Need advice
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,366
Need advice
I'm 31 days sober! Woohoo!
My doctor gave me a plan to taper off Zoloft and now I'm completely off it. I've been having brain zaps, irritability and emotional for the past 15-20 hours. I had a few small crying spells last night. I was taking the Zoloft for anxiety but once i quit drinking I realized my anxiety mostly stemmed from hangovers/withdrawals. So I decided with the ok from my dr to quit. (Mainly because it is affecting my libido). How long will it take me to readjust? When I drank I cried daily with or without Zoloft. Sober and Zoloft I haven't cried. But sober and no Zoloft, a little emotional.
Next topic: my stepson is turning 16 next month. His mom told us last night she was taking him to Talladega races for 5 days for his birthday. She insinuated there would be "mardi gras" beads. My husband replied and said just make sure he's safe. She said of course. He said make sure he doesn't get drunk. She said "well he won't be getting "drunk". My husband asked if we could go, she said yes, he said but I don't want to be around a bunch of drunks, she said well you probably don't want to go then. I know this is not the first time he will be exposed to alcohol and if I were drinking like we used to probably I wouldn't have gave it a second thought. But now I'm concerned. I just don't really want him to be around drunk naked people. But he's not my son, but my stepson. He's a good kid and I trust him but I don't trust all the others that will be there. An I overreacting? Should we (me and hubby) just have a private conversation with him about safety and our concerns for this trip?
My doctor gave me a plan to taper off Zoloft and now I'm completely off it. I've been having brain zaps, irritability and emotional for the past 15-20 hours. I had a few small crying spells last night. I was taking the Zoloft for anxiety but once i quit drinking I realized my anxiety mostly stemmed from hangovers/withdrawals. So I decided with the ok from my dr to quit. (Mainly because it is affecting my libido). How long will it take me to readjust? When I drank I cried daily with or without Zoloft. Sober and Zoloft I haven't cried. But sober and no Zoloft, a little emotional.
Next topic: my stepson is turning 16 next month. His mom told us last night she was taking him to Talladega races for 5 days for his birthday. She insinuated there would be "mardi gras" beads. My husband replied and said just make sure he's safe. She said of course. He said make sure he doesn't get drunk. She said "well he won't be getting "drunk". My husband asked if we could go, she said yes, he said but I don't want to be around a bunch of drunks, she said well you probably don't want to go then. I know this is not the first time he will be exposed to alcohol and if I were drinking like we used to probably I wouldn't have gave it a second thought. But now I'm concerned. I just don't really want him to be around drunk naked people. But he's not my son, but my stepson. He's a good kid and I trust him but I don't trust all the others that will be there. An I overreacting? Should we (me and hubby) just have a private conversation with him about safety and our concerns for this trip?
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
Not sure how long the WD from zoloft might take...did your doctor give any indication of how long it might last?
Regarding your stepson, I don't see a problem sitting down and discussing the trip with him...if he's got a good head on him he should be fine.
Regarding your stepson, I don't see a problem sitting down and discussing the trip with him...if he's got a good head on him he should be fine.
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: mountain states, Montana and Wyoming
Posts: 246
IMHO what you do with your son is a personal decision.
IRt the Zoloft, everyone works different, and the brain zaps etc can not happen at all or they can stay with you for a period of time. what you can count on, is they will be less frequent all the time so the longer you are off of it the less side effects you will have. Not a doctor, but it is somewhat atypical to use Zoloft for anxiety, usually used as an AD. Getting off of meds is difficult. I think by not drinking you will even out in your moods and the depression and anxiety will become less.
Good luck to you!
IRt the Zoloft, everyone works different, and the brain zaps etc can not happen at all or they can stay with you for a period of time. what you can count on, is they will be less frequent all the time so the longer you are off of it the less side effects you will have. Not a doctor, but it is somewhat atypical to use Zoloft for anxiety, usually used as an AD. Getting off of meds is difficult. I think by not drinking you will even out in your moods and the depression and anxiety will become less.
Good luck to you!
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
First, it will take as long as it takes to feel normal, ya know? Any time a drug is withdrawn there will be an adjustment period, ask your doctor for specifics.
Second, if I were given an opportunity at 16 to go to Talledega, it would be something I'd remember as a great experience, regardless (and maybe because of) drunk naked people. For what it's worth, nudity is not really allowed and would be rare. They take nude (and obviously drunk) people into custody.
16 is old enough to handle seeing that. Of course you should talk to him about drinking himself, but realistically he's almost grown and will do what he wants. It's grandparents who are taking him? Sounds awesome.
Second, if I were given an opportunity at 16 to go to Talledega, it would be something I'd remember as a great experience, regardless (and maybe because of) drunk naked people. For what it's worth, nudity is not really allowed and would be rare. They take nude (and obviously drunk) people into custody.
16 is old enough to handle seeing that. Of course you should talk to him about drinking himself, but realistically he's almost grown and will do what he wants. It's grandparents who are taking him? Sounds awesome.
Sober since 10th April 2012
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Perth, Western Australia
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From my own experience of Zoloft, your withdrawal symptoms sound about right. If your teariness and depression continue, you might want to discuss another type of AD with your doctor, one that doesn't affect your libido.
Leave your SS to his parents. It's not like you'll be able to do much about it anyway. Staying sober is your job, and probably just as influential.
Leave your SS to his parents. It's not like you'll be able to do much about it anyway. Staying sober is your job, and probably just as influential.
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 9,029
Hi Jillian, I hated those brain zaps. I had them up to a couple of weeks afterwards but maybe call your doctor to ask. I found that 99% of my anxiety was rooted in the drinking/withdrawal cycle. So it has gotten a lot better.
It's good that you want to talk to your stepson. Maybe you and your husband tell him what your concerns are?
It's good that you want to talk to your stepson. Maybe you and your husband tell him what your concerns are?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,366
Originally Posted by biminiblue 
First, it will take as long as it takes to feel normal, ya know? Any time a drug is withdrawn there will be an adjustment period, ask your doctor for specifics. Second, if I were given an opportunity at 16 to go to Talledega, it would be something I'd remember as a great experience, regardless (and maybe because of) drunk naked people. For what it's worth, nudity is not really allowed and would be rare. They take nude (and obviously drunk) people into custody. 16 is old enough to handle seeing that. Of course you should talk to him about drinking himself, but realistically he's almost grown and will do what he wants. It's grandparents who are taking him? Sounds awesome.
Trudgin
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 6,348
Congrats on 31 days - good start!
For me I found I had lost credibility to tell my 18 yo son much of anything about proper behavior and my concerns about people, places and things when I started in sobriety. He may have listened (sort of ) but it was like the Charlie Brown cartoons of the teacher talking........."Waah wah wah.......blah, wah". None of it sank in.
Talladega is a redneck booze fest. I am sure there are those who go and avoid this part of it, but many are drawn to the event for this very reason. Much like Mardi Gras......
One would hope that his mother would be sensitive to this, but who knows.
Keep coming back!
For me I found I had lost credibility to tell my 18 yo son much of anything about proper behavior and my concerns about people, places and things when I started in sobriety. He may have listened (sort of ) but it was like the Charlie Brown cartoons of the teacher talking........."Waah wah wah.......blah, wah". None of it sank in.
Talladega is a redneck booze fest. I am sure there are those who go and avoid this part of it, but many are drawn to the event for this very reason. Much like Mardi Gras......
One would hope that his mother would be sensitive to this, but who knows.
Keep coming back!
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,366
Just got a call from dr and my pap came back abnormal as ASCUS. she said everything is fine and don't have hpv so to come back in a year for test. Anybody else have this diagnosis but had a normal pap later?
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