Jump to content

Cold turkey from Zoloft then Valium and alcohol. Messed up in the head


[Pe...]

Recommended Posts

Had been on Zoloft for 12 years and felt great. Didn’t know anything about tapering off them and just decided to stop one day as I was feeling great with life. A week later I had a very stressful event at work happen and all of a sudden I started having massive panic attacks. Went to my Doctor and told him I thought i was going crazy as I’d never really had a panic attack like these. He said I should get back on the Zoloft and wrote me a couple of scripts for Valium to help. Was only suppose to have the Valium once a day for a week. Never had Valium before and after the first full tablet, slept like a baby and felt good. So I started drinking alcohol heavily every afternoon and then having Valium every night so I could pass out. Did this every night for about a month and started to notice that I needed more Valium to get the same result and sleep right though. Googled why i would need to up the dose and found a lot of articles on the dangers of abusing Benzo’s. Scared me so I stop straight away. About 24hrs later I was having Crippling panic attacks far worse then the initial ones and they were constant for days and days... Didn’t sleep for 10 days straight. Torture.. Ive never really been super depressed in the past just had a bit of anxiety and would lose my temper from it, but since I went cold turkey from the Zoloft then the Valium (forgot to add I stopped Alcohol straight up as well and I’ve been drinking heavily for 20years) I have become super depressed, had very depressing thoughts and just in general shit thoughts all day since I went cold turkey 3months ago. Feeling like Shit 24/7 isn’t fun.

 

(edit: SI reference removed)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[a3...]

Please try to not freak out.  You'll be fine.  The anxiety you're feeling doesn't last forever.  Your sleep will eventually return. 

 

How many days now without any valium/Zoloft?  It might serve you to reinstate a low dose of valium and do a proper taper.  Definitely good to stay away from alcohol for a while.

 

I've found it helps to stay busy.  Doesn't give the mind as much time to cycle negative thoughts.  Stay away from drama - you don't need more fuel for anxiety right now.  Practice compassion - especially with yourself.

 

I did a minor edit of your post.  We frown on use of the 's' word as it upsets some folks.  I replaced it with 'very depressing'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh I am so sorry...we all know how you feel. As badsocref said you may want to reinstate the benzo and do a proper taper bc your body is in shock bc so much has ben ripped away in a short time.

This is a journey - but very doable.

I was polydrugged and was in tolerance for a year unknowingly. I am still healing but I can see light at the end of the tunnel now. It gets better - it takes time. 

You can do this:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks. The GP I was seeing had no idea. Seeing a psychiatrist now who put me straight back on the Zoloft 2 months ago at 100mg a day. Don’t feel any better though. He said taking the Valium for a month and drinking heavily with it at a time when my brain was already messed up because I’d gone cold turkey with the Zoloft had most probably made things a lot worse. Instead of withdrawing from one drug I made it two. He said the Benzo depending on my mental state at the time which was terrible has really made things bad. Not sure how to get better in the head. Constantly feel depressed and have bad days and then I have really bad days with negative thoughts. You say not to freak out but I’ve never ever have been so depressed and definitely never had a super negative thought in my life but now everyday is a struggle and it’s always, will I ever feel better again? When the full melt down started after I stopped the Valium Cold Turkey I continued to drink everyday cause in the past the Booze always made me have a laugh, the more I drank the better I felt, but since stopping the Valium if I have even one beer I start feeling bad then after half a dozen I feel so depressed I take myself home. It’s got to have something to do with the Valium because in 20 years of drinking I’ve never felt sad when drinking but now I feel so depressed if I have a beer. Why does this occur? I’ve gone Cold Turkey from the Booze now for 2.5 weeks.  Thanks for the advise and help.

 

edit: SI

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[ca...]

I'm sorry, it's already a mess. One shouldn't cold-turkey antidepressant after long-term use. Some people can't even taper off (or increase the dose) the antidepressant after long term use. I'm sure adding more drugs to already destabilized nervous system from sertraline cold-turkey is a bad idea. Being on a benzo long-term to cover up antidepressant cold-turkey could've worked, but then you'd have benzos to get off of, which is why good folks at SA forums advise against that.

 

http://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/7562-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-reduce-withdrawal-symptoms/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...