Did Any Of You Ever Have To Wean Off An Ssri

[Yolaclover]

What was your experience?

[Connie]

My experience weaning off SSRI was terrible to the point it took me over two months. I ended up gradually coming off to the point I took a fourth of a pill for over three weeks trying not to be dizzy, having nausea, and/or chills. I thought at first I had a virus until my sister and I put things together. I hope I never have to take a SSRI again. Especially Effexor.

[Yolaclover]

I am weaning off of zoloft.

[HopeSprings]

Really bad experience while on ..and coming off of Paxil. Hate to sound like a broken record with all the drug warnings - I've just been there so many times. It's possible some of your symptoms could be from the Zoloft itself or if you have started weaning, withdrawal symptoms.

[yogini]

I am doing it now. I was on 20 mg of Paxil, one pill. My doc gave me 2 10mg pills, which I cut into 1/8. I have been reducing 1/8 pill about 1mg every month. It will take me another 6 months to go off but I have had few side effects. It's slow and painful, but it's the only way I can keep working and have a semblance of a life. Last year I tried it 5 mg at a time and it didn't work. I didn't have any side effects when I started Paxil but it is hard coming off. I googled it and this is how many "healthy" people come off SSRIs - and I had to go just as slow when coming off my other POTS meds.

[s-pot]

I came off Cymbalta 30mg last year...I was put on SSRI's in 2002 when i was 15, When i look bak now i know i had POTS symptoms at the time. Drs cudnt find anything obvious wrong (POTS is not usually recognised in Ireland now never mind then!) they said i was depressed, psychosymatic and had an anxiety problem and put me on SSRI...surprise surprise my symptoms gradually decreased I began to feel beter and for them this confirmed their psychiatric diagnosis and left me totally confused!.

Any time since then i tried to come off them I had horrible side effects, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and at one stage severe tonic clonic seizures...i will prob never kno if the seizures were down to withdrawal from drugs or the fact the SSRI seems to treat the dysautonomia so well and removal of the drugs at that time caused a severe autonomic response.

I was only officially diagnosed with POTS/OT/dysautonomia April 2011, exactly a year earlier I had gone thru the horrible side effects of coming off the SSRI again, i knew for sure i no longer needed them and certainly didnt believe the psychiatric diagnosis i had gotten at 15 anymore! I got sicker and sicker as the year went on...POTS was eventually diagnosed by TTT. Midodrine helped a little along with salt, fluid etc but no where near enuf to get my life bak on track.

I (grudgingly) started Lexapro 2.5mg in morning and evening about 4wks ago (tiny dose!). Overnight my POTS symptoms eased. I have not wretched since the day i started (this was a daily occurance) and my energy levels have gone thru the roof. So much so that i have been accepted to return to college and work as a student midwife again

I dread the thought of ever having to come off an SSRI again, and althou i hate being on them it seems its the only thing that treats my POTS well enough to have some normal life.

The withdrawal effects are horrible...takes AGES to get off them and I believe for whatever good they do me now i will have long term effects of being on them from such a young age! But im gettin my life bak again and I am grateful that something has worked again!

[Yolaclover]

I am going from 50mg zoloft, I was on 25 mg for a couple of weeks and this week started 12.5.

I have been on zoloft for about a year, I am stopping because cardio thinks it is not helping me and wanted me to stop.

I feel really bad and am never quite sure if it is my pots or the withdrawal, lol. One more thing to love about life!

I wonder if I ought to consider a new sari or snri to help with my Pots? I will ask my cardio on thurs.

Any advice is appreciated more than you know.

[hilbiligrl]

Im really bad about taking meds, as i hate them really. And i hate to say this, but im really bad about correctly stopping them too. I've never had to wean off of an ssri..... as, ALL ssri's make me have some pretty violent reactions after i've been on them a few weeks...... so i stop cold turkey.... i've stopped all my meds throughout my life cold turkey (i hate pills, what can i say). Only Klonopin (which is not an ssri, it's a benzo) is the only med that i taper off of and very slowly. One of my old and fired docs stopped me suddenly without tapering and it was like the deepest pits of the bottomless pit itself for months.... the scariest long term experience of my life...... I've tried almost every ssri out there, never again. Klonopin works wanders for me, hence, why I am back on it, and doing better in that area.

just my experience

tennille

[flop]

I was started on Paroxetine 20mg (Paxil) in 2006 for POTS. Last year one of my doctors decided that I should go onto Duloxetine (Cymbalta) instead.

Having once accidentally missed my paroxetine for a whole week (pharmacy error) I was terrified of feeling as ill as that again. My GP tried to put me on 10mg/day for a week then 10mg alternate days for a week but this was way too fast. In the end we mixed low doses of both meds (only with doctors advice!!).

One of my friends has weaned off paroxetine twice (before each of her pregnancies) and advised me to make tiny reductions in the dose each week. She found the easiest way was to get a liquid preparation of the SSRI so she could measure the volume in an oral syringe. I think she allowed about 3 months for the whole weaning process and didn't have any problems.

Good luck,

Flop