advice about zoloft?

Question

Okay so I made it to the 6th day of zoloft at 25mg. Im still feeling very tired and I feel like Im on a roller coaster. Sometimes I feel stable, sometimes numb, and sometimes depressed and anxious. In a few days they want me to take 50mg . . .if my side effects are like this won't they worsen? I just want to feel semi normal again. Any advice or support would be great.

Answer 1

Your body will need a few days/ or weeks to adjust
Jut stick with it and discuss the side effects with your Dr before taking the 50 mg

Answer 2

You need to talk to your doctor about it. If you suffer from depression it could be those symptoms worsening and the Zoloft hasn't kicked in yet. You want to try to give it a full two weeks. If you think it's making you tired, take it at a different time. If you're taking it in the morning or during the day take it at night and vise versa.

You absolutely need to discuss this with your doctor first and foremost. You need to tell him you are not comfortable taking a higher dose because you can barely function as it is on a lower dose. He can make the right determination for you. If he still tries to up your dose without trying to take it at a different time in spite of your concerns, then it's time for a second opinion.

Unless there is a resident doctor here on this forum, nobody can safely tell you what to do. It has to be a decision between you and your doctor. The two of you need to figure out if these side effects are from depression worsening or from the side effects of the Zoloft and I personally think it should be done before you go on a higher doseage.

This is the experience I have had with taking a few antidepressants over the years.

Answer 3

I have been on Zoloft 50mg once a day for over a year. Sounds like the side effects you are having is side effects from depression not the zoloft. It takes about two weeks to feel abit "better" and have more energy. Even though you are on Zoloft, its not the entire cure. You will go up and down and have bad days where you just have to be kind to yourself and take it easy. I still have bad days where I dont feel like leaving the house etc but you get over it on to the next day. Set little goals and aim at achieving things only you have wanted to always do, will make you feel abit better.
Ignore the stigma attached to antidepressants, its a medical condition and its not your fault you unfortunately are suffering depression. Statistics state everyone will be affected by depression at least once in their life.
"Taming the Black Dog" is a good read about depression.
Zoloft is not an over night cure but it wont be long before you notice the difference if you stick with it!
I dont think there will be any difference in the side effects if you increase the dose except good ones. Goodluck.

Answer 4

Six days is not enough time to feel much difference, and it is a low dose right now. Once they up the dose, and it is in your blood stream more, you should start feeling better. What you are feeling is not an uncommon side effect. I would not go off it now, you have to give any antidepressant time to work. Zoloft is one of the old time meds, the trials are done. Unlike some of the new ones. I have been on Paxil and Zoloft and many more, and any antidepressant will stop working after a certain time. Then you will need to switch up, but not for at least a year.

Answer 5

being on zoloft myself, here are a few facts about the drug that might calm your mind:
1. it does work and i consider it the best anti-depressant available at this time in psychiatric history
2. it takes a good 6-8 weeks for the drug to really show consistent signs of helping---very slow acting
3. increasing the dosage is customary to let you body become adjustd to the drug
4. within 3-4 weeks you'll begin to experience a lifting of the symptoms that are plaguing you. things will only get better after that point until you reach the point where you realize all the pain and suffering is abated.
5. do not reduce your dosage or stop taking it completely, without prior approval from your doctor. when coming off this drug you need to do so in small baby steps. anything less may causes seizures and a rebound manifestation of all the symptoms of depression, but at a more severe level.
you are on the road to recovery. it may be bumpy for a few weeks, but keep in mind that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Answer 6

I have been on Zoloft for 5 years now. My dad is on it. My 20 yr. old daughter is on it for anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Unfortunately, we can inherit depression.
I hate it. However, it has worked for my daughter and me. It takes alot longer than six days. I worked my way up to 100mg a day that I take at night....My daughter is on 50mg....and don't get off of it cold turkey. I tried that once and it was horrible. I couldn't stop crying and I thought about suicide. Scary.
I even tried to switch to Celexa because I thought Zoloft made me gain weight and my hair fall out some. But Celexa didn't work and I went back to Zoloft. I read in one of your answers that someone wrote, that you could become immune to it and may need to switch up now and then....I haven't ever heard that.
Maybe. But keep you chin up, and realize that there still will be bad days but not that many. We are human by the way...lol.
Hugs and kisses and best wishes from a fellow Zolofter!! ha ha

Answer 7

I was on Zoloft for about a year. It takes a good two weeks to stabilize. If you don't want the feeling you were having to get prescribed Zoloft in the first place, I would try to stick it out for a full two weeks and then make a decision.

Answer 8

I would definatley callyour doctor about your symptoms. I know for the tired part they had me change the time of day I took it. .25 is a very very small dose so the roller coaster eeffect could be that the highs are what zoloft does for you and the low are when the medicine is running low.

Answer 9

I only took it for a couple of weeks,I think.Maybe a month.I had to stop taking it because it made me so hyper I couldn't stand it.I talked non-stop and was so jittery I couldn't control my shaking sometimes.My mood was great,but everything else sucked.You should improve,but I wouldn't rush to increase the dosage.Two weeks at 25 should tell you if you're going to be able to tolerate it.You just might not be able to take that particular drug.I've not found anything I can take long term,so I just gave it all up.At least I have 0 side effects! Good luck and take care of yourself.Stand up for yourself if you need to.It's YOUR care,you should be in charge.

Answer 10

People who say it takes at least 2 weeks (usually 4 or more) for it to start working are correct. Somone in my family began taking it and after about a month, said he felt "normal", for the first time ever. It wasn't a huge, sudden change, just gradual. He loved Zoloft, but sadly, after a year or so, it began not working. This also happens a lot. Also, if you drink heavily, that alone usually causes temporary depression. The "cure" is to stop drinking or limit it to 1-2 drinks per day, tops. Other reason for a doctor diagnosing depression are discussed in some articles I've quoted below.

You say you have anxiety as well. This leads me to question whether you might be misdiagnosed as depressed, when you may have an anxiety disorder. Nowadays, tranquilizers are "Frowned upon" by the medical community, mostly due to their addictive qualities and the # of people who have overdosed on them. Instead, many doctors tend to prescribe antidepressants to those who are not really depressed. This can have drastic consequences! Some people who take anti-depressants but are not actually depressed, can experience increased anxiety, hostility, acting out and even violen episodes. (A recent book, "The Eli Lily Suicides", discusses these and would be worth checking out.) I'm not saying you're suicidal (!), just that you should learn more about anti-depressants and whether or not you are really depressed. (that is, get a second opinion).

If, for example, you're anxious rather than truly depressed, tranquilizers can work quite well ,with careful supervision, for people, either short term, for regular anxiety (Usually in conjunction w/therapy), or long-term, for those w/panic disorder.

On one site, the effectiveness of Zoloft is questioned : "Most people are unaware of the fact that Zoloft and drugs like it are not particularly effective in the treatment of depression or other “mental disorders” for which they are approved and prescribed. Pfizer and the other drug manufacturers do not want consumers to be aware of this fact. The truth is, however, that in clinical trials, Zoloft often proved no more effective than placebo". (1)

In a recent article, other causes for "depression-like" symptoms are listed, as well as various treatments: "Medical News Summary (summary of medical news story as reported by Press Herald): A physician points out that depression can be associated with tearfulness, profound inertia, anxiety, insomnia and anhedonia. This depression is often a chemical imbalance which can be treated by an anti-depressant which takes several weeks to take effect. Talk therapy can also be hugely beneficial. However, conditions such as hypothyroidism, anemia, substance abuse and sleep apnea may also be misdiagnosed as depression.(2)

At another site, several other causes for depression or depressive symptoms are investigated (this is an excellent site):
"Depression tends to be an over-diagnosed condition and various other diagnoses are possible. Simple emotional situations such as grief may be misdiagnosed as depression (though grief can also trigger true depression), and such situations lead to over-diagnosis of depression with over-prescription of antidepressants.

There are also various medications and drug interactions that can lead to depression syndromes. Several alternative diagnoses, such as bipolar disorder (especially bipolar II disorder), delirium, dementia [usually in the elderly-parenthes mine], thyroid disorders, fibromyalgia, CFS, PTSD, and others are also possible causes of depressive symptoms."(3)

I don't know if you are really clinically depressed or not, but it is worth making SURE that is really your condition, especially since the side effects of Zoloft are troubling you. A full physical and some tests should be done by your regular doctor.

Good luck!