Antidepressants help restore normal levels of chemicals in the brain that are involved in regulating sadness and anxiety. In people with depression who take antidepressants, the levels of neurotransmitters (hormones) in the brain normalize. When antidepressants, which affect the brain by affecting serotonin, are suddenly stopped, the body may respond by developing physical and emotional symptoms caused by the sudden absence of the increased serotonin levels that occur when taking the antidepressant.
These symptoms are not the same as physical withdrawal from the drug. Physiological withdrawal occurs when a patient takes a drug that can be addictive. However, the question “How to get off antidepressants” is asked by patients to a psychiatrist very often. In some cases, you can take antidepressants for the rest of your life, but their withdrawal is also possible, but this issue should be dealt with by a specialist. The patient must understand that it is possible to decide how much antidepressant to take only together with the attending physician. Psychiatrists at the Yusupov Hospital individually develop optimal timing and dosages for taking medications for each patient, allowing them to achieve the desired treatment effect while avoiding side effects.
Antidepressants are not addictive. The effect of antidepressant withdrawal is not related to addiction, but may reflect the physiological effects of stopping the drug in the same way as when a person with diabetes stops taking insulin. Almost one in five people who take antidepressants for six weeks or more may experience withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop taking the medication.
It is impossible to predict whether you will experience withdrawal symptoms after stopping an antidepressant. Scientists believe that suddenly stopping an antidepressant does not give the brain time to adjust to rapid changes in neurotransmitter levels. Therefore, you should not stop taking antidepressants.
All depression medications have the potential to cause unwanted symptoms, but some are much more likely to cause symptoms than others. Withdrawal symptoms are more likely to occur with antidepressants that remain in the body for a shorter period of time, especially those that affect both serotonin and norepinephrine.
You should not suddenly stop taking antidepressants, even if you feel better. Stopping antidepressants too early may cause depressive symptoms to return. If you need advice on taking or properly stopping antidepressants, or you have undesirable symptoms that have developed as a result of self-cessation of an antidepressant, and you urgently need advice from a psychiatrist, contact the Yusupov Hospital. You can make an appointment with a private psychiatrist at our clinic on the website.
The Yusupov Hospital employs doctors who have higher medical degrees.
education and specialization in psychiatry. Doctors at Yusupov Hospital
They regularly take advanced training courses and do internships in leading foreign psychiatric clinics.
When treating patients, doctors at the Yusupov Hospital use only new medications that have passed all studies and have proven effective in treating mental illnesses in the Russian Federation and have a minimal range of side effects.
Content:
- Drug withdrawal syndrome: when and why it occurs
- Zoloft dose reduction method
- Lifestyle modification method (alternative therapy)
To treat depression and anxiety disorders, panic attacks and other central nervous system diseases, antidepressants are prescribed that increase the level of serotonin, which is responsible for emotions and behavior. One of its representatives is Zoloft. How to stop taking it in order to eliminate or alleviate side effects when stopping the drug? To do this, the doctor prescribes an appropriate method of gradually stopping the antidepressant until you completely stop taking it.
What does the drug treat?
Zoloft, the instructions for use confirm this, is indicated for the treatment and prevention of major depressive episodes. Such conditions are characterized by mental disorders with characteristic symptoms: loss of strength, increased fatigue, loss of interest in life, and a general deterioration in well-being.
In addition, the drug helps relieve:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder, characterized by obsessive thoughts and actions.
- Panic attacks, which may be associated with various phobias.
- Post-traumatic stress disorders, which are caused by mental disorders against the background of a certain traumatic situation, which can be repeated or have an isolated character.
- The body's reactions to social phobias.
Drug withdrawal syndrome: when and why it occurs
When you stop taking a medication that affects brain processes, so-called withdrawal syndrome sometimes occurs. The first signs appear after 2-3 days. If you miss a dose once, they are sometimes observed the next day. The reason for their occurrence is a change in the activity of brain neurons, which need time to reorganize their activity without the participation of a drug.
Zoloft accumulates in the cells of the body, and the method of quitting it is to gradually reduce the dose until complete elimination. Moreover, the regimen depends on the duration of treatment and the dose taken at that time.
Symptomatic manifestations will disappear only after the drug and its metabolites are completely removed from the blood, within a period of two weeks to 2-3 months, in rare cases - even longer. Treating them separately is unsuccessful. In the worst case scenario, they resume taking Zoloft, and then gradually reduce the dose to get off it.
The name of the withdrawal syndrome is not entirely correct: the antidepressant does not cause addiction , and undesirable manifestations are associated exclusively with the restructuring of the nervous system in the new conditions of abandoning it.
How to get rid of Lyrica: basic treatment methods
Drug addiction therapy differs from the generally accepted classical drug addiction recovery program. It is not enough for doctors to figure out the problem of how to get off Lyrica, because the medicine is prescribed to relieve pain, and to alleviate it it is necessary to select a safe, but at the same time effective analogue.
Treatment consists of several successive stages:
- Detoxification.
The use of electrolyte solutions, vitamins, analgesics and adsorbents helps to quickly remove pregabalin from the body and avoid withdrawal symptoms. - Psychotherapy course.
It is the consultations of a psychologist that play a key role in recovery. The specialist’s task is to help the patient understand the existing problem and the need for treatment. Not only individual conversations are shown, but also family consultations and group classes. - Coding.
It is difficult to quit Lyrica with the help of prohibitive therapy alone, however, the methods of hypnotic influence and hardware stimulation perfectly complement the main drug treatment and the work of a psychologist. - Rehabilitation.
According to experts, it is important not only to quit Lyrica, but also to resist temptation and not get hooked again. This is why a rehabilitation program is needed. We offer several schemes (12 steps, DayTop, Minnesota model), but we select the course of social adaptation in accordance with the psychological and physical condition of the patient.
It’s quite possible to leave Lyrica, the main thing is not to let the situation take its course and not self-medicate. As a rule, this only leads to the progression of chronic diseases. The only way to recover from addiction is to go to a specialized clinic in time.
Zoloft dose reduction method
Sometimes there are good reasons to stop Zofolt therapy even though it is effective. Reasons for stopping the regimen or replacing it with another antidepressant may include:
- Prolonged and/or severe undesirable symptoms: nausea, dry mouth, chills, drowsiness or insomnia, weight loss and libido.
- New depressive states, a feeling of emptiness and apathy, loss of interest in activities that previously brought pleasure, suicidal thoughts, impaired concentration and sleep.
- Complete cure, according to the doctor, with a long therapeutic course (six months to a year).
Important! The effect of the antidepressant is noticeable only after 2-3 weeks, so you should carefully consider the sensations and not confuse its side effects with symptoms of indications for treatment and relapses of the disease.
The main rule of the method is slowly and gradually. This may take a long time (up to several months). Violation of the schedule prescribed by the doctor can cause frustration that gets worse every day:
- upset stool, vomiting or urge to vomit, nausea;
- sleep disturbance, with insomnia or nightmares;
- dizziness, fainting, difficulty maintaining balance;
- impaired sensitivity and coordination, trembling;
- causeless agitation, irritability, anxiety.
Typically, a dose reduction of 25 mg is prescribed every two weeks for a total duration of 4-6 weeks. The doctor has the right to change the duration of the exit regimen and dosage, depending on the course of the process and the patient’s condition. For control, it is recommended to keep records with daily recording of the date and dosage, as well as the appearance or resolution of symptoms, their duration and manifestations, so that the doctor can distinguish side effects from relapses.
Side effects appear immediately and disappear after 1-2 weeks, and relapses appear after 2-3 weeks and intensify until 2-4 weeks. If they last longer than a month, consultation with a doctor is necessary.
constant
touch with your doctor and inform him of changes in your condition. Only he can make a professional decision about continuing the regimen or prescribing another drug with a similar effect if Zoloft causes unpleasant disorders or relapse on a given schedule. The decision to replace an antidepressant is influenced by the patient’s condition, the cost of the drug, its tolerability and interaction with other drugs, etc.
Zoloft: contraindications
A contraindication to taking the drug is hypersensitivity to sertraline and other components that make up the drug. Their list is indicated in the instructions for use.
Drug treatment is not prescribed for people under 18 years of age. The exception is cases of treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders. In such cases, it is allowed to use the medicine after 6 years. Treatment with the drug is contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation, since studies that confirm the absence of a negative effect of the drug on the fetus and newborn child have not been conducted.
It is prohibited to use Zoloft, the instructions emphasize this, in combination with MAO inhibitors. This may cause serotonin toxicity. This syndrome leads to malfunctions in many systems of the human body and can be fatal.
Contraindications also include the combination of the drug with the psychotropic drug pimozide.
The drug should be taken with extreme caution when diagnosing epilepsy and organic diseases of the brain. Their development can be caused by both congenital pathologies and various negative external influences, in particular injury or infection.
Lifestyle modification method (alternative therapy)
An alternative method of stopping the antidepressant Zoloft: how to stop taking it immediately after completing the therapeutic course when a lasting positive result is achieved.
- Exercise daily for 30 minutes. Regular physical exercise promotes the production of endorphins, which strengthen the nervous system and normalize the psyche. Relieves depression and other central nervous system diseases.
- Healthy diet. Introduce into your diet foods containing Omega-3 fatty acids as an additional means of treating depression: cabbage, spinach, walnuts, fatty fish, soybean oil. It is possible to use Omega-3 in its pure form (purchased at the pharmacy).
- Maintain a sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time. For proper rest, avoid overexcitement, drinking alcohol and coffee before bed.
- Exposure to the sun more often can reduce depression symptoms by increasing serotonin levels under the influence of sunlight.
- Use the services of a psychotherapist to learn techniques for managing thoughts, stress, and behavior.
- Acupuncture and meditation. Additional methods of influencing nerve centers and controlling self-awareness. Deep, slow breathing increases oxygen flow and reduces anxiety.
Still have questions about how to reduce the side effects of taking Zoloft and how to stop taking it? Professional consultation in our clinic will help solve them!
special instructions
Zoloft 100 mg, buy in Moscow or other cities, only with a prescription. The tablets are packaged in blisters and placed in cardboard boxes along with instructions. It is important to understand that if you take Zoloft, the side effects of which are extensive, without following the doctor's recommendations, it can cause serious consequences.
The drug does not affect psychomotor reactions. This means that there are no restrictions on driving a car during the treatment period.
The price of the drug Zoloft is affordable. In most cases, one package is enough for a course of treatment. The exception is complex pathological conditions that require long-term therapy. Cheaper analogues of Zoloft can be purchased in pharmacies. The most famous of them are Stimuloton and Surlift.
Literature:
- Dynamics of anxious depression in the treatment of modern antidepressants (tianeptine (Coaxil), sertraline (Zoloft): dissertation ... candidate of medical sciences: 00.14.18 / Maksimova Natella Maratovna; [Place of defense: Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry]. - Moscow, 2003. - 161 p.
- Be free. Life without anxiety and phobias: workbook: [16+] / Edmund J. Bourne; [translation from English by Irina Zhandarova and others]. — St. Petersburg: Ves, 2021. – 603 p.
- Clinical use of sertraline and afobazole in patients with comorbid depression and anxiety in the post-stroke period / Butko D. Yu., Strelnikov A. A., Kotelnikova T. L., Davydov A. T., Zagrebelny I. A. / 2007 / Psychopharmacology and biological narcology
Composition and form of the product
The active ingredient in the product is sertraline hydrochloride. The component has a powerful antidepressant effect, but does not have a sedative effect, and also does not have anticholinergic or stimulating properties.
Zoloft is produced in tablet form. One biconvex film-coated tablet contains 50 mg or 100 mg of active substance. Distinctive features of the tablets are their oval shape, white color, and the presence of “Pfizer” and “ZLT-50” engravings on different sides.
Other ingradienites are also used to produce the medicine. Their list is indicated in the instructions for use.
