Has anyone ever tried to go off Zoloft?

I've been weaning myself off very slowly over several weeks. Today I'm just a sobbing, slobbering idiot. My next-door neighbors, who are almost like parents to us, are moving back to Florida tomorrow. I'm not able to find a summer job to save my life. I hate the state of the world these days. There's just not much to be happy about. I think I know now that I will have to be on Zoloft the rest of my life.

because Pawlenty cut medical insurance for those who needed it. I went from taking 200 mg to nothing in one day...literally. I went through some pretty bad withdrawl symptoms, and I literally couldn't function if my life depended on it.

I'm currently taking Zoloft and I know I'll be on it for the rest of my life. :( Oh well...it's better to feel good than to feel like sh*t.

Didn't like feeling "flat" and sort-of muddy-brained.

Went cold-turkey, but then I was only on it for 4 months.

We just took my 85 year old mother who has advanced Alzheimer's off her 50 mg/day. Don't see much difference other than her staying awake at night.

but it really wasn't very effective for me, so it wasn't a problem. With other SSRI's, I had to go a little more slowly.

Why do you feel you need to go off it? Is it still working? Are you having unpleasant side effects? If it's working and the side effects are manageable, why do you want to go off it?

if he/she told you to go off then tell them it isn't working. There are worse things than being on an anti-depressant all your life. Like needing it, and not being on it. If its side affects then maybe you could try something else.

problems weening off aren't soemthing to fuck with - call the doc now!

When I go off it, I usually feel a great deal of muscle tension in my eyes, head and neck..."my brain is shaking," as I call it. But then I am on a small dosage.

I take meds for a different condition than yours, and I've resigned myself to the fact that I will be on them for the rest of my life. It's really not a big deal, I just have to be covered by insurtance all the time because the drugs are quite expensive, but they've saved my life.

Depression is different. It can last any length of time. If you are relapsing into a depressed state when you stop taking the drugs, chances are that you still need to be taking them. That Zoloft may be saving your life.

would a combination of increased exercise, st. John's wort and just walks in the woods help?

I don't get down much but those things help me (except the wort - I don't use that)

My kids are a big mood elevator for me (though they are also annoying ;))

Tried it, didn't work. Tried Zoloft too, but it just made me more depressed. I think it was because docs were trying to give me drugs for a depression that had more to do with actual events going on in my life and not a chemical imbalance though.

weaning off Paxil.

I swear, Heroin could only be slightly worse.


(edit for minor typo)

my doctor switched my SSRI from Zoloft to Prozac (due to the price issues) last year around this time and i can tell you that my withdrawal was ugly as hell. i went back to crying, being moody, upsetting friends, etc. . it had been so long since i cycled that i forgot how exhausted i was before i went on it. i even felt worse for my friends who had to suffer through it with me because i was a beast until i got back on the other.

as mentioned in one of the above posts, i don't miss zoloft...it made me feel flat--'p' gives me feelings back. if i was in your place, i'd call your doctor and ask that he or she provide something for you.

for those of you who quit cold turkey and 'lived to tell' it, you have my admiration. going off of it is rough.

i've realize that i will probably have to be on a SSRI for the rest of my life, and after living with depression for so long, i am glad that they are available. i've had a few family memebers commit suicide in the past from depressive episodes. i didn't want to be among those numbers when i started to notice my own symptoms.

whatever choice of action you decide to take, know that you're not alone on this..many of us have been through it and understand.