Knowing when to stop Zoloft

[gumby74]

A couple of days ago I met with my OB who said that if I wanted, I could wean myself off of Zoloft. I was taking 50mg and she said I could go down to 25mg. This was Wednesday and already I feel worse. Is this normal so quickly? I feel as though I am more agitated, have less patience and am generally "gloomy." I'm wondering what the experience of other's was with Zoloft and whether or not this means that I should continue to stay on the 50mg dose. DOes anyone know what the long term side effects are. Also, this could be comepletely coincedental, but I have also notice ds has been a lot more crankier than normal. Hmmmmm too many questions, I suppose?

[sbandjsmom]

weaning from Zoloft

My sense is that it's best not to start to wean from meds used for PPD until a year after you were feeling FINE.

Next, I'd avoid doing it at other times of stress, or during gloomy weather.

My experience is that my mood changed QUICKLY when I dropped from 75mg to 50mg. I definitely became irritable, and impatient with everyone. If you asked me at the time, I would have said dd was crankier -- but I think I was just less patient for normal toddler stuff.

25mg is really a sub-clinical dose -- 50 mg is usually the minimum people need to stabilize. 100mg and up is more typical.

I've been on zoloft now (75 mg until recently, now 100mg) for 6 years. The most obvious long term effect for me is normal moods and a normal life :-)

- Michelle

[gumby74]

~Thank You!

[usandthegirls]

Originally Posted by gumby74

~Thank You!

Same thing happened to me. I tried weaning myself off my 100mg dose to 50mg. Did NOT work out well. I went back to my normal dose and am fine.

[maxwill129]

Same thing happened to me, too. I would definately not wean right now!

[Softmama]

Timely thread for me! I am on zoloft 50 mg and did one week off of it before I decided to go back on four days ago. I weaned off of it succesfully before (previous baby) and it took 2 weeks of me being an agitated bitch (but not gloomy or depressed) for me to stabilize.
I started to do the same thing this time (my ds is 19 months now) but we are in the middle of switching jobs, getting the house on the market, dealing with my mom's breast cancer, and moving to PA from SC. So after one week of really almost loosing it, I made the decision that now is NOT the most intelligent time to come off meds
I will try again at a later, calmer, date. And really, I'm starting to get comfortable with the idea of being on it long term. I think it's a relatively small price to pay for such a blessed stability.

[Naless]

? with zoloft

I've been taking 50mg for 3 weeks now and stopped 2 days ago due to a rash my ds has developed and we can find no other cause for (breastfeeding) . Did anyone else experience this?

I was diagnoised with PPD in my 5 month of pregnancy but waited to start meds after birth. Now I am worried that my symptoms will get worse stopping the meds but I want to find the cause of the all over body rash my little one has.

[tanyalynn]

I nursed with zoloft and didn't notice any problems in my daughter--I was on it from about 5-6 mos pregnant and through most of my time nursing. I don't remember the age when baby acne comes, could it be that?

[RootSnort]

I would go back to your previous dose fro at least the next 3 months, longer if you prefer. When you are ready, try tapering miore slowly. I would try to get a supply of 25mg tablets and decrease your dose by half a tablet every 2 weeks, pausing the taper if you start to have those shock-y feeling dizzy withdrawal symptoms. You really don't want to mke dast moves with these medications - it takes a while for your brain to adapt when you take them away!

[superflippy]

RootSnort, you helped answer the question I was going to ask. I've been taking 100mg of Zoloft. I forgot to take it on Sunday then forgot again Monday morning. I started feeling dizzy by lunchtime but thought I was just dehydrated. I finally remembered to take it in the afternoon, but I still felt really dizzy all evening, to the point where I had to sit down and felt sick to my stomach.

I began to wonder if the dizziness was caused by withdrawal, and from what you said it sounds like it could've been.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Any time you try to go off a med cold turkey or miss several doses in a row you are very likely to have bad side effects.

I took zoloft for 15 months after having my dd and I bfed with no troubles for dd or me. I took it again but only for about 5-6 months after having ds. No problems again.

Be sure any time when you wean off of anti depressents to do it super slowly. It should take at least a month to totally wean.

What I did was took half a dose for a week. Then I halfed the dose yet again. (those little pill cutters work wonders) for a week. Then I took that dose every other day for a week. Then the last week I only took a pill every 2nd day. I had no side effects doing it that way.

[ejsmama]

I weaned over a process of a month, and have been taking 5HTP, B6, and vitamin C to boost myself through it. It has been going pretty well - a little dizzyness, but not bad. But then I just crashed - though it was also the day I had run out of 5HTP and my prenatal...

SO do I go back on the zoloft? Or do I try to give the amino acid/B vit route some more time to see if I will be oK?

[LynnS6]

The research suggests that you stay on an SSRI for 6 to 12 months AFTER you start feeling yourself again. Most OBs don't know that. So, if it's not been that long, I'd stay on.

Second, when I weaned off Paxil (and when I lowered my dose the 2nd time I went on it), I had to do it INCREDIBLY slowly. As in 5 mg at a time kind of slowly. Zoloft isn't quite so bad for weaning off, but you might try getting a pill splitter and cutting your pills in half - so doing 25 + 12.5 for a few days. (For my paxil, I do 1/4 pill at a time reductions).

Definitely increase your self care, your rest and do all you can to reduce your stress when you do this. I actually need to be working (i.e. out of the house) - it keeps my mind from obsession about whether or not I'm feeling worse.

[CountryMom2e]

Wow - you have to stay on for 6-8 months after feeling good? I think I stayed on for about 2-3 months after feeling good and then started to wean. Weaning was going fine until I had a cancer scare and some other major stressors, and then, bam, here I am, and I'm going back to my full dose.

Does anyone else have a problem with being on these long-term? I mean not a physical problem, but an issue with having to take a med long-term? I barely take Tylenol, and here I am with a medicine cabinet full of stuff I really would rather not take.

[mom0810]

Country mom, I posted after another of your questions, but I wanted to answer here, too.

My psychiatrist told me the minimum time to be on meds and have them do any good for you is 9 months. If you go off them sooner, you risk a return of symptoms.

I am there with you on not liking to take meds, but I am also asthmatic and need daily maintenence meds to breathe. So I guess I am more "broken in" when it comes to the idea of daily meds. But no, it's not something I love to do. I have days where I resent it more than others.

Keep working with your doctor (a psychiatrist, not just any MD) and that way you will be able to manage your meds and know when you can go off.

[CountryMom2e]

Thanks - I am working with a shrink (what a difference!) but I guess I made the mistake of not getting help when things started to get worse. I should have called her to check in, or started back at therapy. Now I feel like I am back where I was but since I am sleeping and feeling good I guess that is ok even if it means I am a walking pharmacy.

[mom0810]

It's totally okay, it's GREAT, even.

I had the same negative feelings about meds (and sometimes still do), but I have come to accept them, for now. You will, too.

I am a walking pharmacy... I take Advair, Nasacort, Albuterol, Zoloft, and sometimes Benadryl or Tylenol. So your little one pill a day is no big deal.

It will all get better. Hang in there and listen to the Psych. I made the mistake of "rebelling" and not listening and it took me twice as long to get to the "good" place.

[naturalmomma1]

I have tried several times to wean off zoloft and many times I felt worse right away...seems like it was usually the second day after I cut back. So I always went back up to the regular dose. This summer, though, I've been seeing a Wellness Kinesologist who does muscle testing, and have been having good results with it. I started about 4 days ago to wean again, going from 50mg to 25mg and so far so good! Just a little more on edge, but it's also PMS time.