I’m currently coming off. I’ve been on it for 11 years, and for the first few years definitely needed to be, and so the side effects were tolerable and, in the grand scheme of things, unimportant. I also underwent a lot of trauma therapy in that time. I have (had?) a complex PTSD stemming from childhood abuse. My understanding from the trauma team is that my childhood brain development would have been affected.
However, my life has changed significantly in the last 7 years or so, and I’m
nowhere near where I was in 2014. The side effects are also now wearing me down. Ironic, I know. Also, my medication / prescription is never reviewed.
I’ve gradually gone from being maximum dose (200mg) down to 100mg but was never able to go any lower. This time, I’ve done things a bit differently.
I have a new GP, and a wrong diagnosis recorded on my file, which prompted me to have a conversation with him and we discussed at length how I might come off sertraline. I think he is probably humouring me to some extent, but he gave me a 9 week withdrawal schedule and I’m due to see him next week. I’m now 3 weeks off fully. I don’t feel great, but I don’t feel awful. I don’t feel great because I’ve had a really shitty few weeks and would be feeling the same whether I was on sertraline or not!
I focussed this time on making better lifestyle choices to help my withdrawal, and also looked in to some Ayurvedic supplements, which I’ve been taking. Life has thrown things at me; friend’s death, whole kitchen refurb, teenagers at the horrible phase of teenageness. The hope of having time for me everyday, outdoors & exercising, eating good food and having decent sleep hasn’t gone as planned, I’ve been constantly on the go for 16 hour days and am burned out….but that period is coming to an end and life is returning to a more normal pace.
I have had some wobbles, tears and doubts, but I think I can get there. But I do need to prioritise the lifestyle parts, otherwise I’ll be back on (hopefully) a low dose.
My husband made an interesting observation that I was fixating on the medication withdrawal being the cause of ALL stress, and he was right. We were all devastated by my friend’s death, my reaction to that was totally normal and nothing to do with sertraline withdrawal.
We’ve had no kitchen for 3 weeks and the upheaval is immense. Of course it is, sertraline withdrawal isn’t to blame.
I think my brain is pre-programmed to panic and that’s my default. It’s learning now to manage that panic, and articulate what it needs instead, that I need to focus on.
Apologies for the long post, but it’s a complex time that can’t be put in to two sentences!
My best advice is to have a clear withdrawal plan with your GP / prescriber, prioritise better lifestyle choices, have someone close (for me it’s my husband) who can be your soothing, supportive and rational voice for you during this period. I’ve been pretty impressed with the supplements I’ve taken, but appreciate that’s not for everyone.