To now go cold turkey off Sertraline?

[Whitefeather13]

Hi all. Bit of a background, I’ve been on Sertraline for 10 years. Starting at 25mg, up to 200mg and over the last year have slowly tapered down to 100mg.

I’m in the middle of a nasty bout of Covid and I’ve just realised I haven’t taken my tablet for possibly 5 days now, (could be 4, could be 6 days), I have no idea. I know that’s irresponsible, but I’ve been almost bed bound until today.

I am still wanting to come off, and I’m wondering as now it’s been this long, would be it a terrible idea to continue not taking it and go cold turkey? I believe after 4/5 days it’s out of your system, so it seems about backwards to start taking it just to stop?

I’ve been a bit dizzy but put that down to Covid, but now wondering if it’s a withdrawal effect? Any advice would be welcome! Thank you.

I wouldn’t do that without speaking to your GP! Personally I would take another one now and keep going until you’ve had chance to book an appointment

Why do you want to come off it? How do you feel when you're taking it?

Ha! I did the same. Went on honeymoon and forgot to take it in tropical paradise land. Obviously! Came home, realised, stayed off for perhaps a few days more maybe 10 days or so. Then came the crash.

I think I have resigned myself to being on them forever because I just can’t seem to exist without them.

so no advice except I did the same and I went crawling back to their magical ability to give me the MH balance I need.

I feel emotionally numb. Some emotions have come back since going from the 200mg to the 100mg. I was in an awful place when I first started them. I was in a bad relationship which I am now well out of and very happy with where I am in life now. So I don’t feel coming off would be a mistake. If anything now feels like a good time.

Speak to your GP. I've gone cold turkey before from a lower dose than 100mg and I got really annoying "brain zaps" that lasted months afterwards.

I weaned off sertraline slowly but still had dizziness for two solid weeks after I stopped, it is a withdrawal symptom

The main symptom if I forget to take a pill is dizziness.

100mg is still a fairly high dose to go cold turkey from. Over the past few years I've gone from 200mg to 50mg, reducing super slow. I really feel it every time I tweak my dose. I'm just sat at 50mg for now.

I’m on 200. I think you should chat to your GP. 100 to nothing is a big jump.

Sertraline has a short half life, so it’s probably out of your system if it’s been 4 days or more.

The dizziness is likely a withdrawal symptom. If you’re not getting brain zaps, count yourself lucky! It’s usually quite difficult to go off it, so you may be lucky to not have had worse symptoms.

Consulting your doctor always a smart idea.

I've come on and off so many times that I'm as cavalier as the OP about the process. Last time I came off I tapered a bit and then got to the point where I just took a smaller and smaller dose whenever I started to experience the dizziness.

The longer term issue (way after the side effects disappear) is the possibility of mental health collapse. But you are the best person to judge, ultimately, whether you feel ready to risk that.

No, not off 100mg. Please don't. That's far too big a "do without" for your body. While your anxiety and depression might not return your body will definitely go through a withdrawal, as it's suddenly in a position of functioning without what it's used to. I've come of sertraline several times in the past, sometimes by going cold turkey, sometimes tapering. And I'm always fine for about 2-3 months. And then its like sudden onset car-crash with my emotions. I go from being fine, to wailing and crying at the drop off a hat, and being mega mega paranoid. I'd end up getting signed off work, and would need to go back on a higher dose than I'd just tapered off. It was horrendous every single time I tried, but only after 2-3 months.

Similar to you, I got really forgetful at taking them, and when I was on a 50g dose I realised I was only remembering to take them approx every other day, which was obviously 25mg equivalent. I started splitting the tablets and made sure I was taking them every day. And I'm talking over a period of 6 months to go from 50mg daily to 50mg every other day, then another 6 months on 25mg daily. Now 25mg isn't actually a 'theraputic' dose, which means it doesn't technically have a meaningful effect on you. I stopped altogether after another few months of taking 25mg every other day, which might have been overkill but as I'd ended up in such an absolute mess previously I really needed to titre off slowly. I still had withdrawal effects from stopping what was effectively 12.5mg daily in the end, and 6 months later I'm still a bit more tearful than I was while taking them, but this is mainly round time of the month. I've been completely off them for 7 months now.

I think what made the difference in being successful this time round is the very very slow tapering off, and I also read up a lot of effects of withdrawal (I'm a Scientist who works alongside Pharmacists) so understood that the bad feelings and tears where necessarily symptoms returning, but my body learning to go without. And I knew these would pass. Previously I'd titred off too steeply over only a couple of months so when the withdrawal symptoms hit it was just too much.

Remember everyone is different, and I'd also been on them around 14 years, so it was a harder for my system to get used to being without them.

I did cold turkey - it was a grim two weeks but then I was ok - it's a tricky one to come off so if you want to - I'd say continue but give your GP call tomorrow to talk it through and get advice from someone medically qualified- I'd also make sure someone close to me knows what's going on so if you do start acting odd - then they can spot you and help you x

Thank you all so much for your replies!

I will start taking it again and taper off slowly. While I feel I am mentally sound now, I absolutely do not want to go backwards in a few months.