Zoloft Question?

Question

My doctor prescribed Zoloft today but I won't be able to get it until Friday since I don't get paid until then. I was just wondering what kind of experiences that any of you have had/are having with Zoloft. All responses are welcome!

I am going to be taking it for depression and anxiety. I was taking Prozac but it's not worth crap. I am also starting therapy next week.

Answer 1

Just wanted to correct some info here because it greatly disturbs me when I see inaccurate info. The ceiling dose (maximum) of Zoloft is 200mg and few people respond at 50mg, more respond at 100mg, but most require 150mg minimally. It takes 2 weeks to begin to work (max benefit usually achieved at 4 weeks, but benefit is often dose related) so the person who described a "high" after one dose was experiencing a placebo effect and nothing more. Further, the kid who killed his family abused the medication, taking way more than prescribed and beyong the ceiling dose. All the SSRI's have been associated with increased risk of suicide in the early stages of treatment and particularly with adolescents. But know also that there has always been an increased risk of suicide in treating depression, even with older meds, in the beginning stages and there's a reason: many times depressed folks with suicidal thoughts lack the energy to carry it out and the meds tend to improve energy fairly rapidly in relation to mood symptoms themselves. Put a depressed and suicidal person together with increased energy and you can have that result. That is one theory of what happens, but not necessarily the only explanation. The black box warning is a response to this, but it isn't unheard of at all with the tricyclics or MAO's either. It seems worse with the SSRI's, but perhaps that's because they work so much faster.
What anti-depressants treat most effectively are the vegetative symptoms of depression, specifically: low energy, poor sleeping, decreased appetite, poor concentration or slowed thinking and anhedonia (loss of interest). So no, it's far from a happy pill. The actually mood symptoms do respond, but more slowly and less dramatically than the other symptoms.
I took Zoloft myself for several years and it literally was a miracle. Unfortunately it pooped out after a few years, as sometimes happened, and I switched to Paxil. I did manage to get off meds without a return of symptoms (2 years now) after I discontinued depo-provera which I suspect exacerbated symptoms to a clinical level. Zoloft and all the SSRI's are good meds, but it is very individual and it may take time to find what works for you. I say this on the basis of 20 years as a psychotherapist and multiple opportunities to see how different meds work for different people.
Report any side effects to your doc and don't adjust the meds without consulting the doc. Give them at least 2-3 weeks at each dose level before you judge whether they are working or not.
Good luck and keep trying, if Zoloft doesn't work there are others, but it may be just the ticket for you. It was for me and countless others.

Answer 2

Zoloft is an excellent drug for many things, including anxiety or depression. However, all people react differently to medications so there's no pat answer and you will probably need to wait a few weeks until it kicks in for your particular symptoms get better.
Ofttimes a general practitioner will just dose a patient and then let it go from there. The best thing is for a qualified psychiatrist to dose a patient and evaluate them periodically.
Just for your info, you might ask your doctor for some samples to tide you over until you get them on Friday. Often a drugstore might give you a few extra pills in advance of the prescription if the meds are non-addictive. You should ask your doctor also about what the possible side effects are and under what circumstances should you contact him.
Be your own advocate: read about it on the Zoloft website, ask questions, and if the script seems not to work by all means let your doctor know.
*** I just read your addition to your question. Therapy is absolutely the best way to go, after stabilization with medication.

Answer 3

While you are on zoloft, you will lose your sex drive, but
don't worry cause it will come back.
I took zoloft and after eight weeks I felt great. I felt happy
all the time. I felt positive about everything. But after taking
it for about six months, I started to feel very angry and I
would yell at people and I became depressed. I stopped
taking it because even though doctors prescribe it to help
people, some times it can have the opposite effect.
Be careful.

Answer 4

1. You have to be patient for the effects to kick in..it took me about 2 months until I felt a slight improvement
2. it sort of gave me a "fake high" too, I felt better than I did in 5 years, & then BAM the next week everything went down again. So be prepared for mood swings. You may want to ask your doctor about a mood stabilizer
3. The drug's effectiveness seemed to wear off after month 4 (for me). If this happens, ask your doctor to increase your dose. But be aware that you may get into slumps, & sometimes antidepressants can even make you worse.
4. Zoloft did make me slightly better & got me out of a pretty deep hole, but it's no miracle pill...& if it doesn't work for you, I recommend looking into other antidepressants until you find the right mood booster

however, every person's response to a psychotropic drug is going to be different. Best of luck!

Answer 5

I am currently on Zoloft. I have been on it for over a year. I personally did not feel any bad side effects not even when I first started taking it. At first I was only taking 50mg a day but now I take 100mg. That's the most that is prescribed. I feel much better taking it. Hope everything works out for you.

Answer 6

I actually was prescribed Zoloft in my senior year of High School for anxiety attacks. Zoloft has been up for contoversy, because many of those that have taken the medication have committed suicide and or have really horrible nightmares.

Um, actually a teenager killed his entire family a couple years ago and they were using Zoloft as a defense. And there has also been talk about "black boxing" Zoloft with a suicide warning or drastic mood changes.

I ended up not taking it and figuring out another ways to deal with my anxiety other than medications.

Answer 7

It will do one thing for you. Keep you from getting in that muddy, real depressed zone. As far as bringing hapiness into your life you still have to do that. This is not a happy pill. This pill will only prevent things from getting real low for you. It will hopefully pop you out of the slump and let you have the energy to think clearer and make choices that will lead to change and good times in the future.

Start the meds when you get them, give them two weeks before you judge how well you feel, and keep taking them until the doc. says stop. Taking them sporatically is not a good idea. Take them as prescribed and you will feel better.

best wishes.

Answer 8

I felt really dazed when I was taking it. Wasn't depressed anymore but I was kinda in my own world. Nothing really phazed me at all. Give it 2 weeks to kick in and if you don't like the effects go back to your doctor. Sometimes it takes a little while to find the drug you need to get proper results. Hang in there.

Answer 9

Ask you doctor about Paxil,Really helps with anxiety(and depression caused by it) my friend.

From personal experience I can say that a dose of confidence is more powerful than any of those medications,but thats not something a drug company will tell you.

Answer 10

Your psychiatrist is the expert on this matter. Must communicate and follow your doctor's recommendations. Expensive or cheap is not the issue. All medication works very different on different people.