Tapering off sertraline, took last one 2 days ago. When will I feel normal?!

[923a56712]

Took 50mg sertraline for around 3 years. Decided to come off it 3 weeks ago and followed guidance from GP on tapering. Took my last 25mg two days ago but feel sick and dizzy and tired today! This normal? When did everyone else start feeling ok? Thanks

That's way too fast to come off long term medication. After 3 years, you should have been tapering off over months, not weeks. Your brain is basically in shock. You will probably recover in a week or so or you may relapse completely and have to go back on them for a few months then try again to taper them off properly.

The correct way is to drop the dose by 5 or 10mg then maintain until you have no symptoms of withdrawal before dropping any further. If symptoms of withdrawal persist, go back up a bit until they ease off.

Have you taken sertraline? Are you a pharmacist?

50mg is the lowest (officially) effective dose. You can’t reduce it by 5 or 10mg, you’d be cutting it into tiny pieces which your body wouldn’t even register. By dropping the OP has dropped as far as she can go really, any lower dose is just psychological, it’s not impacting your body.

OP I have found the same that my main symptom was nausea/fogginess. It should settle in a few days, possibly up to two weeks. But chat with your gp if it’s making things difficult.

50mg is the lowest (officially) effective dose. You can’t reduce it by 5 or 10mg, you’d be cutting it into tiny pieces which your body wouldn’t even register. By dropping the OP has dropped as far as she can go really, any lower dose is just psychological, it’s not impacting your body.

This is ill-informed nonsense, OP. Please ignore.

Here is the RCP's advice:

www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/mental-health/treatments-and-wellbeing/print-outs/stopping-antidepressant-printable.pdf

@MonteStory thank you

To clarify to the two posters who questioned 3 weeks - I did consult with my GP who prescribed the sertraline to me originally and worked a 3 week plan which saw me go from 50 to 25, which was broken in half and then to stop from there. I'm not suggesting information off the Internet is incorrect but have followed my GP advice for me.

My OP was not about how to reduce but the side effects that come when finished the last dose

I'm afraid many GPs are still giving out of date advice and advising patients to come off too quickly. I had to go more slowly myself.

Your experience may not be the same as the previous poster's. The slower you go the less likely ongoing problems are. It really is something to read up on a bit and take slowly. Some people have minimal symptoms, others have a hard time.

You speak nonsense

My son tapered off far too quickly on gp's advice and had to go back up for a while.

He tried again, this time going much more slowly, even more slowly than the dr recommended.

I can't remember exactly how he did it, but IIRC, when he got down to 25mg (half a tablet) he then started missing one day in four, then one day in three, then taking on alternate days, then taking one day in three, one in four, one day in five... this was over several weeks. I don't remember how far he got before he stopped altogether, but when he did there were no side effects.
I want to say it took about three months?

So something like:

Days 1, 2, 3: 25mg
Day 4: nothing
Days 5, 6, 7: 25mg
Day 8: nothing
Days 9, 10, 11: 25mg
Day 12: nothing
Days 13, 14, 15: 25mg
Day 16: nothing

Days 17, 18: 25mg
Day 19: nothing
Days 20, 21: 25mg
Day 22: nothing
Days 23, 24: 25mg
Day 25: nothing
Days 26, 27: 25mg
Day 28: nothing

Day 29: 25mg
Day 30: nothing
Day 31: 25mg
Day 32: nothing
Day 33: 25mg
Day 34: nothing

Etc....
Day 40: 25mg
Days 41, 42: nothing
Day 43: 25mg
Days 44-45: nothing

Etc....
Day 50: 25mg
Days 51, 52, 53: nothing
Day 54: 25mg
Days 55, 56, 57: nothing

Etc, etc...

As I always say- if you were taking insulin would you be thinking of ways to come off it? If sertraline suits you, then keep taking it.

I stopped sertraline cold turkey - I was taking 200mg a day. It took about 10 days and then I felt fine. It’s not advised but I preferred to deal with feeling rubbish for a bit rather than drawing it out for ages.

Well I stand corrected. I had no idea.

Thank you to the posters giving the correct information - I will review my own tapering plan.

You were very lucky. It can cause horrendous side effects if you come off too fast. Even psychosis. Commonly dizzy, zappy head sensation, vertigo, massive return or new anxiety and depression.

I’m only on 25mg and have been for a year and half .im coming off now and have been told to miss every other dose for a month and see how I go from there.
I don’t cut tablets it comes in this dose

Yes, actually. Pill cutting is normal for people tapering off long term medication, you can even buy cutters to do them evenly.

And your body does register it. Whether you feel it or not. Sertraline is an SSRI, it inhibits the reuptake of serotonin in order to boost mood. Even small changes to brain chemistry are significant.

Doing it slowly gives your brain a chance to adjust to this new normal and gives it a better chance of maintaining the changes caused by the medication.

Please don’t think of coming off medication as something to aspire to. It’s making you feel well. And never do it without talking to your doctor.

How are you getting on ?

Bear in mind (just in case you haven’t) that nobody expects to be able to wean themselves off insulin….

Drink lots of water when taking medication.

@Greyingmumto3 I feel good thank you! I think obviously what should be said here is everyone is difference and absolutely take individual medical advice from own Dr!

But for me im now over the side effects and feel really good!

That’s great to hear 😀