Getting off the Zoloft

[kcbc2010]

Part of the reason why I'm writing this is because I need to write out my intention for good health and peace of spirit w/out using the SSRI. Also, I need positive support and additional healing from people who really understand about how things work between the mind/body/spirit on a deeper level. So, I figured I could just do both at one time. Thank you, in advance, for your loving attention and thoughts.

My intention is to be free from Zoloft and to grow further in my spiritual life, learning and practicing ways to protect myself from other people's energies. I have the power to protect myself and "know-how" to accomplish this. I can create new outcomes by creating new/positive thoughts. It is my responsibility to create peace and the world I would like to see. I have the expectation of growing and developing new habits which will lead to positive outcomes for myself - my family - and others in my life. My intention is to be the most real version of myself that I know how to be w/o using mind-altering drugs.

Thank you to the universe for hearing my intention and giving me a space to share it. I am protected. I am loved. I am a child of the Creator.

[nimmer]

One thing to keep in mind is that you will probably want to wean yourself off of it over an extended period of time. Not doing this can cause problems (I can attest to this) such as Brain Zaps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI_discontinuation_syndrome).

I took it for panic attacks, and to be honest it didn't help me. What has helped is exercise, meditation, and eating right. In fact, exercise can be just as effective as anti-depressents (http://extrahappiness.com/happiness/?p=4218).

I wish you luck; it can be hard, but it is worth it if you can live a life free of medications like that. Just make sure you have the right support around you (friends and family) in case you start to feel lousy.

[conk]

You have made an excellent decision. These drugs are very dangerous and seriously threaten your long term health.

[truth4me]

How bout the drug Prozac ? My next door neighbor is on it and she is gone off her rocker! Cussing her husband out constantly and calling the police on people ,not telling them the police she took $160.00 out of his wallet while asleep, then last night she came out of her house and started her ranting and screaming then she flashed all of us outside her breasts . I mean Prozac and other drugs just drive people insane......gee,I wonder if our government knows that ......

[Free Will]

Be greeted kcbc2010,

I offer you my full on encouragement in your endeavor to attain freedom from zoloft.

Have you heard of Truehope? They sell an (orthomolecular medicine) supplement and have a support staff on hand (24/7~in case of emergencies) to assist their customers, with the transition from meds to nutrients (or just to get off the meds in a safe and supportive way).

It's no small trip to clear this stuff out (pharma meds of all sorts) , yet in my mind, it's one of the best things anyone can do for themselves..as there are alternatives.

Brain zaps are indeed a real and really difficult issue here, with Zoloft in particular.

Truehope has a protocol for dealing with all the various protracted-withdrawal symptoms such as brain-zaps..rebound anxiety, sleep issues..ad infinitum. These withdrawals are too difficult for many people to get through by simply white-knuckling it..so many never manage to get free. Most issues that come up during withdrawals, can be mitigated very effectively, and Truehope has had great success helping thousands of people through this, myself included. They helped me in a big way, many years ago. Helped me to save my life, frankly.

There is so much to say about all this.

There are a plethora of links and such easily found online about Truehope and Empowerplus.

I have some pretty extensive experiences in these realms myself..it's been such a personal and epic journey for me.

I appreciate your courage and offer you my support, where ever your path may lead.

You sure have the right attitude, imo.

Peace be with you.

[Sidney]

My husband has been on various antidepressants his entire adult life. Most likely he has undiagnosed neuro-lyme, but every time he has weened himself off, the depression becomes disabling. literally. Its a shame, but the grass is not always greener on the other side. Be sure you think you can recognize if/when the depression is slipping back, because it can play havoc on your immediate family members. That said, google lithium orotate. Some good info on that out there.

[Cilka]

Being an ex-seller of drugs, legal ones through an internet based company, I applaud you for seeking freedom from these mind controlling chemicals. No matter how hard it gets being off of them just dont go back to taking them again, try taking something natural.

[Hermeticus]

I support your efforts too. I was on sertraline (Generic Zoloft) and I didn't like the side effects and I also had concerns about what the drug was doing and would do to me. I went off of it slowly at first and then plunged out of it. It was not fun, but I was pretty determined to get off of it. The most important thing was that it showed me I had a problem, because I did feel better in many ways when I was taking it.

I attribute my improvement over depression to regular, vigorous exercise and fish oil supplements. But I also changed my world view and accepted that I was the cause of my happiness and depression.

[sunnyrap]

I applaud your decision to get off of those dangerous pharms. I've read they don't help that much and cause more problems than they solve. However, cold turkey is dangerous...wean off them slowly. There is some good help for temporary or chronic depression (and there is much one can honestly be depressed about) I suggest you look into some natural antidepressant remedies:

Lithium Orotate (http://mysite.verizon.net/res003jh/lithium-orotate/). It is a mineral compound used for some twenty years to treat depression and addiction. It is very effective, has little to no side effects for 95% of those taking it (though you are advised not take it with other anti-depression drugs or psychotropics) inexpensive (about $12 for a two-month supply), can be gotten without a prescription. It comes in tablet form, even a fast-acting nasal spray (http://lithiumorotate.com/) (Lithium Carbonate is used to treat schizophrenia, much more powerful version of the drug that can build up and possibly adversely affect the liver...Orotate is much lower dose and purportedly helps clean up the liver).

If you want to go more natural than that, I suggest St. Johns Wort +Kava Kava +Cammomile/Passiflora herbal formula. Works splendidly without any side effects.

I also recommend EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) (http://www.thetappingsolution.com/2012VideoSeries/?blog_prm=6465). This practice (thousands of free sites and youtubes teach the simple technique--I linked to one above) helps diffuse stress and can remove conscious and subconscious triggers to sadness and depression completely. It's an amazing technique that can vastly upgrade your life experience.

[UnrealDreams]

Depression is one of the diseases that can be eliminated through the cleansing effects of the Gerson therapy. The Gerson therapy is an extensive program of detoxification that strengthens the immune system, allowing it to "heal" the organism...as nature intended. There are many cases of depression being totally eliminated through the Gerson therapy. I recall a case study of a former Gerson patient with depression, among other problems..

"D.W." suffered panic attacks and depression as a young girl and was kept on antidepressants through her 20's and 30's. In her late 30's she developed diabetes. At age 42 she was admitted to the hospital with carcinoma of the left ovary with metastases in the right ovary and uterus. She underwent a hysterectomy. Multiple nodules were found on the bowel and adominal wall and an MRI indicated a cyst on her left kidney. Rather than undergo the prescribed chemotherapy, she chose to check into the Gerson clinic in Mexico for 'alternative treatment'

After two years on the therapy, her panic attacks and depression were gone, as well as the cyst on her kidney and all signs of the ovarian cancer. For the first time in her life she was able to get a job, drive a car and function normally. Three of her friends were also diagnosed with ovarian cancer around the same time she was and sadly, they all opted for conventional treatment. None of them survived even six months of conventional allopathic medical treatment.

More information at Gerson.org. I hope this is helpful. I have been using aspects of the therapy for over a year now as a preventive therapy, and I was "cured" of abdominal issues that could not even be diagnosed by conventional doctors by using a less strict version of this therapy. (I think my issues may have been GMO related).

[Raven]

Part of the reason why I'm writing this is because I need to write out my intention for good health and peace of spirit w/out using the SSRI. Also, I need positive support and additional healing from people who really understand about how things work between the mind/body/spirit on a deeper level. So, I figured I could just do both at one time. Thank you, in advance, for your loving attention and thoughts.

My intention is to be free from Zoloft and to grow further in my spiritual life, learning and practicing ways to protect myself from other people's energies. I have the power to protect myself and "know-how" to accomplish this. I can create new outcomes by creating new/positive thoughts. It is my responsibility to create peace and the world I would like to see. I have the expectation of growing and developing new habits which will lead to positive outcomes for myself - my family - and others in my life. My intention is to be the most real version of myself that I know how to be w/o using mind-altering drugs.

Thank you to the universe for hearing my intention and giving me a space to share it. I am protected. I am loved. I am a child of the Creator.

A couple of things come to mind to say here - first a wise friend of mine tells me to say after any 'affirmation' - add on "even if I don't believe it" (looks after the part of our mind that doesn't believe it and may sabotage us.... and I think that this is pretty wise)

and my experience with getting off zoloft was it took a couple of weeks - fortunatley some part of me was ready for this - so I cleared my slate and just lay in bed most of the time - getting up to make tea and toast or something simple to eat - I 'think' some walks in nature but I am not sure actually if I went outside - mostly kept myself safe and didn't expect anything of myself at all - and it was a bit like being on some weird LSD trip especially for the first week I guess as the brain chemicals were rearranging (but somehow I knew to disregard any of this) - didn't pay it any attention - the second week was more 'normal' but still didn't expect myself to be 'together' in any way and then it was over and I haven't looked back
- good diet - exercise - sunlight all help - and I didn't know about Truehope when I was doing this but I have heard about these supplements now and I would suggest adding this to your protocol to help things be easier - Good Luck - it must be the right time for you to do this :-)

[<8>]

Hi Kcbc2010..

I have read all the posts here at this point and though they have your best intentions in mind, there are not really a permanent cure.
At best it will ease your suffering for a moment and there might be no side effect with the natural ones.

Now the first step have already happened, you are consciously aware about your situation and you are ready for a change. (good for you)
The root of your problem are your mind and its thoughts and the feelings that comes with every thought, if you get rid of them your free.

How do I know this? I am sitting and writing this in silence. Is there no sound there I am? of course there is! my girlfriend have the TV on in the next room.
I have got rid of my unconscious minds thoughts and the emotions by using the Power of now of Eckhart Tolle.

I occasionally have a thought and a emotion stirrup in me, but at this point in my life, I just smile at them and they go away.


..8..

[Ellisa]

Be careful with St John's Wort. It can interact badly with other medications.

[9eagle9]

There is a reason you are on Zoloft. Call what has led to your dependency on Zoloft a "Lie".

Zoloft can mask that Lie and the effects it has on your body's chemistry. As you have found out it doesn't cure anything, it doesn't cure the lie.

Set aside the replacement Zolofts for a moment because those more masking agents.

While you are on Zoloft you need to look for the reason , the LIE, that affected your body's chemistry in the first place. As you are doing core value and core belief work, emotional healing, you can then listen to what your body is telling you as your inner landscape is healed. You will begin to notice that your dosages will need to be backed down from.

You have to do this. Its not enough to just wean yourself from Zoloft or just replace it with some all natural plant, you have to get into the root of what is occurring that caused the imbalance in the first place--which is emotional. You've had a belief about yourself imposed on you.. If you don't you will struggle with this your entire life.

We are as a race attached psychically 24 hours a day, a constant bombardment of false beliefs Be-LIE-fs and illusions hurled at us. The number one sign of psychic attack is depression. This is why depression is so prevalent.

It is a awful system-symptom they create and then provide a solution for.

[EC1000]

You can do it! Just take it slow like others have said and pay close attention to how you feel along the way. Eating a healthy diet with very limited sugars and food additives can help alot! Also be vary of taking too many "natural" supplements-nothing is truly "natural" when taken in mega doses.

[Cartomancer]

I actually witnessed someone begin to take a similar drug and she went off the deep end within about a week and attempted suicide. This is exactly what many warn of with this particular drug. There are many similar stories about mental issues with stopping the drug "cold turkey" or right away. Everyone says it may be better to wean yourself and quit slowly.

[Hermeticus]

A spiritual change, perhaps? I am in agreement that changing in one's mind, heart, soul, is the best solution. For some of us, though, we need to take other steps to get to that point where we can make that leap of faith.


Hi Kcbc2010..

I have read all the posts here at this point and though they have your best intentions in mind, there are not really a permanent cure.
At best it will ease your suffering for a moment and there might be no side effect with the natural ones.

Now the first step have already happened, you are consciously aware about your situation and you are ready for a change. (good for you)
The root of your problem are your mind and its thoughts and the feelings that comes with every thought, if you get rid of them your free.

How do I know this? I am sitting and writing this in silence. Is there no sound there I am? of course there is! my girlfriend have the TV on in the next room.
I have got rid of my unconscious minds thoughts and the emotions by using the Power of now of Eckhart Tolle.

I occasionally have a thought and a emotion stirrup in me, but at this point in my life, I just smile at them and they go away.


..8..

[Rogerc]

yep , beware the quick withdrawal - I did it with Effexor and had continuous ringing in my ears.

[Black Panther]

Maybe there is something from a previous life you have to let go this time.
I've went to a shamanic healer two times now and the second time I got rid
of a blokkage from my sunflower to my throat chakra. Had a lot of problems
with my lungs for a long time. She said it was something from a previous life.

There is a thread about alternatives to Prozac: http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?22034-Help-...-Alternative-to-Prozac-needed&p=262395#post262395

As many others already mentioned, wean yourself off of it over an extended period of time.
Of course you don't need the drug, because you as a soul are very powerful and
those poisonous pills are only dumbing you down.

[<8>]

A spiritual change, perhaps? I am in agreement that changing in one's mind, heart, soul, is the best solution. For some of us, though, we need to take other steps to get to that point where we can make that leap of faith.


Hi Kcbc2010..

I have read all the posts here at this point and though they have your best intentions in mind, there are not really a permanent cure.
At best it will ease your suffering for a moment and there might be no side effect with the natural ones.

Now the first step have already happened, you are consciously aware about your situation and you are ready for a change. (good for you)
The root of your problem are your mind and its thoughts and the feelings that comes with every thought, if you get rid of them your free.

How do I know this? I am sitting and writing this in silence. Is there no sound there I am? of course there is! my girlfriend have the TV on in the next room.
I have got rid of my unconscious minds thoughts and the emotions by using the Power of now of Eckhart Tolle.

I occasionally have a thought and a emotion stirrup in me, but at this point in my life, I just smile at them and they go away.


..8..

Hi and thanks..

Though I understand you, it has nothing to do with faith.

It's about if you are conscious enough to understand..

..8..

[kcbc2010]

No, I haven't looked into Truehope or Empowerplus, but I certainly will on your recommendation.

Thank you for your support and ideas. I'm really just taking things as they come right now. I started on Monday and it's Friday.

Part of the reason why I want to get off so badly is that I keep having these dreams where I keep trying to give people my psychiatrist's phone number so she can help me because I can't get myself out of a coma or some problem I'm having mentally. I feel like I'm not going to wake up, even when I wake up. I know that you can have control over your dreams, but I don't have that level of ability to make that switch and say something like "I"m healthy. My mind works just fine." Thank you again!

[kcbc2010]

My husband has been on various antidepressants his entire adult life. Most likely he has undiagnosed neuro-lyme, but every time he has weened himself off, the depression becomes disabling. literally. Its a shame, but the grass is not always greener on the other side. Be sure you think you can recognize if/when the depression is slipping back, because it can play havoc on your immediate family members. That said, google lithium orotate. Some good info on that out there.

Thank you for the insight. The reason why I decided to wean off now is that I am in such a better emotional place than I have ever been - ever. I know the exercise/nutrition pieces and I've developed an interest in meditation (which is not something that I would have done before going on the pills) Learning how to deal more effectively with my sensitivity and intuition pieces have a lot to do with this decision too.

My husband knows that I'm trying to wean myself off these drugs, so he'd tell me if I was acting crazy! He was surprised when I suggested it, but I explained why and he's okay with me trying. As a kid, I was on the other side of the equation (my step-mom had MPD) and she didn't like to take her meds, so that was a very confusing time for all of us. I appreciate your concerns and they are valid points to keep in mind as I go on this journey.

[kcbc2010]

I support your efforts too. I was on sertraline (Generic Zoloft) and I didn't like the side effects and I also had concerns about what the drug was doing and would do to me. I went off of it slowly at first and then plunged out of it. It was not fun, but I was pretty determined to get off of it. The most important thing was that it showed me I had a problem, because I did feel better in many ways when I was taking it.

I attribute my improvement over depression to regular, vigorous exercise and fish oil supplements. But I also changed my world view and accepted that I was the cause of my happiness and depression.

Yes! I love my fish oil supplements. I take those with my Vit. D/E. I read that taking the Fish Oil by itself sometimes saps people of their Vit. E and so I decided to get the E Vitamin just to see and I feel so much better. It was like a night and day difference for me. I'm getting off with the support of a doctor. This week/Next week, I'm dropping to 150 mg/day and then for 4 weeks, she wants me to do 100mg/day. She kept asking if I knew her phone number and told me that if I had problems to call. It was kind of creepy. "You know to call me if you have problems, right?" "Right?" "Yes, Dr." Like I've said elsewhere, one day at a time. I have her number. I can deal with my problems to the best of my ability and if I need her I can call. Yep......

[kcbc2010]

Hi Kcbc2010..

I have read all the posts here at this point and though they have your best intentions in mind, there are not really a permanent cure.
At best it will ease your suffering for a moment and there might be no side effect with the natural ones.

Now the first step have already happened, you are consciously aware about your situation and you are ready for a change. (good for you)
The root of your problem are your mind and its thoughts and the feelings that comes with every thought, if you get rid of them your free.

How do I know this? I am sitting and writing this in silence. Is there no sound there I am? of course there is! my girlfriend have the TV on in the next room.
I have got rid of my unconscious minds thoughts and the emotions by using the Power of now of Eckhart Tolle.

I occasionally have a thought and a emotion stirrup in me, but at this point in my life, I just smile at them and they go away.


..8..

I totally understand what you are saying. Part of my problem has been that I haven't been able to quiet for a long time. I am finding that this attitude is changing and I'm more comfortable w/silence. I spent a really long time being afraid of the silences in life because I really did not like being alone. Then, I found that I didn't like the silences because I'd worry and get anxious about things that I couldn't change. I had a lot to grieve about and when you are a kid, you don't necessarily know how to talk about the deeper things and it doesn't help when people close to you just (essentially) tell you that you are on your own. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in therapy and finding ways to help me cope with things. And dealing with them before they got overwhelming. Anyway, that was my experience and I can't change it, but I've stopped feeling sad about these things and am firmly in the acceptance category. Sometimes I may be less accepting than others, but I'm closer to accepting than I was before - which is the goal. I had no idea that part of my problem was all the noise. It was like a veil had been lifted when I just turned the crazy music/television/radio, etc. I'm meandering now, sorry. I just love your point though because you don't realize how wonderful the silence can be for healing. Silence doesn't have to mean the coming of the next storm. Silence can be satisfaction and acceptance in the way things are.