Stopping Medication

[Grace511]

So I have decided I want to stop my medications. I take 100mg of Zoloft and 2mg of Xanax three times a day. I have been in Zoloft since May and Xanax for three weeks now. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist the 24th but I am considering cancelling and just stopping. When I see him it is all for ten minutes. Ok you are fine or let us up your dose. Im alwaya tired.

 

[kahlan]

Stopping meds cold turkey can cause some issues. Maybe ask if there are other medication options you can try instead.

 

[bell]

I implore you to rethink your decision on this. I have been suicidal exactly 2x times in my life. Both times when I stopped a med. In short, stopping a med without help of a doctor is just not worth it. (The last time I was under a doctor's supervision and things still went pear shaped!)

Can you see a different type of doctor that may give you more time?

 

[Life_in_the_Mist]

Stopping the meds you are on cold turkey is extremely dangerous.

 

[a3a2]

Don't do this cold turkey. This is from someone who has been on the receiving end of someone going cold turkey. Your psychiatrist should respect your decision to go off meds and guide you through it. But cold turkey is just plain stupid.

 

[presentjoy]

Your psychiatrist should respect your decision to go off meds and guide you through it.

I agree with the above.

If you are on Xanax as needed (PRN), it means you can try to take less than you've been taking, because doctor has already built in some dosage leeway for you.

You should also be able to put a call into your psychiatrist before your appointment and tell them how you are feeling, and talk it out. It's possible through a phone call that the psychiatrist will suggest lowering either or both, but tell you that if you need to, go back to the dose you are on. Not sure how Zoloft is administered so hard to say whether you can do this kind of thing so easily. Sometimes doctors can send in a new script electronically if they are comfortable with a dosage change between appointments. Depends on your country and area.

The point being, talk to the doctor. At the very least, the doctor will know your intentions and you won't adversely affect the relationship you have with them by doing things with your meds before consulting them. You are much more likely to have a cooperative doctor if you consult them, and they can support your decision.

You've been on Zoloft long enough that you won't be able to go off it all the way to 0mg immediately. If your doctor thinks you can, find a new one.

 

[roaminggnome]

Please be careful. I just went through withdrawal that was horrible from stopping medications cold turkey. Please consult your doctor.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Going cold turkey on Xanax could lead to horrible withdrawals. There is a good UK based benzo withdrawal forum site if you want to read the horror stories of doing so. Benzodiazepines are not like most drugs which have a small window (time feame) of withdrawal symptoms. Some people experience withdrawal symptoms for months or longer after quitting. Please stop responsibly.

 

[blackemerald1]

In regard to reducing or stopping medications I agree with other's and plead with you to see or speak to your doctor to make a plan. He may suggest you go off them one at a time. Xanax...I was on for 8 years and it made me feel so tired all the time. Your tiredness is most likely to be a side effect of either drug or even both. To get off the Xanax and other highly addictive medications I used a pill cutter and on a fortnightly basis dropped one quarter of a milligram. I could not have ever gone cold turkey as I am too sick to do that to my brain and body.

Please consider carefully why you want to reduce or stop these medications because the intention or goal is to at some level help you and though it is really terrible, when one has PTSD our brains have changed and until you work on causation etc you may need medical support.

It does not sound like you are getting a lot of help with a psychiatrist who is not spending much time with you aside from upping your dosage. See if you can find a better doctor before you start to do anything with the meds., Because Xanax is a really difficult drug to manage, I know I was trialed on Zoloft and ended back in hospital from side effects.

Take it easy,
Kind regards
blackemerald1

 

[cherryblossom]

Stopping medications is absolutely your choice. If you really want to quit, then you need to do so gradually, with guidance from your doctor. Stopping cold turkey, is completely irresponsible, and very, very dangerous.

If you are not happy with your medication, or have issues with the side effects, then you need to talk to the doctor who prescribed them. If the doctor doesn't listen to you, then you need to make him listen, or find a new doctor.

You asked last week how long medications stay in your system for, and I explained how complicated it was, based on the individual, and the half life of the medications. It takes several weeks to build up to the therapeutic dose of anti-depressants, stopping 'cold turkey', will likely have a huge effect, both physically and psychologically. You will very likely feel truly awful.

You sound like you are very angry at your Doctor for not giving you enough time. Quitting your medication is not the answer to dealing with any issues you have with your Doctor.

I would seriously advise you to continue your medication, and find a new doctor, then discuss a sensible reduction in your medication, that won't make you feel like hell.

If you quit cold turkey, the only person you are hurting is yourself.

 

[DMerish]

Hi Grace,

A person isn't typically given prescription medication unless their PTSD symptoms are moderate or severe and/or the person hasn't learned to use other tools to help them.
The goal of medication is to help suppress symptoms so you can function as normally as possbile in your day-to-day life.

Some people need a relatively short round of medication. Other people need medication for a longer time span, and some people require medication their whole lives. I don't want to give you the idea I'm pro-meds; I'm actually more inclined towards alternative thereapies. However, I know from my own experience that medication is very helpful in many instances.

I understand, feeling tired all the time would make anyone feel inclided to not want to take their presribed meds that cause the tiredness. I've been there - Done/Felt that! However, tiredness by its self is not a reason to stop. Tiredness is a reason to find the right medication, at the right dosage and frequency that works for you! It can take someone several tries to find the right medication, the right dosage and the frequency.

I mention this becuase I get the the sense from your previous posts that you're not entirely in agreement with taking medication, in general. If that's true, then I suggest that they topic be discuss with your doctor along with the different types of therapy that may help you to manage symptoms, possibly without the use of drugs (at some point). Call your doctor, explain that you'd like to reduce your dosage and why, and see what he/she says. Then, when you go in for your visit next Monday, talk to your doctor and let them know the if your tireness was less, adjust your meds (if warrented) and discuss what "getting well" could mean to if/when you work with a therapist.

Does that sound reasonable?

 

[a3a2]

If you quit cold turkey, the only person you are hurting is yourself.

Actually, besides hurting yourself, you will probably be hurting a lot of other people as well. My usually calm, gentle husband broke a chair and smashed a remote in his hands, severely triggering my ptsd. I very nearly took my kids and left him. He has since apologized a thousand times over, and I forgive him. But for me, it remains a horrible and painful memory. Look at every person in your in your life, and ask yourself if you are willing to hurt them in this way.