Stopping sertraline

[wandymum]

I've been taking sertraline for PND for 3 years. I also had some wonderful counselling and, as I have been feeling 'normal' for a while now, my GP was keen to get me off it. We cut the dose in half each month for a while until I was down to 50mg every other day and this week I've stopped altogether.

Today I've cried 3 times over things that whilst irritating wouldn't normally have had me in tears so I'm a bit worried it's because I've stopped the sertraline.

Has anyone got any experience of 'withdrawal' symptoms from sertraline? Is this usual. Will it pass?

If it's part of coming of the drug I can ride it out but my worry is that it is actually that the underlying depression is still there and just being suppressed by the drugs?

[wandymum]

PS - my original dose was 200mg

[MisForMumNotMaid]

some info here suggesting symptoms should decline over two weeks

[shutitweirdo]

I'm about to start coming off mine. Currently on 50mg a day. I have to go to one every other day. Was it only when you stopped altogether you had problems? With another tablet i was on a while ago, i went from one every other day for a month to one every 2 days for 2 weeks then when i felt ready stopped. On a positive note it's ok to cry that is getting things out and not keeping them in and rebuilding the depression. Give yourself time and know that you'll be ok.

[AnitaBlake]

First of all well done! You've made fantastic progress!

I came off sertraline last year, I came down too fast initially, and so we went down 25mg at a time once I was below 100mg. I would cut the 50mg ones in half and take half a tablet, so took 25mg for a few weeks, then cut this again to 25mgs every other day, once every three days, and then finally none at all. Everytime I stepped down I alternated dose, so a week of 50mg one night, 25mg the next for example, then down to 25mg every night, which really helped.

I think if you've been on them so long, you can afford to take your time coming off. Xxx