SSRI Withdrawal hell?

[sgil]

Hi everybody, long time lurker but first post. I'm hoping anybody that has previously come off of SSRI meds can help me. I was on Zoloft for almost 8 years, treating panic disorder. I weaned my dose down from 125mg, to 100, then to 75 and then to 50, leaving at least month periods between weans. Last September I tried to go from 50 down to 25, however I was getting horrible withdrawal symptoms and shortly after went back up to 50. I could not deal with the symptoms at that time because I was not expecting them to occur, and had a wedding in October that I needed to be in good health for.

Towards the end of November or early December, I decided that if going from 50 to 25 is going to cause such symptoms, I might as well just cold turkey it from that point on. For the majority of December I was not right, minimal anxiety/panic, brain zaps, just more of the nausea and overall unwell feelings. Those feelings kept getting better and better, to the point that I had thought I escaped the symptoms that I have heard of from other people. From new years day last week until Wednesday morning this week I was feeling so good. Feelings reminded me of how I felt about 9 or ten years ago before I ever had any anxiety or panic.

Wednesday morning this week I was driving and got a massive pain in the top of my forehead and blurry vision, which both went away quickly. I have never in my life had this happen to me so i'm sure you can all guess what happened. Sheer panic, shortness of breath and straight to the emergency room so that they can fix my stroke before it kills me. Well they did CT scans and everything is fine, like always, but since that pain in my head I have been in non stop panic mode. I feel like this panic is even worse than the panic I was having which got me on the pills in the first place. 2mg of Ativan is barely able to calm me now. Yesterday I went back to emerge not asking for them to check me but just to give me a psychiatrist because I feel like I am losing it. not to mention all the crying I have done which is very out of character.

I am aware that the heightened anxiety, crying, and everything can be related to the Zoloft. However, has anybody felt absolutely great, thinking the symptoms were over with, only to be dragged back down into it even worse?

[Anne1221]

I guess you now know you should never go cold turkey off SSRI's. Yes, I have gone from feeling great to right back down again. The ONLY way (in my opinion) to take antidepressants and decrease them is very slow. You can never go wrong just taking it very slow.

[gadguy]

Hi everybody, long time lurker but first post. I'm hoping anybody that has previously come off of SSRI meds can help me. I was on Zoloft for almost 8 years, treating panic disorder. I weaned my dose down from 125mg, to 100, then to 75 and then to 50, leaving at least month periods between weans. Last September I tried to go from 50 down to 25, however I was getting horrible withdrawal symptoms and shortly after went back up to 50. I could not deal with the symptoms at that time because I was not expecting them to occur, and had a wedding in October that I needed to be in good health for.

Towards the end of November or early December, I decided that if going from 50 to 25 is going to cause such symptoms, I might as well just cold turkey it from that point on. For the majority of December I was not right, minimal anxiety/panic, brain zaps, just more of the nausea and overall unwell feelings. Those feelings kept getting better and better, to the point that I had thought I escaped the symptoms that I have heard of from other people. From new years day last week until Wednesday morning this week I was feeling so good. Feelings reminded me of how I felt about 9 or ten years ago before I ever had any anxiety or panic.

Wednesday morning this week I was driving and got a massive pain in the top of my forehead and blurry vision, which both went away quickly. I have never in my life had this happen to me so i'm sure you can all guess what happened. Sheer panic, shortness of breath and straight to the emergency room so that they can fix my stroke before it kills me. Well they did CT scans and everything is fine, like always, but since that pain in my head I have been in non stop panic mode. I feel like this panic is even worse than the panic I was having which got me on the pills in the first place. 2mg of Ativan is barely able to calm me now. Yesterday I went back to emerge not asking for them to check me but just to give me a psychiatrist because I feel like I am losing it. not to mention all the crying I have done which is very out of character.

I am aware that the heightened anxiety, crying, and everything can be related to the Zoloft. However, has anybody felt absolutely great, thinking the symptoms were over with, only to be dragged back down into it even worse?

Just wanted to ask...do you have any idea what your BP was when you ended up at emergency room. What you describe sounds like what I felt before I realized my BP was spiking. I had to pull off road just like you, fortunately it did not trigger a panic attack...mine are more social related than medical. Ask your DR...perhaps and I am guessing that's all, your BP spiked...scared you and triggered an attack. I went cold turkey off of Lex once....no weening off....it was not a pretty sight...sounds like you did good until the attack set you back. Best wishes.

[sgil]

Just wanted to ask...do you have any idea what your BP was when you ended up at emergency room. What you describe sounds like what I felt before I realized my BP was spiking. I had to pull off road just like you, fortunately it did not trigger a panic attack...mine are more social related than medical. Ask your DR...perhaps and I am guessing that's all, your BP spiked...scared you and triggered an attack. I went cold turkey off of Lex once....no weening off....it was not a pretty sight...sounds like you did good until the attack set you back. Best wishes.

BP definitely spiked, I normally sit around 135/80 but when they checked I was 186/90... scary, but panic related, it always calms as I calm.

[em1]

Hello there yes I had the brain zaps when I was coming off mine,stick with it they will go tho I know they are not very nice
50mg is not high dose so stick with it and it will get better,take it slow
Take care and don't be to hard on yourself we are stronger than you know

[philknightlife]

Yeah, the head rushs with coming off Paroxatine are pretty full on. Just a strange sensation though.

[Nowuccas]

Hey sgil,

I suggest that you check out http://theroadback.org and download their free info.

Many people who have difficulty weaning off Zoloft manage better by switching to the closely related SSRI, Prozac and, once stabilised, wean off it slowly, at around 10% less every week.

In your case, have you considered resuming Zoloft at 50, or 75 mg to see if your withdrawal symptoms moderate, then, once stabilised, switch to Prozac for a while before tapering off it.


From http://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=1488-899,2057-1348

Interactions between your selected drugs
Moderate
lorazepam sertraline
Applies to: Ativan (lorazepam), Zoloft (sertraline)

Using LORazepam together with sertraline may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people may also experience some impairment in thinking and judgment. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.


Note that long term use of benzodiazepenes such as Ativan may increase the risk of dementia.

From https://www.google.com.au/search?client=opera&q=benzodiazepenes+such+as+Ativan+markedly+increase s+the+risk+of+dementia&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Benzodiazepines Tied to Higher Risk of Dementia in Elderly ...
psychcentral.com/.../benzodiazepine-xanax...increased-risk...dementia/45...
Sep 29, 2012 - Benzodiazepine Medications, Such as Xanax and Ativan, Linked to Increased Risk of Developing Dementia A new study has found that people ...

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Natural treatments for anxiety and panic attacks are shown via my posts at http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?33964-New-to-the-site-and-looking-for-help&p=223989#post223989 and

http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?33197-Do-I-have-anxiety-disorder-or-something-worse&p=220006#post220006