Feedback on Zoloft Side Effects and Usage, page 27

About Zoloft

If you use Zoloft, please help others by adding your feedback. What would you tell your best friend about this product? Please remember that we do not give medical advice. That is for your local health care provider, who is familiar with your medical history.

Subj: Feel like a zombie
Date: 6/16/2010
I recently passed out in a restaurant about 3 months ago ..they ruled it out to dehydration..2 weeks go bye and I still have a horrible cough that seems to wake me out my sleep taking my breath away and I felt panicky didn’t pay it any attention went back to sleep the next night it happened again but this time I felt like passing out again ..so I’m trying to catch my breath ..I ended up in the ER my heart rate would go up and down ..one minute its 90bpm next its 170bpm but they say my heart is healthy. They tried to Say tachycardia but I clearly have panic attacks, racing heart, shaking, tingling of my limbs, feeling faint, ringing in my ears, chest pain . Before all this started me and my husband was doing a lot of fighting and arguing ..so they put me on klonpin 1mg and zoloft 100 mg ..the zoloft makes me feel like a droid. Lol its like “huh what did you say” so I stop taking it after a month along with the klonpin and still fighting and arguing at home the attacks start back up ..what should I do I don’t want to keep take these meds I feel like a zombie around my kids ..oh yes and I’m 25.

Ayanna

AskDocWeb: It is a good idea to always consult with your doctor before discontinuing a prescription drug. It is common for individual patients to try two or more different medications before finding one that has a good effect and is well-tolerated.

Subj: Emetophobic
Date: 6/30/2010
I’m Deana, and I’m fifteen years old. I just started zoloft on June 30th of this year, and reading all these comments, I’m getting really scared. I already was unsure, because I was REALLY afraid of side effects, especially because I’m an emetophobic, so I didn’t want to be nauseous, and I NEVER wanted to throw up. I don’t want bad nightmares, all I want is my anxiety to go away, and seeing other people doing bad with zoloft is making me scared. I have no choice but to keep taking it, but I’m freaking out now. I don’t want to be sick off of this…I just want to be happy. But now, I’m really scared and even MORE unsure…

Deana

AskDocWeb: If you want your anxiety to go away then stop reading about things that increase your anxiety. That just makes it worse. Remember that the side effects don’t happen to everyone.

Subj: B-complex vitamins
Date: 7/12/2010
my doctor prescribed me zoloft for my anxiety/depression is it ok if I take b-complex while taking zoloft?

Nans

AskDocWeb: People who are just starting Zoloft or other SSRIs and those who are quitting them have complained of headaches. For some people, supplementing with B-complex vitamins helps relieve some of the headaches. Anecdotal evidence suggests some people are able to reduce the severity of the headaches by taking b-complex vitamins but this depends on the individual. The NIH recommends that before taking any prescription medicine, to tell your doctor what vitamins and other supplements you normally take.

Subj: Hot flashes and alternatives to Zoloft
Date: 7/13/2010
I have been on Zoloft for 2 years now. I went from 25mg to 100mg. I noticed that I had a problem with severe increased sweating. However, even with these symptoms, I upped my Zoloft to 125mg because I felt very depressed. I experienced hot flashes to the point of dehydration, chronic sweating, horrible night sweats, severe fatigue, as well as constant weight gain. I couldn’t even go anywhere without these hot flashes occurring. It happened about twice an hour for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes each time. It was ruining my life. I had thousands of dollars of tests done and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. So, I thought it might be the Zoloft. I went from 125mg to 100mg and these symptoms seemed to get better for about 2 weeks. However, now I am back to experiencing all of these hot flash symptoms again. Does this mean that it is the Zoloft making me experience these symptoms or not?

I have consulted with MANY doctors who said this has nothing to do with Zoloft. The problem: Mentally, this is a miracle drug. Physically, it is ruining my life. I am afraid to switch medications because of how it makes me feel. I have been on Wellbutrin, Depakote, Lamictal, Lexapro, Cymbalta, combinations of these, all with no luck. Is there another medication very close to Zoloft? Please help me.

Jessica

AskDocWeb: There are many alternative to Zoloft but the one that would work best for you would depend on your doctor’s evaluation of the condition being treated. The alternatives for treating depression include:

  • Other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
    • Citalopram (Celexa®)
    • Escitalopram (Lexapro®)
    • Fluoxetine (Prozac®, Sarafem®, Selfemra™)
    • Paroxetine (Paxil®, Paxil CR®, Pexeva®)
    • Fluvoxamine (Luvox®)
  • Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
    • Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq™)
    • Duloxetine (Cymbalta®)
    • Venlafaxine (Effexor®, Effexor XR®)
  • Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs)
  • Tricyclic antidepressants
    • Amitriptyline (Elavil®)
    • Amoxapine (Asendin®)
    • Clomipramine (Anafranil®)
    • Desipramine (Norpramin®)
    • Doxepin (Sinequan®)
    • Imipramine (Tofranil®)
    • Maprotiline (Ludiomil®)
    • Nortriptyline (Pamelor®)
    • Protriptyline (Vivactil®)
    • Trimipramine (Surmontil®)
  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
    • Isocarboxazid (Marplan®)
    • Phenelzine (Nardil®)
    • Selegiline (Eldepryl®, Emsam®, Zelapar®)
    • Tranylcypromine (Parnate®)
  • Miscellaneous Antidepressants include:
    • Bupropion (Aplenzin™, Budeprion SR®, Budeprion XL®, Buproban®, Wellbutrin®, Wellbutrin SR®, Wellbutrin XL®, Zyban®), a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor
    • Mirtazapine (Remeron®)
    • Nefazodone (Serzone®)
    • Trazodone (Desyrel®) or trazodone ER (Oleptro™)

Although stimulants are not approved to treat depression, sometimes medications such as methylphenidate (Ritalin®) are used when other medications have not helped.

Some people also consider complementary or alternative treatments for depression such as the following:

Other alternatives to Zoloft include therapy so talk to your doctor if you are experiencing bothersome side effects.

Subj: Nightmares
Date: 7/15/2010
I’ve been taking zoloft for about 6 months now and compared to lexapro it’s working much better for me the only thing is I have trouble sleeping even more now and pretty intense nightmares.

Kate

Subj: Feeling calmer
Date: 7/20/2010
I have only been on zoloft for a couple of weeks – i do feel calmer and the initial side effects of nervousness, uneasiness, hyper, and nausea are all gone 9 took 4 days). I’m on a low dose 25mg for now. The only side effect that i’m feeling now for the past few days is alot of yawning – i see my doctor this week to further discuss. I think weight gain can happen with any drug on the market – changing eating habits and adding more fibre and exercise should help anyone – we are taking this medication for depression – and being depressed we are easily fooled that the meds are making us FAT when really its our mind that is tricking us to thinking this medication is a bad thing….i would rather pay attention to my weight and eat healthy that sit in my house in solitude and alone.

Yas

Subj: Hair loss
Date: 7/23/2010
Before my 2nd child I had never taken any drug regularly (other than tylenol, asprin, etc. and even those- rarely.) After my son was born I went through horrible post partum and my OB/GYN prescribed me 50 mg of Zoloft. I was skeptical but at first it seemed to help (which now I think was a placebo effect.) Soon I started to notice that my hair seemed to be thinning on the top, which is unusual because I’ve always had a really thick, long, healthy hair. Then I noticed my hair was coming out in bunches in the shower, and one day when I was blow drying my hair I noticed a huge bald spot on the top of my head!!! Of course I am no longer taking it. Its really bad when something can caused you to lose your hair when it’s supposed to be helping you. I should have stuck to my beliefs of no unnatural substances in my body.

Lish

Subj: Motion sickness and dizziness
Date: 8/1/2010
I’ve taken 50 mg zoloft for a few years. I recently decided to wean myself off. I started by taking a half pill daily, I only had symptoms for a day or so by cutting back, nothing notable. After about 3 weeks of taking 25 mg, I quit taking it all together. Day 1, not a big deal, racing thoughts and a little emotional. Day 2, same story, a little lightheadedness in the morning only. Day 3 dizziness in the morning and afternoon, I was better when I ate something, more emotional, comparable to PMS. Day 4 I went shopping with a friend and got extremely dizzy. I felt cold sweats, tremors, and racing thoughts. Not as emotional as days 1-3, but really dizzy, I had to lay down for a while! Day 5 started out just like day 4 extreme dizziness, I took some motion sickness pills and they helped with the dizziness. I suffer from motion sickness and the dizziness I’ve been feeling feels just like motion sickness, so I thought I’d give it a try. It really helped with that! Hopefully tomorrow will be better as the Zoloft should be completely out of my system by then, if not I still have the motion sickness pills.

Jessi

Subj: Side effects are worse than the syndrome
Date: 8/8/2010
I started taking 25mgs, a little over 3 weeks ago, for Postural Orthosatic Tachycardia Syndrome and I think the side effects are worse than the syndrome. I’m 40 and single and seeing hair loss is devastating to me. The nausea and yawning are quite annoying too. I will try and break the pill in half to titrate, but will also call the cardiologist that prescribed it.

Kate

Subj: Interactions with Zoloft?
Date: 8/16/2010
I am presently takin Morphine, alprazolam and have been depressed lately. My doctor prescribed 25mgs daily of Zoloft. After reading several reviews i cannot find a reference to interactions that may occur with the mentioned drugs. Is it safe for me to take this antideprssant in conjunction with the other two I mentioned? I have had two heart attacks and also take Simvostatin, 40 mgs daily after a recent 5 artery bypass. I am 58 yrs old and disabled from spinal and cervical fusions. The starter dose for the zoloft is 25 mgs to see if it well tolerated. Thank you.

H
AskDocWeb: When it comes to medication safe is a relative term. The known benefits have to be weighed against the possible side effects in order to determine if the risk to reward is worth it. In checking for drug interactions we found that when using alprazolam and morphine together there is a possibility that the depressant effects on the central nervous system and/or breathing may be additively or synergistically increased, especially in elderly or debilitated patients. This is also true when using morphine with Zoloft (sertraline). That is two moderately severe possible drug interactions but only your doctor can determine if this combination is safe enough for your situation. Read more feedback. Zoloft Report – 25 – 26 – Page 27 – 28 – 29 – Last Page 35

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