Coming off setraline

[sunburntfizz]

Without going into detail here DD (17) will be coming off setraline. We will be reducing dosage by 25mg every 2 weeks. On the way down we may hit the dose that is right but right now 100mg hasn't suited. The advantages don't outweigh the disadvantages for her right now. There's not enough improvements and the anxiety and feeling on edge is still there. She has ASD so we don't know what is ASD and what is the depression or the medication. She also has extreme tiredness.

What are your experiences and learnings of a good way of coming off this.

DS has been without sertraline for 23 days. He says dizziness has stopped. He does get mood swings (snappy and grumpy) but that could be teenage hormones. I would like to say all is well but it is summer holidays. There are no stressors and he can sleep until he wants most days so it it hard to be confident but all in all his taper from sertraline has been as smooth as we could have hoped for. The real test will come in September when early mornings and hard work return. I do think that all the rest and lack of pressure is helpful within the process. Time will tell.

That is really great to hear a bd gives the rest of us hope. In a way it is good that he has this summer break to rest and recuperate. I do know what you mean about not knowing how they will do once routine and demands of school starts. I have the same concerns.

@sunburntfizz
Thank you, I hope it provides some hope as all that appears on the web is so very negative. I will continue to update this thread as it may provide some comfort to others who have concerns.

Do you feel your daughter has stabilised on the lower dose now?

Tanks @Rainbows12 yes she does generally seem good. The only thing that happened was slightly overreacting to something her brother said yesterday and feeling quite angry at him. But not rage and she calmed down pretty quickly. Not sure if that has anything to do with the meds.

Think we will try to go to this weekend and then potentially change the meds down. I am trying to get the balance of wanting these meds stopped and some time to get over side effects before school starts and also not rushing it.

She has struggled to study and I think the meds have potentially caused her tiredness and inability to concentrate/focus. I am hoping that things will improve on that front. Although as for your son she isn't really being stretched as school holidays.

*thanks

It would be really helpful to hear how things go for your son. I too ofcourse will continue to post our experience if it can help anybody.

We will be on holiday when we potentially do the next cut and it could either go right or wrong. DH wasnt keen on cutting dose before going but my thinking was that the meds act as a prop and as you come off them your mind needs to adjust to operating and managing emotions without them. Being on holiday when she will be surrounded by al things good may actually be an ideal time. I am also really hoping that the next cut won't be as bad and that we got the worst out of the way with the last cut from 50 to 25.

Well we moved to 12.5 today after agreeing with the doctor. So far so good. She has been out today with her cousin shopping and having lunch. Will see what the next few days bring.

Had managed to cut the tablet into quarters but they don't look like the same size as each other. Also looks like it could crumble. Got her prescription today and pharmacist was advising against cutting into quarter. They have got a new side tablet so it is even smaller than before. Hope I will manage to cut it. Even if the pill cutter doesn't work I will just use a knife to cut it. He did advise getting liquid if she needs to go lower next time. Dr had looked into liquid and said he would need to get special permission to get liquid but we could potentially do so. He also said that sometimes people react to a change from tablet to liquid although pharmacist didn't agree.

Dr seems ok for DD to hold the 12.5mg for 3 to 4 weeks. We will see how it goes. If she has minimal symptoms I may look to bring down lower quicker. Am worried that once she is off completely she may have worse reactions and want to allow a bit of breathing room before school starts in September.

It's funny (in a bitter way) last summer was all about GCSEs/diagnosis/start of meds and now this summer has all been about withdrawing and tapering. I hope we never have to use ADs again.

On a positive note (although this may be a one off) she has managed to study a little bit this week (very little) bit it is more than she has managed over the last year. I hope it is a sign that things will continue to get better.

@sunburntfizz
Glad the drop to 12.5 is going ok so far. I hope your daughter continues to do well. My son is around 31 days off sertraline (Jumped to 0 from 12.5mg). He appears to be ok. No dizziness anymore. If anything, there may be a little bit of sleep disturbance but nothing that is unmanageable. I would like t9 say it is all good (and I hope it is) but will wait to see what happens on the return to school. In the meantime, we are enjoying him being more relaxed and med free.

Well we are almost 2 weeks on 12.5 and generally things ok. A couple of times mood has been up and down but on the whole ok. Hoping to cut half again somehow and move to 6.25 end of this week. Would like to do that for at least one week then depending on how it goes maybe stop.

Have been reading back on my emails and calendar over the last year and looks like the things we thought weren't related to the meds were actually symptoms of it. We just didn't realise. It was fluoxetine that was the worst. She reacted very badly to it.setrlaine has a mixed bag. But on the whole time to be off.

How are you doing @LiveandBreathe ?

Things have gone a bit backwards over the last couple of days. She has been quite emotional, crying, spaced out and in a bad mood. We have decided to hold for now.

@sunburntfizz
There is no harm in holding. Allowing things to settle is only ever going to be positive. Remain strong and focused but pausing is no bad thing. Your Daughter will get there.
She is doing incredibly well and your support has been paramount in her journey so far. It’s really hard to know the difference between wd, hormones and abnormal behaviour. My son has been off for around 40 days. He still shows some tricky behaviour but I am
Certain it’s hormones and a little bit of spoilt syndrome!!!! Keep plugging away.

Thank you @Rainbows12

Much less wooziness now and less intense when I have it. focus has been good. not overwhelmed by things. had an awful period and skin / ibs flare up, probably been doing too much, it's best to be kind to yourself.

Good to hear that things are generally better liveabdbreathe.

Things settled after the previous emotional flare up. She has stated having moments of brain clarity with regards to her studying. But then it goes. I am convinced that it is her brain healing/receptors switching on.

Plan is to move to 6.25. Dr has asked for her to stay on this for 2 weeks before we finish. It's crazy to think i have just 2 tablets that are going to cover the next 2 weeks. If things go well over the next 2 weeks we will finish there.

We have moved to 6.25 and she is having symptoms a few hrs later. Sleeping deeply, feeling disoriented when waking up, dreaming/hallucinating at night. She is also feeling cold when it is 30 plus degrees here. Body very hot to touch. Not in good mood. Definite withdrawals. You wouldn't think on such a low dose reduction. Tablets are crumbling as I cut them further and not sure how accurate it is. Not sure whether we will manage the 2 weeks. School starts in a week and a half and now wondering whether it's best to come off completely once school starts knowing that she may have these symptoms while school is on or whether to come off now in holidays to allow her time to get over the worst symptoms now. Not sure what to do.

Tough call but it may be showing how sensitive she is to the meds so incremental reduction might be safer in the long run. On the flip side the sooner she stops the sooner you know what you are dealing with. Why not see how she goes for another couple of days then make a decision? I know it will feel like a rock and s hard place but remember if you stop and she is really not coping at all, you can always reinstate and reduce really slowly. Good luck

Its funny you mention clarity. That's exactly how I feel. I have moments, quite a lot , of clarity, even more than before the meds. Probably the healthier diet and supplements having an effect. That's really positive OP.

I did the NHS quiz last week (in a moment of clarity!) and it said I had some symptoms of stress and anxiety. Definitely needing to still keep an eye on myself a few months on.

Liveandbreathe that's really encouraging. This is her big worry that her brain will never return to how it used to be. She is so worried about studying and school. She used to find school easy and last year has struggled to even get through one lesson.

She seems better this morning but will see how it goes for a few days. DH thinks we should hold the 2 weeks. Let's see

I think good selfcare needs to be continued for a long while and ideally forever. Glad things are getting better for you liveandbreathe and for your son rainbows. It is really motivating for us so please do keep sharing. I have been wondering whether increase her omega. Apparently folks who get brain zaps have found doubling daily doses really helpful. If that can help her brain heal may be worth it. I am going to investigate what dose she is on and what would be a healthy amount to have.

We're about halfway through the 6.25 drop.Things have been mixed. Lots of sleeping during the day and feeling really disoriented when waking up - seems to be sleeping really deeply. Some mood fluctuations - getting annoyed or emotional quickly about silly little things. Now down with the cold - that is going round the family. 5 more days to go before we are off. The tablet bits are not all the same size so I hope that is not making things worse.

Hi OP I hope things pick up and level out. I feel more stable than before I took them, and better off them, hopefully your DD will too.

Thanks @LiveandBreathe - really pleased for you.

Today is DDs first day without the meds. A little nervous and apprehensive. She has been fine over the last week or so generally. Yesterday she was quite emotional due to something that happened that was upsetting. I've seen her cry more in the last few weeks than I have in the last year. It makes me realise how much this was numbing her emotions. I know DD is quite nervous as to how things are going. Generally though she is a million times better as we have been reducing dose. I hope
That she will never have to go back on ADs ever again.

Well it's over a week now off the meds. It's been a mixed bag. She has stared having dizzy spells and nausea. Mood also fluctuating. She has been very emotional and sensitive and also getting really angry. Her reactions have been disproportionate to the event. When she feels better she seems to be doing fine and as if she is back to her normal self. But generally has not been a great week. Am still continuing with double
dose of omega and also probiotic. Need to get some b complex in as have run out. We found vitamin C to help as well. She is still having some temperature regulation issues. I worry how long this is all going to last.