How do you know when to come off of sertraline?
I don't want to be on it for life but I don't want to come off it too soon and have to go back on.
I've been on it since Jan, first 50mg then increased to 100mg for health anxiety.
Mainly focused around my heart / breathing as I couldn't stop focusing on them and I would cry loads thinking I was going to die and not get my mind back because it was so consumed with what my breathing felt like.
I am scared of this happening again but I don't want have to be on them forever, I want to be happy and well without.
How do you know when is good to try?
Anyone weaned off and been OK? What were your withdrawal symptoms like and how did you wean off?
Thank you xx
Show your support
You should probably work with a psychiatrist. They will be able to help you wean correctly and help find something else if being completely off something doesn’t work at this time.
I was ok for a while completely off meds, but for me unfortunately due to life circumstances at the time I needed to go back on meds (Fluoxetibe this time as I could not deal with the insomnia again). To be clear though, I am on the meds more for depression than anxiety side of things. It sounds like you are on them more for anxiety than anything else so our circumstances will be different when it comes to staying off medication.
Trending in our community
I was on sertraline for anxiety and depression about 8yrs ago. I found i was ok to come down doses when I felt ok in myself and hadn't had any of the issues which caused me to go onto medication for a few months (you want to wean off not a hard stop or the side effects are horrible). I did 1mth of alternating days between higher dose and lower one, then stayed there for a while until I felt comfortable again and no symptoms of things creeping back etc. Then alternating days of full dose and 1/2 dose for a couple of weeks, then half dose only for a couple of weeks, then 1/2 and no dose, then finally no doses at all. For me side effects while on sertraline included insomnia (the worst one for me), mild nausea and some other things that were so mild i don't remember what they were just that there was something. Coming off doses and for a couple of months afterwards I got really bad headaches but the other side effects all reduced until I was fully off meds for about 2mths and then all side effects gone too.