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Special Gummies Can Help Ease Withdrawal

Q. I know many people have had a terrible time coming off sertraline. I wish you would tell people about my experience quitting another medicine, Xanax. It is addictive and very hard to stop.

My doctor had the local compounding pharmacy make up “gummy pills” similar to children’s gummy candies. They put a bit less of the drug in each gummy week by week so that I eventually got down to a minute amount. Although it was slow, it really helped reduce the withdrawal symptoms. I hope this will help others.

A. Thank you for this creative method. It should help those tapering off a drug that is hard to stop. That covers a wide range of medications, from alprazolam (Xanax) to zolpidem (Ambien). Other drugs that are best tapered gradually include clonazepam, citalopram, diazepam, lorazepam, omeprazole, prednisone and venlafaxine.

There is more about the difficulties some people have had stopping sertraline at PeoplesPharmacy.com. Many people offer their own experiences in trying to stop the heartburn medicine omeprazole as well. In addition to compounded medicines with very gradually decreasing doses, other ideas to help discontinue such drugs can be found in our Guides to Digestive Disorders or Dealing with Depression.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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