Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
I was on the maximum dose of Zoloft for over a year. I consulted with the nurse that prescribed it about stopping it since I had already taken it long enough for prevention of relapse. She said she'd rather I keep taking it while I'm in grad school because school is stressful.
The problem is that school is not particularly stressful right now (other things worry me more) and I was feeling ok. I was also concerned that since I started taking antidepressants (on and off for the last 13 years), I've gained a lot of weight, my mind is not as sharp and I often feel apathetic.
Depression and aging may contribute to those symptoms too, but I wanted to see if they would improve when I cut down on Zoloft. So I decided to cut down on my own. Went from 200 to 150. Stayed on 150 for 2-3 months and felt no difference in depression symptoms.
That gave me confidence to cut down to 100. After about 4 weeks I feel my mood is worse. I thought it was PMS (it does worsen my mood for like 10 days), but this has been going on for more than 2 weeks and some of the symptoms are worse than what I get with PMS and I don't seem to have the capacity to bounce back.
My question is, could it be that the drop from 150 to 100 was too drastic? Or does this mean that this is how I will feel unless I take 150mg for the rest of my life??
Please advice. I'm really stuck and feel miserable.
Thanks so much!
The problem is that school is not particularly stressful right now (other things worry me more) and I was feeling ok. I was also concerned that since I started taking antidepressants (on and off for the last 13 years), I've gained a lot of weight, my mind is not as sharp and I often feel apathetic.
Depression and aging may contribute to those symptoms too, but I wanted to see if they would improve when I cut down on Zoloft. So I decided to cut down on my own. Went from 200 to 150. Stayed on 150 for 2-3 months and felt no difference in depression symptoms.
That gave me confidence to cut down to 100. After about 4 weeks I feel my mood is worse. I thought it was PMS (it does worsen my mood for like 10 days), but this has been going on for more than 2 weeks and some of the symptoms are worse than what I get with PMS and I don't seem to have the capacity to bounce back.
My question is, could it be that the drop from 150 to 100 was too drastic? Or does this mean that this is how I will feel unless I take 150mg for the rest of my life??
Please advice. I'm really stuck and feel miserable.
Thanks so much!
most definitely 99% sure its you cutting dwn on the meds...i wouldnt dare do it...i would suggest going bck up on it..several years ago i was in a gd plc low stress and came off all of mine..well we had a death in the family and slowly but surely my depression/anxiety came bck with full force and then the same meds i was on didnt help anymore and havent found anything to get me bck to where i was.
if i did anything i would see about a different med if that one isnt quite right but always when we are feeling like all is gd we miss that its the meds keeping us together.
i guess you could have went to fast to soon but my guess is your gonna get the same result going even slow...depression sucks.
I did think of trying another med. I just hate meds and I don't think they were ever meant to be taken for years the way they're prescribing them now.
Another friend from DS told me when she cut down on the dose she felt better but it was a process and at times she had to go back up in the dose temporarily if she was experiencing new stressors or her body needed more time to adjust to a lower dose.
You mentioned going off the meds and relapsing. Sometimes that does not mean the meds were helping. It could be that you cut too abruptly and shocked your body. Kind of like when people withdraw from drugs that are addictive. The body needs time to adapt to the change.
All the best to you!
Anyway, I would not come off your meds until your doctor says it is ok.(Even then I am not sure). Sure, school may not be stressful now, but do you think maybe the medication has something to do with that. Good luck to you and I hope you make the right choice for you.
We can't just depend on the meds because depression is not just biological. It is affected by stress, our environment, relationship skills, emotional regulation, nutrition, exercise, physical health, drug use, sleep. This is why many people find the meds stop helping or only help partially.
ZAZAS, you know better than your dr how you feel. If you were feeling fine with your meds, why did you accept to change them? I hope this transition will pass quickly and you start feeling energized and healthy again.
I'm here if you need to talk.
Hope to hear from you.