Stopping sertraline advice needed

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Hi all. Yes I will speak to GP when they are back open.

But for now... I've been on sertraline, 50mg for 8 weeks for depression. It really has lifted my mood, stopped suicidal thoughts, helped with OCD. It also gave me the headspace I needed to start counselling.

BUT the side effects are only getting worse, mostly diarrhea for about 2 hours every morning. Once we're back at work, school run etc I just can't live with that.

Tried reducing dose to 25mg some days which sometimes helps, sometimes doesn't.

I want to reduce / stop. How would I go about this please? As it's only been 8 weeks i can't decide whether just to stop cold turkey or keep reducing to 25mg.

Thanks

Stopping cold turkey would be incredibly unwise.

Hi, if they have helped then it would be worth speaking to your Gp to try another SSRI. I know it might be a while till you can see them so you could try taking 25mg daily to see if your diarrhoea improves.

I tried sertraline 50mg for about 10 days and found the side effects were awful. I just took one every other day for a week then stopped completely. Appreciate that you’ve been on them longer though.

I would ask to change medication to another SSRI do not stop. They can titration the new medication in rather than you stopping then having to build up the new.

Do 25 for a week , then the week after every other day then either every 3rd day or you should be able to come off if you feel ok

Take at different time of day
But don't stop the mess have not had time to work properly usual rule of thumb is how long have you been depressed then at least that much time on meds but could be longer

Take a small dose daily but perhaps straight after evening meal
See doc they will give you something else

Don't stop completely! Just come off 200 after 10 years, it took from August to November.

For 50 I reckon break tablets in half for the next 2 weeks, so one day on 50, one day on 25.

Following fortnight, every day on 25.

After that every other day on 25. After those two weeks have passed stop.

You will still get withdrawal but not as severe.

My withdrawal symptoms were splitting headaches, sense of doom, brain zaps, brain fog, feeling sick.

Good luck op, it's worth it in the end.

The brain zaps!!!

I went cold turkey after being on them for 2 years. Seriously didn't even think about withdrawal symptoms.

I kept getting these little 'zaps' which felt like electricity. Thought I was seriously ill. Even the GP didn't twig; she diagnosed me with vertigo!!! It wasn't until I read something about these 'zaps' that it made total sense!

Please please don't just stop speak to your Gp it's one of the hardest one to stop according to my gp
She swapped me onto another one and I reduced that with her help
Good luck

Thank you all, really appreciate the advice

If you stop do it very gradually indeed. Dh forgot to take his for 6 days over Christmas ( out of routine and people about and for whatever reason it all went out the window). It led to a huge meltdown, tears, dizziness, nausea the lot. He was in a terrible state.