Coming off Sertraline (Zoloft)

[hestina22]

Hey guys! I haven't been active in a long long time. But I really need advice. I started taking Sertraline (antidepressant). It gave me such bad side effects (mostly very bad stomach pains & loose stools) and it is too much to handle! I can't even get my university work done because it is so bad! I only took them for 7 days, 50mg. I'm just worried I'll get withdrawals effects. Is it likely that I will have withdrawals if I only took them for 7 days? I know I should give it longer, but I also gave IBD so it is just way too much for me. It is just too hard to cope so I want to stop.
If anyone can offer advice I will appreciate it a lot! x

I took Zoloft for a few weeks. I started at 25 mg and went up to fifty. It caused mania so I had to stop. I didn't experience any side effects. However, I strongly advise talking to your doctor before stopping a medication. That goes for any medication. I know loose stools are awful (I have had my gallbladder out and so I rarely even have a normal stool, let alone constipation), but you should talk to your doctor first.

[Panda Solo]

Hey Hestina,

It sounds like Zoloft is really causing some serious side effect on you. I too have taken Zoloft and stopped about half year ago, and it caused me to lose sleep and gain lots of weight (over 25 pounds). Combing that situation with my PCOS, It became really hard for me to lose weight and I was constantly aggitated and depressed. My mother urged me to start working out and eat healthy, and she stopped me from taking Zoloft. It does have withdraws but it only lasted about 1 and a half weeks for me, and I had only been taking zoloft 2 months. I highly suggest you to call your doctor or therapist to tell them about your condition. They might reduce the dosage or switch to something lighter. Exercising, or even just fast walking, and eating healthy really help too, and I found out that cleaning and organizing around my study environment has a positive effect on my mood too. I hope you feel better soon. Hugs~~