Zoloft · Holding · Oct 3, 2026

Tapering: Zoloft

holding

155 posts

Germany

New question crossing my mind

October 3, 2026

As some of you may already know, I’m doing very very poorly recently. It’s so bad. But let’s say I somehow do it to cope with this and keep fighting. The bigger question for me: How should my tapering continue from now? I’m seriously seriously so much confused. If my current symptoms resolve in the next couple of months, years... Sure. I continue. But what if the symptoms don’t resolve? What if my symptoms are not related to WD? How should i then approach tapering at all? I don’t know if I told you about this on here, but my pre SSRI symptoms was unbearable and to be very very fair, most of those symptoms resolved with the “help” of zoloft. It helped me tremendously with working, building a family, marrying and earning money. I certainly could try many different options to achieve the same thing. But more or less, the Zoloft helped me. Pre Zoloft I had severe obsessive ruminations and mental compulsions. Bad lethargy, anhedonia and chronic DPDR. There is unfortunately no doctor on this world who can help me. Or give me a solid guide on what to do next. I know these drugs are toxic and I must go off them. But what then? How in my situation? Have a nice day everyone❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Zoloft — 6,52 — 5 years and 9 months — holding | without clinician

132 Replies

Maria A.Oct 5

LighthouseZoloft · active

But for how long? It’s already been almost six weeks of holding at 15 mg and previously I had held 2 weeks at 14.275. I just can’t do the insomnia and the sleep one night no sleep the next night. That’s why my doctors keep trying to introduce sleep aids because my mind goes to very dark places when I don’t sleep. My daughter’s birthday is on Friday and she needs her mom back. I don’t even care anymore, I’m willing to do whatever to stabilize and sleep normally again.

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

LeminaseriOct 5

NavigatorZoloft · holding

"But for how long? It’s already been almost six weeks. I just can’t do the insomnia and the sleep one night no sleep the next night. That’s why my doctors keep trying to introduce sleep aids because my mind goes to very dark places when I don’t sleep." — @Maria A.

Imagine someone would give you a fixed date: 6 months. Would you sit it out? Most likely yes. I believe it will be much earlier for you. Stay strong please. Keep going. Akathisia and insomnia ALWAYS go away.

Zoloft — 6,52 — 5 years and 9 months — holding | without clinician

Maria A.Oct 5

LighthouseZoloft · active

I can’t do six more months like this. I don’t have it in me.

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

LeminaseriOct 5

NavigatorZoloft · holding

"I can’t do six more months like this. I don’t have it in me." — @Maria A.

Even if you know you will be 100% okay? Well, in my head I have timespans like 10 years to get better. But that’s only regarding to my own symptoms. I believe you will be better very soon!

Zoloft — 6,52 — 5 years and 9 months — holding | without clinician

Maria A.Oct 5

LighthouseZoloft · active

I don’t think yours is 10 years unless you did a cold turkey which I would highly advise against. I honestly think both you and I got screwed from the microtaper. For whatever reason we both had a delayed withdrawal. Right now I just need to decide if I keep waiting like this miserable out of my mind or if decide to introduce a long term sleep aid and keep holding or if I try to updose. So far the sleep aids have worked some but then I get scared to get dependent and stop them which makes me worse.

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

LeminaseriOct 5

NavigatorZoloft · holding

"I honestly think both you and I got screwed from the microtaper. For whatever reason we both had a delayed withdrawal." — @Maria A.

I heard many more people getting harmed by a micro taper. Don’t take that easy. It’s very dangerous tbh. You don’t have periods in between the days to stabilize so the withdrawal adds up and explodes. Oh my fucking god how could the “Expert” himself not think about this? No difference for me to Big Pharma selling meds at this point. 500 dollars dust 💨

Zoloft — 6,52 — 5 years and 9 months — holding | without clinician

⭐

CatinaOct 5

Community AnchorEffexor

"I can’t do six more months like this. I don’t have it in me." — @Maria A.

Maria, I know how hard this feels. When I had my horrible crash 5 years ago I had internal akathisia and couldn't sleep for days on end. I was desperate and hanging by the thinnest thread known to man. After about 3 months though things got better. Please remember that even though you're going through hell, it won't last forever. The only thing you need to do right now is keep going. Your body will sleep when it needs to - even if it's a little bit. As it's been mentioned, insomnia and akathisia always get better; they did for me and will for you too. Don't let this beat you. You're already proving to yourself that you're still here and capable of enduring. You are loved and needed by your family and us here at Taper Community. When you make it through you'll be able to encourage the next person who will need you to tell them they'll make it. Keep fighting Maria! 💜

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.28 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.

Maria A.Oct 5

LighthouseZoloft · active

Catina thank you for your kind words. i see that you’re on trazadone. Was that added on for you for sleep during that time? Did you find it helped you stabilize? Did you also go back up on your original med?

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

⭐

CatinaOct 5

Community AnchorEffexor

You're welcome Maria. I was put on Trazodone years ago when Cymbalta gave me horrific insomnia and I've been stuck on it ever since. When I crashed 5 years ago my psych nurse at the time instructed me to double my dose of Trazodone - which I did - but after a month I started getting horrific headaches so I stopped the double dose. I did try other things like Benadryl, Hydroxyzine, and Melatonin but the greatest healer was time and patience. I'm so glad I held on though, so you must keep going. It might get better a lot quicker than you're anticipating.

⭐

CatinaOct 5

Community AnchorEffexor

"after finally sleeping 10 hours last night" — @Maria A.

Your body IS capable of sleeping when it needs to. That is a great sign! Hold onto this.

Maria A.Oct 5

LighthouseZoloft · active

Yes but I think it was because I had taken the low dose mirtazapine two nights before that. Every time I take a sleep aid, I can’t take it more than 4 days or else I get scared I’m going to be stuck on it and then my body regresses and gets worse. I just don’t know what to do anymore and my poor family is so exhausted.

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

⭐

CatinaOct 5

Community AnchorEffexor

"Yes but I think it was because I had taken the low dose mirtazapine two nights before that. Every time I take a sleep aid, I can’t take it more than 4 days or else I get scared I’m going to be stuck on it and then my body regresses and gets worse" — @Maria A.

Ahh, okay then. I understand. Have you tried EFT Tapping? I have found it very helpful for insomnia and anxiety. It might be best to try non-drug ways to cope. Could you try taking a warm Epsom salt bath before bed? Also, just radically accepting that things might be hard for awhile can be helpful. The more we worry about not sleeping, the harder things can be.

Maria A.Oct 5

LighthouseZoloft · active

No not the tapping but every other insomnia trick yes. The problem is I can’t read right now and can barely watch tv. Only with my kids before bed and very low stimulation.

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

⭐

CatinaOct 5

Community AnchorEffexor

"I thought that this diet keeps a substantial chance to improve my cognitive symptoms. Now I’m hearing that it might go in the other direction as well. For me there was nothing else remaining to help myself. I’m very confused." — @Leminaseri

You can always try it and see how you do with it. A lot of this process is trial and error and finding out what works and what doesn't work for ourselves.

⭐

CatinaOct 5

Community AnchorEffexor

"No not the tapping but every other insomnia trick yes." — @Maria A.

Maybe try it. You may have to do multiple rounds before you feel a shift, but I've found it very helpful.

Cosmic1973Oct 5

WelcomerMirtazapine · active

I recall telling my wife a few months back that I wish I could run a thousand simulations of myself under varying doses and scenarios to see which one helped me the best. The indecision of what to do was crippling. But the person who knows you best is you. There's a point where we learn so much about our condition and ourself, we become the expert. Sometimes making a decision can dramatically reduce stress and anxiety because you've made the call, you're back incharge, you're not scared anymore.

Mirtazapine — 0.2mg — 1 year — actively tapering

Maria A.Oct 5

LighthouseZoloft · active

I think I’ve decided that I’m okay with staying on Zoloft long term. I would like to slowly updose back up because I think alot of this is caused by my anxiety now including my insomnia. I’m going to consult with experts on how to do it.

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

Cosmic1973Oct 5

WelcomerMirtazapine · active

Hi Maria, I know the aim of this site is to come off meds, but it must be balanced with having a better quality of life once of them. You know your history and body better then anyone, Step 1 achieved, you've made a call, you're back in charge.

Mirtazapine — 0.2mg — 1 year — actively tapering

LeminaseriOct 5

NavigatorZoloft · holding

"I think I’ve decided that I’m okay with staying on Zoloft long term. I would like to slowly updose back up because I think alot of this is caused by my anxiety now including my insomnia. I’m going to consult with experts on how to do it." — @Maria A.

No medical advice!!!!! Maria I don’t know. Akathisia is such a textbook withdrawal symptom that I don’t believe that going up in dosage might change anything at all. That being said, it’s entirely the decision of you and your doctor. I know how terrible it is to listen to such an advice when you are doing utterly bad. But unfortunately no one on this world can tell how that will go if you updose. I also am playing with the thought to really go back to a therapeutic dose and stabilize. But these forums scared the shit out of me with their “kindling” stories. For which there isn’t any scientific proof at all. But I’m still scared. So i can somehow fight through my current condition, although it is indescribable bad. But with an adverse reaction of going back to a therapeutic dose, I don’t know at all what would happen. Horowitz suggested me to updose every few days 0,01mg. See the big problem with this advice. There is absolutely no chance that you can be precise enough to measure the 0,01mg. No chance. You will always make errors in the 1/10 area. That was the ultimate reason for me to go back up to 6,6mg from 6,52mg. My primary reason was to have a RELIABLE measuring system. And stabilizing was my second thought but I knew that I won’t stabilize because I never believe that my symptoms are caused by the 4% drop at all. The former drops never caused such a thing. Anyways. Now that I’m back on 6,6mg again, I can measure with a single syringe and can be very very precise. Measuring errors might be in the 1/100. But when I asked Horowitz “what do you think about measuring errors with this 0,0x digit?” He said “well it’s good to be as precise as possible but you can’t be 100% exact.” That’s an expert tip by the way 🤣🤣🤣

Zoloft — 6,52 — 5 years and 9 months — holding | without clinician

Maria A.Oct 5

LighthouseZoloft · active

I think both you and I are in withdrawal and it wasn’t the updose because they were both too small. I was having insomnia and pacing when I was trying to hold at 14.275 too so before I even updosed back to 15 mg. I think I might start doing a reverse updose back up to 25 and just be done with it all. I have a friend who did that and she’s doing much much better. I just can’t do this anymore staying here with my intense anxiety and insomnia. I am also meeting with Mark Horowitz today to talk about how to do it. I’m just absolutely tired of this and can’t continue on like this.

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

LeminaseriOct 5

NavigatorZoloft · holding

"I think both you and I are in withdrawal and it wasn’t the updose because they were both too small. I was having insomnia and pacing when I was trying to hold at 14.275 too so before I even updosed back to 15 mg. I think I might start doing a reverse updose back up to 25 and j..." — @Maria A.

If you decided to updose please make it really really slow and steady. I hope that things will work out for you. I’m thinking about you often! Take care❤️ If you do a very gradual updose, u might find a dose way before 25mg and hold there! Best of luck.

Zoloft — 6,52 — 5 years and 9 months — holding | without clinician

Maria A.Oct 5

LighthouseZoloft · active

Yes I only plan on doing maybe half mg every two weeks or so? Maybe longer. It’s so hard to tell with this crap.

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

LeminaseriOct 5

NavigatorZoloft · holding

"Yes I only plan on doing maybe half mg every two weeks or so? Maybe longer. It’s so hard to tell with this crap." — @Maria A.

That might be already too much. I thought about 0,01mg every few days as Horowitz suggested.

Zoloft — 6,52 — 5 years and 9 months — holding | without clinician

⭐

CatinaOct 5

Community AnchorEffexor

"I am also meeting with Mark Horowitz today to talk about how to do it" — @Maria A.

Let us know how it goes Maria. I hope you get some answers.

⭐

CatinaOct 5

Community AnchorEffexor

"Yes I only plan on doing maybe half mg every two weeks or so? Maybe longer. It’s so hard to tell with this crap." — @Maria A.

Maybe you need to hold longer between reductions - like a month. I don't think I could handle bi-weekly reductions, even if they were small. I'm very sensitive.

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