Weaning off Zoloft

My best friend weaned herself off antidepressants a couple years ago. She was taking Zoloft & tried to go cold turkey but the side effects were too problematic. Her doctor wasnt much help and advised her to see a counselor. Since her insurance wouldn't really cover it & she didnt have money for weeks, months maybe years of therapy she didnt follow through. Instead she changed to Cymbalta then weaned herself off with the help of hypnosis sessions. She basically needed to get used to having real emotions again and learned some stress management tools.

Hi Jennifer! I've been on Zoloft for over two years and have gained a significant amount of weight since then which alot of people have told me it might be from the Zoloft so I asked my doctor about it. She said that you could gain some weight from the drug but not a significant amount, maybe 10lbs.

I'm interested in seeing how others respond to your request.

Hi,

Many people CAN have weight issues with Zoloft, but many do not. Some have weight issues with Lexapro, some do not. It's very individual.

If you're still breast-feeding and want to be on an antidepressant, Zoloft is the best choice because very little of it is excreted into breast milk, compared to all the other antidepressants.

If you've stopped breast-feeding, switch back to Lexapro. If you want to wean off, go down by 25 mg every week until you're off. However, it sounds like you might just want to switch back to Lexapro.

In my practice, when someone wants to be on antidepressants while pregnant, I usually switch them to Prozac (it's been the best studied,) but Zoloft is probable fine too. Lexapro hasn't been studied as much because it hasn't been around as long.

Your baby shouldn't go thorough withdrawal since so little Zoloft ends up in breast milk.

A few things to consider: Going off of anti-depressants after 8 years is a big deal, as I'm sure you realize. In addition to the physical withdrawal some attention needs to be paid to the depression itself and why you went on anti-depressants to begin with. This can take the form of counseling, consulting with a psychiatrist or both. That said, if and when you go off the Zoloft, I would do it as gradually as possible. Go down to 3/4 of your dose for a few days or a week, then half for a week, then a quarter for a few days then a quarter every other day for a week, then nothing. You can use a "pill splitter" to help you with this. The more gradual, the fewer withdrawal effects. But some of what you feel might be depression, not withdrawal -- hard to know since hormones change everything (in both positive and/or negative ways) Also, while many people lose weight while they are nursing, for some the weight comes off more easily when they stop. I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT YOU STOP NURSING SO YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT, HOWEVER, SINCE IT IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO NURSE FOR AT LEAST A YEAR than it is to get the weight off right now. I just wanted to let you know that. Further if you'd like to respond to me personally and let me know what kinds of things you eat etc. I'd be happy to provide additional input.