Hello all, I am a migrant from SA although it has been a year since I posted anything there. 

Here is a link to my original thread there: SA Thread

To try to summarize my story as briefly as I can although it will be long: I have been on Sertraline since 2008 going as high as 100mg. I CT'ed off of it in 2017 and all hell broke loose. I reinstated at 50mg eventually updosing to 62.5mg. I was put on Mirtazapine after a stay in an inpatient hospital eventually going up to 15mg daily. Tapered Sertraline down to 50mg. And that is where I stayed since 2018. I was so traumatized by the withdrawal experience that I had basically resigned myself to staying on the drugs for the rest of my life. Since that time period I was functional. I had a high stress part time job and was living on my own. I still did not feel right however, with some lingering symptoms from my awful withdrawal experience. Mainly headaches and 

inability to deal with stress. I just lived in a fog constantly and had resigned myself to feeling like that for the rest of my life. 

 

About 1.5 years ago I decided that I was not content to feel this way forever and attempted to taper off of the Mirtazapine. I lasted a week before I went back to 15mg. I just could not handle how I was feeling. After going back to 15mg things returned to stability and life went on. I got a new job, and moved. In February of 2025, without any sort of changes to my medications, I began to experience symptoms that I associated with withdrawal again. Mainly nervous system activation feelings, lack of sleep and DP/DR. These feelings lasted for about a month and gradually went away. I attribute this to stress from a new job, and taking antibiotics for a tooth issue I was having. Life went back to "normal" and I continued working. After this experience I knew I had to get off of the drugs but I just didn't know how I was going to do it. It was a constant source of worry for me and a great fear. My quality of life had been seriously declining since 2018 and I attribute it to never being able to get off of the ADs. I felt stuck, there would never be a good time for me to taper and I didn't know if I could ever do it. 

 

Fast forward to the end of January 2026. I was working at my desk when a wave of dizziness came over me. The dizziness came and went for a few days. Praying that it was just vertigo, but fearing deep down that it was the AD's. I began to feel faint, especially before going into work or another high stress situation. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with vertigo, although they could see nothing wrong with my ears. DP/DR began to get worse. Depression began to get worse. I had this horrible restless feeling inside of me and could not sit still. Inability to sleep for more than 4 hours a night. Many other symptoms. All of this progressively getting worse and worse. I went to the hospital and had a CT scan, blood work, and an ECG done. All normal. Diagnosis was vertigo. I had to finally accept that it was related to the AD's. I believe my body had enough and that they simply stopped working. It was like being thrown back into CT. I knew that I had no choice now, I had to get off of the medication. I began to plan a slow taper, waiting until this past week because of a prior responsibility I had that I needed to be at least somewhat functional for. I am tapering off of the Sertraline first, as I have been on it the longest and the Mirtazapine still seems to help somewhat with my appetite and sleep. This past Wednesday 3/11/26 I began the taper. I am using the "Brassmonkey Slide" method from SA.com. I have tapered 2.5% off the the Sertraline using a self made liquid taper. 

 

I feel absolutely awful. Dread and fear like I have never known. Deep deep depression that comes in waves. Intermittent dizziness. I could go on and on. As far as the taper goes, I feel a bit better today than I did yesterday. No crying spells today. I do have some brain zaps, but nothing I can't handle. All of this piled on top of the symptoms I have been dealing with for the past 2 months. I suppose I am posting here as a way to connect back with this community. Truly nobody understand this unless they have been through it. I have a couple of questions too.

 

Is what I have been experiencing "poop-out"? I was under the impression that it wasn't as severe was what I have been going through feeling like I CT'ed again. 

Am I making the correct choice in tapering the Sertraline first? I cannot be sure that its the drug that has started causing all of these issues but it is the one I have been on the longest. 

Have I completely screwed myself by not tapering years ago? It's very hard for me to see a light at the end of this tunnel right now.

 

Thanks for reading all of that, it was quite cathartic to type it all out. Looking forward to becoming a part of this new community and I hope the best for you all. 

Hi @kangamangus

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Please make sure your signature is kept up to date with your drug history. This will allow members to see some basic information about your drug history and situation so that they may help you best. Information on how to do this is located in the FAQs section above, but here is a direct link: Update Signature

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default. For this reason please keep it clear but condensed as possible.

I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

 

First of all could I ask you take a few minutes to redo your signature in the following way with you dose changes, we don't need anything but this in there:

 

01 Jan 2026 Sertraline @50mg

01 Feb 2026 Sertraline @48.75mg 

And so on.

 

This is to make very clear at a glance what has happened to you. Your story makes it clear but not your signature. Please include as far back as you can. 🙂 

 

10 hours ago, kangamangus said:

Fast forward to the end of January 2026. I was working at my desk when a wave of dizziness came over me. The dizziness came and went for a few days. Praying that it was just vertigo, but fearing deep down that it was the AD's. I began to feel faint, especially before going into work or another high stress situation. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with vertigo, although they could see nothing wrong with my ears. DP/DR began to get worse. Depression began to get worse. I had this horrible restless feeling inside of me and could not sit still. Inability to sleep for more than 4 hours a night. Many other symptoms. All of this progressively getting worse and worse. I went to the hospital and had a CT scan, blood work, and an ECG done. All normal. Diagnosis was vertigo. I had to finally accept that it was related to the AD's. I believe my body had enough and that they simply stopped working. It was like being thrown back into CT. I knew that I had no choice now, I had to get off of the medication. I began to plan a slow taper, waiting until this past week because of a prior responsibility I had that I needed to be at least somewhat functional for. I am tapering off of the Sertraline first, as I have been on it the longest and the Mirtazapine still seems to help somewhat with my appetite and sleep. This past Wednesday 3/11/26 I began the taper. I am using the "Brassmonkey Slide" method from SA.com. I have tapered 2.5% off the the Sertraline using a self made liquid taper. 

I think you are experiencing tolerance to one or other of your drugs. Likely the Sertraline as you have been on it the longest.

 

I think your descison to taper it down it the correct one. It's the only way out of this situation. I also consider the BM Slide an appropriate way to taper off in this situation. Youll get a good amount off fairly quickly and a 2 week rest to allow the WD symptoms to ease before considering tapering again. It's not a east route this. You need to get the drug load down as quickly as you can to convince your brain to readapt to the lower dose and break the tolerance trap but balancing this with not getting too severe WD symptoms. Hopefully you can get to a point where you can stablise and taper more conventually on a lower dose and you won't need to keep that fight the whole way down.

 

Make sure your doses are really accurate here's our guide on making up doses if you haven't read it already.

 

Preparing Doses for Tapering - Weighing & DIY Liquids

 

10 hours ago, kangamangus said:

Is what I have been experiencing "poop-out"? I was under the impression that it wasn't as severe was what I have been going through feeling like I CT'ed again. 

Yes as I said above I think you are in tolerance/poop out. It can be quite nasty from what we know and it shows as WD like. I have a theory that is isn't actually 'tolerance' but more your body becoming activated or rejecting the drug at your current dose rather than you building up 'tolerance' to it, if that makes sense. Either way it's the same thing.

 

10 hours ago, kangamangus said:

Am I making the correct choice in tapering the Sertraline first? I cannot be sure that its the drug that has started causing all of these issues but it is the one I have been on the longest. 

I think so. You have been on it the longest and the Mirt might be helping you sleep still. Can you keep a diary and look for patterns to see if this helps confirm? You could post on here to keep it safe and we can see too.

 

10 hours ago, kangamangus said:

Have I completely screwed myself by not tapering years ago? It's very hard for me to see a light at the end of this tunnel right now.

 

No you have not. Many have got out of situations similar to this. And you will too.

 

10 hours ago, kangamangus said:

Thanks for reading all of that, it was quite cathartic to type it all out. Looking forward to becoming a part of this new community and I hope the best for you all. 

Its my pleasure to try to help. We hope you find the community here supportive and you are very welcome indeed.

 

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind!

 

You are very welcome here and I hope you find the site supportive.

 

Chippy

Thanks @Chippy, I appreciate the warm welcome. I have updated my signature, let me know if I did it correctly. 

 

I also feel fairly confident that was I have been experiencing is tolerance. Since my cut 5 days ago, things have been very up and down. Saturday was the most difficult day for me, but yesterday and today have been better. Last night I felt pretty good actually, which was nice. Of course that is relatively speaking, compared to the awful last 2 months any improvement is going to feel great. I hope this feeling holds and will make my next 2.5% cut on Wednesday. 

 

I typically go on several walks a day, usually no more than 15 mins each time. I try to pace myself and not overdo things. As far as my diet goes, I have gained almost 100 pounds on the Mirtazapine. When I was initially put on it, I was severely underweight and not sleeping so I guess it helped in that respect. Since September of last year I have lost 40 pounds, mainly through diet. I try to eat healthy and balanced things and will continue to do so. Still have another 20 pounds to go before I reach my goal weight! 

 

Since starting to feel sick 2 months ago I have slowly started to implement magnesium and fish oil supplements each day. Currently taking half of a 150mg Magnesium Citrate capsule and 1 fish oil capsule daily. I seem to tolerate each just fine. Not sure if they help, but they don't seem to be hurting anything. I might slowly start to increase each of those and see how I tolerate them, but for now I will leave them alone. 

 

Currently I am making my own DIY liquid for my taper. This is how I do it : I take one 50mg Sertraline Pill and crush it up in a pill crusher. I keep the pill in a folded piece of wax paper while doing this so as to not lose any powder in the grinder. I then measure 50ml of warm tap water and pour the powdered pill into the water. Let it sit for a few minutes and then stir it up so powder is evenly distributed in the water. I then use a small 1ml syringe to remove 1.25ml of the liquid which should equate to 1.25mg of sertraline. I drink the liquid and then refill the glass several times to make sure that I get any left over powder. 

 

Thanks again for your welcome!

8 hours ago, Chippy said:

Hi @kangamangus

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Please make sure your signature is kept up to date with your drug history. This will allow members to see some basic information about your drug history and situation so that they may help you best. Information on how to do this is located in the FAQs section above, but here is a direct link: Update Signature

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default. For this reason please keep it clear but condensed as possible.

I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

 

First of all could I ask you take a few minutes to redo your signature in the following way with you dose changes, we don't need anything but this in there:

 

01 Jan 2026 Sertraline @50mg

01 Feb 2026 Sertraline @48.75mg 

And so on.

 

This is to make very clear at a glance what has happened to you. Your story makes it clear but not your signature. Please include as far back as you can. 🙂 

 

I think you are experiencing tolerance to one or other of your drugs. Likely the Sertraline as you have been on it the longest.

 

I think your descison to taper it down it the correct one. It's the only way out of this situation. I also consider the BM Slide an appropriate way to taper off in this situation. Youll get a good amount off fairly quickly and a 2 week rest to allow the WD symptoms to ease before considering tapering again. It's not a east route this. You need to get the drug load down as quickly as you can to convince your brain to readapt to the lower dose and break the tolerance trap but balancing this with not getting too severe WD symptoms. Hopefully you can get to a point where you can stablise and taper more conventually on a lower dose and you won't need to keep that fight the whole way down.

 

Make sure your doses are really accurate here's our guide on making up doses if you haven't read it already.

 

Preparing Doses for Tapering - Weighing & DIY Liquids

 

Yes as I said above I think you are in tolerance/poop out. It can be quite nasty from what we know and it shows as WD like. I have a theory that is isn't actually 'tolerance' but more your body becoming activated or rejecting the drug at your current dose rather than you building up 'tolerance' to it, if that makes sense. Either way it's the same thing.

 

I think so. You have been on it the longest and the Mirt might be helping you sleep still. Can you keep a diary and look for patterns to see if this helps confirm? You could post on here to keep it safe and we can see too.

 

No you have not. Many have got out of situations similar to this. And you will too.

 

Its my pleasure to try to help. We hope you find the community here supportive and you are very welcome indeed.

 

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind!

 

You are very welcome here and I hope you find the site supportive.

 

Chippy

 

6 minutes ago, kangamangus said:

Thanks @Chippy, I appreciate the warm welcome. I have updated my signature, let me know if I did it correctly. 

Thanks @kangamangus it’s fine. It’s better to use month rather than a number as in different countries the dates are written differently. So in the uk we would write 01/11/2025 you would write 11/1/2025! Can get confusing! So Nov 11 2025 is fine I like 11 nov 2025 as I’m British but also it keeps the day number and year number separate and makes it less confusing! 
 

11 minutes ago, kangamangus said:

I typically go on several walks a day, usually no more than 15 mins each time. I try to pace myself and not overdo things. As far as my diet goes, I have gained almost 100 pounds on the Mirtazapine. When I was initially put on it, I was severely underweight and not sleeping so I guess it helped in that respect. Since September of last year I have lost 40 pounds, mainly through diet. I try to eat healthy and balanced things and will continue to do so. Still have another 20 pounds to go before I reach my goal weight! 

Good you’re walking. Nice to keep the exercise up. The Mirt hunger is a real thing. I used to get it. It sometimes hits me still. We have had other members with it. You are not alone!

 

12 minutes ago, kangamangus said:

I also feel fairly confident that was I have been experiencing is tolerance. Since my cut 5 days ago, things have been very up and down. Saturday was the most difficult day for me, but yesterday and today have been better. Last night I felt pretty good actually, which was nice. Of course that is relatively speaking, compared to the awful last 2 months any improvement is going to feel great. I hope this feeling holds and will make my next 2.5% cut on Wednesday. 

Glad you are feeling the improvement. It’s not been long so I’m surprised actually but pleased. Hope the next cut does ok. Do remember to update your signature so can keep track of where you are at.

 

14 minutes ago, kangamangus said:

Currently I am making my own DIY liquid for my taper. This is how I do it : I take one 50mg Sertraline Pill and crush it up in a pill crusher. I keep the pill in a folded piece of wax paper while doing this so as to not lose any powder in the grinder. I then measure 50ml of warm tap water and pour the powdered pill into the water. Let it sit for a few minutes and then stir it up so powder is evenly distributed in the water. I then use a small 1ml syringe to remove 1.25ml of the liquid which should equate to 1.25mg of sertraline. I drink the liquid and then refill the glass several times to make sure that I get any left over powder. 

Looks good to me! Consistency is key. Just keeping the same process daily means your dose is the same each time which your brain will appreciate!

 

16 minutes ago, kangamangus said:

Thanks again for your welcome!

You are most welcome!

 

Speak soon

 

Chippy

20 minutes ago, Chippy said:

Thanks @kangamangus it’s fine. It’s better to use month rather than a number as in different countries the dates are written differently. So in the uk we would write 01/11/2025 you would write 11/1/2025! Can get confusing! So Nov 11 2025 is fine I like 11 nov 2025 as I’m British but also it keeps the day number and year number separate and makes it less confusing! 

 

Got it, updated again. Should be easier to read now. Cheers

Well maybe I spoke too soon. Not as good today as yesterday. Very activated feeling, like I can't sit still. Jumping out of my skin. Always feel like I am on the verge of a panic attack. It's very uncomfortable. Went for a longer walk just to move as that seems to help. Nothing to do but wait it out I guess. My appetite still seems better at least. 

7 hours ago, kangamangus said:

Well maybe I spoke too soon. Not as good today as yesterday. Very activated feeling, like I can't sit still. Jumping out of my skin. Always feel like I am on the verge of a panic attack. It's very uncomfortable. Went for a longer walk just to move as that seems to help. Nothing to do but wait it out I guess. My appetite still seems better at least. 

Oh no I sorry. Is this a new feeling or like before?

26 minutes ago, Chippy said:

Oh no I sorry. Is this a new feeling or like before?

No, not a new feeling. Been happening the past couple of months. Its calmed down now. I always feel better late at night when everything seems to calm down and is quiet. Still planning on decreasing again on Wednesday if all goes well. 

3 minutes ago, kangamangus said:

No, not a new feeling. Been happening the past couple of months. Its calmed down now. I always feel better late at night when everything seems to calm down and is quiet. Still planning on decreasing again on Wednesday if all goes well. 

Ok so not necessarily anything to do with the drop. I’d expect you to need to drop more than 2.5% to out run tolerance plus it’s only been a couple of days. Let us know how it goes. 

3 minutes ago, Chippy said:

Ok so not necessarily anything to do with the drop. I’d expect you to need to drop more than 2.5% to out run tolerance plus it’s only been a couple of days. Let us know how it goes. 

Yeah I don't think its related to the drop,still just residual stuff from the tolerance. Its so hard to tell symptoms apart when you are in this situation. I will certainly update here after I drop again.

2 minutes ago, kangamangus said:

Yeah I don't think its related to the drop,still just residual stuff from the tolerance. Its so hard to tell symptoms apart when you are in this situation. I will certainly update here after I drop again.

Great thanks. I tweaked your signature a little. Think it reads better still now. 
 

We just need the dose changes so you don’t need to keep writing mirt each time. I’ve indicated the % and the BM slide to make it clear at a glance. 

1 minute ago, Chippy said:

Great thanks. I tweaked your signature a little. Think it reads better still now. 
 

We just need the dose changes so you don’t need to keep writing mirt each time. I’ve indicated the % and the BM slide to make it clear at a glance. 

Makes sense, thanks! Thanks for your help, its appreciated. 

Just now, kangamangus said:

Makes sense, thanks! Thanks for your help, its appreciated. 

Pleasure my friend 

Just googled your username, a road in the US? Look pretty sweet. 
 

Through a nature reserve 

5 minutes ago, Chippy said:

Just googled your username, a road in the US? Look pretty sweet. 
 

Through a nature reserve 

Yes it is, but I actually got the name from a stupid TV show like 20 years ago. The Sarah Silverman show. I liked the way it sounded and have used it as my username forever. People always ask me about the highway though! I've never even been to it. I am from the Southern US so it's pretty far from me. Plenty of beautiful nature down here where I am too. You live in the UK? You must wake up early

16 minutes ago, kangamangus said:

Yes it is, but I actually got the name from a stupid TV show like 20 years ago. The Sarah Silverman show. I liked the way it sounded and have used it as my username forever. People always ask me about the highway though! I've never even been to it. I am from the Southern US so it's pretty far from me. Plenty of beautiful nature down here where I am too. You live in the UK? You must wake up early

Haha. Thats funny. Well it looks beautiful! I know what you mean about usernames. I used to be worse for passwords! Always the same one! Not now!!!!

 

Yeah early bed early rise over here gotta beat the cortisol. It’s 5.30 right now.

Another day. Slept better last night. Woke with horrible anxiety. Had some of the same hellish restless feeling as yesterday but not as bad, went away after a couple of hours. Feeling a bit better right now, hopefully it holds. No brain zaps yet today. Appetite still good. Just got back from a walk and feeling crappy, but not in an unbearable way. 

7 hours ago, kangamangus said:

Another day. Slept better last night. Woke with horrible anxiety. Had some of the same hellish restless feeling as yesterday but not as bad, went away after a couple of hours. Feeling a bit better right now, hopefully it holds. No brain zaps yet today. Appetite still good. Just got back from a walk and feeling crappy, but not in an unbearable way. 

Good you slept better. Blessing there, wd sleep is awful. If we could all just sleep normally I swear it would be easier. You seem okish. That’s good. 
 

Do you still plan to cut today?

16 hours ago, Chippy said:

Good you slept better. Blessing there, wd sleep is awful. If we could all just sleep normally I swear it would be easier. You seem okish. That’s good. 
 

Do you still plan to cut today?

Yes, I cut by another 2.5% today. Felt relatively okay last night and today. 

7 hours ago, kangamangus said:

Yes, I cut by another 2.5% today. Felt relatively okay last night and today. 

Good to hear. Don’t forget to update your signature 😀

Hello, its been a few months since I have posted here. I found I was ruminating too much on withdrawal and had to step back a bit. My taper has been progressing okay, and I am now 25% off of the Sertraline, but unfortunately I am having a hard time now. About a month ago I unknowingly ingested a decent amount of caffeine and had a massive panic attack. This seemed to trigger a horrible wave that I have been stuck in since. I have had windows during that time, but they are fleeting. I have been holding my dose since the panic attack in the hopes that my system would settle down. Yesterday I had a great window followed by another terrible panic attack. Woke up early today and had another panic attack around noon, and I have been stuck in flight-or-fight mode since. I am immensely uncomfortable right now and at a loss for what to do. My rational mind is saying to keep holding at my current dose, but part of me is wondering if I should resume my taper since I was in tolerance withdrawal when I began. I truly don't know what to do. I need to be better about recording my daily thoughts and feelings so I can document the windows when they do happen. I just need to remember that yesterday I was feeling much better than I am right now. I can get back there again. Ugh. Just venting I guess. I will try to update my signature when I am feeling up to it, right now I can barely type this post. Not doing well at all.

I forgot to mention, during my first terrible panic attack after the caffeine I took half of a .5mg Klonopin that my mother gave me. It helped in the moment, but I have been wondering if it possibly upset my nervous system even more. I still have the other half of the pill if I really really feel like I need it but I have been able to do without for now. God this anxiety is just unreal.

4 hours ago, kangamangus said:

I forgot to mention, during my first terrible panic attack after the caffeine I took half of a .5mg Klonopin that my mother gave me. It helped in the moment, but I have been wondering if it possibly upset my nervous system even more. I still have the other half of the pill if I really really feel like I need it but I have been able to do without for now. God this anxiety is just unreal.

Im sorry to hear you're also having such a hard time on sertraline. Me too. Its horrific.

I hope it passes for you soon. X

1 minute ago, cherrysquid said:

Im sorry to hear you're also having such a hard time on sertraline. Me too. Its horrific.

I hope it passes for you soon. X

Thank you, I hope the same for you. I can feel myself stabilizing but when the withdrawal is bad, its really bad. Thanks for your well wishes, hoping for peace and healing for both of us 🙂‍↕️

By the way, what's your profile picture from? Looks like something from Adult Swim

7 minutes ago, kangamangus said:

Thank you, I hope the same for you. I can feel myself stabilizing but when the withdrawal is bad, its really bad. Thanks for your well wishes, hoping for peace and healing for both of us 🙂‍↕️

By the way, what's your profile picture from? Looks like something from Adult Swim

Me too ❤️

And its Bitsy the mouse from a D&D podcast haha.