Sertraline 150mg. First day reduced to 100mg

Treatment and medication
1

Hi all,

New to this kind of thing but here we go.
I have been on sertraline for 2 years now, initially started on 50mg, then upped to 100mg and then upped again to 150mg. I have also been given diazepam and propranolol.

I’ve suffered with anxiety my whole life but never really new what is was or why it was effecting me. Anyway I was upped dosage because after a few months it felt like the medication had stopped working and I was back to square one. 150mg hasn’t been so bad but my down days are bad and I find myself sitting around waiting for it to go dark to go to be and sleep (dont sleep great).

I made the decision that while on lockdown and with family around me I would reduce my dosage. I spoke to a friend who works in mental health and she suggested for two weeks I alternate with 100mg one day and 150mg the next day, this for two weeks and see how I feel to then drop it down to 50mg from 100mg.

Today is the first day I have taken just 100mg and even though I get really tired anyway I can cope with it, but today it has completely knocked me out in the afternoon. I lay down (didnt sleep) for an hour and even when I sat up I felt and feel really heavy and lethargic.

Any advice on what I should do in terms or reducing and how to deal with side effects? Dont get me wrong when I first was given sertraline I had all the side effects but not sure about the other way around.

2

Hi, your friend actually gave you really good advice. Because I’ve been on/off this med for more than half my lifetime, so that’s like 2 decades. You alternate, 1 day you take 100mg and the next day you take 150mg for several weeks.

I know all the side effects of getting on as well as getting off this dosage. I’ve been crazy to even go cold turkey from 100mg to nothing, but this felt like a bazillion years ago before I learned about tapering.

I find that the side effects of getting off is sometimes almost like having a very bad cold or flu, so give yourself LOTS of rest. If you feel nausea or have terrible headaches or can’t sleep, take a Tylenol It is actually better to be on a very healthy good diet and get exercise before you start tapering.

Prayers coming your way.

3

Thank you for taking the time to read my very long message :grinning_face: as it turns out I accidentally took 50mg on Sunday and 150mg yesterday. Sunday I was beyond tired and when I got up yesterday I felt really spaced out oops. But back onto it today to take 100mg.

Thanks again, stay safe and well