I’m thinking of stopping my anti-depressants cold turkey. I’m tired of the numbness. I want to feel what I’m supposed to feel without any masking by the meds.
Just looking for other people’s experiences. Was withdrawal really that bad? If in a couple weeks, I go back on the meds, will the withdrawal go away immediately, or in a few days?
I’m on 200mg of sertraline. Capsules. Can’t really taper them.
4 comments
You will feel different or uncomfortable at first, perhaps an “anxiety” or “palpitations” kind of sensation, although withdrawal from Zoloft is not usually severe. These sensations may peak about 2 to 4 days after stopping, then fade over a week or two. They may not even be due to the drug’s properties, but the patients expectations instead. This is what the FDA label says:
“Premarketing clinical experience with ZOLOFT did not reveal any tendency for a withdrawal syndrome” (FDA, a pdf document you can download at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2009/019839s070,020990s032lbl.pdf)
If you do notice withdrawal symptoms, they probably would have went away before 2 weeks.
Everyone’s experience is different. It depends partly on how long you were using it, and how much you “need” the substance to help you feel “normal”. Doctors do usually taper it to avoid possible risks of withdrawal. For some people, their depression symptoms return, and may not resolve by going back on Zoloft.
You will experience flu like symptoms at any dose, numbness and tingling, but at 200mg you will likely end up in hospital if abruptly discontinuing. Your body will likely go into shock.
Bad idea.
I’ve quit 2 meds; pristiq and cymbalta. Both times I titrated but experienced horrible withdrawal. Common symptoms were brain shocks and hot flashes. I felt like I had a fever but body temp was normal. Pristiq withdrawal lasted about a week. It took me a month before cymbalta withdrawal was gone. Try and divide your meds, because you could be in for a rough ride. I wish you the best of luck.
Your meds actually make you feel numb? I am jealous I never found that.