want to go off anti-depressants but scared?

Question

I have been on Zoloft for about 7 straight years now. I used to have anorexia and bulimia really bad, which is why I was prescribed the medication, but now I am okay. For the past year or so I have been having all sorts of sleeping side effects like grinding my teeth and being a violent sleeper. Does anyone know if this is a sign that maybe I don't need Zoloft anymore? I want to go off it but I'm scared that I will become depressed again and my eating disorders will come back.

Oh, I meant to add that my dosage has been 100 mg/day the whole time.

Answer 1

go off gradually NEVER cold turkey!

if you moderately exercise and limit sugar and caffeine intake you should do just fine

if not then you really need to stop and think about the things that depress you and eliminate them somehow.

do a search on alternative methods , good luck

Answer 2

Hi, I have been searching high and low and cannot find either "teeth grinding" and "violent" sleep anywhere on ANY list of contraindications/side effects. Some people may develop insomnia, while others may become sleepy while taking Zoloft. Often side effects dissappear entirely after a few weeks of taking this drug - which is the case with all classes of antidepressant drugs anyway. You never mentioned what your dosage is. I think that probably the "ills" you are experiencing have nothing whatsoever to do with the drug because side effects (if experienced at all) overwhelmingly tend to surface in the first few weeks after starting the drug and NOT seven later. That just DOESN'T make sense, and I'm sure your doctor will agree. Discuss your concerns with him or her, of course. Don't EVER go off your meds without being under a doctor's guidance and supervision. Do do it alone ("cold turkey") is just asking for disaster.

Answer 3

Nothing works as good as a change of environment or situation. I took zoloft for a couple years a while back. Tried lithium, xanax, and some other crap I don't even remember. I was really messed up in my head and did some weird stuff. All under a doctors care. Couldn't think right. Did the teeth grinding thing too. I changed my lifestyle drastically and found a way to let the world go to hell. Now I don't take anything and I don't need it. I feel much better and look 10 years younger. Its been about 2 1/2 years. Try to exercise and eat right, make yourself happy and don't let anybody dump problems on you. Good luck.

Answer 4

This is really something that your doctor needs to help you with. I went off Zoloft a few years ago and some of the withdrawal symptoms are pretty unpleasant (dizzyness, nausea, but it's different for everyone), so be prepared for that. The way my doctor did it was to first reduce my dosage by half. Then after a few weeks of this, he told me to start cutting my pills in half, and then after a few weeks, I started taking them every other day until I was finally off them comfortably.
As for feeling depressed again, it will take a lot of responsibility and maturity on your part to identify when you are feeling depressed and to seek help. Confide in someone, like your mom, and tell her before you go off your medication that if you start sinking into a low period again, you might need her help to get back on track.
Best of luck!

Answer 5

Wow, about 8 months ago I came off Zoloft after taking it for about 6 years. It was hell. There is a chance that maybe you need your dosage increased. After you take it a long time some people just begin to need more for it to remain effective. It was a horrible experience for me when I weaned myself off of it. I hope it goes better for you. Take my advice, DO NOT stop this medicine cold turkey. You do have to wean yourself off of it VERY slowly. I tried to stop taking it too quickly and I had what is known as "brain zaps" where you jerk uncontrollably, and many, many other bad side effects. These lasted for about 6 months. Take your time and decrease your dosage over a long period of time if your doctor says you can stop taking it. I had to get another antidepressant (xanax) to help me get through the withdrawals. I was so mad about this because when I started this drug it was being advertised as a non-habit forming medicine. That is SOOO not true. I have read lots of articles that say that it is equivalent to quitting heroin.
I was only on 50 milligrams daily, but i did take it for 6 years.
Good luck to you. I hope you dont go through what I did. It was horrible. You can email me through here if you have any questions. I took zoloft for GAD - general anxiety disorder.

Answer 6

Have you spoken with your doctor about these issues? If not, you should. I do not know for sure if they are side effects, but I would think that they would have appeared prior to now, especially since you've been taking the meds for 7 years.

I, too, take anti-depressants. I went off of them, with the assistance of my doctor, but we realized after a short time that I really did need to remain on them. Chances are that I will take them for the rest of my life. I am fine with that, if it means that I can live a complete and full life. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't be in too big of a hurry to get off of them, and don't be disappointed if you find that you need to go back on them. If you feel you must go off of them, do it with your doctor's help. Oftentimes they need to step down the dosage, for going off of them "cold turkey" can have side effects, as well.

I am glad to hear that you are doing better with your anorexia and bulemia. That is an amazing accomplishment! Good for you!

Answer 7

Never take yourself off of a medication whithout your doctor's advice. You can easily be switched to another anti-depressent without major side effects.

Answer 8

cymbalta is one of the worse ones to come off of. i was on 60mg, and when i decided that i'd had enough, i went down to 30mg for a week, and then just stopped. i had some crazy dreams and waves of intense dizziness, but it wasn't too bad. going down to 20 and then 10, you'll probably do pretty well.

Answer 9

I dont mean to sound preachy but.... Please do not ever take yourself off of any medication especially any psychopharmacuticals. Only your doctor/psychiatrist can decide that. It might be that you need to change medications, or the dossage of Zoloft that you are on.

Answer 10

This is really best discussed with your doctor, he may set a program for you to wean you off the drug if he feels you are mentally ready this may involve an independant psychiatric assesment.
Best wishes to you ;)