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Original poster

Stopping Sertraline

24 replies

WhatNowFrantic · 22/02/2021 10:43

Hi. My DS has been on sertraline for 13 months, started on 25mg then after a few weeks went up to 50mg where he stayed.
He is now in a much better place and feels he wants to stop. The GP has just said dont just suddenly stop, go to 25mg and see how it goes.
Has anyone had experience of this? How long did it take? Did you have side effects?
Thankyou

OP posts:
Original poster
WhatNowFrantic · 22/02/2021 21:24

Anyone?

OP posts:
Imaginetoday · 22/02/2021 21:37

Hi, would have thought others would have responded😕

Came off over 9 months- some issues but difficult to say definitely as menopausal stuff going on

He MUST follow GPS instructions as withdrawing suddenly can cause significant and life threatening conditions in some people- read the PIL. Inside the pack for details. Some peoples depression can all worsen as they come off before settling down again for a short time

He will get there over a period of a 2-3 months - just be slow and steady and contact gp if he feels worse or other physical symptoms

Hope it goes well and he stays well thereafter

Imaginetoday · 22/02/2021 21:38

50mg is quite a low dose so would be quicker....

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Toddlerteaplease · 22/02/2021 21:40

I stopped gradually, Got over the head spinning thing and was fine for A couple of months. Then all the withdrawal side effects hit me like a ton of bricks. And I went back on it just to stop them. Not tried since.

Original poster
WhatNowFrantic · 22/02/2021 21:49

Thankyou for replies, doesnt sound as straightforward as DS thinks. He hasnt seen GP but spoke on the phone and she just said cut in half and see how it goes🤔
I will read the leaflet thanks

OP posts:
dazzlinghaze · 22/02/2021 21:55

I was on 50mg. I stopped without input from my GP which probably wasn't very sensible but I told my sister and my boyfriend so they kept an eye on me for any changes. I cut them in half so I was taking 25mg and did that for about 3 weeks and felt fine so stopped after that. I was on them for about the same amount of time as your DS and have been off them for about 5 months now and am doing really well! I think because 50mg is such a small dose it was fairly easy to come off of them. Good luck to him!

Msrivia · 22/02/2021 22:04

I was on 50mg for 6 months, I halved the tablet for 2 weeks and my GP reckoned that I could stop it then but I took a half every other day for another 2 weeks because I had mild dizzy spells the first day of stopping . I had pretty bad resurgent anxiety and severe dizzy spells for about 2 weeks after coming off, to the point that I considered restarting it. Managed to tough it out and I'm glad I did, the sertraline really helped me when I needed it but I feel a lot more like my old self (with better self care knowledge!). I know two other people who came off higher doses without any problem, one stopped it dead and the other tapered to 50mg then stopped, no issues at all for them.

Bralessandfree · 22/02/2021 22:08

My advice is make sure he comes off it really slowly. I didn't and had awful withdrawal symptoms, everything from sweats, palpitations to the 'impending doom' feeling.

Original poster
WhatNowFrantic · 22/02/2021 22:50

Thankyou everyone, some food for thought. Hes been so much better on them and is now in a good place so wants to come off. I'm worried about him stopping but understand his reasoning and want to support him.

OP posts:
heartshapedskull · 22/02/2021 23:32

When you feel you don’t need the medication, that’s when it is working really well for you...

Catworrier · 22/02/2021 23:41

I think you really need to asses the reasons why he wants to come off them

I feel sertraline just dampens my negative thoughts. It makes me much more "at one" with life and I feel like a normal person. I still get negative feelings but it's like the sertraline washed them away for me and I don't give them a second chance. Whereas before they would eat me.

I tried coming off sertraline by doing the halving tablets plan. I got the dizziness and the electricity feeling in my head. I hated everyone and was so snappy and agitated. Be prepared for it to be a rough ride for everyone involved. And it's worth telling those around you what's happening so they can support and understand why it's happening. However one the come down has eased the negative thoughts came back and I was back to square one. Not snappy and agitated but withdrawing from social situations I loved when I was happy in tablets.

I'm back on them now and Personally if it means I can have a happy life then I will stay on them as long as I need to.

If he wants to come off them and has the same negative thoughts that I mentioned earlier, the ones that wash away with the tablets, I would suggest he still needs them. I'm not sure if I'm right but those little monsters that are being dampened by the tablets will soon come back. My theory is that you have to keep with it until they are totally gone.

Can anyone else who has taken them and come off them agree?

MissPessyMistic · 23/02/2021 00:02

I’ve spent years on and off Sertraline, they’ve generally been the best AD for me. I’m very risk averse, so I come off meds very slowly. He’s on quite a low dose but I still wouldn’t rush it. Definitely follow your GPs advice but don’t feel rushed either. Some GPs can be a bit gung ho as they’re not specialists in this area. Slow and steady wins the race. When he steps down a dose I would stay on that for a month or two minimum. If memory serves 25mg is the lowest dose. Some people halve these, I prefer to take every other day, and again for a minimum of a month.

I’m not a medical professional, this is my own experience. Coming off ADs can be very hard for some people, but dragging it out as long as possible can really help. In all these years I’ve never had horrid side effects when tapering off, but maybe I’ve just been lucky to be fair.

MissPessyMistic · 23/02/2021 00:09

@WhatNowFrantic

Thankyou everyone, some food for thought. Hes been so much better on them and is now in a good place so wants to come off. I'm worried about him stopping but understand his reasoning and want to support him.
It’s really tough finding the right time to come off them, which makes it even more important to take it slowly. He needs the time to see if any of his symptoms reappear. It’s so easy to come off them too early, and it’s worse having to go straight back on then staying on a bit longer than you want to.
RAOK · 23/02/2021 00:09

Please speak to GP and come off them very gradually. He should be absolutely sure he is ready.

FellowFlipFlop · 23/02/2021 00:15

I was on 50mg then went upto 100. Came off it cold turkey after about 6 months because I kept forgetting to take it because I felt like I didn't need them but like someone said that's just a sign that it's working. I continued to not take them and felt fine - until one day a few weeks later I wasn't fine. Not at all. Spent a day in the darkest hole and realised I still needed them. I'm now on 50mg and I mainly feel that's the right amount but he needs to be really careful if he comes off and don't cold turkey it.

I have resigned myself to the fact I may very well be on them long term but life is so much better when you have the monsters under control.

dazzlinghaze · 23/02/2021 01:32

Agree with the PP who mentioned having a really in-depth chat about why he wants to come off them as if he's feeling good I'd worry it might be the tablets that are making him feel so well and coming off them could set him back. For example has he put other things in place to deal with the depression/ anxiety? If he was struggling due to a specific traumatic event/s has his life changed/ has he worked through the issue? Or is he just feeling better as a result of the medication?

My thinking was always if the sertraline made me feel normal and I wasn't having any negative side effects that outweighed the benefits of the medication I would stay on it for as long as necessary. I decided to come off them because after a while I felt like they weren't working and felt a lot of the symptoms I'd experienced before starting the medication were slipping back in. Eg, that lethargy/brain fog, overwhelming feelings of worry etc. But I started them after I'd been through a really difficult year with a lot of distressing upheaval and when I decided to come off them I'd worked through the emotional damage that had been caused that year and my life had really changed in the months I was on the medication.

For me I think the issue was that they helped me when I really needed them after that rough patch and allowed me to deal with things that had previously overwhelmed me and they helped me feel able to make a lot of positive changes in my life so because I was feeling back to myself the medication was too much for my brain and started to cause it's own issues. I came to this conclusion as they upped my dose for a while to see if I just needed a stronger level but all the symptoms I was experiencing worsened over the next few months until I went back to my original dose then weaned off them altogether. In the month before I stopped them I was so down and was sleeping about 18 hours a day and had to take time off work. Whereas when I initially started them I felt quite a big improvement within a few weeks. When I stopped taking them I felt a big difference and that fog lifted the way it did when I first started sertraline.

If I'd stopped them when I just felt good as a result of the sertraline but before I'd made actual changes in my life I think I would have just gone back to square one. I hope all that makes sense.

I also started private CBT in December which I've found to be invaluable. Like everyone on the planet, I've struggled this last year but especially these last few months and I feel like the CBT has helped me cope with that a lot better than I would have on my own and it's taught me a lot of useful skills to help manage my thoughts and feelings. Without it I think I might have been back at the stage of needing medication. Just thought I'd mention that in case it might be something your son would benefit from.

Original poster
WhatNowFrantic · 23/02/2021 21:58

Thanks everyone, especially @dazzlinghaze, that was really helpful and interesting. I.wont go into all the details here but I've had other threads about DS problems last year. It really was an awful time.
The situation that caused his stress is now over and hes much happier.
He had counselling/CBT this time last year which seemed to help him.
Hes done 2 days of 25mg now, so far so good

OP posts:
Bralessandfree · 23/02/2021 22:31

@Catworrier

I think you really need to asses the reasons why he wants to come off them

I feel sertraline just dampens my negative thoughts. It makes me much more "at one" with life and I feel like a normal person. I still get negative feelings but it's like the sertraline washed them away for me and I don't give them a second chance. Whereas before they would eat me.

I tried coming off sertraline by doing the halving tablets plan. I got the dizziness and the electricity feeling in my head. I hated everyone and was so snappy and agitated. Be prepared for it to be a rough ride for everyone involved. And it's worth telling those around you what's happening so they can support and understand why it's happening. However one the come down has eased the negative thoughts came back and I was back to square one. Not snappy and agitated but withdrawing from social situations I loved when I was happy in tablets.

I'm back on them now and Personally if it means I can have a happy life then I will stay on them as long as I need to.

If he wants to come off them and has the same negative thoughts that I mentioned earlier, the ones that wash away with the tablets, I would suggest he still needs them. I'm not sure if I'm right but those little monsters that are being dampened by the tablets will soon come back. My theory is that you have to keep with it until they are totally gone.

Can anyone else who has taken them and come off them agree?

Completely how I feel too. I went straight back on them after 4 weeks off and the depression came creeping back. I stupidly thought I was cured because they're so effective.
Original poster
WhatNowFrantic · 23/02/2021 22:54

DS knows he can go back on them, but feels that the reason for needing them has gone and has been dealt with.

OP posts:
Imaginetoday · 23/02/2021 22:56

I’m sure he will be fine. If he’s otherwise well, had therapy to help with underlying reasons and triggers he’s got a head start to come off nicely. Most people have few issues.
Make sure he stays vigilant in the future and gets help if some of triggers reappear for his mental health Issues and continues building his resilience to any future issues.
Good luck and hope this year is more positive for you both 💐

Original poster
WhatNowFrantic · 23/02/2021 23:01

Thankyou @imaginetoday

OP posts:
Original poster
WhatNowFrantic · 10/03/2021 14:53

Just thought I'd update, it's been 2 weeks now since DS halved his dose down to 25mg, hes had no side effects up until now but the last 2 days has been subdued, it really worries me as this is what he was like before he started taking them.
Is it possible that this is withdrawal or does it mean he shouldn't be coming off them yet? One day he was fine and the next day really down.

OP posts:
MorePotatoSalad · 10/03/2021 15:00

It comes and goes in waves and windows (that is the term used when coming off antidepressants). I found each drop took a couple of weeks to level off, so this may be the levelling off? How is diet, exercise? These things will help. If it persists then stay at this level for a bit, then for the next drop you could go slower e.g. 1 day 25mg, 1 day 12mg, or every other day 25mg. If his mental state persistently worsens then speak to the doctor.

Original poster
WhatNowFrantic · 10/03/2021 15:23

Thankyou that's helpful. His diet isnt great but I (force feedGrin) him a multi vit, vit D and cod liver oil every day which he happily takes. He has an active job and walks the dog most days. Maybe this is a levelling off. Will keep a close eye.

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