Any experience with Zoloft?

[5lilfish]

I started taking generic Zoloft yesterday. I have to ask about side effects. First of all, very shortly after taking it I felt like I was going to jump out of my own skin. I was very restless. Then, I went to bed. I fell asleep without any problem but I woke up, and I mean I woke up and there was NO going back to sleep, around 6 1/2 hours later.

Do these side effects go away or do I need to call my doctor?

Thanks...
Jess

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

It really takes a few weeks for your body to adjust to the Zoloft. Many of the side effects are temporary, except the low sex drive...if that ever affects you.

I was on it for several years before I had kids, and thought it worked really well. If you can make it thru the first few weeks, your set.

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Try taking it in the morning instead of before you go to bed - that helps with the sleeping issues (and they do get better over time). Make sure you're starting at the smallest dose, then working up to more if you need it. Zoloft was a life saver for me (although it took me a year to wean off it).

 

[FireDancer]

My only experience with Zoloft was when Mike Tyson was on to "Keep from killing y'all". Every time I hear it now I just hear him saying that.

I wish you luck with the medication though.

 

[Orangeandwild]

I have been on Zoloft for five years now with no real problems with it. I take it for a chemical imbalance I have and it works well.

It does take a month to six weeks to start working fully and little by little you will start feeling better, till one day you will wake up and say to yourself I am feeling so much better than I did.

Take it in the morning or it will keep you awake at night. My bottle even says to be taken first thing every morning

Your doctor will start you on a low dose of it normally and if you need more will gradually increase your dosage until it levels off and you are at the level you need to be. My level has not increased in two years so this must be the dose that is exactly right for me as it is doing it's job fine.

 

[daisax]

I had that side effect of being able to fall asleep but then waking up a few hours later unable to fall back asleep. However, this is the first day taking it, so if it wasn't just a coincidence and it keeps happening, I'd discuss the dosage/timing with your doctor. You may be particularly sensitive to it and need to lower the dose. Don't change the dose or stop taking it without the doctor's guidance, however.

 

[sms]

I have been taking it and it makes me feel so much better. I'm not on the verge of crying all the time now, I find myself not wanting to scream my head off at everyone, and it has helped with a few phobias (claustophobia, and fear of very large crowds), and it also helps with PMS! I take mine before I go to bed and have not had any problems with it. The only side effect I have had was when I tried to stop taking it one time. I got dizzy a couple of times a day and started to get overly emotional again. Then I realized there was no need to stop taking it. I'm back on it and feeling great. Not to mention, everyone else can deal with me a lot better!!!

 

[ORMom2Four]

I started it 8 days ago. No sleeping issue at all, though I had insomnia and trouble falling asleep the first few days. That was probably because it had not yet kicked in, and was related to the stress of losing my son and not the meds.

I am getting headaches every day, but I'm not sure if that's post partum related or the meds.

They say it takes awhile to kick in, but I have to tell you that I'm already feeling better! Doc wanted me to start on 25mg and work up to 50. I didn't listen and started right away with 50.

 

[3jsmommy]

What your experiencing is a side effect of the Zoloft.
It is called Akathisia.
You will get many replies on the Dis that you will feel better in a couple of weeks, that may or may not be true. I take these meds very seriously, as I lost a loved one to an SSRI (just 7 days after starting it) induced suicide caused by Paxil after taking the drug for insomnia.
People told my loved one that she would feel better soon too, they were wrong. She had no history of depression, no mental illness. Her body was not metabolizing the medication and she complained of feeling like she was not in her own skin.
I have done a lot of research & I have met many people who have had horrible reactions to these meds.
I am not a Dr. I would never tell you to just stop taking the meds. But you should speak to your Dr. ASAP!!(hopefully a psychiatrist, as many GP's only know what their told by the drug salesmen)
Some good websites are drugawareness.org & paxilprogress.com
I hope you feel better soon, don't be afraid to find out all you can about these drugs. They maybe very popular nowadays but they are not with out very serious side effects!
You can pm me if you'd like.

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Yeah - you cannot stop taking it "cold turkey," you will get some WEIRD side effects, or if you miss/delay a dose (someone said they felt dizzy, I felt dizzy/like my brain was being zapped or something. super weird). I took 100mg and managed to stop taking it, because I didn't feel like I needed it anymore.

I know there can be some side effects/issues, but it is a great drug if you need it. I went from crying my eyes out multiple times a day and generally being less than functional, to crying maybe once a day or every other day (and not bawling), and being able to go on with my life, at least somewhat. It didn't make me feel totally better, but I felt like I wasn't "fixating" on the problem so much (for me, a traumatic series of events), and even though I was still sad and upset, it wasn't as debilitating. Sort of "takes the edge off," so to speak. I think maybe we should put a small dose in the water supply to help everyone keep it together a little more! (kidding! )

 

[5lilfish]

Thanks for the replies. I decided to put a call in to my doctor. I am wating to hear back from her.

I can accept that insomnia is a normal side effect that would likely go away with time. on the other hand, I read about Akathisia before I even posted. It sounds EXACTLY like what I felt. I literally HAD to move my legs. They were so restless and I was so jittery. I have 5 kids to take care of. i can't chance a bad reaction. I just need something to help smooth over some health related anxiety. I certainly don't want something that's going to make me feel worse. Especially since I was functioning all right to begin with...just couldn't shake some anxiety.

Jess

 

[Mrs.Milo]

I took this briefly several years ago (maybe 2 wks total), it was awful for me. I was having anxiety issues & panic attacks. On zoloft when I had a panic attack it was MAGNIFIED, I went from 0 to 10 instantly. I couldn't eat (ok good side effect) and felt pretty much like a zombie. I know of 2 others who took it: 1 person had a good experience, the other person who suffered from depression said it was the only time in her life she considered suicide. With the way it made me feel I think it's a very scary drug, but looks like it does help some people. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[MoniqueU]

All I know is VERY bad things happened under my christmas tree when I took this and went to a Christmas party. I had trouble explaining the mashed up presents and knocked off tree topper to my youngest . Tried a few ther things without that side effect, taking pritique right now and can have a drink or two without very bad things happening. (ask your dr first)

 

[KSchwagg86]

Zoloft worked really well for me, but I eventually had to up my dose because the effects were disappearing--This was BAD--I had terrible hallucinations and was extremely depressed...if any of that happens to you, TELL YOUR DOCTOR ASAP so you can switch--I am now on Prozac and feel great!

 

[5lilfish]

Ok...Zoloft is a good example of how certain meds work better for some people and are awful for others. I'm pretty sure Zoloft tried to kill me overnight. The first day I took it I was extremely jittery and restless. My legs simply had to move. I called my doctor and she said that some people react this way. she said I could give it one more try but if that happened again we would have to switch meds.

So, I took it one more time. I woke up at 3:30am sure I was dying right then and there. I felt horrible..dizzy, rapid heartbeat, weird feeling all over my body and in trouble breathing. I then threw up. I woke my husband up and debated for a while as to whether I should call 911. It took me 2 hrs to return to some state of normal.

I can't go through that again. Obviously I will not take another dose of Zoloft. I'm not even sure I can get myself to try a different medicine.

Jess

 

[C.Ann]

I have been taking it and it makes me feel so much better. I'm not on the verge of crying all the time now, I find myself not wanting to scream my head off at everyone, and it has helped with a few phobias (claustophobia, and fear of very large crowds), and it also helps with PMS! I take mine before I go to bed and have not had any problems with it. The only side effect I have had was when I tried to stop taking it one time. I got dizzy a couple of times a day and started to get overly emotional again. Then I realized there was no need to stop taking it. I'm back on it and feeling great. Not to mention, everyone else can deal with me a lot better!!!

I've been taking it since March - half of a child's dose (12.5 mgs.) at night.. I'm very sensitive to medications and along with my low weight (89 lbs.) 25 mgs. was too much for me.. No problems sleeping - I think it actually helps..

It shut down the crying and anger almost immediately.. The first few days I felt a little woozy, but other than that, no problems.. Between that and the CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) my life has improved dramatically.. The Zoloft took the "edge" off - got my emotions under control to where I was able to focus on the CBT - and that's where the real improvements came into play - from the therapy..

However - something happened to me this month when my pharmacy switched to a different generic brand.. Up until now I have been taking the small eccliptical very light lime green scored pill that I break in half where it's scored.. Well - when I got my refill it was a different generic brand - small, round blue tablets - that were very difficult to cut in half even with a pill cutter.. The first night I took it, I woke up with diarrhea in the morning and a very "sick" stomach.. (Not your normal "sick" stomach - kind of hard to understand..) This went on for a days and then I started getting bad headaches and severe hot flashes as well.. Called the pharmacy and told them I could not take the "blue" pill - there was obviously something extra (or something lacking) in it - and I insisted they refill the script with the original generic pill.. They did - and immediately all of the side effects from the blue pill went away..

I never believed that there was a difference in the generics, but now I do! No more "blue" pills for me..

I would still call your doctor though - just to be safe.. It could be nothing more than starting you out on a higher dose than your body could tolerate - or - it's not the right antidepressant for you.. Better safe than sorry, so make the call..

 

[LindaG4458]

Before the doctor put me on zoloft I was taking an MAO inhibitor for my depression. This regimen requires dietary restrictions which were a pain but the drug worked too well. When I couldn't sleep soundly and was always aware of anything going on in the room I was switched to zoloft. I take 100mg each morning and it does the trick for me. It has been 20 years (my entire family has chronic depression) and it still works well. Several times my doctor has tried something else but the zoloft works the best.

 

[ORMom2Four]

Well - when I got my refill it was a different generic brand - small, round blue tablets - that were very difficult to cut in half even with a pill cutter.. The first night I took it, I woke up with diarrhea in the morning and a very "sick" stomach.. (Not your normal "sick" stomach - kind of hard to understand..) This went on for a days and then I started getting bad headaches and severe hot flashes as well.. Called the pharmacy and told them I could not take the "blue" pill - there was obviously something extra (or something lacking) in it - and I insisted they refill the script with the original generic pill.. They did - and immediately all of the side effects from the blue pill went away..

That's what I'm taking, the small blue tablets. I'm also getting headaches daily!

 

[C.Ann]

That's what I'm taking, the small blue tablets. I'm also getting headaches daily!

Is this your first time taking Zoloft - or is this a refill? I would ask your pharmacy if they carry the other generic brand that I mentioned just to see if the headaches go away..

I couldn't believe there could be such a drastic difference between two "generic" forms of the same medication.. Of course it could just be me - because I'm so sensitive to medications.. Wouldn't hurt to try the other generic though - if your pharmacy or another in your area happens to carry it..

Good luck!

 

[Planogirl]

I took it for a while and it was great for me. It did take time to adjust to it though.