After 2 years of being on it, I decided that I need to really start working ish out. So, instead of weaning myself off of it, I go for broke and just finish off the bottle and not bother to renew.
BIG mistake.
I seriously thought I was going to throw myself out my 3rd floor window because someone did not call me. I was dizzy all the time, my body ached, I could not sleep. And being in Toronto, I was starting to think i had SARS. At the time, I had no idea what the frig was going on because I had stopped the drug about a month before. So I spent the whole weekend on the verge of a very big nervous breakdown. Everything that I had been experiencing before I was taking the meds came back what felt like tenfold. I wondered the streets, I cried for no reason. I wrote nasty letters to those whom I thought loved me but for some reason could not be here in my time of need, but then i would not pick up the phone when they called. It was horrible.
It was not until I dragged myself to work on Monday, where for some reason I thought i would go to work to retrace my steps with SARS (hey, when you are going thru the symptoms, you donèt give a damn about anyone but yourself cuz YOU ARE suffering) and then it hit me. It was the Zoloft. Thanks to Google, i did some research and found that I was suffering through withdrawl. I was SO relieved. I went to my doctor and she confirmed it.
So, i just thought I would share my story. I am still suffering from some symptoms, I still ache all over, I get nauseaus (sp)I still have some sleepless nights…but I am also learning to deal with my mini bouts of depression, which ocurs interestingly enough on the weekends. I’m using all the tools i learned when i was on the meds.
Would i reccommend anti-depressant use? Definately. Along with therapy, support of loved ones, I couldn’t have gone through the darkness without it. But I would reccommend not going cold turkey like my silly ass did, but I really don’t know what my life would have been without it.
And these are the “non-habit forming” antidepressants.
Benzo anti-anxiety drugs are even more fun to withdraw from. You become physically dependant as well as psychologically. I’m past the psychological part, I don’t feel I need the Xanax to be normal… I’m on a low daily dose (1 mg) of Xanax, have been for over a year for pretty severe panic disorder that landed me in the hospital more than once. Figured a couple weeks ago “Eh, the physical effect of the drug is probably nonexistant now as I’ve never upped my dosage in the year I’ve been on it… I’ll be ok if I stop.”
Spent the weekend thinking I was going to die. Went back on Sunday night, was right as rain. Won’t be trying that again any time soon… guess I am physically addicted to the stuff.
Goes to show that the doctor really does know best when he says “Don’t just STOP taking this drug, do it gradually.” I thought I knew better… heh.
I feel for you. I tried to quit my Celexa cold turkey, and for a week I was dizzy, sweating, miserable, POUNDING, bordering on migraine headaches, sleepless, angry…
When I called my doctor and told her I had tried to quit the drug she audibly sighed at me and said never to do it again.
Please folks, if you think it’s time to quit, talk to your doctor and STEP DOWN YOUR DOSE
my thing is…why dont’t hey tell you this!!! I mean, I more than likely would have heeded their warnings. Not once did anyone say, don’t just stop taking it. …actually, come to think of it, i think they did. hahaha…i just LOVE learning the hard way…so my mom sez
I can’t imagine that anyone would think anti-depressant withdrawal was “cool.” I once had to go off an anti-depressant (and I can’t remember which one it was…I really should) because I broke out in a terrible rash about five days into the program. Thankfully it wasn’t too deep into my system.
