Coming off sertraline

[holycityzoo]

Hi I've been on sertraline for depression for almost a year. It's worked really well for me and my GP and I have decided that's I it's time for me to come off them. I feel like things have improved massively at home and things with my children have got much easier. (I have 4dc and 3 of them were very close together and I was struggling to cope)

So I've been doing about 10 days of half a dose and my god I'm struggling. Mentally I feel ok-ish everything feels a bit spikey if that makes sense and I don't have that wrapped in cotton wool feeling anymore.
Physically I feel dreadful I have awful muscle pain, feel sick, headaches and just feel absolutely exhausted.
Does anyone have any experience of this? How long does it last? Is there anything I can do to help get through this?

I'd say you are titrating down too fast. It might be better to go back up a little bit and reduce more slowly. GPs aren't always that clued up about the realities of antidepressant discontinuance IME.

Thanks Ragusa yes my gp was a bit blasé when I asked her if I was likely to feel any side effects she said "no no just do half a dose for a month then stop you will be fine"
Well I'm not I feel crap. I think because I was only on
50mg she seemed to think it would be easy to come off.
I'm not sure how to do it slower maybe half a tablet one day and a full one the next?
Or is it just going to make me feel crap for longer?!
Gah it's hard to know what to do for the best.

Hope you're ok! I will have to do the same in a couple of months so watching this thread

I was on citalopram not sertraline. I was told to stay on at least a year. And wait 6 months after I was feeling completely better. Stayed on for nearly 2 years and took It slowly reducing the dose. Don’t rush. I’d talk to your GP again.

Thanks vampirina, in fairness today has been a particularly bad day in terms of the muscle spasms and pain.
I've had some days where I felt ok but when the side effects do kick in it's tough going.
I'm trying to go for a walk every day and eat well and look after myself but I really feel like curling up in bed and feeling sorry for myself.
However I'm trying not to as I know that is not a good thing for me to do.

Cycle thanks that interesting. Maybe you're right and I am coming off too early. I kind of feel like as I've started I want to give it a go. Obviously it all depends on how things go.

Cycle did you have any side effects when you were coming off?

My GP has just told me to reduce it verrrrrry slowly- I’m on 50 now and she said to do 50,50,25, 50 50 etc and only to drop it again after at least a month. I was on ssris before and dropped the dose too fast and felt vile.
You’re going too fast- take your time.

When I came off Sertraline last year it was very difficult, and I had to go very, very slowly. Weaning too quickly caused intense fatigue, headaches and the strangest feeling that my nerves were firing when the shouldn't. As if I was getting zapped by an electrical current. This was most often induced by moving, so for example if I turned my head to look at something, my head upper body would get zapped like I'd touched a live wire. It was the most uncomfortable and disconcerting symptom I've had. I've learned now that it's quite common and people just call it "the zaps".

If you're feeling poorly, slow down your decrease on the dosage for sure.

“Cycle did you have any side effects when you were coming off?”

Not really. Not the kind of physical symptoms you’ve described. Although I do feel more anxious than when I was taking them but not bad enough to think I need medication.

In my opinion there’s no harm in going super slowly when coming off. What’s the rush.

Good luck.

Echoing everyone else. As slowly as possible. A month of each stage maybe? I remember looking at weaning schedules online. If it's slow you won't notice and you will get there.

I was on 100. I think I did full dose, half dose for a month, then half dose, quarter dose.

Anyway, it took a while and was awful. Felt rough and the brain zaps were horrific. Getting to sleep was scary.

Got there in the end and felt great when finally off.

Did it's job though so I'm grateful.

Right thank you so much everyone I'm going to try and see my gp on Monday and explain what's going on.
It's good to know that it might actually be possible to come off them without feeling vile.
The muscle thing is weird it feels like I'm getting a rush of something to my muscles it's hard to explain but it feels awful.
Thank you again for the advice it's not really something that I can discuss with many people in real life.

YY to going more slowly. At least alternate 50/25 alternate days. I tried going to 1 1/2 days when I started tapering but I don't think that was a good idea in hindsight, because I kept forgetting where i was, and also it suits me better to take am than pm as they disrupt my sleep. So now I have got down really low, I am just chopping the tablets up v small!

I'm actually reducing citalopram this time (though did same with sertraline before).

This time I have got down to 1/4 tablet and just don't feel right dropping that last 1/4. So I'm not going to try. I just seem to need that small buffer between me and the horrors!

Definitely go slowly. This is totally my fault but I ran out and was away so missed 5 days before I could get a repeat as the doctor wanted to see me first (didn't know until I went to collect my repeat and they only gave me 7 pills!)

I had an awful constant headache, bloated, exhausted and a uti from hell. I thought it was the uti until I got googling and it seems withdrawal can cause this. Lesson learnt. Back on now for 5 days and uti symptoms subsiding quickly.

My GP said that it is ideal when on sertraline to continue for at least 18 months. He told me that in his experience people who try to wean quicker than that are more susceptible to bad lapses in their mental health. He has been fantastic with me, so I do trust this information.