This comes directly from my journal, so it’s personal and raw. Ha! And you thought I was already bearing the depths of my soul! Just wait…
Circumstance and idea have just aligned; I’m off Zoloft cold turkey. I didn’t plan on doing it this way, but my prescription ran out, and my doctor wanted to see me before renewing it. I was feeling stubborn and thought “fuck it,” I’m going for it.
It is ill-advised, I know. I’ve been off it five days, and I can tell. It’s five days til my period — also not ideal. I feel sad on and off, apropos of nothing, or because of a mildly poignant book or TV show. I have a strong need to be alone. That’s the standard PMDD stuff. I even got so agitated yesterday, I went for a run which started out as a sprint and ended with hiking and sitting by the creek with the moss and the ferns.
There are some unusual symptoms — maybe meds withdrawal. There’s a weird, persistent backache and an odd spaciness like I’m a little high. It’s particularly noticeable when I turn my head and my vision seems to wobble.
My immediate goal is to get through the next five or six days, take care of myself, and not lose it completely. My hope is, over the next few months, things will even out, and my coping skills will be enough that PMDD is manageable.
My core motivation for going off meds (aside from the stubborn, “you’re not the boss of me” reason for the cold-turkey approach) is…a lot of things:
- I don’t like being dependent on them.
- Maybe I would have more energy.
- Maybe my memory would be better.
- Maybe I’d stop gaining weight and having to buy new clothes.
I kinda hate to admit that last one, but it’s there if I’m being completely honest.
One of my mantras, when I start to get all bogged down in PMDD thoughts about the world being no more than a confusing mess of meaningless drivel, is, “This isn’t real; this too shall pass.” But I’m not sure I believe it, even on my good days. Even then I wonder if we’re all not just zombies who drank the capitalist Koolaid. It just doesn’t bother me as much then. I need the mantra, true or not, to get me through the hard times. Otherwise, I might implode.
Sometimes the best you can get is, as Allie Brosh says,
Maybe everything isn’t hopeless bullshit.
Just what you want, I know, but it’s hard on your brain to go off meds like that, my friend. It might also make it harder for them to be effective for you again. You can still achieve all your objectives about quitting with a taper!! Wanna make a lunch out of it and I’ll come along to the doc and make you laugh??
Yes, I totally know you are right. I didn’t want to do it this way, and I’m definitely not recommending this approach. It’s just sorta how it happened for me. By the time my doctor called and told me I had to come in to get the prescription updated, I’d already been out of them for three or four days, which is part of what irritated me; it took them nearly a week to get back to me. I know it’s a little childish of me, but I am keeping a close eye on myself to make sure I don’t go too crazy. At this point, I’m committed to it. I appreciate your take on it, though. It’s nice to know my friends care.
I hope you find your way. There are factors related to being the age you are now that may not have been present when you first stated the meds.
Yes, I know you’re right. I am keeping a close eye on myself. I view this as an experiment.