Here's my story, being as brief as possible. I began taking zoloft in September 2014, just 25mg. I increased to 50 after 2 weeks and basically felt my anxiety slightly increase (I've come to find out that I should'nt have even been on zoloft as its not really for anxiety?). I was mainly nauseous and nervous most of the time. I thought I just needed more medicine, so decided to increase to 75mg in January. My anxiety increased so I went to 100mg. After 7-10 days of 100, I felt like a zombie. Some awful crying spells, fatigued, headaches... nothing like I had previously experienced. I decided that the zoloft didn't work well with me so I'm currently weaning off of it before switching to Lexapro. For the last two weeks since I began weaning (went from the 100mg to 62.5mg for a week and now currently on 50mg for last 5 days), I've had this dull, lingering headache that doesn't go away. It's in the back of my head and I feel somewhat dizzy and disoriented as well. However, I haven't felt too nervous nor anxious oddly enough, but pretty lethargic and weird. Is this all fairly typical for being on zoloft for about 6 months. How long would anyone expect to feel this way? It's not a very a high dosage nor long period of time so I'm a little concerned. I was at my doctor on Wednesday to discuss the switch and my symptoms and he didn't seem concerned at all. I also asked for an EKG (which was normal) and he asked "why do you think you had a cardiac event??? ". I guess he doesn't know how us anxious people operate lol.
Thanks in advance for any responses! Good luck everyone!
Anyone with experience weaning off of zoloft?
Question posted by drugino17 on 7 March 2015
Last updated on 8 March 2015 by Stephen Treloar
3 Answers
My some mental health workers advised me to discontinue immediately years ago. The side effects of Zoloft to me were nightmarish in the extreme (incidence 1 in 10,000+). It was Lithium after that.
What you are feeling is fairly typical for weaning off most any antidepressant including Zoloft which incidentally is prescribed for anxiety. You may find that Lexapro works better for you. Since we are all different, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. It isn't unusual to experience heightened anxiety when you increase the dosage of these type medications. This generally subsides with continued use. It is no fun finding the right medication, but I assure you once you do it is worth the effort and side effects in the beginning. Be patient and you may find reducing the dosage no quicker than every 2 weeks helps with the withdrawal effects. Follow your doc's instructions though as he knows what the treatment course is for you.
What's pretty bizarre is that my doctor originally lengthened the weaning period to roughly 6 weeks (with the thought of being off meds completely). I clarified and told him that I wanted to switch meds, not to eliminate them. He then said that I could shorten the weaning period to only 10 days and begin Lexapro right after. I'm pretty certain that I'm going to follow his guideline but it doesn't seem to mesh with what I've been reading here and online. Hmmm.
As I said on your other post, I was unclear, now I am clear. You're on a good schedule but you need to stretch it out longer before you start another mid. You're going to suffer these effects only to pick up new one with the new med. It would be great to be off everything for 3-4 weeks before beginning the lowest dose on a new medication. This see saw effect can last a long time.
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Further information
- Zoloft uses and safety info
- Zoloft prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Zoloft (detailed)
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