Coming of ADs quickly

[2023istheplacetobe]

I have been on propanol and sertraline for about 6 months. The sertraline was giving me awful side effects- uncontrollable sweating which was really horrid. I liked Propanol but it wasn’t long lasting and I felt like it wasn’t doing much for me as I only took it in the morning.
Three weeks ago I came off both. I weaned myself of sertraline although probably quicker than I should have. I came of propanol pretty much cold Turkey.
I don’t want to go back on either drug,
especially the sertraline. My concern is how snappy I am- will this subside? I go from 0-5 in 4 seconds and see red before I’ve had a chance to process why I’m angry.
I’d love to hear from
others!

I did this a few years ago. I have a very similar story to you. I would not recommend it....

... I had been on sertraline for a few years. I had side effects such as night sweats and digestive issues. I thought my mental health was fairly stable so decided to stop the sertraline. I tried weaning of slowly but experienced some withdrawal symptoms..... so I decided to stop cold turkey instead. I thought I might have more intense withdrawal symptoms but it would be over with quicker. That was a really really bad decision...

I had various withdrawal symptoms, but the worst thing without a doubt was that my emotions, especially anger, became unbearable. I was extremely reactive and snappy. I couldn't cope with every day problems. I also started experiencing repetitive intrusive thoughts about suicide. I became impulsive and ended up acting on those thoughts. I felt out of control!

I wont go into detail about what happened but the consequences on my life were pretty bad. I never managed to regain control of my emotions until I went back on another antidepressant. Unfortunately I lost a lot during that time and I experienced quite a bit of trauma. I would never quit an antidepressant cold turkey ever again. It's dangerous.

But, this may not be your experience. You may find that things settle down for you much more easily than they did for me. And I do know of some people who have successfully quit their meds in this way without to many problems. Just be careful. And don't be reluctant to restart your sertraline, maybe on a lower dose, if you need to.

It depends on whether you can batten down the hatches and ride it out for a few weeks (and I won't sugar coat it, you will feel awful) or if you need to reasonably continue nuevo with kids and job etc. I would recommend cutting down but transferring on to a different type of AD as soon as you can. You obviously need something and it's totally normal to try a few things before you get the right one.
Withdrawal van be horrific, so warn those close to you and minimise the effects where possible by just staying home, eating well and trying to keep in mind this is only temporary.

@2023istheplacetobe how are you doing? I have been wondering, since I replied to your post. I hope you are okay, whatever you do going forwards

I’m so sorry for the very delayed response. Thank you so much for your reply.
I am very good at burying my head in the sand and have experienced a lot of your side effects. Thankfully I didn’t reach suicidal but I got to the point I was so exacerbated by things, I was screaming inside! It was made worse when my husband was made redundant and put on Gardening Leave. I didn’t have anywhere to run anymore.
He doesn’t understand depression and as a result I’ve kept my AD journey quite private. Ironic as I’d go mad if he kept something so huge from me!
I’m glad I am off the ADs but I am also struggling without them. I feel quite sad that I just can’t deal with stress like a normal person. I was on citalopram before sertraline and it killed my sex drive so I’m really reluctant to take that again. x