Dear all, 

 

 

I am going to continue my tapering journey here given that SA is closing. I was beginning to feel it was time for a change in the way of a support community over the past months. I am grateful this has come along.  :heart:

 

Thanks to Luke and Chippy for creating this lovely new space and support. 

 

I tried to copy and paste my signature from SA, however it didn't work. I would like to edit it anyway, so I will do that then post here. 

 

So far this forum is easier to navigate for me and less overwhelming. 

 

Wishing everyone a peaceful end of year and new year transition. Looking forward to sharing journey's and supporting others here. 

 

You can find my thread on SA here; https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/30063-freyja-my-sertraline-story/

 

Tracey

Welcome to the forum, Tracey.

 

I am the Recovery Assistant Bot and I am here to post some information for you whilst we await replies from other members.

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications. If you are experiencing an adverse reaction to them, withdrawal difficulties or are injured by them, we are very sorry to hear this and will do what we can to help you.

 

While we are waiting for human members to reply, there are some things you can do that will help you get the most out of this forum whilst you await further support.

 

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

https://antidepressantrecovery.org/misc.php?action=help

 

Please update your signature. 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 guides linked above, but here is a direct link:

https://antidepressantrecovery.org/misc.php?action=help&hid=8

 

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default.

 

If you have migrated here from "SurvivingAntidepressants" feel free to post a link to your old thread in this one, or include it in your signature.

 

We hope that you will find this forum helpful.

Hey Tracey

 

Thanks for joining the forum and a very warm welcome!

 

I couldn’t find you on sa for some reason. Can you confirm your user name there or pop a link here of your sa blog page for me?

 

Sorry about your signature. The way round the issues you are experiencing are to either manually type it out again or to use a paste without formatting or paste and match formatting option when pasteing the text into the signature box. 

 

I’m glad you like the site, we are very happy to have you here. 

 

Chippy

Hi Tracey

 

Great to see you here ?

Thank you for joining.

 

If you post under a different name here than SA that might be why Chippy hasn't found your old thread. Let us know.

 

There are a couple that are similar, but not the same.

Yes this is me Catbird!  (formerly Freyja) 

 

 

I have included my SA profile link below. I plan on doing a review/summary/update this week and I will work on my signature. Will try what you suggested Chippy or I will just revise and do again as it is quite lengthy. I need to think about it !  :shy:

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/profile/22718-freyja/

Yes this is me Catbird!  (formerly Freyja) 

 

 

I have included my SA profile link below. I plan on doing a review/summary/update this week and I will work on my signature. Will try what you suggested Chippy or I will just revise and do again as it is quite lengthy. I need to think about it !  :shy:

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/profile/22718-freyja/

Thanks for the update on your UN from SA. I've updated all this here on your thread. Ive copied your SA Signature over for you. You can adjust as you see fit when you have time. Hope that helps.

 

Chippy

Here is a summary of my story so far since attempting to come off zoloft after 19 years of continuous usage. My SA story was pretty messy as I was still in withdrawal crisis, slowly wading through and not functional. Only now can I talk about my experience without it igniting intense emotions. I hope this will read with more clarity and insight. 

 

Oh and I started on zoloft at a time in my life when I was burnt out, and had lost some purpose and direction. I was in an unsuitable relationship and struggling to find meaningful employment. I had no diagnosis of anything by the GP. It was sometime in 2006 maybe mid year. 

 

2021 - 2022 

 

During an 18 month period I attempted to come off the 'usual' way by reducing my dosage from 100mg to 75mg to 50mg to 25mg to 0mg. All was going well until I dropped from 50mg. I persisted through thinking that it would have to get better and I just needed time. During this time I lost my income and a relationship and assumed that some of my symptoms (mostly emotional) were due to my life circumstances. My father was rapidly declining and had gone into dementia care two states away. I was helping him battle his poly psychotropic drug disaster by regularly communicating with his GP.

 

I finally shifted into what I thought was a permanent window after 6months battling on 25mg. This was to be my biggest mistake (hindsight of course) where upon I thought fantastic, I can drop to 0.

 

The day after dropping to 0, I cried for 4 days almost continuously, had dreadful doom and hopelessness. I struggled to function from day to day, I was working very part time (maybe 6 hours a week) and just trying to survive on my own. I had animals to care for which I managed to do with huge effort, still clutching onto a thought that this has to get better one day soon. Looking back, I hadn't been eating as well as I normally would and I was more socially isolated. I had been in a gradual decline since dropping from 50 mg over 6 months ago. 

 

My moods would swing several times within a day, going from feeling just ok to horrible blackness, dread and aloneness. I was just sleeping ok. My digestion was all over the place, low energy, depersonalization, derealization, anxiety, anhedonia, irritablity, hot flushes, a bout of severe nausea and colic that lasted 12 hours. 

 

2023 

 

Determined to keep going I kept going, until I couldn't. Shortly after having to euthanise my old horse her goat friend I had a 12 hour 'panic attack'. My brain wouldn't stop looping, I had impending doom, tachycardia, numbness, burning (tongue) and insomnia (as in no sleep at all that night). By the morning it had finally stopped and I was exhausted and shell shocked. I went to emergency to discuss what had happened. They said it was a panic attack and to see my GP. Two weeks later I was feeling so miserable that I decided to start back on zoloft again at 25mg. Another big mistake. 12 hours later I went into an extreme state of agitation much worse than the previous one. This time I was weak, had diarrhoea, nausea, chest pain, couldn't keep my legs still on top of all those prior symptoms. Living alone and nobody close to take me, I called 000 for ambulance around 7am. Hospital and finally settled after about 4 hours. Sent home no medications given just to stay on zoloft. The next day I was much the same and started getting worse around 4pm so I called the ambulance again, this time I was admitted overnight. 

 

I had delerium, hyponatraemia (low sodium) and all the other symptoms. I was insanely restless, irritable and so frightened. Mild akathisia perhaps. I was discharged the next day with some diazapem and told to increase my zoloft to 50mg. I saw the mental health team psychiatrist who diagnosed me with GAD (generalised anxiety disorder). He wanted me back up to 100mg zoloft. 

 

I had no idea that I had become sensitised to zoloft and was wondering why it made me feel so absolutely horrendous after each dose increase. I had been off it for about 4 months and didn't have the information that recommends not to resume at a normal dose, rather use tiny doses. The next 5 months were to be the very worst months of my entire 56 years. I dragged myself out of bed to feed the animals and myself, feeling like I might die one day soon. I couldn't work, drive or leave the house. I was light and sound sensitive, insomnia, fear, weak, restless and the list goes on. My uncle came out to stay with me and help, without his presence I wouldn't have survived. My family live states away. The not wanting to be on my own was perhaps one of the worst feelings, I had always been ok on my own. Now I felt so lonely being alone. 

 

I used the diazepam a handful of times because I didn't want another drug complicating things and damaging my brain further. It didn't help my insomnia anyway. Took the edge of my anxiety during the day for a few hours. I was a shell of my former self and my nervous system felt fragile and raw. Very little gave me relief during this time and I found finding distractions hard. Intense rumination plagued me. I managed to start a mindfulness based stress reduction course, that was free in our local town, and this really helped. I used free apps when this course finished to continue my practise. Perhaps the derealization, impending doom and feeling so absolutely alone,  were the most intolerable symptoms for me. 

 

Finally I started to stabilise about August 2023, still not feeling fully well of course. I couldn't tolerate 100mg of the zoloft, so I quickly dropped back to 75mg. In October I started to reduce my dose of zoloft at about 10% per month (per my drug signature). With great difficulty, I went back to part time (4-6 hours) work a week out of sheer survival. I was on a medical exemption social security payment living hand to mouth. 

 

Sometime during this past 6 months I watched the Four Corners show featuring Mark Horowitz and others. I joined SA in October. This was the lifeline handed to me for tapering correctly. I am deeply grateful to that forum. 

 

I started making my own home made liquid suspension with water when I was still up on a high dose, maybe 60mg. I wanted to test the waters for my tolerance. Everything seemed fine, so I continued to make liquid. I have been making a suspension like this for over two years now. I feel fortunate that zoloft is easy to make into this form.  I couldn't afford compounding pharmacies. 

 

2024 

 

This was another tough year and I had various withdrawal symptoms, perhaps a melting pot of prior cold turkey shock and resuming the taper, albeit slowly. My father died suddenly (due to complications from the psychotropic drugs), his sister (my aunty) died 2 months later suddenly. I was very ill after my father's funeral ending up in hospital (ambulance again) with a virus that caused me to pass out, vomit and feel extremely exhausted and negative. I did recover (I still had hyonatraemia and low white blood cells from cold turkey) complicating my healing. 

 

October 2024 my work was finishing up and I my financial situation was still bleak. I grieved for my father and aunty enormously and again felt so alone. I truly felt like I could and would never be well ever again with overwhelming feelings of unworthiness. Windows and waves came and went. 

 

2025 - 2026 

 

The past year has been not without tapering challenges and struggle. I started a new part time job (15 hours a week) in April and have managed to get myself down to 7mg. I have had periods of anxiety for no reason at all that my last a few hours then go. The last bout of these was back in August. Since the end of September I have felt the most stable and strong I have felt since my journey began. My sodium is now back to normal, as are my white blood cells (lymphocytes). 

 

I feel this year will bring even more renewal, strength and rebuilding. I have learnt to be more self compassionate and patient with myself, to trust my body and its innate ability to heal and move towards homeostasis. When I can, I am with my suffering, a ministry of presence to it, or a radical acceptance of what is. This was impossible when I was in acute crisis and not understanding the nature of withdrawal. I am learning to let my thoughts be and move through my day as normally as possible. I intermingle my day with activity and rest. I do need to rest more during this process because my brain needs energy to re adapt. 

 

I am not so alarmed by my symptoms nowadays, and understand that some of these are signs that my brain is recalibrating and healing. This became possible the further away from my crisis I was, time was certainly a healer of sorts. As I get lower and lower with my dose, I am feeling more authentic, certainly more sensitive and learning not to push away the feelings or feel ashamed of them. Let them be, they are ok, they are normal. 

 

The things that have helped my move through my withdrawal process have been: 

 

1. My pets 

2. One really good phone friend that I have known for over 25 years (We did our degrees together)

3. One close friend that lives in my area 

4. Self care (sleep hygiene, whole unprocessed foods, yoga, exercise, meditation, breathing,  rest, herbal medicines, not taking on too much, peace and nature) 

5. A good supportive holistic psychologist (I am grateful for 16 free sessions a year)

6. A peer support forum

7. Learning self compassion 

8. Being a good friend and parent to myself ... my most said phrases were/are "this too shall pass" and "I am here for you my dear, how can I support you, I will never abandon you" 

9. Listening to podcasts and watching videos by people such as Mark Horowitz, Anders Sorensen, Joanna Moncrieff, Outro and others. Other podcasts by compassionate and caring psychologists. 

10. Commitment to a purpose (getting to 0!) 

 

This has been a very long story not originally intended to be so. 

 

My greatest wish is that those harmed by psychotropic medications will become well again and those considering taking them are given the full truth. Primum non nocere, first do no harm.  :heart:

 

I will keep you updated with my progress as I continue to taper in alignment with the slowest taper for sertraline at releasetoolkit.com.au 

 

I look forward to now being well enough to read some other stories here and share the suffering.

Thank you for sharing an overview of your story. I hope that you are right and that 2026 does bring you more strength and rebuilding.

 

For your free holistic psychologist sessions, do you space them out through the year (so 16ish is every roughly 3 weeks?), do them closer together and take breaks, or do you also have further, paid ones?

Thanks for posting the update Tracey. Think that's a great idea so folk can see at more of a glance where you are at with out having to read through your whole SA thread. Perfect!

 

Hope 2026 is kind to you and everyone here at AR!

 

Chippy

Thanks Luke and Chippy for reading my story update. 

 

Last year I spaced the sessions out to every 3 weeks. I ended up paying for an extra one as I needed it getting towards the end of the year. My psychologist has break over Christmas/New Year so I wanted one to reduce that break time. 

 

Every 2 weeks would be really good for where I am at, however I can't really afford to pay for all those extras. It is always juggling act as to what to spend money on when it comes to self care. During crisis months all I could do was lay in bed, wait it out and rest, it was the only place where I had some solace. I couldn't exercise, nothing much relieved my symptoms (even nature) and could only talk on the phone to maybe 3 people that really understood and didn't put pressure on me or try to 'fix me'. They listened and gave gentle encouragement, often I wanted to just to listen to them talk providing it wasn't high energy overstimulating talk. 

 

When I was in crisis I didn't have that particular therapist (I found her 16 months ago) and the one I had ended up leaving, so I was left up in the air. I use zoom sessions as my local town is too small to have many therapists and most are booked out. I am not sure how helpful a therapist would be during crisis , unless they were very withdrawal knowledgable and used a particular style of support. I didn't have the energy to talk to anyone for maybe 4 months. I guess it depends how severe the withdrawal is and an individual's unique needs.

I see, thank you for letting us know.

 

I am not sure how helpful a therapist would be during crisis , unless they were very withdrawal knowledgable and used a particular style of support.

 

I agree.

 

That's not to say that it shouldn't be tried, but everybody's experience is different.

Hi Tracey,

You’ve been through a lot and seem to be on a good trajectory. I can relate to a lot of what you’ve shared. 

Keep us posted of your continued healing journey!

Take care, Namastejen1

Thanks Jen, I am doing ok. 

 

I see you have as well, over a long period had a lot to navigate.  

Our bodies (including spirit) are pretty amazing to get us through this. 

 

It is so good to have fellow travellers with shared experiences. Until I found the forums and listened to other people talk about their wd experience, it was a lonely place. 

 

As so many people write, words cannot convey what it is really like. 

 

I hope your final tapering time is relatively smooth. I see the lifestyle things in you find helpful share common ground with mine. ?

Hi Tracey, 

Thanks for the well wishes on my continued taper. It means a lot because it can feel long and lonely sometimes—the latter with people off site who really don’t understand. Some really do try to understand and can be supportive. The forums are very valuable, I agree, because we really get this based on difficult personal experience.

I hope your tapering also continues well—and everyone’s too! 

Let me know what you like to do for hobbies and such. I know you’re probably approx 19 hours ahead of me, but it doesn’t deter from connecting.

Take care and blessings, 

Jen

Hi Jen,

 

Hope your energy levels are ok and everything else that goes with this long and tiring journey of tapering. 

 

I read your post on supplements etc. 

 

I trained as a naturopath 27 years ago and herbs, nutrition, food, homeopathy, animals and nature are my passions every since. However since tapering and going through all this I have a degree of anhedonia. I would love to maybe get back to practise one day. I have lost the energy to do so. 

 

Anders also says (and you mentioned on your thread B) the brain needs a lot of energy to heal, so I just need to be patient. 

 

I have always used my skills since stopping formal practise on my family and friends that ask and for myself. I too love Mediherb (you mentioned them in your post) and Kerry Bone it's original founder is one of my teachers and lives just nearby me. He treats my mother! He collaborates with Simon Mills in the UK. 

 

I was able to tolerate herbs even when my nervous system was very sensitive, however I prefer not to talk much about specific herbs and products on forums. With Kerry's research digging over the past decade and my starting to learn more about what may be happening during withdrawal, there are some herbs that I think really support and nourish the brain and body during tapering. Of course all the other lifestyle and holistic health pillars we talk are useful. We are all bit unique and healing comes from different sources for different people. 

 

Somewhere (maybe SA) I see you are a scorpio, I am as well. 

 

After a bit of setback earlier this week (helping save a kangaroo on my own) which really shook my nervous system, I am staring to feel more stable. Impending doom is not easy to sit with and each time I get into dysregulated state  I get that common feeling that this is what it will like forever. Rationally I know I can heal and it won't be like this forever, however it is not until it lifts that I find relief. I know that this suffering is serving some purpose in my life journey, but wow it can be lonely and frightening. 

 

I still remain hopeful for a more stable year than last year.  :heart:

 

Thanks for checking and asking about my hobbies. I do like pottery and reading and bush walking, however I am not doing any of this at the moment.

Tracey, thank you for sharing your story and path to recovery. I'm glad you're feeling better lately. I am also still tapering and simultaneously going through withdrawal, and it's been hard.

Marina, thanks for your message! 

 

I see you are on the zoloft journey too.  You doing really well and so close to crossing 0. 

 

It is tempting to speed up the taper with the feeling that the drug is poisoning our bodies. I did briefly see a reference to this in Brooke Siem's work on substack. She has written the book called May Cause Side Effects and does interviews on Mad In America. She mentions the work of Giovanni Fava and Italian researcher who she says was the first to publish a systematic review on antidepressant withdrawal. He thought that people who couldn't easily get off ad's were actively being poisoned by the drugs and slow tapers just prolonged this. 

 

This of course is the opposite to the hyperbolic taper narrative which promotes a long slow taper. 

 

I wished I knew if I was one of these people and moving more quickly would be better. I just don't have the confidence after what happened when I jumped from 25mg to 0mg. 

 

Marina I see you had a rough ride from 5mg to 1mg and prior due to the compounded formula. I also see you had the struggles like I did when you reinstated to 50mg. Those symptoms are just cruel, I will never forget. I still have a burning tongue from that and wonder if it will ever go away. 

 

I couldn't find your Introduction story, sorry. I hope you are having at least some good moments. I had a bit of a rough week last week.

Wow, a naturopath. You are well versed with the little things I mention. My Standard Process-MediHerb journey started a couple years ago but learning has been about a year. Kerry Bone is highly regarded here too. I’ve read all sorts of articles from health food stores for 30 years at this point, so “educated enough” to be “dangerous in a good way”. Studied Ayurveda with yoga training and have my 3rd copy of Prescription for Nutritional Healing as a good reference. But your education and experience is much more extensive, which is awesome.

 

I know it’s always a slippery slope to recommend anything beyond Omega-3 oil and Mg glycinate from SA standards. Plus everyone is so individual in how they react. 

Perhaps we can personal message from your buddy request. We’ll figure out what that is. It’s almost Sunday 8pm here, is it Monday 3pm by you?

I hope you feel well soon and get back to your work. We need more people like yourself out there seeing our brain and body as a whole system.

Marina, thanks for your message! 

 

I see you are on the zoloft journey too.  You doing really well and so close to crossing 0. 

 

It is tempting to speed up the taper with the feeling that the drug is poisoning our bodies. I did briefly see a reference to this in Brooke Siem's work on substack. She has written the book called May Cause Side Effects and does interviews on Mad In America. She mentions the work of Giovanni Fava and Italian researcher who she says was the first to publish a systematic review on antidepressant withdrawal. He thought that people who couldn't easily get off ad's were actively being poisoned by the drugs and slow tapers just prolonged this. 

 

This of course is the opposite to the hyperbolic taper narrative which promotes a long slow taper. 

 

I wished I knew if I was one of these people and moving more quickly would be better. I just don't have the confidence after what happened when I jumped from 25mg to 0mg. 

 

Marina I see you had a rough ride from 5mg to 1mg and prior due to the compounded formula. I also see you had the struggles like I did when you reinstated to 50mg. Those symptoms are just cruel, I will never forget. I still have a burning tongue from that and wonder if it will ever go away. 

 

I couldn't find your Introduction story, sorry. I hope you are having at least some good moments. I had a bit of a rough week last week.

Thank you for your reply, Tracey. I haven't posted an introduction story (yet). I find it still a bit hard going through the whole history of this disaster. It's a miracle I managed to write my signature.

Regarding taper - I am torn between going slow and fast. I think no one has the perfect answer. Maybe it's all individual. Hoping to find "middle ground". Maybe I'll slow down a bit for a few weeks and see what happens.

I think I am lucky in many aspects seeing some other people's stories. I am not bed or house bound. I am in some ways mostly functional despite my symptoms but it's still a terrible mental struggle each day. And I keep fearing that things might turn for (much) worse on lower doses and after jumping off.

 

The holidays were probably the worst weeks so far in the last 4 months. I hope things start getting better now - for both you and me (and all the rest in this hell called withdrawal).

 

Thank you for your reply, Tracey. I haven't posted an introduction story (yet). I find it still a bit hard going through the whole history of this disaster. It's a miracle I managed to write my signature.

Regarding taper - I am torn between going slow and fast. I think no one has the perfect answer. Maybe it's all individual. Hoping to find "middle ground". Maybe I'll slow down a bit for a few weeks and see what happens.

I think I am lucky in many aspects seeing some other people's stories. I am not bed or house bound. I am in some ways mostly functional despite my symptoms but it's still a terrible mental struggle each day. And I keep fearing that things might turn for (much) worse on lower doses and after jumping off.

 

The holidays were probably the worst weeks so far in the last 4 months. I hope things start getting better now - for both you and me (and all the rest in this hell called withdrawal).

 

Tracey 

 

Hi Marina, I share your sentiments in regards no one really knows and it is a bit individual as to speed of taper, size of reductions and the like. I prefer a good cut, then a long hold rather than lots of little ones regularly, this seems to suit me. Others do better on tiny regular cuts closer together, yet other needs tiny cuts with long holds. 

 

Glad you have remained functional, being bed bound is no fun. However I hear you re the daily mental struggles. I think Chippy has written something on acceptance as we move though this process in a separate section here on the forum. And like you I have those fleeting thoughts that it could in fact turn for the worse, let us hope not and stay with the present day. Quite a challenge when your brain and mind is scanning for danger and in the survival type mode. 

 

Thanks for your well wishes and the same to you, the holidays were not much fun for me either. I am holding on 7mg until I steady again. It seems to be such big transition and period of not knowing, perhaps this is where the 'medicine' is and the meaning behind all this suffering. I can see it as a deepening and profoundly healing experience when I am that frame of mind. Other times I just wish I had never been put on this dam drug. I seem to be moving past this, a little, and have done much grieving. 

 

RE your introduction story, I hear you and I found it so hard to do my first one on SA. It was quite a mess. I found the strength and clarity to go back over the past 2-3 years and do this new one for here. You will get there, no time, no pressure, it will be when it is in your own time. There has to be light at the end of this dark tunnel.  :heart:

---

Wow, a naturopath. You are well versed with the little things I mention. My Standard Process-MediHerb journey started a couple years ago but learning has been about a year. Kerry Bone is highly regarded here too. I’ve read all sorts of articles from health food stores for 30 years at this point, so “educated enough” to be “dangerous in a good way”. Studied Ayurveda with yoga training and have my 3rd copy of Prescription for Nutritional Healing as a good reference. But your education and experience is much more extensive, which is awesome.

 

I know it’s always a slippery slope to recommend anything beyond Omega-3 oil and Mg glycinate from SA standards. Plus everyone is so individual in how they react. 

Perhaps we can personal message from your buddy request. We’ll figure out what that is. It’s almost Sunday 8pm here, is it Monday 3pm by you?

I hope you feel well soon and get back to your work. We need more people like yourself out there seeing our brain and body as a whole system.

 

Hi Jen, I think when you posted it was about 12 noon here Monday and you were Sunday 8pm. 

 

Well I didn't practise for many years (maybe 4 or 5), however I have kept up my NHAA (National Herbalists Association Australia) over the past 28 years. And I have always kept using my beloved herbs and nutrition. Whilst it didn't prevent me from starting on zoloft (it would now!) it has served me well particularly during the past 5 years when I have had more bodily symptoms to deal with. And it really helps when I talk to clinicians in the medical field and makes understanding what may be going on in my own body much easier. It is probably where I am most confident in my life. Lack of confidence in general is my nemesis for want of a better word. 

 

I am glad you are finding benefit in such good quality products (Mediherb) that also have efficacy (backed up by good evidence thanks to Kerry). They ethically source their raw materials too, and try to preserve the 'life force' in the finished product. You get a more consistent outcome than when you use over the counter herbs. 

 

As much as I love herbs and believe in their healing abilities, when it comes to the nuances of the human mind (more than brain biology or neuroscience) we need more than herbs, lifestyle, diet etc..  Using herbs,  I could only achieve a certain outcome that wasn't quite enough. What I do feel has stood me in good stead personally is the fact that I have been able to support any system of the body that may be affected by the mental/emotional/spiritual disruptions and prevent any further disease process from taking hold. The missing link for me has been self compassion, self acceptance and deeper self awareness, meditation too.  As well it has been about finding the appropriate support from other people on this journey. 

 

I was not aware of the negative effect that zoloft has on bone density, so I have not avoided seeing a problem in that area. I am hoping to improve on that by using appropriate supplements from now on. I have always had a lifestyle conducive to good bone density. I am very grateful that is all I have so far seen, as a detrimental side effect of long term zoloft use. Time will tell. 

 

Thanks for your supportive and uplifting comments in regards holistic health. Since going through wd I have lost my former passion for it. Maybe it will come back. 

 

Hope you are doing ok and your process is not too much of a challenge at the moment. Buddy request I am not sure about yet, but we have personal messages we can use.

Hey Tracey,

 

Thank you for your patient and kind words.

 

Since yesterday I dropped to 0,2mg and I suffered the consequences. Sleep was pretty bad with lots of sweating, weird dreams and multiple wake-ups during the night and early morning. I am starting to think that in the future I should do a drop in dose then hold for a while. Lately I've been doing those smaller gradual drops with less time in between, and maybe it feels worse than cutting/dropping and holding.

 

I hope your day is good or at least tolerable. ❤️

 

Hi Jen, I think when you posted it was about 12 noon here Monday and you were Sunday 8pm. 

 

Well I didn't practise for many years (maybe 4 or 5), however I have kept up my NHAA (National Herbalists Association Australia) over the past 28 years. And I have always kept using my beloved herbs and nutrition. Whilst it didn't prevent me from starting on zoloft (it would now!) it has served me well particularly during the past 5 years when I have had more bodily symptoms to deal with. And it really helps when I talk to clinicians in the medical field and makes understanding what may be going on in my own body much easier. It is probably where I am most confident in my life. Lack of confidence in general is my nemesis for want of a better word. 

 

I am glad you are finding benefit in such good quality products (Mediherb) that also have efficacy (backed up by good evidence thanks to Kerry). They ethically source their raw materials too, and try to preserve the 'life force' in the finished product. You get a more consistent outcome than when you use over the counter herbs. 

 

As much as I love herbs and believe in their healing abilities, when it comes to the nuances of the human mind (more than brain biology or neuroscience) we need more than herbs, lifestyle, diet etc..  Using herbs,  I could only achieve a certain outcome that wasn't quite enough. What I do feel has stood me in good stead personally is the fact that I have been able to support any system of the body that may be affected by the mental/emotional/spiritual disruptions and prevent any further disease process from taking hold. The missing link for me has been self compassion, self acceptance and deeper self awareness, meditation too.  As well it has been about finding the appropriate support from other people on this journey. 

 

I was not aware of the negative effect that zoloft has on bone density, so I have not avoided seeing a problem in that area. I am hoping to improve on that by using appropriate supplements from now on. I have always had a lifestyle conducive to good bone density. I am very grateful that is all I have so far seen, as a detrimental side effect of long term zoloft use. Time will tell. 

 

Thanks for your supportive and uplifting comments in regards holistic health. Since going through wd I have lost my former passion for it. Maybe it will come back. 

 

Hope you are doing ok and your process is not too much of a challenge at the moment. Buddy request I am not sure about yet, but we have personal messages we can use.

 

I’m doing okay right now. I think I’ve stabilized for a couple weeks on this new compounded prescription versus dry cutting and weighing things out myself on a therapeutic-grade scale. I have an appointment though today to go over that to see if I should stay or drop 10%. 

I wasn’t aware of the issues with the Zoloft. I’ve been on so many of these different drugs, but a lot of them for short periods of time earlier on in the journey. The body is magnificent, and it will heal. And I do feel all the spiritual things that you’re doing is a great part of the process too for healing beyond food, supplements, physical exercise. 

 

Yes, we can either post here or PM. Thanks for being a new buddy on here!

On 1/13/2026 at 7:19 PM, Marina said:

 

 

Since yesterday I dropped to 0,2mg and I suffered the consequences. Sleep was pretty bad with lots of sweating, weird dreams and multiple wake-ups during the night and early morning. I am starting to think that in the future I should do a drop in dose then hold for a while. Lately I've been doing those smaller gradual drops with less time in between, and maybe it feels worse than cutting/dropping and holding.

 

I hope your day is good or at least tolerable. ❤️

Hey @Marina, how are you doing with your recent drop to 0.2mg? I tend to do the 10% and hold for a minimum of 2 weeks and up to 6 weeks or more if needed. 

 

I have had a bit of bad week due to work stress. I am approaching 4 weeks this Friday, so a longer hold but all good. I have to remember patience and tortoise and hare story. My days were almost not tolerable over the weekend, however I could still function. I just had to sit with it and accept it and I actually had some really nice crying releases. I felt good after that and I was able to do my self compassion comfort work. This is usually listening to a Kristen Neff meditation. 

 

Be gentle on yourself. 

On 1/14/2026 at 1:25 AM, namastejen1 said:

 

I’m doing okay right now. I think I’ve stabilized for a couple weeks on this new compounded prescription versus dry cutting and weighing things out myself on a therapeutic-grade scale. I have an appointment though today to go over that to see if I should stay or drop 10%. 

I wasn’t aware of the issues with the Zoloft. I’ve been on so many of these different drugs, but a lot of them for short periods of time earlier on in the journey. The body is magnificent, and it will heal. And I do feel all the spiritual things that you’re doing is a great part of the process too for healing beyond food, supplements, physical exercise. 

 

Yes, we can either post here or PM. Thanks for being a new buddy on here!

Glad you have stabilized @namastejen1 after few weeks. Did you do another drop ? I can check your introduction post anyway. 

 

Yes the body is magnificent and will heal, we have to keep hold of that thread.