Do antidepressants like zoloft truly mess you up, or are they good?

Question

Your opinion on them, please...I might go on them...

Answer 1

i would not go on them

there are other ways to control your mood

i know what many people would say about that but the truth is that too many people want an easy fix for stuff and you really dont know what you are messing with by taking them.

simple changes to diet and exercise, and otehr lifestyle changes work miracles on depression, and they really change your life for the better, not just covers up the problem.

i truly believe that there is nobody in the world who has a problem with their brain due to a lack of zoloft (or any other AD drug)

aerobic exercise, healthy diet, working out your emotions, and social issues is the way to go if you are up to it. hope you are... all the best whatever you decide

Answer 2

Unfortunately, the only antidepressant that meets that critria is Wellbutrin. :-( Since you have suffered with bulimia, you should never have been put on Wellbutrin in the first place. I'm not sure why that is, but I know it is not recommended for people with eating disorders (or seizure disorders or a head injury...those two make sense though because Wellbutrin has a higher risk of seizures than most antidepressants. ) Hopefully, they will come out with newer antidepressants with less side effects. They say weight gain is the number one complaint with psych meds. Personally, I haven't had to deal with that specific side effect. But I have gone on and then off of Effexor, Lexapro, Celexa, and Zoloft all due to sexual side effects.

Answer 3

Zoloft slightly lightened my general mood at first but did nothing for my anxiety, panic attacks and fits of psychotic rage. It made me a little more easy going but random things would still set me off at unexpected times. My sex drive was pretty low so that got a little messed up. I was on 200mg/day for at least a year before I was weaned off of it. I didn't gain any weight or anything. I stayed off meds for about 3-4 years and I didn't get any worse but I didn't get any better either. I probably wouldn't try Zoloft again since it really didn't do enough for me.

This year, things started getting bad again and eventually I couldn't take it anymore and I was crying, fighting and feeling suicidal and having paranoid delusions every day. I got on Lexapro and Ativan for the anxiety. I'm still very depressed and occasionally freak out still. Last week, I was very suicidal and felt hopeless as if I wasn't even on any meds so my doctor upped the dose of both meds. I haven't been on this dose long enough to know if it's really working yet. I haven't had any weight gain yet. If anything, I don't have much of an appetite. I'm a little drowsy sometimes, especially from the Ativan. Nothing is working for my anger/rage problem but the Ativan is a sedative so it does help to keep me a little more calm for now.

Answer 4

The question is, what is the cost vs. benefit of taking the drug? Understanding this, you'll have to evaluate whether the side effects are minimal compared to the benefits they provide in your quality of life.

Everyone is sensetive to the side effects of antidepressants, where they are usually mild and dissipate within the first two weeks of taking it. Despite the stereotype that antidepressants make you feel like a "zombie" or stupid - SSRI's work on increasing the availability of serotonin, which will essentially increase your quality of mood and state of well being. That's how it works on your depression/anxiety disorder.

Zoloft, which is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), where all serotogenic drugs come with the following short term side effects;

Nausea, diziness, headaches, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, insomnia.

All of these go away, except for the weight gain and sexual dysfunction. In this case, if you choose to go with the medication, you can control the weight gain, by exercising and eating balanced. The loss of labido can be offset by adding another drug called Wellbutrin, in low doses. Wellbutrin also helps in losing weight. However, there are exceptions; I've taken an SSRI for an extended period of time and did not experience those side effects at all. This varies per individual.

Now, we haven't gotten into the story for why you are considering Zoloft, as it is used for many different types of conditions, but primarily for major depression.

Costs; Living with depression while avoiding the side effects.

Benefits; Living with side effects, however, minimizing depression.

You're going to have to make certain lifestyle changes to deal with any drug, this means eating healthier and exercising, which will improve how the drug works. Since you're in a position where your seeking medication to change certain aspects of your life, you seem open to lifestyle changes already, where I would suggest you go with the medication, exercise and eat healthy. If you already exercise and eat healthy, the choice will be even easier.

Answer 5

Everyone is different. When I took Zoloft, I found it to make me feel jumpy and I lost my appetite. My best friend is on Zoloft, though, and feels wonderful. I went through a bunch of different antidepressants until I found one that worked best for me. I will warn you against taking Effexor, though, because it has been proven to be HIGHLY difficult to quit taking. It has the shortest half life of any of the related drugs and therefore if you accidentally miss a dose you will become very ill.

Answer 6

I take 200 mg a day of Zoloft. It helps control my PMS, it helps me not overeat, and it makes me easier to live with in general.

Answer 7

I am on zoloft and have found it quite effective. It has not messed me up

Answer 8

Celexa has worked wonders for me. Sometimes a brain just doesn't work as it should and it needs some help working properly, as in feeling happy. Anti-depressants are what make them work better. I love my Celexa! PS-I truly believe though that they will only work if your brain truly needs them, as in those whose brains have that imbalance which makes them depressed. People who say they are worthless or that they shouldn't be taken probably didn't have a "real" problem to begin with. Just my two cents...

Answer 9

im on a high dose of zoloft and i find it helpful to keep me on an even keel, as opposed to not being able to get outta bed or mood swings.

Answer 10

certain antidepressants work better for different people you'll doctor will be able to best determine this. it may take a little time to get it balanced so keep your doc imformed how you are feeling they may need to increase the dosage or decrease it.