How should I wean off of Zoloft?

Question

I have been on Zoloft for about 6-9 months now and I have been taking it for GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), depression, and obsessive thoughts. I was on 50 mg for quite a while and then my psychologist bumped me up to 100 mg daily. I have recently started doing acupunture and taking herbs for my anxiety so I can wean off of the zoloft.

I have not had any problems with the zoloft, and have actually been very happy with the results, but I would like to do more homeopathic things instead because the reality is that in the long run we have no idea how anti depressants will effect our health.

Anyway, I was wondering how I should go about weaning off of my zoloft? I won't beable to see my psychologist for a while and would like to get off of it soon.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

You can come off of zoloft with the help of a regular MD, so start there.

I weaned myself off zoloft over the course of one month by going from 100 to 50 for a week, then from 50 to 25, then from 25 each day to 25 every other day.

SO it took about 4 weeks. Now years later I am back on zoloft because I do not trust naturopaths any more than I trust regular doctors and proper diet and exercize and meditation just aren't enough for me.

If you find that you do better on zoloft after coming off of it do please beserious about getting back on it without delay; delay is a big mistake when it comes to treating these kinds of things.

Answer 2

"I have recently started doing acupunture and taking herbs for my anxiety so I can wean off of the zoloft."

You do not know that your mood improvement is due to that, and not the zoloft. I would consult the doctor about your tapering off if you really want to, but you still need to consult him so that you can ward of any side effects that weaning off can cause.

Answer 3

well if it helps i recently stopped taking zoloft myself for anxiety & depression & i quit cold turkey bcz it made me qain weiqht & im fine now. buh then aqain i take a mood stabilizer to mellow me out so lols. hope that helps. you should jus lower thee dosaqe little by litle thats wat my phyc. told me but i didnt listen & im still qodd so do 70 mg then 50 then 25 & then none. over thee course of weeks of course

Source(s):

im in thee same sittuation.

Answer 4

If you are currently taking 100mg daily then go back down to 50mg. Take 50mg daily for a week then stop taking then. I took Zoloft and it seemed to work for me that way. Oh but sometimes there can be really bad side effects with going off Zoloft. I got really itchy and felt so sick that I had to go to the doctors.

Answer 5

Not a good idea....especially without doctor supervision.

Answer 6

Hey... Victoria here, maybe my personal story can give you some solace...


a lil about me- about a year after my husband left me and my daughter died about 5 years ago.. I was at a very difficult point in my life, and was ultimately diagnosed with depression, severe anxiety, and panic disorder. I would say that i've always for the most part been a little depressed and had some degree of anxiety, but this just completely tipped the scale. I remember there were days on end I would just lie in bed, and whenever I would be in a social environment my anxiety would go through the roof and I would often have panic attacks. Therapy never seemed to be effective for me, and my psych put me on damn near every med out there. I've been on everything from wellbutrin to paxil, zoloft, prozac, lexapro, celexa, buspar, valium, klonopin, xanax.. etc. Sometimes 2-3 different ones in combo at the same time. Nothing really seemed to work for me. With the exception of some of the benzos (klono./xanax) .. these worked well for a little while, but I grew tolerance quickly, and became highly addicted.

Then one day while researching online i came across this reputable looking website http://www.anxiety.pcti-system.com .. which talked about this program to eliminate your anxiety for good, all naturally. Long story short, I wound up signing up to try it and the program worked amazing.. Not only do I no longer have panic attacks and anxiety gone, but my depression has also seemed to dissipate a little. And I'm currently starting to slowly ween off the meds I'm on. >>>>

I would personally say that possibly the biggest driving factor in all this is OCD. I think obsessing and constantly having your thoughts focused on your own condition and constantly analyzing your own thoughts/actions plays a very significant role in the persistence of our ails. Almost like the condition is a small lit fire, and OCD is the fuel that keeps it consistently burning... Also, I've come to the conclusion that meds are generally a unhealthy short term cure that only semi-treats the symptoms, and never the cause. Hope I was of some help!