I stopped taking Zoloft abruptly exactly two weeks ago. I know that I am not supposed to do this but my psychiatrist did not take me seriously when I told him that I wanted to stop taking Zoloft as soon as possible. I went cold turkey off of Effexor before and the withdrawal wasn’t that long or severe so I figured I would just rid it out again in order to get off of the Zoloft quickly. I was also put on Welbutrin about a week before I stopped Zoloft, so I am not completely without an antidepressant.
Now at day 14, my withdrawal symptoms are worse than ever. My therapist told me that SSRI withdrawal or “SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome” can be very serious and in rare cases, even fatal. I am wondering if my case is one that would be considered “severe.”
I have been experiencing symptoms like, moderate, long lasting headaches, I suspect that I have a fever but I don’t have a thermometer to check, stomach cramps and pain, diarrhea, lethargy, loss of appetite, nausea, insomnia, vivid dreams, dizziness, vertigo, blurred vision, “electric shock” sensations, aggression and irritability, and anxiety. These are all symptoms that have been recorded so they are not unique only to me. My psychiatrist already knows that I have stopped taking it abruptly. Should I call him and tell him about the side effects I am experiencing? I know he will just tell me to start taking the Zoloft again which I, of course, don’t want to do because of the side effects I got from taking it. So I would like to avoid calling my psychiatrist unless my symptoms are really serious.
Thank you very much if you read that entire question.
When Is Ssri Withdrawal Considered Serious?
July 9th, 2010
Comments ( 3 )
Feed for this Entry Trackback Leave a comment
-
-
-
Please make the call. If you cant get ahold of the doctor then just go to the emergency hospital and get checked out. You should always ween yourself slowly from antidepressants. Read to the doctor exactly what you wrote. Please get checked out. I know what it is like.
If the sudden stoppage of your medication is still affecting you this way I would think it may be a good idea to contact your psychiatrist for some advise to help ease or stop the symptoms you currently have.