To ask how long after stopping sertraline you felt yourself

[smore]

After the birth of my child this time last year I had PND, it was truly horrific and I had no idea if I would make it out of. I had early intervention though with Sertraline and it quite literally saved my life.

When I had been on Sertraline for 6 months I discussed stopping with my GP. I tapered over 3 weeks, taking half the pill (25mg). I've since read more about this (I banned myself from a lot of googling at the time as it was sometimes counterproductive) and that may not have been the best way to do it ... But my GP had been great throughout so I followed her instructions. My last pill was the 30th June.

A few days after stopping completely I had a horrendous night, brain zaps constantly, vivid dreams and sort of hallucinations. I thought I'd never be able to come off it but the next night nothing happened. The brain zaps happened sporadically but the major symptom I noticed in the month that followed was anger. I was unbelievably angry at people / things / life. Totally irrationally and not like me at all. Thankfully after a month that faded too. Again, a small price to pay for

So that took me to August, where I first noticed anxiety was creeping in. Irrational anxiety that I notice before I notice a reason. As in, I'm not worrying about something and then feel anxious ... I get a tight chest, rapid heart rate, sense of doom and sheer panic.

I've busied myself, learned to drive, started exercising a bit and gone back to work ... But this anxiety has been lurking in the background. And I think getting worse. It's effecting my quality of life but no where near enough to consider getting back on the Sertraline or another SSRI.

It's now a year since I had my baby and the subsequent PND. I find myself reminded of that hard time which is obviously a bit of a downer. And whilst I'm definitely not depressed again, I find myself having to cheerlead myself through the day a bit. Having to force myself to try and deal with the anxiety and weird mood creeping in.

As recently as a month ago (so that would be 4 months off Sertraline) I had a random brain zap. Which I take to mean my brain is still balancing itself after the SSRI. I am confident the anxiety is a product of coming off Sertraline too.

So I just wondered from people who have been there ... How long did it take you to feel completely normal? Did you have any symptoms like this, long after taking your last pill?

Sorry that was longer than i intended.

Just wanted to emphasise a couple of things for anyone reading still on Sertraline ... It was massively worth it for me, I have no regrets about taking it. And even with what was probably too fast a taper, the discontinuation symptoms were not as bad as I had worried.

In comparison to the PND it treated, this is easy. But of course I want to think of a time where this isn't a part of my life at all.

I was only on Sertraline for around six weeks so I'm probably not the best to answer this, however it did only take a couple of weeks. I was on it for anxiety and I could feel it messing with my head and didn't like it so stopped it.

I felt very strange for a few months coming off it but I was also pregnant so it was hard to tell whether I was feeling the effects of the withdrawal and not the pregnancy.

Please speak to your doctor, if you are feeling rubbish maybe you need to be on them for a bit longer and then try a longer withdrawal? I think I did a whole tablet one day and a half the other for a couple of weeks, then a half every day and then a half every other day. I did it for about three weeks and I think it was too quick for me

@WhenISnappedAndFarted Thanks for your response. Glad you were able to stop it quickly when it didn't agree with you

@Jenda Can imagine that added an extra dimension of difficulty! Thank you for your response, GP is good but can only really offer going back on and it wouldn't be worth it for this. I have made it this far and so will ride it out, it's nothing in comparison to the symptoms I was put on it for. But that said it is reassuring to hear it took a few months of feeling a bit funny. All the NHS stuff says there'll be no issues if tapering and no mention of long term issues ... Despite people's experiences seeming to vary wildly

I was on it for 7 years. But (and it's not recommended) I went cold turkey in August 2017 after it transpires I wasn't actually depressed, I'd been gaslighted by my stbxh. I was stressed and struggling but not actually mentally ill. I still get the very occasional zap but I felt pretty much ok immediately. Nothing felt different which also concurred with the 'not depressed' diagnosis. Good luck (sorry, didn't mean to ramble)

@Dhalandchips Wow I'm so sorry you had to go through that! But good for you on coming off it, I'm glad you didn't have to go through harsh withdrawal symptoms to boot. Hope things are better for you now

OP - I wonder if you came off of it before you were ready....
I had a terrible PND..(insomnia, anxiety, etc)...
I saw a specialised psychiatrist for it.
His direction was that I can only start coming OFF it after I have been OK and stabilised for 6 months.
(If you were only on them for 6 month - and they take a while to fully kick in....than it couldn’t have been that)
And then - he was getting me off very slowly - it took another 6 month.
So - as a result - I didn’t have any issues coming off then.

I am sorry you have symptoms now. PND can linger. And not all symptoms are ‘depressive’ - for me - anxiety was one of the strongest symptoms. It was crippling.

In your place - i’d go back to your GP and ask to see a specialist.

I was on it for two years, started low but didn’t do anything for me until 200mg. Stayed like that for a good year and a half until I started grandually tapering off, then found out I was pregnant. I think I was down to about 25g by then, and slowly reduced it further and was off it by 12 weeks.

The brain zaps were awful but disappeared within a few weeks. They didn’t ever come back for me. I did have a few slight returns of anxiety post birth, but mostly triggered by recognisable situations etc and therefore easier to deal with.

I’ve been off it for two years. I still get stressed which can lead to similar feelings, but it’s not that awful causeless anxiety that creeps up on you for no damn reason. No panic attacks while minding my own business watching a film etc.

Still feel like I’m always watching for the start of the downwards spiral, but don’t feel like it’s inevitable now. Good luck!

@Josuk It's hard to explain but I know this isn't PND. It feels entirely different and I'm genuinely happy most of the time, my bond with my baby is brilliant etc. So no similarities, but what it does remind me of is the time it took for the Sertraline to kick in. I had intense anxiety in the days before I felt ok again, which reminds me of this feeling.

I was told 6 months since it started working too and think it only worked out 2 weeks shy of that. I don't think it would be such an exact science. But obviously I didn't do a slow 6 month taper so it was likely cutting it close.

I do take your points onboard. I became obsessive about coming off it and thought about it a hell of a lot in the time between getting better and stopping. Stopping coincided with a landmark birthday and finding out a close family member had cancer, so it wasn't an ideal time. But if not then, when? The side effects were hard and I desperately wanted to put this aspect of 2018 behind me.

When I hear how you did it, it seems as though I rushed massively and probably for the wrong reasons.

I'd love to see a specialist but I don't think I'd be able to. I have private insurance and contacted Mind asking about SSRI withdrawal advice / organisations etc but didn't find anything. Feels like the GP is pretty adamant there should be no real withdrawal issues as it's "not addictive". I'll do some more digging though to see about specialists.

Thanks for sharing, it's great you had no issues coming off. I hope things are good for you now.

@lambdroid It's great to hear from someone out the other side and doing well, thank you.

I know what you mean about looking for the spiral, I think I'll always be looking over my shoulder for the return of the PND symptoms, but hope that'll fade with time.

Firstly I have not been in your position but was a midwife for many years. My position on this might be that your ‘normal ‘ after having a baby might not be your previous ‘normal’.

If you feel pretty much ok and are functioning well maybe that is your normal. You can’t compare pre baby self with post baby self who is so differently stressed and sleep deprived. You have changed.

It sounds as if you’ve done brilliantly and might be slightly overthinking it. If you basically feel well and are enjoying your baby then you are doing just great.

Sorry, I’m not the target responder you were asking for.

@MatildaTheCat No that's actually very helpful thank you and a good point. I have changed as a person as a result of having our baby, the PND and everything in between. I'm not sure I can recall what life was like before, as thankfully I had no reason to analyse my brain chemistry.

I'm very aware that the time of year is reminding me a lot of this time last year. And my biggest fear is ever feeling like that again. I do feel anxious and it's stressful but I am massively grateful for how good things are and the fact I was one of the lucky ones who was able to get over the PND relatively quickly.

I want to be careful not to be hyper vigilant about how I'm feeling, as I'm aware that could be the route of this seemingly new anxiety too.

OP - for what it’s worth - I don’t think SSRI’s are addictive in a transitional meaning of it.
Addiction - I think - normally means craving the immediate ‘high’ of sorts... While SSRI’s work to replace something that the brain is missing...

In my case - I wasn’t militant about the meds. Just a test before my PND friend of a friend commuted suicide when her untreated PND turned into psychosis. So - I was scared and let the doctor lead me...

After I came off SSRI, I didn’t have side affects. True.
However - a little aftershocks of some of PND symptoms - mostly anxiety in my case - do sometimes come back. Very rarely, and always clearly identifiable. And with much lower intensity.
Always triggered by something related to my kids - in my case it’s loss of control and my perceived failing to protect/shield them.

And my symptoms are purely physical. And, mercifully, short lived.
It’s like something got broken - all those years ago with PND, and didn’t completely healed.
I have accepted that it’s like that now. Like I have a little bit of a limp.
😂😂

So - when I said - it might be related to the original PND - I didn’t mean you are actually depressed. It could be the aftershocks.

Or withdrawal....

If you have insurance - (so did/do I) - i’d Not ask GP to refer you for ‘withdrawal symptoms’ - i’d Go and complain about anxiety. And not link it to PND.
Get GP to refer you to a specialist....
And in the meanwhile - they can get you some short term fix - anti-anxiety meds worked really well for me. And they are definitely NOT addictive. Mine was Xanax.
Literally saved me in dark times

@Josuk Sorry didn't mean addictive, agree with you there. But I think GPs don't have a grip on how the withdrawal process effects people fully.

Great analogy about aftershocks, I can really relate to that. Back in March I had just that, not rebound depression and was still on Sertraline but a sort of aftershock from the main event.

Do you mind me asking if you're in the UK? My knowledge is limited but I didn't think Xanex was available in the UK and was under the impression it was massively addictive. Sorry for my ignorance there if wrong on all counts! I am really wary of taking anything else but agree it wouldn't hurt to speak to someone. I passed my driving test a month ago and am almost unable to drive as the anxiety is so high. I worry I'm never going to be able to go on the motorway or drive to work etc. It's nothing like the PND but it's certainly causing issues in my day to day life. And not knowing if it's because of Sertraline, PND or just my life now makes it harder in a way as I don't know if it'll pass or I should be doing more about it.

Omg Dahlandchips what a lesson for so many people struggling on mumsnet.

Yes, I am in the UK...
Sorry - I should have qualified - and this is why you NEED to see a specialist -
Xanax - for me at least - provided a short term relief of the anxiety, when it was at its worst....
It’s NOT a long term cure and in long term use it can build up tolerance and people become addicted in the sense that their symptoms require them to take increasing doses.
That’s why it’s so SO important to get to the cause of the anxiety....

Please - do try to see someone. It does sound like you have something going on that needs medical attention.
And - please !!! - don’t drive untill you are safe for yourself AND people around you

@Josuk I obviously would never take any risks regarding driving, thus why it's a frustrating issue at the moment.

That's interesting about specialists being able to help in different ways. I am of the mindset that this is more likely still to be things settling after sertraline withdrawal, rather than a new issue which requires more medication. But I am thinking perhaps CBT would be helpful so will speak to my GP / look into that.

Definitely try CBT therapy it works so well for anxiety, also mindfulness and any kind of relaxation/meditation.

OP - shut me down if you want to... but - I do find it that people can get in worse places when they try to self-diagnose and/or have philosophical objections to medication.....
Depression and other mental health symptoms - can be dangerous. And they definitely affect one’s quality of life....

Thing is - I get it that you have a ‘mindset’ that you want to follow.
But it’s the same mindset that lead you to (possibly) come off the meds too fast.

Back in my days of being scared of the very dire consequences of my PND - I told my doctor - I just need to get better. I want to be alive for my baby. Tell me how.
So - when time to come off drugs came by - and a stressful event was coming up - my doctor said that I should wait an extra month till after the event - to not trigger anything....

No offence to your GP - but he/she doesn’t seem to have enough experience with your specific situation.
Maybe CBT would help. But do - do ask about a specialist. Either on NHS (which would take forever, I presume), or via your insurance.
This is what you are paying your premiums for!!!!

@Josuk I'm definitely not self diagnosing and don't have any mindset regarding medication. I've said above that Sertraline saved my life.

You really don't need to point out that mental health issues can be dangerous, I'm still reeling from the experience I lived through (which combined with some settling from Sertraline, is what I suspect is behind making me feel the way I do currently).

I think I tapered off the Sertraline too quickly but don't think I came off it too soon. My GP and the team involved were instrumental in helping me, so whilst I agree they're not experts in all this, I trust them. As I said below, if not then when? I had a brilliant reaction to Sertraline, when it kicked in it really helped. So I see no issue with coming off it after the 6 months (give or take a couple of weeks). But I do agree a slower taper may have meant I avoided the withdrawal symptoms I experienced / am experiencing. That said, people do it in all manor of ways with all manor of results.

I'm open to hearing what people think but it's hard to articulate the past 12 months in a few forum posts.

In an ideal world a specialist would be amazing, it would have been even better when I was in the thick of the PND. But I know that this isn't worthy of further medication. When I needed it, I took it, but this isn't the same scenario.

I tapered really slowly the last time I came off sertraline but I still got the zaps - they did eventually stop completely though. OTOH, I always felt 'myself', but then I felt myself when I was on sertraline too. I'm on it again now at a higher dose and I still feel myself, I just don't lose my shit every time something inconsequential happens.

@MaggieAndHopey Thanks for your response. I know what you mean, I have read about depersonalisation etc and thankfully never experienced that. I guess I meant 'yourself' as in, no negative withdrawal effects.