caledonia
Senior Member
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I forgot to mention, they are non-addictive as well.
No, that's the propaganda the drug companies tell you. They're actually horribly addictive. Case in point, I'm 4.5 years into what will be a 9 year taper from Zoloft, which I was on at full dose for 12 years.
When I tried coming off faster than that, I experienced a horrendous withdrawal syndrome with akathisia and OCD thoughts - things I had never experienced before. It took me the better part of a year to gradually reinstate the drug and recover from that. In other words, reinstating the drug stopped the withdrawal symptoms, just like heroin, benzos, nicotine or any addictive drug.
What the drug companies tell you is that you've become mentally ill with a different sickness and you need to be on some kind of drug for life. The psychiatric nurse practitioner I was working with on reinstatement was parroting this.
I've been well below a therapeutic dose of Zoloft for several years now, and have no anxiety symptoms to speak of (what I originally went on it for). If I miss a dose or try to reduce too much too fast I get OCD thoughts or even akathisia - new symptoms I've never had before taking this drug.
So I clearly no longer need this drug, yet, I can't stop taking it because I will become very sick. Sounds like an addiction to me.