Why is it that Zoloft has all the reverse side effects for me?

Question

Common side effects would include increased appetite (leading to weight gain), loss of libido, inabiltity to orgasm, and increased need for sleep.

For me however, is the complete opposite! I have no appetite whatsoever so I lose weight. I have tons of energy when I take it. And, since I've been on it I've been having great sex and my libido is so much higher than before. I'm crazy horny all the time now and because of Zoloft I can now achieve multiple orgasms everyday!

Are all of these effects normal? One of my doctors suspected I was bipolar because SSRI's can induce mania. I was put on Effexor at the highest dose (which is one of the most likely to trigger mania) but I reacted fine to it.

I definitely don't hate these side effects! LOL I was just wondering why it would have the reverse effect on me?

Answer 1

These aren't reverse side effects. Unless you are experiencing mania (and your physician seems to have ruled it out) these "side effects" may be the result of your depression lifting away from you--you feel good, so you eat less, have more energy, and enjoy sex more. This is what antidepressants are supposed to do--help you function normally.

Answer 2

60% is a good number, 50 I hear more often. 80 is probably far, far too high, and no they are not just too depressed to get the side effects, they genuinely do not get them and carry on normal sex lives. Edit: As for 'why' we don't know, other than that serotonin neurons seem to have some sort of influence over sexual function. And honestly? I've never heard of it persisting indefinitely. The wikipedia article lists less than a dozen cases. Given the length and number of prescriptions written, this seems to be an extremely rare side effect - the equivalent of rhabdomyelysis in Statin drugs, or SJS in Ibuprofen. This is absolutely NOT something you should be worried about. These are the only cases I've ever seen where the sexual dysfunction does not go away. The fact that one of these cases wasn't reversed by alprostadil, a drug that... well it's a 'urethral suppository'. Yes, you put it -in there-. That means something very far out of the ordinary is going on. And yes, they are a big deal when you are on the medication, people tend to forget how important sex is in maintaining a happy life, and not having it can make depression worse. Also, remember that you are not guaranteed to get sexual dysfunction on any of these meds, and getting dysfunction on say, Zoloft, in no way implies that you will get it on Celexa, or Lexapro, or Luvox. You can always try another one.

Answer 3

Increased appetite is not a common side effect of Zoloft. In fact, decreased appetite and slight weight loss are much more common.

Answer 4

Actually the "side effects" that you are talking about are rather common. Many people have what are called paradoxical effects from medications. If you are taking Zoloft for depression and it is treating that problem then count your blessings and enjoy the other effects. Best wishes

Answer 5

I Googled: zoloft "increased libido" to find
http://mb.rxlist.com/rxboard/zoloft.pl?noframes;read=3047
which shows that it *has* happened for other people.
Apparently it goes away after a year or so.

http://www.anxiety-and-depression-solutions.com/articles/conventional/pharmaceutical/zoloft.php
lists libido as a "less common side effect"

Answer 6

I would encourage you to pay attention to your doctor - it sounds like Zoloft may have triggered a hypomania episode that could suggestion Bipolor Disorder. You express that you feel better; I'd be careful to attribute your entire experience to Zoloft, continue to talk with your doctor.
Best to you.