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Re: withdrawal symptoms from Zoloft

Posted by JohnL on November 20, 2000, at 5:10:48

In reply to withdrawal symptoms from Zoloft, posted by odells on November 19, 2000, at 15:57:35

In agreement with what others have already said, I see three options:
1. Do nothing. Hang in there. After two years it will take the brain some time to readjust. I've heard of it taking 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, and even 6 months. Just be glad it wasn't Effexor or Paxil, which are much worse than Zoloft.
2. Take low dose Prozac as needed.
3. Restart Zoloft and then re-ween off of it, except at a much slower pace and in smaller increments. I had to do this with Paxil. It took longer than I wanted it to, but it was time well invested. My only withdrawal was a little bit of lightheadness that lasted about 4 days.

Sometimes I think the weening instructions given to us by our doctors are way too fast. I've learned over time to not set a deadline for the end of the weening process, but rather let it tell me when it's over. Let it play out. Don't rush it. That's what works for me.

Here are some examples of how to re-ween with either Zoloft or Prozac. You can break or cut Zoloft into custom sized chunks. They don't have to be accurate. You can dump the contents of a Prozac capsule into juice, stir well, and drink a custom sized dose, saving the rest in the fridge for next time (will keep up to 7 days). Also, with the examples below, you wouldn't have to follow the instructions exactly. Do what works for you. The examples are merely to show the weening pattern. Modify as needed.

Zoloft with the alternating stepdown approach: Let's assume you restart it, but at 25mg instead of 50mg. Take 25mg one day, 20 the next, 25 the next, 20 the next, and so on for about a week. Then stay at 20mg for up to a week. Then begin alternating between 20mg and 15mg...20mg one day, 15 the next, 20 the next, 15...and so on, for about a week. Then stay at 15mg for up to a week. Then repeat the same pattern, alternating this time between 10mg and 15mg for about a week. Then stay at 10mg for a week. Now the increments get smaller. Alternate daily between 7.5mg and 10mg...then stay at 7.5mg...then alternate between 5mg and 7.5mg, then stay at 5mg. Each stepdown is about a week in duration. Four days might be just as good. Continuing, you'll reach an alternating pattern between 0 mg and 2.5mg. Finally just 0. If after two or three days you feel you need it, go ahead and take another small dose. Don't take any more until another day when you feel you need it. Eventually you will realize you have arrived at a point where you don't need it at all anymore. It takes longer than you or I want it to, but it is so much smoother. The time passes quicker than you think, and you'll soon be drugfree painlessly.

Prozac: Start with 5mg or 10mg daily for a few days. Then stop. From that point on, take it only on days when you feel you need it. Withdrawal weirdness will tell you that. Sooner or later you will arrive at a point where you just don't need it anymore. The reasoning with Prozac is its long halflife. It takes a week to be half gone, and over 4 weeks to be totally gone. So it naturally and effortlessly extends the weening process, allowing the dosage in your body to slowly reduce itself over time all by itself.

You'll have to decide which route is best for you. If you are tougher than me, then you might just wait it out longer. But if you're like me, it might be better in the longrun to restart a medication at a low dose and then attempt a much slower weening process. Give it plenty of time for the brain to readjust smoothly.

Just some ideas to ponder. Any of them can work.
John


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