me.
Before sertraline I was on 50g of citalopram and cold turkey'd off them, after about 4 weeks I loved feeling like I was connected to everyone around me again... unfortunately I agreed with my GP to go back in medication due to my anxiety affecting my studies.
Just seeing that people have got through it makes me feel so much more positive about the situation. I've have always suffered with headaches but I cannot explain the pain my in now, I slept from 3:00am - 6:00pm tonight and I still feel like I could sleep for days.
I've struggled with severe low mood but I'm starting to learn triggers to avoid them.
Does anyone have any tips on how to get through this? I barely eat, drink, I sleep constantly but all I want to do is get on with my life.
hello I hope these are still active 🙈 I'm on day 3 of going cold turkey and I feel awful, I was weaned down to 100 and it took so long that I decided this must be better especially after being told I seemed so indifferent to my children (by my husband) he's concerned about me. so we decided it was time this ended. how long on average did it take everyone to stop getting the bad side effects. I wasn't able to walk my youngest to school today xxx
I tried cold turkey a week and half ago and the brain zaps where most troubling. I was told its very dangerous to do and my GP ordered me to take as prescribed. I am now back on 100mg a day, but tomorrow I want to start 50mg a day. I just dont want to have to endure this should I love insurance or anything major happens.
I am quite surprised there isnt a medication to help offset the brain zaps and speed up recovery and dependancy of sertraline. Has anyone weened off sertraline with minimal side effects and effectively taken control back of their life?
I literally feel like Im pharma doped all the time and do not like it at all. Id rather work on anxiety issues through working out or other methods than this terrible sertaline.
How long does it take to quit cold turkey and how long to ween off?
It's been found that I'm extremely sensitive to these medications and after a breakdown I ended up in hospital and was started on 25mg and have recently been taking 100mg.
I was bumped up tp 150mg as it was doing nothing for me and surprise surprise I reacted badly to the increase.
Was instructed to go back to 100mg and as of today it is day 2 cold turkey resulting from feeling like the drug is doing nothing for me and that I'm not being listened too from my treating team.
I'm also on quetiapine and propranolol.
I suffer bpd, ptsd, chronic anxiety and major depression.
I'm sick of putting yet another drug into my body that isn't helping.
Every other antideppressant I've reacted horribly too and sertraline was the first I didn't react badly too but I'm also gaining no good from it either 😒