Zoloft

I went on Zoloft one week ago and I am miserable as I think my anxiety and depression are worse. Has this happened to anyone else?

Hi Karen,
I used to take Zoloft and for me it took about 5 or 6 weeks before I started feeling better. One of the side affects I enjoyed though, was my appetite decreased considerably. Today I’m taking Lexapro, and they say it’s the “cleanest” anti-depressant with the fewest adverse side affects. If it’s unbarable you need to call your Doctor. If not, you might give it a while longer. Your body might not be able to tolerate Zoloft. And remember, there are a whole bunch of alternatives. You may want to change to something else. If it seems it’s getting worse, I would suggest you call your Doctor, and he can give you something else.
Peace,
Bobby

A week is not long enough for the Zoloft to have maximum effect, Karen. Hang in there a bit longer and see if your symptoms improve. If not, then do speak to your doctor about it. Too many people give up at that point, when medications for emotional illnesses very often need tweaking in terms of dose or type before the are right. I also strongly encourage you to consider therapy along with the medication, because the two together are what are most effective.

I was on Effexor for years and don’t remember it being this tough, felt great right away, but when I tried it again 2 months ago it made me ill as well.

I am trying to go to counseling, but every name that was given to me by friends, MD’s, etc is not in my insurance plan, so now it is like which one do I choose. A psychiatrist was suggested because of meds, but I am just so confused on who to choose, and hence even more anxiety.

Just hung up with my sister crying my eyes out as she said come over an hang out with the kids, but even that to me is overwhelming, how am I going to work this week. I am a mess. Ooooo and my sister’s life is a mess as well with no jobs and kids, but she holds up so much better than me.

Karen

Hi Karen

Everyone is different when it comes to meds and as you said, the same med may work differently at different times, so hang in there with the Zoloft.

As for choosing a therapist, I’m assuming you want someone who is in your insurance plan because otherwise it would be very expensive. If you don’t have any personal references (and even if you do! ) here is what I suggest to find the right therapist for you: shop around! We do that for a new coat and think how much important a therapist is. Think about what it is you want in a therapist: gender, directive or non-directive (do they offer a lot of information/suggestions/opinions or do they spend most of the session just listening); personality, (do you like the warm fuzzy type or the more “professional”); philsophy of treatment-do you know what type of therapy you prefer? length of treatment, ideas on use of meds, etc. Then make an appointment with 2 or 3 likely candidates. Most therapists will provide the first appointment free of charge and will understand that it is an opportunity for you both to decide if it is a good match. Don’t hesitate to “interview” the therapist about their ideas and qualifications. If they have a problem with that, that tells you something right there. Also do mention your diabetes if you feel that is an important factor and ask them if they have any experience or ideas about working with someone with diabetes.

Just FYI many psychiatrists don’t do therapy per se but just “med management” and they are usually much more expensive if they do. Many people see a therapist weekly and a psychiatrist on a less frequent basis just to monitor meds.

Meanwhile, I know it’s hard when you feel overwhelmed. Try and take it one thing at a time and set goals in short steps. One of the things you can learn from therapy is techniques for how to manage symptoms before they get out of hand. Don’t hesitate to send me a private message if you have more questions.
Zoe

You should try amino acids before going to an anti depressant. All anti depressants do is trick your body into thinking it has more of a certain amino acid, and then your body uses it but in the end it actually depletes your body of amino acids that make you not depressed. Try 5-HTP or Tyrosine, both are shown to help with depression and anxiety, GABA is another good one for anxiety. Talk to your doctor about it if they know about this stuff. There are lots of bad side effects from anti depressants so they should be your last resort.

I stopped the Zoloft today. I think it just made me worse, when I feel capable, I will research the 5-HTP and Tyrosine.

I called someone in my network today and she stated she was a social worker and was not a psychologist. She did not seem to know much about diabetes and she had no lunch or evening hours. I did not even like her that well on our phone conversation. So more searching and calling via my health ins. restrictions, this is not easy.

hey Karen, Zoloft is in a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). If your problem is NOT serotonin related it could make you worse. It made my wife miserable, had an effect that was like a continuous anxiety attack. Pls talk to the doc. take care!!!

Joe,

Thank you for your response. I was on Effexor for years which changed my serotonin levels and it worked wonderfully, but everything I have tried in the last 6 months just makes me worse like your wife talks about, one continuous anxiety attack. When I called the MD she stated I would feel worse before I felt better, but when I was on the Effexor I felt better right away, but at that time all I was dealing with was diabetes, now I have a truckload of other issues.

I called MD again last night and told her I went off of it, today was not great, but tonight I feel a bit better off of it. I am now just using Xanax until I figure out my next step. MD now wants me to see a psychiatrist, since I can not sleep, life for me right now is a mess. I am going to start counseling tomorrow and then off to a psychiatrist as I need some sleep and not sure what to do next. Ooooo and by the way all these appointments set me over the edge.

Diabetes, elderly parents, no jobs for relatives (my little nieces parents, losing their house, etc.) including my husband does not make for a great life and I know there is so much worse, but some how my mind is not listening to me.

My day at work is spent hoping for it to be over so perhaps I can sleep, then I am afraid to go to sleep on my ambien because I know I won’t stay asleep, so on and on it goes. I sooooo wish I never went off the Effexor as now that makes me ill as well, when I try to go back on it. I am constantly testing my bgs, because I have lost so much weight my pump settings just are way off and I keep having severe lows. Now my tales of woe sound so trivial compared to what other people suffer through.

Thanks for listening.