friend just got zoloft increased, from 100 to 150 m.g?

Question

she is extremely edgy irritated and cannot sleep. she said she feels like shes going crazy. any suggestions?

Answer 1

Dosage increases can take some getting used to, so if she can tolerate it she might want to just wait a week or so and see if the side effects subside. If it's really creating a problem for her, she should call her psychiatrist. They may have her go back to the old dosage, switch her to something else, or prescribe a second medication to control the side effects.

When I had my Zoloft increased to 150 mg I started having some problems with hyperesthesia. If I touched my nose or scratched an itch I would feel very nervous and ittitable. My psychiatrist added Buspar and it seems to be helping.

Answer 2

Zoloft is an SSRi not a tricyclic antidepressant. If her doc has increased the dosage it's because the 100 mg is not effective enough, and I think the docs do this when we're going through some major crisis that the regular dosage doesn't seem to give us enough coping muscle!

If it's not because of a major crisis but just because the meds aren't effective enough, then the doc is just trying a different dosage .. it varies from person to person so they'll have to try different dosages before settling on one that seems to give her the most equilibrium.

She can talk to her doc and tell her how she feels, the doc may recommend cutting it down a little like to 125 mg, or maybe changing the time of day that the med is taken .. you mentioned she cannot sleep .. does she take her Zoloft after dinner? I found that when I did that, my mind would race and it would be awful trying to get to sleep. We (my doc and I) changed the timing and I started taking it in the morning after breakfast instead, and I haven't had that problem since.

PS It's important not to take it on an empty stomach and "breakfast" should mean more than a cup of coffee and a cigarette! Otherwise it gets absorbed too fast.

Answer 3

if none of the above are of any help to her after a trial of a few weeks for the new dosage to be effective, perhaps it might be time to look into switching the medication.. I have had great results with similar prescription dosages of Lamictal and Seroquel.. lost the edginess and irratibility without sacrificing the natural feelings and emotions that life throws at ya.. just an option.. as always.. doctor and patient know best :)

Answer 4

She needs to tell her therapist this. Maybe they will perscribe her something lower, so that she doesnt get these side effects.

This is what is happening to your friend... Zoloft regulates serotonin by making sure that your brain can use its supply of serotonin and put it to good use. Serotonin is in charge of good things, like being happy, energetic, sex drive, all that kind of stuff. So when you have too much, it lets go of too much serotonin, and a huge side effect of that is that you get edgy instead of happy.

Answer 5

Just give that increase in dosage some time. Those are trycyclic antidepressants they take about 14 days to get good in her system, even with the increase in dosage.

Answer 6

prayer