I have found this site very helpful during the period that I was taking sertraline and felt I should share my experiences of coming off the drug, in the hope that they may be of help to others.
I was diagnosed with depression last year and have been on 200mg of sertraline for approx 10 months. I also had some therapy during this period and recently took the decision (with my doctor's support) to come off the medication. Wary of repeating the experiences some other posters on this site have had I resolved to reduce my dosage gradually over a period of about a month (more gradually than suggested by my doctor).
Each week I reduced the dosage by 50mg a day. So week one I went down to 150mg a day, week 2 100mg a day etc. The first two weeks were fine with no real changes. By the end of week 3 I began to feel a bit light headed, with hot sweats and dry-mouth also returning. As a result I remained on this dose another week instead of stopping altogether in week 4.
I have now been 5 days with no sertraline and have found the experience of quitting surprisingly easy. I still feel a little light-headed now and again, but other side effects I suffered during the full dose (yawning, tiredness, sexual dysfunction) have all but gone, and although I kind of miss the 'wrapped in cotton wool' feeling I am glad to be back to life without medication.
For what its worth I would suggest that gradual reduction of dosage is the most effective way to avoid the worse of the side-effects experienced when coming off sertraline and that the good news (for me anyway) has been the speed at which the side-effects disappeared.
thanks for this post. its nice to hear a positive story about coming off sertraline. i'm about to do the same thing..... going slowly! how are you now?
I was on sertraline for 7 years and been ever so gradually tapering off over the last 6 months, to recently taking one 50mg tablet every 7 days.
I am still getting electric shocks and light-headness (2 weeks now since I took the last tablet)
My question is has anyone ever know this and will the electric jolts stop eventually or is it some permanent side-effect due to being on sertraline too long?
I am considering taking the supplement 5HTP which is reported to do same thing as sertraline.
I was on sertraline for 7 years and been ever so gradually tapering off over the last 6 months, to recently taking one 50mg tablet every 7 days.
I am still getting electric shocks and light-headness (2 weeks now since I took the last tablet)
My question is has anyone ever know this and will the electric jolts stop eventually or is it some permanent side-effect due to being on sertraline too long?
I am considering taking the supplement 5HTP which is reported to do same thing as sertraline.
Hi ClaraD,
I have recently come off Sertraline after two years. I started tapering for a month. I went from 100mg to 50mg for two weeks and then 50mg every other day for two weeks (following GP advice) and finally came off a
month ago today.
The tablet has a half life of 2 weeks once you have come off them. My side effects included electric shocks
(like brain zaps), tiredness, agitatation and I felt spaced out for just under 2 weeks. The
brain zaps left just after two and a half weeks. It's completely normal.
The side effects are not permanent. Good luck
Hi everybody.
I was hoping for some advice regarding coming off sertraline. I have only been on 50mg per day for 2 months, which my doctor put me on for mild depression. I can't say I have noticed much difference in myself,
probably too soon. The problem has been I get palpitations sometimes (could be because I am currently
going through the menopause) and when a bad episode meant a visit to A&E the doctor suggested I discuss with my GP if I really do need to be on sertraline as it can cause palpitations itself.
My GP said to stop the tablet and see how I go. I asked if I would get any side effects by just stopping straight off and she said I might feel a little "woozy" but it won't last long.
I was wondering if anybody has stopped this abruptly on this dose and if it is a god idea.
Many thanks for your help.
Hi Alison33,
Your GP should not have recommended you to do that. I can see why they advised it due to your palpitations but stopping abruptly you will experience dizziness, brain like electric shock sensation, tiredness and
agitation. I have stopped it before and felt awful, they should be tapering you off. You may still get some side effects but you don't want this to affect your mental well-being. If they advise you to stop, they should be able to give you an alternative to help with this. I hope this helps.
Thanks Jay. They are getting less intense/freequent, so must be almost there now! 
Many thanks for your reply Jay. Did you do 50mg every other day before stopping altogether? I could possibly do that, I shall check with my doctor or pharmacist.
Hi ClaraD, your welcome. Your almost there. Take it easy though
Hi Alison33,
I went from 100mg to 50mg for two weeks and then just 50mg every other day for two weeks. You could do that or even halve your tablets to 25mg for two weeks.
Thanks again Jay. I just spoke to my pharmacist who said I shouldn't stop abruptly too. He understandably didn't want to advise what to do but I'm going to break a tablet in half to take 25mg every other day and speak to my doctor.
Thanks so much for your help. It's very reassuring to be able to chat to people like yourself who have been in the same situation.
Hi Alison33,
No worries, anytime. I am glad you sought advice from a pharmacist, and they advised you properly. You know what's right for you. Take care of yourself
Hello I am glad to have come across this forum because I currently am struggling with coming off of sertraline I've been on numerous anti-depressants/anxiety meds over the last few years and this is one of the more
difficult ones yet. I rate Cymbalta being possibly the tie for first. I have been taking sertraline 100 mg for
several months now and have become washed out and emotionless from it. Not to mention fluctuation in
weight. I discussed with my doctor to wean off completely. She told me to start with going down to 50mg for 3 weeks then split in half to 25 for 3 weeks and be done. I ended up doing a month of 50mg and recently started my 25mg. Going to 50mg was painful! Headaches galor and brain zaps not to mention feeling like my body was in shock from missing that extra dose. I was so tired all the time and motivation out the window. It somewhat decreased. Now starting this 25mg I've been sick and the first two days felt like I was out of my of my
mind. I have weakness and am in that feeling in the clouds mode. Not to mention a touch of anxiousness
returning and heart palpitations that come and go. Hard to concentrate at work and I'm hoping it passes soon because I want to feel normal. I'm rather afraid of what will happen when I'm done with it all together.
Hi Ashmarie,
To be honest I would strongly advise you to get straight back to your GP as soon as. If you struggle, they can give you something else to help wean you off the tablets. This could involve using a different tablet to taper you off or going back up to 100mg for a few weeksdand then gradually wean you off with something different. I can see what you mean by the anxiousness, I have been getting that a great deal lately and genuinely do not suffer with this, my GP put me on Propanolol which is a beta-blocker and it's only been a few days and it's not too bad. I have been off them for almost 6 weeks now but after 2 years on them, it's taken a while to adjust.
If your side effects are bad physically and its playing with your emotions then definitely get to your GP today and don't leave until they explore different avenues with you. I had some of the physical effects what you had and it lasted almost 3 weeks. The emotions are getting there slowly. Just think, you were on 100mg for a few years and it's been a few weeks for your body to adjust not taking that extra dose, don't give yourself a hard time, your brain is working overtime searching for the tablet, it will wear you out at times but but don't suffer with it, your mental health is vital. I really understand where your coming from because you are not sure what sort of person you are without them, but go to your GP and talk to your family and friends as support is great and what we need at this time. Good luck
I have been on sertraline 150 mg/day for 4 years now. I have decided to come off it and cut back on one tablet now for 2 weeks. I have had so far noticed no symptoms of anything. I do know however, or that it seems, that my overall general mood is pretty good. I am planning on cutting back on one more of these pills. My doctor doesn't know I'm doing this. I will tell him when I see him, and I know he won't be happy with my doing this without his consult, however, I have come to the conclusion that I alone am able to tell if anything is amiss. If things change, then I will go back on it.
Hi everybody. It has been a while since I put a post on here. I have now come off the sertraline. I was only on 50mg per day for 3 months when after a nasty palpitation episode and a visit to A&E, where the doctor said
sertraline can cause palpitations, I decided to get off them. My GP put me on them when she felt I was mildly depressed (it turned out to be all menopausal symptoms in the end). My GP said to just stop the tablet which turned out to be bad advice as I felt horrid - anxious and agitated. After that I gradually weaned myself off by having half a tablet a day for a month, then half a tablet every other day for 2 weeks, then virtually a quarter
of a tablet every 4 days for 2 weeks, then stopped altogether. I think I had a few brain zaps but nothing too
bad at all really. I know I wasn't on the tablet very long, and it probably makes a difference, but I did feel
coming off them at that speed worked well.
Hi everyone, I'm so glad I saw all of your responses. I feel slightly more normal. I've been on a low dose of Sertraline (50mg daily) for about 10 months. Whilst on them I've suffered hot sweats, particularly at night, and I've put on over 2 and a half stone (whether it has increased my appetite or lowered my resolve to eat healthily I don't know but it's been depressing) 
On the positive side, I've had that wrapped in cotton wool feeling which has helped me get through but I thought I'd spent long enough on them and had to do something about the weight. So i cut down from 50mg to 25mg daily for 10 days then I just stopped taking the half tablet about a week ago. I have been REALLY snappy and irritable with my family. I can't take the noise, constant interruption or any form of criticism. I've really blown up once or twice at my other half in the last couple of days, which is both good and bad. Good that I'm more in the land of the living again but bad that I don't seem to have the emotional control. I've had horrendous headaches, funny sort of eye disturbances (could this be the electric shocks people talk about), and nausea. I am also feeling extremely tired and jumpy. Having heard what the rest of you have been going through it sounds like I've just stopped the final amount of Sertraline too quickly. If anyone has any advice as to whether having a tiny amount now might help. I'm reluctant to go back to the hot sweats as life is a lot more comfortable without them, but a touch more emotional balance might be good!!!
Hi Mel,
I went through what you have recently, I was irritable, anxious and generally felt like I was going to explode constantly. I could almost put up with that but then after 3 weeks, my mood dropped substantially combined with the flu didn't help but I had to return to my GP. It turned out that I came off mine too quickly and will probably always need them.
I was prior to going back on mine advsied to propanolol, but personally these didn't work for me. Most GPs advise people to take propanolol to stop the anxiety, it takes the edge off but does not get to the route of the problem.
Without a doubt, speak to your GP as soon as you can as they can advise you what to do from there. Any sudden changes in your mood, let your GP know, don't suffer with it.
Thanks, Jay
I'm just so determined that I don't want to go back to them (because of the weight gain and sweats) that I'd do anything to find an alternative. I wondered about 5HTP or St John's Wort? I'd welcome anyone's views as to whether natural remedies have any benefit. Otherwise as you say it's back to the GP.