I have been taking 50mg for about 8 weeks. I have decided That I don't want to be on it anymore.
2006-06-27 17:06:53 · 11 answers · asked by Brina 4 in Health ➔ Other - Health
I quit cold turkey but I wouldn't advise it and neither would your doctor or therapist
2006-06-27 17:08:55 · answer #1 · answered by hipergirl22 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have over 20 years experience working as a Registered Nurse and have been severely depressed my self. I can not believe how terrible the advice you have gotten so far has been! The best was Irish Eyes. The only problem with her answer was the implication that if after her good advice you still want to quit the Zoloft to tell your doctor and be weaned off of it.You must talk to your doctor about this and agree on a plan to deal effectively with your depression! Talking to a pharmacist is no help. He or she may know about Zoloft but they don't know about your depression.
Most people who want to stop taking an anti-depressant are either having side effects they don't like or have gotten better because of the medication and feel they don't need it any more.
If you are having side effects talk to your doctor and he can switch you to an anti-depressant that doesn't have those ones. If you are feeling better, you haven't been on the Zoloft long enough to keep you from getting depressed again if you stopped it .If the Zoloft is not helping, your Doctor needs to try another one. I had to be tried on several before we found the most helpful one, but it was worth it!
2006-06-27 17:35:57 · answer #2 · answered by Smartassawhip 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My daughter was taking 150 mg of Zoloft. Of course, the psychiatrist could not tell she was manipulating as she always does just to get more drugs. I had to take her to the ER for strep and the MD in the ER told me she was on way too much Zoloft and to stop giving it because she kept throwing up and was shaking like a twig on a tree. Well, me being a dumb a**. I just stopped giving it to her. Nothing really happened except she quit shaking. It was after that I realized she should have been weaned off. oops, my mistake. I know now you are supposed to wean off the zoloft slowly over about a couple of weeks. Dont be stupid like I was.
2006-06-27 17:18:26 · answer #3 · answered by happydawg 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My advice to you is stay with the tapering slowly, you might have tapered down too fast. How long have you been on this medication makes all the difference in the tapering phase. If you have been on it for 1 year then you will need 1 month to completely taper off, general 1 month for every year you have been on it and if your taking other medication can affect this too. These pills can be broken easily, it's called Serotonin Whithdrawal Phase or discontinuation syndrome, not easy my friend but not as bad as say opiate, or benzodiazepine withdrawal. Rule of thumb, 1 month for every year you have been on this medication. Talk to your doctor about it, maybe you need to go back to 50mg for at least 2 weeks and see if that makes a difference. I have done this many times, so i know how the game is played very well, Paxil and Effexor are the worst to get off, trust me don't ever go on either one, see ya and probably go back up to 50mg and stay there minimum for 2 weeks if you feel better you tapered too quickly.
2016-03-27 06:30:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Under a doctor's care! Depending on the reason you want to quit, a different medication might be a better answer.But if you aren't going to ask the Dr., Take the same dosage every other time you are supposed to for a week. Then cut the dosage in half on the same schedule. Then then spread it out twice as long again for a week, then cut it in half for the next week, etc. etc. until you are off. You really do need to let someone know what you are doing because the withdrawal effects can be quite unpleasant and behavioral changes can begin unexpectedly.
2006-06-27 17:17:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello, I work at a psychiatrists office and we advise to half your dose for two weeks and after that amount of time, you can discontinue for good. However, since you've only been on it a short time I would say take half your dose for 1 week and then discontinue. Since you've not been on it long you don't have a lot stored in your system.
Also, it's never a good idea to quit any medication 'cold turkey.'
2006-06-27 17:11:03 · answer #6 · answered by Deidre 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm on this medication also...Since you haven't said why you want to wean off of them, I'll assume it's because of side-affects? It took me several weeks to get past those, and even more time for the drug to actually start working...It takes time to build up in your system, and it's potentially dangerous to quit on your own...Can you call your doctor to let them know you want to quit? They would know the appropriate way to wean off this drug...Good luck :)
2006-06-27 17:16:14 · answer #7 · answered by irisheyes 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask a doctor, or call a pharmacist. It's not the best idea to ask John Q. Public about medical advice.
2006-06-27 17:09:57 · answer #8 · answered by hairballdave 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You must consult your physician who will advise you of a safe plan to taper off.
Stick to your guns...even if your doctor wants you to stay on it, if you do not feel it's working, then you DON'T have to take it.
If they insist ,explain to them that they will either instruct you on how to discontinue it, or you consider they give you full authorization to just stop it and are totally responsible for the outcome. haha
2006-06-27 17:10:13 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Slowly!
2006-06-27 17:09:13 · answer #10 · answered by Damaila 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋