Topic
l am on 100mg and wanting to wean myself because l feel better and think l have learnt some really good coping skills after being on them for over a year.
How do I successfully wean off Zoloft
I am a registered nurse who has tried weaning off Zoloft twice, once succesfully & once failed.
The key is to go slowly & make sure u have a lot of support. I also saw my GP once a week to use biofeed back which really helped.
My doctor advised me to make sure everything in ur life is ok ie:no major stressors happening or about to happen (not always easy to predict). Make sure u enlist the help & support of ur doctor, friends & family. Your partner if u have one & or the people u live with or around need to be feeling strong & ready for u to wean too so that they r strong enough to support u if u have trouble weaning.
I tried taking one tablet every second day & then going to three & then four-a week & it failed badly!
The method I had success with was going from 100mg to 75mg for a week or two depending on how I was feeling then to 50mg for a week or two- 25 for a week or two & I continued on this tapering system by cutting my 50mg tablet in half then 1/4 then 1/8 then then 1/16! It seemed crazy to be taking such a small amount but I have just reccently found an article which was not available at the time I wean that says this is the best way to go. They article actually suggests weaning from Zoloft over a period of a whole year. I did not need to do this but slowly is the key.
You may find u need to taper off ur dose monthly instead of 1-2 weekly. Really honestly assess ur progress & ask family members/friends/partners etc how they think u r going mood wise & make sure they r coping too!
If weaning is causing undue stress on ur loved ones this is an indication u may not be ready or u r weaning too fast. The weaning process needs to be taken very slowly & needs to be closely monitored. If u r not coping & have to go back on ur regular higher dose it does not mean u can not start again. Something may come up that is a major life stressor & u may need to re-start the weaning process again. This is not a failure! This is a good sign that u r managing ur depression & anxiety well enough to know that u need extra help to get ur moods under control.
Most people can wean off antidepressants but some people need to be on antidepressants for life which may disappoint u but taking one little pill a day is better than feeling like crap for the rest of ur life. It is not a sign of weakness or a reflection on ur personality it is a chemical imbalance in ur brain & may need to be treated forever just as an asthmatic or diabetic needs to take preventative medication.
Prevention is better than cure!
Good luck.
How do I successfully wean off Zoloft
hey there, I have the same problem and take the same thing. so first of all you should talk to your Doctor or perscriber- see what they think, and if your ready or not. then you should go down by 25mg decreases so that you know if you start having issues again you can go back up with no problem. like if you take 100mg go to 75mg for a while, if that works go to 50mg and so on.
I've been thinking of going down too but not quite yet. so have fun, and i hope it works!
How do I successfully wean off Zoloft
you really should talk to your doctor first you might think you feel better but your doctor will know
i take zoloft i have been for 5 years after 2 years i thought i was better and so i stoped taking it and i ended up getting committed to the hospital for trying to kill my self so please be carefull