HELP WITH ZOLOFT WITHDRAWAL

seably
seably Member Posts: 29
edited March 2014 in Ovarian Cancer #1
I see that many of you have taken Zoloft for depression. I just started taking it today...50mg once a day. My doctor gave me a 3 month presciption. Can anyone share their withdrawal experiences? Was it worth taking Zoloft?

Some background info....

I was dx with stage 3C in March 2009 & had hysterectomy/debulikng sx in April 2009. I'll be starting my 6th (and final) round of IV Taxol & IP Cisplatin next week.

Lost my job in May due to missing too many days during sx post-op & chemo treatments (nice boss, huh) and then broke my right wrist in July (no balance since staring chemo) that required surgery and an external fixator (looks like an erector set), so my onc said it's no wonder I'm depressed.

I appreciate any feedback and thanks for all of the useful info posted.

God Bless,
Stacey

Comments

  • kathryn1
    kathryn1 Member Posts: 88
    #2
    Zoloft
    Hi Stacey,
    I take Zoloft for panic attacks. I have taken it for years. I don't know what I would do without it. I had gone off it once, but the panic attacks came back. I had no withdrawal symptoms from the drug tho. You go off it gradually, never just quit taking it all at once.
    Since my diagnoses with cancer my dosage was raised 50mg. I feel it is worth it to me. I feel better to fight this cancer harder!
    I hope it works for you and I wouldn't worry about getting off it when you don't need it any more.
    God Bless you,
    Kathryn
  • Lisa13Q
    Lisa13Q Member Posts: 677
    #3
    No Worries
    Zoloft is not a drug you need to worry about withdrawing from. If you are having difficulty with mood when you come off then you are not ready. The good aspect about zoloft is that it addresses issues of both anxiety and depression. It's a bit of an older class of SSRI's. Lexapro is a great one as well. My dissertation was on these drugs and their different effects on women and men. My strongest recommendation is to have a psychiatrist prescribe because they are well versed on all the best meds for moods, and any possible side effects. I think regular MDs just don't get the nuances as much as a good psychiatrist. I think it's a great idea, though, to take an SSRI.
  • seably
    seably Member Posts: 29
    #4
    Lisa13Q said:

    No Worries
    Zoloft is not a drug you need to worry about withdrawing from. If you are having difficulty with mood when you come off then you are not ready. The good aspect about zoloft is that it addresses issues of both anxiety and depression. It's a bit of an older class of SSRI's. Lexapro is a great one as well. My dissertation was on these drugs and their different effects on women and men. My strongest recommendation is to have a psychiatrist prescribe because they are well versed on all the best meds for moods, and any possible side effects. I think regular MDs just don't get the nuances as much as a good psychiatrist. I think it's a great idea, though, to take an SSRI.

    zoloft
    Kathryn and Lisa,

    Thanks so much for your help and info. Based on what you said i'm going to keep taking it.

    Stacey
  • groundeffect
    groundeffect Member Posts: 639 Member
    #5
    Zoloft
    Hi Stacey,

    I started taking 50 mg of Zoloft after I finished chemo, and have had no trouble with it. I've been taking it for more than six years now. I did take Prozac in the early 90's, and there is no comparison. I don't really notice much of anything with Zoloft, and don't have the depression I was feeling early after my diagnosis. I take the generic form, sertraline, and it's just fine.

    Your old boss may have been walking on thin ice when he let you go.

    Sue
  • Lisa13Q
    Lisa13Q Member Posts: 677
    #6
    groundeffect said:

    Zoloft
    Hi Stacey,

    I started taking 50 mg of Zoloft after I finished chemo, and have had no trouble with it. I've been taking it for more than six years now. I did take Prozac in the early 90's, and there is no comparison. I don't really notice much of anything with Zoloft, and don't have the depression I was feeling early after my diagnosis. I take the generic form, sertraline, and it's just fine.

    Your old boss may have been walking on thin ice when he let you go.

    Sue

    I'm with Stacey on the old boss
    I think Stacey may be right. You have certain rights about absences when you have an illness. You may want to look into that. Either way, it sounds very tough.
  • seably
    seably Member Posts: 29
    #7
    groundeffect said:

    Zoloft
    Hi Stacey,

    I started taking 50 mg of Zoloft after I finished chemo, and have had no trouble with it. I've been taking it for more than six years now. I did take Prozac in the early 90's, and there is no comparison. I don't really notice much of anything with Zoloft, and don't have the depression I was feeling early after my diagnosis. I take the generic form, sertraline, and it's just fine.

    Your old boss may have been walking on thin ice when he let you go.

    Sue

    Zoloft
    Hi Sue,

    Sorry for the delay in responding...I just finished my 6th round of chemo on Tuesday 9-08-09.
    Thanks for the helpful info about Zoloft.

    As for my boss, well, it's water under the bridge. I have been approved for disability starting in November, so the bills will be paid (eventually) and the Zoloft should help me deal with the challenges ahead.

    God Bless,
    Stacey
  • seably
    seably Member Posts: 29
    #8
    Lisa13Q said:

    I'm with Stacey on the old boss
    I think Stacey may be right. You have certain rights about absences when you have an illness. You may want to look into that. Either way, it sounds very tough.

    nice boss
    Hi Lisa,

    Again, sorry for the delay in responding....

    First, thanks for your support.

    My boss will have to live with her choices, and so do I. The fact that I'm unemployeed paved the way for the disability benefits to be approved. I'm not really ready to not have to work and being officially labeled "disabled" kind of sucks, but this is the path I have been given.

    I have choosen not try to fight my boss, as I would probably lose. It was a very small company and no benefits available like sick days were given. Since it is so small, 5 employees, we are not covered by state/federal rules that govern sick time or family leave. It was an "at will" employment, and this is my ex-boss' will.

    I will be looking to do some volunteer work (when my strength returns & wrist is healed). Another woman where I have chemo wants to start a support group in Savannah, Ga. I told her that I would like to help organize it with her.

    Anyway, I'll take the time given to me to focus on getting better and then helping others to get better too.

    God Bless,
    Stacey
  • 461ocean
    461ocean Member Posts: 9
    #9
    seably said:

    Zoloft
    Hi Sue,

    Sorry for the delay in responding...I just finished my 6th round of chemo on Tuesday 9-08-09.
    Thanks for the helpful info about Zoloft.

    As for my boss, well, it's water under the bridge. I have been approved for disability starting in November, so the bills will be paid (eventually) and the Zoloft should help me deal with the challenges ahead.

    God Bless,
    Stacey

    work problems
    Hello Stacy, I just read your post and I am too very concerned about my employer letting me go as a result of being out of work for my chemo treatments & recovery from them... I have been on FMLA twice in 2 years as a result of my reoccuring OV cancer. Although my employer lets me use sick time & vacation time, to use for my chemo, they still make it very difficult for me and I feel they are trying to get rid of me... I dont know the process for applying for disability if I need to in the future...any advice you have would be very helpful for me... OV stage 3c , 2 surgerys, 4 chemos, going back on Doxil next week... thank you.. God bless, you are in my prayers...
  • seably
    seably Member Posts: 29
    #10
    461ocean said:

    work problems
    Hello Stacy, I just read your post and I am too very concerned about my employer letting me go as a result of being out of work for my chemo treatments & recovery from them... I have been on FMLA twice in 2 years as a result of my reoccuring OV cancer. Although my employer lets me use sick time & vacation time, to use for my chemo, they still make it very difficult for me and I feel they are trying to get rid of me... I dont know the process for applying for disability if I need to in the future...any advice you have would be very helpful for me... OV stage 3c , 2 surgerys, 4 chemos, going back on Doxil next week... thank you.. God bless, you are in my prayers...

    work-employer problems
    hi 461ocean,

    I'm so sorry that you are having problems with getting time off from work. We seem to have much in common, I too am 3C, but to this point have only had one surgery and one round (6 treatments) of chemo - taxol IV & cisplatin IP - which I just completed on Sept 8. I see my gyn/onc Oct 7 to find out what's next for me.

    As far as disabilty, try the internet for your state. That's how I found out where the Social Security office for my city/county was. I went to the office and scheduled a phone interview appointment. Basically the phone interview was very easy (the lady I spoke with was very caring and asked the questions slowly after I told her I have chemo brain). Then that office sends the info to the national SS office (in Baltimore I think). They sent me letter a couple of weeks later stating that I didn't qualify for SS Supplimental Income due to having too many assets (in their opinion, $7000 in the bank is too much! I hope they will help with my medical bills which are now over $100,000!). This didn't really bother me as I wasn't applying for Supplemental Income (I think they just do this step as a matter of course). Anyway, a couple of weeks after that, I received a letter stating that I had been approved for Disablity Benefits. I won't start receiving any money till the end of Nov 2009, so I guess it was a good thing that I had a few bucks in the bank for such extravagances like rent, food & medical bills. FYI - I did have a disablity advocate write a letter on my behalf to the Social Security office. You can find an advocate on the internet. Also, they will of course check with your doctors regarding your dx, treatments & prognosis. My doctor knew that I had lost my job, so I'm sure he provided info that had a positive impact on the approval of my disablilty application.

    Good luck with your upcoming chemo treatments.
    Thanks for your prayers - you are now in my prayers too

    God Bless
    Stacey
  • 461ocean
    461ocean Member Posts: 9
    #11
    seably said:

    work-employer problems
    hi 461ocean,

    I'm so sorry that you are having problems with getting time off from work. We seem to have much in common, I too am 3C, but to this point have only had one surgery and one round (6 treatments) of chemo - taxol IV & cisplatin IP - which I just completed on Sept 8. I see my gyn/onc Oct 7 to find out what's next for me.

    As far as disabilty, try the internet for your state. That's how I found out where the Social Security office for my city/county was. I went to the office and scheduled a phone interview appointment. Basically the phone interview was very easy (the lady I spoke with was very caring and asked the questions slowly after I told her I have chemo brain). Then that office sends the info to the national SS office (in Baltimore I think). They sent me letter a couple of weeks later stating that I didn't qualify for SS Supplimental Income due to having too many assets (in their opinion, $7000 in the bank is too much! I hope they will help with my medical bills which are now over $100,000!). This didn't really bother me as I wasn't applying for Supplemental Income (I think they just do this step as a matter of course). Anyway, a couple of weeks after that, I received a letter stating that I had been approved for Disablity Benefits. I won't start receiving any money till the end of Nov 2009, so I guess it was a good thing that I had a few bucks in the bank for such extravagances like rent, food & medical bills. FYI - I did have a disablity advocate write a letter on my behalf to the Social Security office. You can find an advocate on the internet. Also, they will of course check with your doctors regarding your dx, treatments & prognosis. My doctor knew that I had lost my job, so I'm sure he provided info that had a positive impact on the approval of my disablilty application.

    Good luck with your upcoming chemo treatments.
    Thanks for your prayers - you are now in my prayers too

    God Bless
    Stacey

    work problems
    Thank you so much Stacy for replying to me so quick...I will take your advice regarding contacting my state ( Florida) SS office if I need to get the ball rolling... sounds like you had a caring & understanding person helping you with the phone interview... this makes me feel there are resources for us girls who need some help & a point in the right direction ! Thank you so much... I will keep you posted on my progress... God Bless...
  • seably
    seably Member Posts: 29
    #12
    461ocean said:

    work problems
    Thank you so much Stacy for replying to me so quick...I will take your advice regarding contacting my state ( Florida) SS office if I need to get the ball rolling... sounds like you had a caring & understanding person helping you with the phone interview... this makes me feel there are resources for us girls who need some help & a point in the right direction ! Thank you so much... I will keep you posted on my progress... God Bless...

    work problems
    No problem!
    I wish you luck and look forward to hearing from you.

    God Bless,
    Stacey

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