Posted by wendie on September 17, 2003, at 1:22:08
In reply to Re: zoloft withdrawal symptoms, posted by rickg on September 16, 2003, at 20:05:21
I went off zoloft gradually over the past two months after 10 years on the stuff. I must say in the beginning it saved my life, but over the past year or so, I began to slip into this sort of zombie existance where I was totally exhausted all the time and had no energy. I got through my days by sheer force of will and managed to keep doing what absolutely had to be done, but nothing more. Finally my physician's assistant - nobody gets to have a real doctor these days - told me that this might be Zoloft and that people often had this reaction after many years on the drug. Mind you this was after I had been complaining of these symptoms to her for about six months, and before her to my former P.A., who had kept upping my dosage of zoloft to cure them!
My current PA then recommended I take Prozac instead -- and here I am trying to wean myself from Zoloft, because I really believe that with menopause I have left a lot of the causes of my anxiety/depression behind. so instead she told me to continue the gradual cutback of zoloft, PLUS she prescribed 100 mg of Wellbutrin. She said that eventually I could get off the Zoloft, but said nothing of side effects. Well, I didn't like the idea of taking two drugs instead of one when my goal was to get off everything - so I decided to go from 50 mg of Zoloft to 25, and then from that to 25 every other day and then stop. So about 3 weeks ago I took my last dose of zoloft, while continuing the Welbutrin. Everything was fine for two weeks, and then the withdrawal set in. I didn't think at first that it was the zoloft because I had felt so good for the previous two weeks, so I suspected the Welbutrin. But after talking with some folks in the know, and reading websites like this one, I realize that it's the zoloft.
For the past five days, I have been getting worse and worse. Extreme and constant nausea now, headache that is heading toward a full blown migraine and constant dizziness. And intermittent weeping for no reason, plus a general all over achy feeling. And I can't concentrate on anything. I don't want to go back on zoloft at all, but if these symptoms are going to continue for much longer, I don't know whether I can take it. Lord, the medical profession needs to make everyone aware of this withdrawal stuff and treat it as a separate illness worthy of special attention. I am so angry - I will not go back to this PA or anyone else in this group practice. And the next doctor I see is going to get a piece of my mind on the first visit. That is if I survive this withdrawal without going completely over the edge.
poster:wendie
thread:5582
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030912/msgs/260895.html