Coming off sertraline??

[Nowheretogo1985]

I've been on 50mg for 3 years.
Want to come off them as don't want to be on medication for years on end.

For anyone who has taken sertraline but is now off it, how did you find coming off the medication?

I feel like my mood is levelled but I would still say I'm mildly depressed but would like to explore alternatives to medication to help me cope.

GP has advised to stop altogether or taper off.

I've heard horror stories about people trying to come off AD and really struggling so this is concerning me a bit...

Thanks x

I can't help with sertraline, but I've come off citalopram before and hopefully my reply will bump your thread so more people see it. I found GPs quite blasé about reducing the medication, and when I first tried the side effects were quite bad, things like this weird brain freeze/ shock sensation. In the end I had the lowest dose available (10mg) and gradually cut down myself, from one each day, to missing one day each week, missing 2 days each week, taking then on alternate days... Eventually I was taking one tablet a week before stopping. The whole process took maybe a year, but tapering it down that slowly helped avoid those side effects and I found it ok. Several years later I'm now on it again after post partum anxiety/ depression, but that was 6 years ago and I'd like to come back off at some point. A couple of people have suggested either shaving a little off the tablets to reduce it gradually, or asking for the liquid form (not sure if sertraline is available in liquid form) as that would enable me to cut down more gradually.

Sorry that was an essay, but I hope you find a good way to come off them, and don't be afraid to take it reeeaally slowly would be my advice! 💐

I was on sertraline for around 6 months due PND, when I was ready to come off I was given the same options of just stop or taper off, I chose to just stop and I won't lie after about 3 days I was feeling sick, hot/cold and had a massive headache- but that only lasted 2 days then I was fine. Have a chat with GP and see if they are happy for you to try and just stop but if withdrawals are too bad taper to say one every 3 days going down until it's none if that makes sense x

You need to taper off slowly, break your tablet in half and take a 25mg dose for a month or so, then switch to taking 25mg every other day or break it down even further if you can. Do this for a few months and then you can eventually stop taking it. I did this but only for about 6 weeks and then I got impatient and just stopped, but the withdrawal symptoms (brain zaps) have been very annoying (not painful or scary, just annoying). After 2 weeks they died down for me but for some people the withdrawal symptoms can go on for much longer or they can be so annoying that they just go back on the medication. So it is worthwhile being patient and doing the tapering off right.

You could go cold turkey tomorrow and be absolutely fine but you don't really want to take the chance. Let your body get used to a lower dose first.

Thank you all for your helpful responses 💕 I think I'm going to half my dose from today. Fingers crossed I can come off them successfully, I've tried once and It didn't work so don't think I tapered slowly enough. I find it Shocking that some GPs would advise to stop these kind of drugs abruptly!!

I went even slower, and didn't have any ill effects. There's no downside to doing it slowly.

Halve every other tablet. For a week or two and see what happens. Then every tablet. Then a quarter every other day etc.

Honestly it helped me mentally to know I was doing something, and I felt secure that I was doing it gently.

Can I asl how you are all feeling now in terms of depression ? Do you feel much better?

I would taper off really slowly. Slow and steady allows best chance of success imo. And fewer brain zaps. I'd start by taking the full dose every day and half a dose say once every 3 days. Then build it up slowly, to half a dose every day. I have come off them by just stopping and it was not good. The really slow taper worked well for me it also allows you to explore the cbt or what ever alternative

I tapered off by myself as felt I was in a better place and wanted to feel things, if that makes sense? Been off 8 months and I’m ok, maybe a bit snippy sometimes though!

Never had any issues coming off just taper it slowly and don't go cold turkey. I'd recommend building up the natural things you want to try before stopping though.

I'm ok, but have taken it under extreme stress/circumstances and come off it once it was resolved.

Both times it was situational. That said, I have a tendency to depression but can manage it in other ways under normal circumstances.