Hi guys...
First of all, I'd like to say to all those people just going on or thinking about going on Sertraline, it worked wonders for me. I had a work-stress/bereavement related anxious breakdown. It took about 7-8 weeks for the embryonic recovery to begin and, I have to say, weeks five and six were absolutely hellish. But come about week 12 and I was completely back to myself - better, more balanced, even. Found a beautiful new girl, got promoted, moved out of my horrible little flat... Total transformation.
Stick at it. How many threads do you see from people in here that say: Sertraline - 16 weeks and counting? Precisely. All the posts are from people just going on. Go figure.
Now, I am now at the other end of the journey. I am 6 days completely clean following a month of tapering (six months on 50mg in total). The tapering was a breeze, no side effects. Apart, that is, from a welcome boost to my libido.
However, since going 'cold turkey', I have begun to see some side effects re-emerge. Anxiety. Sadness. More variable moods. And worst of all, return of the dreaded insomnia. Last night I didn't sleep at all and today has been pretty tough. However, such a scenario would have completely poleaxed me back in March, the levels of anxiety it would have caused.... So thankfully, I still seem to have some perspective.
So my question is, what are people's experiences of coming off Sertraline? Is it just a case of, like going on (but surely easier?), finding a way to get through the weeks before finally reaching the sunlit uplands???