Delayed withdrawals

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Introductions and Updates Support Zoloft (Sertraline)

September 17, 2026

Hey, hope you are all well! I’m a 28 y/o male that has been on Zoloft for about 5 years. First tried Paroxetine but I could not even make a week on that back in 2021. Felt like Zoloft wore off in 2023 and upped the dosage to 150 and only felt worse. So been on 100mg for the past 5 years. Started tapering july 2025 and got down to 40mg december 2025. Went from 40 to 37.5 and two weeks later got hit with an insane withdrawals. So I went up to the previous dose at 40mg and got stable in that sense. Started going down only 1mg from that point on and always hit with the withdrawals about 2 weeks after dose reduction. At the end of June(2026) I went from 39 to 38mg and was stabilising at that dose, but 2 months later, end of August, I got a nasty strep throat and put on antibiotics. Overnight I was put into a horrible withdrawals that has now lasted for 3 weeks: Paresthesia, Numbness, Headache, Weakness, Loss of appetite, Tachycardia , Restlessness, Fear, Feeling detached Insomnia (3–4 hours max) and a constant burning sensation in the limbs and face, Sweating all night, Very vivid dreams, Suicidal thoughts, Unable to work It comes in waves and windows hourly, but yeah. Any recommendations? Regards

4 Replies

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CatinaSep 17

Community AnchorEffexor

"2 months later, end of August, I got a nasty strep throat and put on antibiotics. Overnight I was put into a horrible withdrawals that has now lasted for 3 weeks:" — @Anton

Hi @Anton, thanks for sharing your experience. Welcome! Sorry about the infection and the antibiotics. Either of those things can exacerbate withdrawal symptoms in many people. If it were me, I wouldn't make anymore changes for the time being in my dose. Wait until this wave passes first. It will, so be patient. I know it's hard, and I'm sorry you're dealing with so many symptoms. Here are some recommendations of things to avoid, which I hope will help: https://taper.community/thread/57d0fb51-6e6e-4517-9d3d-1dd2f2e3880c I'm glad you're able to take some time off from work so you can recover from this. Hang in there, it will get better eventually. Every wave comes to an end. Keep us updated on how you're doing. I hope you feel better soon! Catina 🩷

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 16.64 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Synthroid - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

DuloxiSep 17

Community AnchorCymbalta · holding

Hi Anton, I know this situation. Being ill, and especially taking antibiotics, can make withdrawal symptoms significantly worse. Why? The gastrointestinal tract contains the enteric nervous system, which communicates directly with the brain. You’ve probably heard of the gut-brain axis. When you take antibiotics, they can significantly disrupt your gut microbiome, which may add further stress to an already sensitive system and potentially affect your symptoms. You could consider a high-quality probiotic. Personally, I drink a lot of tea and add medicinal chamomile, which I find soothing for my stomach and digestive system. I also pay attention to my diet and eat soothing foods such as oats and bananas. I think once your gastrointestinal system settles down again, you may start feeling better too.

Cymbalta — 20mg(12mg) — 17 Jahre — holding -with clinician - 90 mg – 2021: First tapering attempt.
60 mg – 2023: Second tapering attempt.
With a doctor's supervision—but unfortunately, a doctor who doesn't know how to properly taper off an antidepressant.

AntonSep 17

WelcomerZoloft

Hey Duloxi! Yes this is one of the things I’ve considered of this worsening. Ive actually been taking high quality probiotics for a long time, but antibiotics completely nuke your microbiome. So yes my diet is super clean, only whole quality foods to get me as right as i can!

AntonSep 18

WelcomerZoloft

"If it were me, I wouldn't make anymore changes for the time being in my dose. Wait until this wave passes first." — @Catina

You would definitely not recommend a updose of 1-2mg? I find this weird being at such a “high” dose regarding receptor occupancy but still getting these intense withdrawals? Maybe @Based can answer this as well?

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