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If you do decide to stop it, you want to carefully taper off the stuff, don't just stop as you can get some nasty withdrawal symptoms. Usually they will have you cut the dose in half, stay at that for two or three weeks, cut it again etc.
Whether you should stop meds is a question only you can answer and best in conjunction with a doctor you trust. I get the urge to quit the meds. They can have rotten side effects and there are some nice natural alternatives which will work for some people some of the time.
But be careful with that impulse. One of the hallmarks of mental illness, including depression and especially bipolar, is that the disease pretty well trashes your perspective to make these judgment calls by yourself. All depressives at some point in their illness think they don't need meds because life really does just suck that much and they're seeing life for what it really is. Bipolar folks think they don't need meds because they're simply brilliant during mania and the world should just accept them for the eccentric geniuses they are. Lots of people die of suicide or wind up in prison or the streets by following their own broken compasses...
My advice to you would be to work with a doctor - a specialist if you can, who you trust and who is open to your concerns about side effects and your interest in natural remedies. If you're convinced your doc is a shill for drug companies and the doc is convinced your concerns are all just ways to weasel out of proper treatment, the relationship is doomed and you're not going to get well. The way to get well is through a good partnership like that. Even then, it's a tough climb. It can take years to find just the right mix of meds or other treatments that work for YOU. Your solution might be a lower dose of zoloft, or another drug, or some natural products or a mix of these things plus talk therapy. I don't know that and you don't know what that is and neither will your doctor or anyone else unless you carefully work it all out.
I've struggled with depression especially in winter months, and my magic formula is SAMe, a small dose of deprenyl and phenylalanine. The first and last of these are over the counter health food items. SAMe, St. Johns Wort, Rhodiola and other natural treatments can work for some people. They may or may not be right for you. If you're bipolar, you have to be extra careful because many mood-lifting meds and natural products can induce mania and cycling, or screw with blood levels of other meds you may be on. Some things are safe for almost everyone and can help with both depression and mania to a certain degree, such as fish oil.
Whether you should stop meds is a question only you can answer and best in conjunction with a doctor you trust. I get the urge to quit the meds. They can have rotten side effects and there are some nice natural alternatives which will work for some people some of the time.
But be careful with that impulse. One of the hallmarks of mental illness, including depression and especially bipolar, is that the disease pretty well trashes your perspective to make these judgment calls by yourself. All depressives at some point in their illness think they don't need meds because life really does just suck that much and they're seeing life for what it really is. Bipolar folks think they don't need meds because they're simply brilliant during mania and the world should just accept them for the eccentric geniuses they are. Lots of people die of suicide or wind up in prison or the streets by following their own broken compasses...
My advice to you would be to work with a doctor - a specialist if you can, who you trust and who is open to your concerns about side effects and your interest in natural remedies. If you're convinced your doc is a shill for drug companies and the doc is convinced your concerns are all just ways to weasel out of proper treatment, the relationship is doomed and you're not going to get well. The way to get well is through a good partnership like that. Even then, it's a tough climb. It can take years to find just the right mix of meds or other treatments that work for YOU. Your solution might be a lower dose of zoloft, or another drug, or some natural products or a mix of these things plus talk therapy. I don't know that and you don't know what that is and neither will your doctor or anyone else unless you carefully work it all out.
I've struggled with depression especially in winter months, and my magic formula is SAMe, a small dose of deprenyl and phenylalanine. The first and last of these are over the counter health food items. SAMe, St. Johns Wort, Rhodiola and other natural treatments can work for some people. They may or may not be right for you. If you're bipolar, you have to be extra careful because many mood-lifting meds and natural products can induce mania and cycling, or screw with blood levels of other meds you may be on. Some things are safe for almost everyone and can help with both depression and mania to a certain degree, such as fish oil.