Frequently Asked Zoloft Questions
Can you just stop taking Zoloft?Just stopping Zoloft abruptly is not advisable. You probably have a 99.99 percent chance of having withdrawal side effects and some of those will likely be severe. Going back on the Zoloft does not always work out as before. It is common for the Zoloft to no longer work the same as it did before, and you wind up with lingering side effects. This is the thing that gets most people in trouble.
You want a nice slow gradual withdrawal from Zoloft.
A 10 percent reduction of Zoloft every 2 weeks works best. If you are having side effects with a 10 percent reduction, then you need to reduce the Zoloft slower.
Does Zoloft cause withdrawal symptoms?
It is very rare if Zoloft does not have some withdrawal side effect. Flu like symptoms you should count on. Other side effects will depend on your makeup and how fast you come off the Zoloft.
What are the side effects of stopping Zoloft?
Brain zaps tend to be the most debilitating of all the withdrawal. Brain zaps, dizziness and other head symptoms can be eliminated by taking the right omega 3 fish oil. Headaches and other side effects can normally be reduced if you slow down the taper.
When do withdrawal symptoms start after stopping Zoloft?
If you came off the Zoloft correctly, you could avoid Zoloft withdrawal side effects. They do not need to happen. If you did not withdrawal from the Zoloft correctly, you can expect several months of feeling the negative effects of the withdrawal.
How long do Zoloft withdrawal symptoms last?
To expand more on the question above; there is no way to tell how long the Zoloft withdrawal side effects will remain, after your last dosage. It could be a few days, a week, a month and in some cases your body and mind never feel normal again. This is why doing the correct Zoloft withdrawal is so important.
Is there a Zoloft withdrawal treatment?
There is Zoloft withdrawal treatment. A slow and gradual withdrawal from Zoloft is recommended. Slow and gradual means; a 10 percent reduction of Zoloft every 2 weeks. Never skipping days and taking the Zoloft at the same time each day.
If withdrawal side effects are too extreme, go back up to the last dosage you were feeling good at and remain there until stable again for 2 full weeks. When you resume the Zoloft withdrawal try and reduce by 5 percent for the next reduction.
Sometimes, there will be one dosage during the withdrawal that is more difficult to get past. Reducing slower at that dosage amount usually does the trick and then you can proceed again at the 10 percent reduction pace.
In 1999, we found that roughly 50 percent of the people doing a withdrawal could successfully make it off their antidepressant with the above approach. The 50 percent that were successful still suffered from withdrawal during the tapering process and many went back on their antidepressant due to prolonged withdrawal. That is not good news for anyone and unfortunately it is still the withdrawal approach used by many in 2023.
You can use a few select supplements to help with the withdrawal side effects and, in most cases, you can eliminate the side effects from even starting.
Take omega 3 fish oil that is high in EPA to stop the brain zaps and most head symptoms. This is too simple for most physicians to even grasp. The right fish oil, at the right strength, with taking the right amount, will stop the brain zaps from even starting. If you have withdrawal brain zaps, it gets rid of them in a couple of hours in most cases.
Other supplements have been formulated to help get the JNK gene silenced again. These formulations help with the other potential side effects and again, in most cases the side effects will not even start if you begin taking them before the first reduction. If you are currently in Zoloft withdrawal, take them now and you will most likely experience a lessening or complete removal of existing withdrawal side effects.
How to survive Zoloft withdrawal?
You can survive Zoloft withdrawal. Take a deep breath and know you can survive. There is Hope and There is a Solution. If you are married, let your spouse know what you are going through. If you have children, let them know. Let your friends know as well.
Have a direction or a path you are going to follow.
Your physician may want to make an abrupt switch to a different antidepressant in the hope the new antidepressant will mask the side effects of Zoloft. That may seem like it is worth it with the hope you will somehow feel better. You need to look at the risk benefit.
If switching to a different antidepressant works and the Zoloft withdrawal subsides, you had a benefit. You are now on a different antidepressant and eventually you will need to withdrawal from it as well.
The downside or risks: The new antidepressant may make things worse.
Do you then go back on the Zoloft?
When you try to withdrawal from the new antidepressant will you run into the same thing you ran into with Zoloft?
Over the years we have found this scenario is the most difficult to overcome and often leads to a third drug being prescribed to help with anxiety and or insomnia.
How to wean yourself off Zoloft?
Instead of sharing with you the common approaches to wean off Zoloft, we are providing you a link that details how to wean off Zoloft. This is the most successful approach. Click here
What are the Zoloft side effects when stopping?
Click here and you will be taken to a list of potential Zoloft side effects. Any of these side effects can start when taking Zoloft as prescribed or during a withdrawal off Zoloft. There is no way to tell which ones may begin.
Unless you are taking the right supplements you should expect,brain zaps and flu like symptoms. The brain zaps are the most debilitating and the flu-like symptoms may be like the common flu on steroids.
How to stop dizziness from Zoloft withdrawal?
You need to take omega 3 fish oil. Nothing else will work and we do mean nothing. All the talk therapy in the world will do nothing, medication will not work, and the list goes on with all the treatments that will not stop the brain zaps. Click here to read more about brain zaps and what to do.
Weight loss after Zoloft withdrawal?
The chances are improved that you will lose weight gain caused by Zoloft, once you are off the medication. You should not expect any weight loss for at least 45 days after your last dosage of Zoloft. Two genes need to have the chance to quiet down and once that happens, insulin resistance may normalize, the metabolic disorder may balance, and weight loss can take place then with diet and exercise.
If weight loss will not start within 45 days after the last Zoloft dosage, then you still have an overly activated FTO gene and JNK gene and you need to do something different.
If you have been using this Zoloft Recovery program to get off Zoloft, and you were overweight due to the Zoloft, you most likely began to lose some weight during the Zoloft withdrawal process. The weight loss will increase once you are fully off the Zoloft.
I am gaining weight on Zoloft, what can I do?
You can take the supplements we recommend. Try diet and exercise first and if that does not work, you have no other option remaining. Click here for instructions.
How should I reduce Zoloft?
We have answered that in above questions and if you have missed those sections you can click here for a step by step method to reduce Zoloft.
Zoloft Dosages Click here
Zoloft Sex Drive
Let’s break this down into parts.
Before taking Zoloft, if you were gaining weight and you could not stop the weight gain; how was your sex drive? With 22 percent of those taking Zoloft experiencing uncontrolled weight gain, due to the Zoloft, that could explain why 22 percent of those taking Zoloft lose their sex drive.
“Not tonight dear, I have a headache” may be used in jokes but with Zoloft it is all too common.
Here is a suggestion; click here and read through the Zoloft side effects list and think of having sex if you have that side effect. Would you want to?
How to reduce Zoloft from 50mg dosage a day. Click here
How to reduce Zoloft from 100mg dosage a day. Click here How to reduce Zoloft from 200mg dosage. Click here