Follow the journey of a woman quitting zoloft cold turkey.

Disclaimer

I am a writer and quitting zoloft my own way while sharing the journey with you, dear readers. In no way am I suggesting that anyone reading this blog decide to quit zoloft without a doctor's advice & supervision. Please see your doctor first. Ask them for advice. I am not a doctor, nor am I in any position to offer you anonymous readers advice. But I can share my story and that's what I choose to do. So please read on & share your thoughts in the comments section.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Day 1 of Quitting Zoloft

I knew that quitting zoloft cold turkey would be tough. I've read all the warnings against it and was prepared for some withdrawal symptoms like head aches, blurry vision, aches & pains. Before I go on, I should say that I'm not recommending that anyone else do this. I am just determined to get off the antidepressants and need to do this my way. I also happen to be a writer so figured I should write about my journey. So with that disclaimer out of the way, let's continue with the first 24 hours.

I started yesterday with the blog, went for a bike ride to clear my head & listened to Tony Robbins. I have to admit that I love his voice & just listening to him speak about taking action for your self & your goals really helps me. But while I was listening to the CD, I fell asleep - at 8:00pm! I mentioned in my previous post that one of the reasons I want off zoloft is that it makes me so damn tired. So in my first day of not taking zoloft, what happens? I'm exhausted!

So off I went to bed, figuring it's better just to give in than to fight it. I had planned to wake up at 6:30 and get up and go for a walk before doing anything else. I wanted to listen to more of Tony Robbins & really get focused on my day & why I'm putting myself through the pains of quitting antidepressants. So what happened next you ask?

Well - let me tell ya. When they say you'll get head aches when you quit zoloft they weren't kidding. I swear to God, I thought my head was in a vice - like the clamp they show you to use in wood shop. I have migraine head aches somewhat regularly (another symptom of PMDD, the reason I went on Zoloft in the first place) but this head ache was completely different.

I turned over & went right back to bed. What's the point in waking up with that kind of pain?! So an hour later, I crawled out of bed & the head ache was gone. It returned around 6:00pm tonight, as I was walking along the ocean listening to my ipod.

I also experienced some blurry vision which for a writer is kind of tough. It made it difficult to write emails but not impossible. Just weird really. My thoughts are fairly clear - I am not depressed or sad or irrational or crying all the time. I'm also not suicidal & I never have been so that's a relief.

I was able to work no problem, and haven't napped once today. Don't get me wrong, I like a good nap. But I shouldn't need to sleep every afternoon after getting a full night's sleep and working from home. I make my own hours & have a job I absolutely love, so really - napping shouldn't be a part of my daily routine. I was very happy to feel energetic & like I could actually get everything done in the day that I wanted to and then some more.

I've been taking Omega 3 before each meal & I am making dinner with salmon (wild), broccoli & sweet potatos. Yum. So, I'm doing the right things.

So far so good right?

Oh and I should tell you this funny thing - after being in a complete fog for months, not excercizing, gaining weight & generally feeling pretty crap, suddenly today I told my sister I could do ANYTHING. And I meant it. Kite surfing! Sky diving! Rock climbing! Ballroom dancing! I can do all of those things & more! I was so excited to share my excitement with her.

Being off Zoloft is pretty good so far. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

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