Bad reaction to reducing dose for 1 day. Please help.

[Kat H]

Hi. I have been taking Setraline for about 11 months now due to a severe episode of anxietydepression last year. My dose was gradually increased up to 150mg a day and after a month of taking them they began to work and I have been feeling ok since. They have really helped with my anxiety and I have not had any recurrence of my illness whilst taking them. I have been attending a low self esteem group for the past 10 weeks which is due to end soon and although I am not convinced it will cure me I have learnt some useful stuff and its been nice to meet people with similar problems.

I saw my doctor a couple of weeks ago and we both agreed I was ready to start coming off them. She suggested going down to 100mg for 4 weeks then 50mg for 4 weeks then if that had gone ok I could come off them. On wednesday morning I reduced my dose to 100mg for the first time but on Thursday morning I felt terrible. I woke up early feeling anxious and panicky and ended up in tears. I spoke to my doctor who said that the reaction should not have been so bad and that I should go back up to 150mg for a few weeks then go back and discuss other approaches to weaning myself off them. I agree with this but my worry is that I have been taking my normal dose now for 3 days and I am still waking up feeling anxious which terrifies me as it reminds me of how bad I was last year. I am terrified that even though I am now back up to my normal dose that I am never going to feel as well as I did before I reduced the dose and that they will no longer work for me and that I am going to end up back where I started.

Is it normal to have such a reaction from just reducing the dose for 1 day. Has this happened to anyone else. I am looking for reassurance that things will get back to how they were soon and the tablets will carry on working for me.

Thanks

[Yvonne]

Hi Kat

In my opinion and experience - yes you could have a bad reaction that quickly. The body is so used to the dosage it has been having regularly and so it can be a shock to the system.

Also you could have been worrying about reducing the dosage and I wonder if that could have brought on the severe symptoms.

I can't remember what dosages Sertraline comes in but I think it does come in 25mg. You could take the dosage down to 125 instead of reducing to 100 and see how you go on that. Ask the gp.

When you have a bad reaction on reduction the dosage does have to be taken up again for a little while and then an attempt is made to reduce it again.

Ask the gp if Sertraline comes in liquid form which is the best way to withdraw from these medications - however I think liquid is used when getting down to low dosages. Google it and see what you come up with.

Withdrawal from any of the ssris is not easy. There are lots of websites which set out the best way in which to withdraw. Look that up as well.

You shouldn't continue to feel so anxious now you're back on the 150mg - what could have happened is that it has scared you badly and you are now focusing on it and worrying about the anxiety thus causing it to raise it's ugly head again.

Take care and let us know how you get on.