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I’ve seen a lot of other videos on the topic of quitting the SSRI antidepressant Zoloft (sertraline) but not many on successfully getting through the withdrawals and coming through the other side safely. I hope this video is reassuring to anyone out there who is going through the same dilemma. If you have any question please feel free to ask/ or share your own experience.

I’ll explain what led me to do this and I hope it isn’t too rambling. I have been taking Zoloft since 2011 and just recently have been told that manufacturing of the drug has ceased until Jan 2016. I don’t know about the rest of the world but in Australia it has become like something out of Mad Max, with people trying to track down the last supplies. I tried the generic brand which I have been told is exactly the same. But after a month of this I began feeling more depressed/ sad than I ever have and began suffering from insomnia and blurred vision.

The last straw for me was when I told my doctor of these changes and all I got in return was a cocky-bullshit answer that I must be imagining these changes. ”Yeah, well doc, I don’t really want to imagine wanting to killing myself everyday, so politely go fuck yourself”.

So I tried tappering off them from 100mg to 25mg (maybe to steep) and started noticing the withdrawals after a day. After a few days of this I stopped them completely and the dizziness became a constant thing. Week 2 brought with it the numbness and brain zaps. With week 3 came the insomnia/ aching joints. At about a month of stopping nearly all the signs have gone away. I may notice the dizziness if I move or look too quickly but you get used to doing things slow.

So this video is just me telling you the withdrawal symptoms I experienced. It is not advised to just completely stop any antidepressant but I figured I was worse on the generic so I wanted to stop more than anything. I want to try and see what I am normal for a few months. The most important thing is being in the right headspace to do such a thing. Only try and go off them if you think you are ready. In my situation I have realised that most of the time if I feel anxious it is because of my surroundings and not what is going on in my head. Also avoid people who make you feel terrible. The world is made up of mainly idiots so it is more likely they have a problem and you don’t. At least you have made the steps to help yourself.

If I ever relapse into really bad depression/anxiety like I know that I can always go back on Zoloft. By then I think Pfizer would have mined the ”missing ingredients” they need to make Zoloft from Mars.