CookieMonster Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 And that's really putting it mildly. How long have the symptoms lasted for you ladies who've done this? I've read it can take as much as seven weeks. Please give me hope it won't take as long! Chills dizziness inability to concentrate irritability fatigue I've been off a week. Been experiencing syptoms for five days. I just want to curl up in a ball until it's all over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Did you taper off under a Dr.'s guidance? What does he/she say about the expected length of your symptoms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genie Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 It took me about six weeks to stop having the pin prick feeling in my cheeks. Luckily I stopped all the weight gain pretty much as soon as I stopped taking them. I'm not sure about the other symptoms you list, because the Dr. started me on another type (not SSRI) immediately, and I had really bad reactions to that one. So I'm not sure if it was the detox or the new one. Did you wean off of them or stop cold turkey (which is what I did... not recommended)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Did you go off gradually as Chris asked? When I went off Zoloft, I did it cold-turkey (NOT a good idea!). I was just so sick and tired of the side-effects that I HAD to stop. I did not suffer any of the chills or lack of concentration (any more so than usual anyway :D) but the irritability was WORSE than before I started taking the drug to begin with! I was a time-bomb ready to explode at any given moment over the silliest things! My poor dh and dc. Talk to your dr. and see if you shouldn't go back on the drug at a very low dose and then taper from there. It might help. Praying for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 I felt like I needed to be in the hospital for a couple weeks. The dizziness, fatigue, general crazy feeling, it was horrible. I don't recommend going cold-turkey, I did it because we had lost our insurance, and I couldn't afford to refill the prescription. Michelle T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieMonster Posted April 18, 2008 Author Share Posted April 18, 2008 I felt like I needed to be in the hospital for a couple weeks. The dizziness, fatigue, general crazy feeling, it was horrible. This is me. I feel like I have a really bad case of the flu - without all the phlegm. :ack2: I went off cold turkey. I was just about to run out of my prescription anyway and had forgotten to take it for four days when I realized I might have these other circumstances to consider (there might be bread baking in my oven - possibly) and so I just didn't begin taking it again. It was 50mg a day of generic Zoloft. I should have started weaning myself several months ago - I know. Too late for all that now. The doctor canceled my appt. and everything in life snowballed after that. I never made it back. yada yada yada...the blame still falls on me. Thanks for the sympathy. I see I'm not alone in going the ill-advised cold-turkey route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 You will be back to normal soon. Oh, and as for blame...don't blame yourself totally! My dr. never really informed me of the negative effects of the cold-turkey route! In fact, the issue never even came up! Hoping you feel better very soon! Oh, and as to the Zoloft when you might possibly have bread in the oven...:)...I took Zoloft through my pregnancy with #6 with no problems at all to dd or to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouseacademy Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 You might visit The Drug Awareness site. It is dedicated to SSRIs and how and why to get off of them. http://www.drugawareness.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieMonster Posted April 18, 2008 Author Share Posted April 18, 2008 I took Zoloft through my pregnancy with #6 with no problems at all to dd or to me. Really? I was made to understand that there were serious birth defects from taking Zoloft through pregnancy. _________________ Oh, and, Ladies, I laid it all out on the table for dh. I'm sick, he'll have to do all my work for me. He, as usual, is fine with it. So, I'll be doing better all weekend just because of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 and its effects on pregnancy. My dr. told me that Zoloft was probably one of the safer anti-depressants to take during pregnancy (as are most SSRI's). Zoloft is so new that research isn't conclusive about the true effects. As with ANY drug, there are bound to be potential effects to the unborn child. I'm certainly not telling you to go back on the Zoloft if you are pregnant. Obviously discuss it with your dr. as to the pros and cons. For me? My stress level and depression at that time was pretty bad, so taking Zoloft and the "risk" outweighed NOT taking it, KWIM? AND, my case could have been an exception. Please talk to your dr. and do the research and make a decision that is best for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieMonster Posted April 19, 2008 Author Share Posted April 19, 2008 Sue, I will certainly discuss all of this with my dr. But, I do think it's more of a moot point now. I'm off the meds and I'll stay off unless the PPD comes again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 This is me. I feel like I have a really bad case of the flu - without all the phlegm. :ack2: I went off cold turkey. I was just about to run out of my prescription anyway and had forgotten to take it for four days when I realized I might have these other circumstances to consider (there might be bread baking in my oven - possibly) and so I just didn't begin taking it again. It was 50mg a day of generic Zoloft. I should have started weaning myself several months ago - I know. Too late for all that now. The doctor canceled my appt. and everything in life snowballed after that. I never made it back. yada yada yada...the blame still falls on me. Thanks for the sympathy. I see I'm not alone in going the ill-advised cold-turkey route. Since you've already made it through the first week, you should start feeling better in a week or so. I know, that sounds like forever. And the dizziness and general awful feeling make it hard to function. Spend as much time as possible (yeah, right, like you have any available time) laying down, and drink a lot of fluids to help flush out your system. Michelle T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 You can go back on, only long enough to taper yourself off. Try a 1/2 of a 25 mg tablet. See if that stabilizes you, if you still feel sick go up to a 25mg. Stay on that for a week, then try to go down to a 1/2 tab again for a week, then go to a 1/4 tab for a week. Some people really, really need a slow taper, and you may even need to go down by 1/4's. Good luck! I hope you fell better soon. Tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieMonster Posted April 19, 2008 Author Share Posted April 19, 2008 Since you've already made it through the first week, you should start feeling better in a week or so. I know, that sounds like forever. And the dizziness and general awful feeling make it hard to function. Spend as much time as possible (yeah, right, like you have any available time) laying down, and drink a lot of fluids to help flush out your system. Thanks, I will be sure to get all the water I need. I have been laying down as needed - even when in the backyard with the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieMonster Posted April 21, 2008 Author Share Posted April 21, 2008 Apparently the day I originally posted this whine/plea for commisseration was the worst of the lot. Another example of how it's always darkest right before dawn. I am certainly not through it all yet. There are still puddles in the dirt, so to speak. But the sun is coming up, the day promises to be warm and bright, and I'm just waiting for everything to dry out. I think by the end of this week I'll be all done with symptoms. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Apparently the day I originally posted this whine/plea for commisseration was the worst of the lot. Another example of how it's always darkest right before dawn. I am certainly not through it all yet. There are still puddles in the dirt, so to speak. But the sun is coming up, the day promises to be warm and bright, and I'm just waiting for everything to dry out. I think by the end of this week I'll be all done with symptoms. :) It's certainly not fun to go through! Michelle T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShelzNH Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 I know this won't make sense but Sudafed helps reduce the withdrawl effects. I Have gone off Zoloft successfully and had horrible withdrawl symptoms: brain zaps, fatigue , irratibility, dizziness etc... I got a pill cutter and weened off very slowly. took about 3 months. I weened all the way down to 6.25 mg. before I finally was able to stop. I Read on a SSRI forum that taking sudafed would help. I didn't believe it but I was so desperate that I tried it and it worked. Sure I took sudafed daily for several weeks but at least I was able to come off that horrid medication.. ugh...feel free to email me. Hang in there. it CAN happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.