Coming off of Sertraline - My experience

Treatment and medication
1

I decided to document my experience with coming off of Sertraline after 2.5 years in the hopes that it might help others, as this site has helped me a huge amount during my own personal journey with the drug. 

I was prescribed Sertraline 2.5 years ago to help with severe anxiety, moderate depression and OCD. Alongside the above I also suffer with Misophonia and sensory overload so all in all, Sertraline seemed like the good option for me in terms of 'dulling down' all of the above. I started at 50mg and quickly increased to 100mg which worked very well for me, and stayed at 100mg for about 2 years. At the same time I had high intensity Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to help with the underlying issues fuelling the anxiety and OCD, I attended weekly sessions for about 8 months before I was discharged. 

Around 6 months ago I decided that I was ready to stop taking the drug and, with my Doctor's support, started to decrease my dosage. I got to the point of taking 50mg every other day and had my first panic attack. I continued skipping a day at 50mg and my anxiety and the 'sense of impending doom' was unbearable, I couldn't function. My Dr advised me to go back on my full dose (100mg every day) as I clearly wasn't ready. 

I was so frustrated with myself because I felt ready but my brain wasn't playing along. I decided (without telling my Dr) that I would only take 50mg daily and not return to the 100mg as that made me feel too numb and I'd actually gotten used to the 50mg dose. I have been taking the 50mg dose daily for the last 6 months and I have now decided that I want to try to stop once again. 

My reasons for stopping are:

- Weight gain. Sertraline makes me RIDICULOUSLY hungry, 24/7 and I have gained 4 stone in the 2.5 years I have been taking them. 

- Lack of motivation. I used to exercise each day and since taking Sertraline I've become very complacent (which also added to the weight gain). I simply do not care enough  about anything to bother to exercise. I've become very lazy!

- General numbness, although I appreciate my lows being elevated I do miss my genuine highs!

- Complete loss of libido, need I say more?

- Constant acid reflux issues, I have a mechanical fault with my stomach sphincter anyway but since taking the sertraline this has become 10x worse, I'm having to take Gaviscon every single day. 

- I feel ready and strong and I'm sure I can do this. I don't want to pump myself full of drugs each day, I just want to be free. 

So, insert disclaimer here - I haven't involved my Dr in my decision. I didn't feel as though he was very supportive last time and he was very quick to tell me I wasn't ready and I should go back to full dose. I am positive that I can do this on my own and if not, I am positive that I will know IF I need to go back to 50mg. I will trust my body to decide for me.

Insert disclaimer number 2, I know you're not supposed to but I'm quitting cold turkey. I felt as though the tapering down didn't work for me last time, the 'every other day' approach seemed to just prolong the inevitable and I needed it to be over more quickly. It just didn't feel right FOR ME even though it works for others. 

Today is day 3 of no Sertraline and I'm feeling surprisingly ok. I was expecting much worse but I'm very aware that the worst may still be yet to come! I'm feeling positive and 'awake' which I wasn't expecting. I'm happy to say that my appetite seems to have regulated itself already, I have eaten breakfast and lunch and I'm not hungry yet at 15:30 (I normally eat every hour or I'm starving!). 

Side effects I am experiencing currently are:

- constant yawning (I had this when I first started, it seems to have returned)

- headaches/jaw ache

- cramps in my neck, stomach and calves

- what feels like a pinched nerve on the side of my right breast, it's quite annoying but hopefully will pass

- VERY vivid nightmares/dreams, quite disturbing ones! 

Nothing too bad so I am pleased so far. I know that roughly, it takes 6 days for the drug to work its way out of your system but can be weeks before the side effects subside. So far so good though! I'm excited for the future!

 

2

From what ive read on here you need to be very careful coming off these meds cold turkey. You are very brave. Please look after yourself and keep

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3

Thank you for sharing.

iv been on sertraline for a year and have felt great. But Iv put on weight to and I hate carrying the extra. But they have helped with my anxiety.

i wondering if to come off them but I don’t know when I ready to do so. 

It took 10 weeks for the side effects to go I don’t want to come off them then have to start again. 

My reflux as got a lot worse. Tummy swollen, 

thank you again for sharing take care 

4

UPDATE: So today is day 5 of no sertraline.

I feel absolutely fine! But still acutely aware of the fact side effects might hit me like a bus at any point, not sure what the likelihood is this far into quitting?!

Current side effects: occasional headaches and very vivid nightmares. I was a little bit sensitive yesterday and I cried when my dog cuddled me on the couch because it was so cute I couldn't contain myself (Which really is not like me haha!). Oh and the itch! In the evenings my entire body is so itchy i have a letter opener next to me at all times to reach my back, its really quite annoying! That's it though so I really cannot complain.

Positive effects: I'm much more awake all the time. I normally feel very sluggish and on a weekend I would wake up, have breakfast and take my sertraline dose and go back to bed! It became a running joke that I'd always have a 'post breakfast nap'. I haven't felt tired or sluggish at all in the last 5 days, in fact I feel as though the days are super long because I'm awake for more of them. My motivation levels have been higher, I've actually managed to get a lot more work done when I normally procrastinate as much as I possibly can. Appetite is still normal, definitely decreased a huge amount since quitting the meds. I don't know if this is a thing but I can see clearer? I wear glasses for reading and working on a laptop and I normally see everything a little bit out of focus and blurry without them but I do not know why or how but my vision is definitely clearer. I haven't worn my glasses for 2 days and no, I don't have 20/20 vision but I can see quite normally without them, Which I couldn't before. I can't explain it! Colours are much more vivid too. It's bizarre. My partner has also commented on the fact I've been much more chatty and engaged when I'm normally quite withdrawn so that's a positive.

So far I haven't felt low or anxious and my OCD symptoms haven't returned so I'm positive. Success so far! But I'm also being careful and monitoring my emotional state at all times to make sure I notice any sudden change in myself. I think I've read so many horror stories that I am constantly waiting for the horrible effects to kick in, fingers crossed they don't!

5

I wondered how you are feeling now as its been 4 days since your last post

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6

Hi there!

I'm 10 days clear of setraline now and I feel great. I had a few brain zaps which were annoying (once I had realised what they were) - I thought there was a fly or wasp in my bedroom, it sounded as though it was flying towards my face! But that only lasted a couple of days. 

The only side effect I have now is the vivid nightmares, they haven't yet gone and although annoying and unpleasant, it's nothing I can't live with temporarily. My sleep as a result of them is not great, I do wake up quite often through the night but all in all, I'm still less 'tired/sluggish' than I was ON the medication. I just feel as though my days are so much longer because I'm awake for more of them and don't need to nap so often! The best thing is that I now have genuine highs whereas before, I traded the cusioned 'lows' for number 'highs' if that makes sense, I was generally very steady in terms of mood whereas now I have some lows but also a whole bunch of genuine highs that I haven't experienced in a long time. I haven't told my friends I've stopped taking it and they have commented on the fact I'm much more 'present' and laughing/engaging more which is amazing. 

I had a few glasses of wine on Friday night and as the alcohol was wearing off towards the end of the night I had a bit of anxiety and paranoia (which is not normal for me) so I would suggest not drinking any alcohol for a while, whilst you're coming off of them because that wasn't very nice. 

Overall, a great success so far! It's been 10 days so I can only assume the worst of my side effects/withdrawal is over? If that's the case, for 2 years on 100mg followed by 6 months on 50mg, I really cannot complain! 

7

I'm so glad you are ok. Please keep looking after yourself and posting on here.

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8

Great! yes, it takes 6 days or less for Sertraline to be completely out of your system. strong willpower does great wonders! I'm on day 10 without it without it, so far so good. Good luck!

9

Thats great that you're doing so well. I too don't want to be on this drug for long. i'm only on week 6 50mg. I certainly don't feel any better - I feel  lot of loneliness - this is just as bad. It's great to know that one can feel good on coming off the drug