Feedback on Zoloft Side Effects and Usage, page 3
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. You can use the form below to add your comments, feedback or Zoloft review.
Subj: Zoloft making depression worse
Date: 10/21/2004
I just recently started to take zoloft for depression, I started off small with 25mg a day. It helped for awhile but it was increased to 50mg. I’m not depressed when I take it but I get bad side effects after a couple of hours of taking it, I start to feel more anxiety and my hands start to shake, and I cant concentrate, is this normal? Now I’m up to 100mg a day. I thought zoloft was supposed to help with anxiety it’s only making it worse.
Brenda
Subj: Never again
Date: 10/22/2004
I took Zoloft for over a year and it ruiened my life. I tried to commit suicide by taking a over dose of Zoloft. I physically attacked my girlfriend and brother several times (I have never been a violant person). I lost my job and received three DUIs in the year I took Zoloft. I am now off the drug and am getting my life back together. I will never take a SSRI ever again.
Shawn
Subj: Zoloft after 2 years
Date: 11/16/2004
I have been taking 50mg of Zoloft for about 2 years now. I noticed it not working well anymore so I have recently gone down to 25, which I plan to do for a week, then quit it. Since I took Zoloft I have had tremors, weird jolts in my muscles and things like that. Not to mention ZERO libido. I used to take Paxil, but that stuff was awful, made me hyper and withdrawal from that was like sending shocks through my brain. Hoping quitting Zoloft will be easier. Good luck to all.
Becky
Subj: Quit Zoloft cold turkey
Date: 11/26/2004
My husband and I both take Zoloft, however we can’t really afford it for both of us. My condition is not as bad as his and I can control my panic attacks pretty well without medication. I quit Zoloft (50mg) cold turkey about a week ago, for the first couple of days I had horrible nightmares and now I am having hot and cold flashes, am tired all the time, and feel really fuzzy headed. Haven’t talked to my m.d. about it, just hope it will go away soon!
Becky
Subj: Zoloft Nightmares
Date: 12/26/2004
I have been taking zoloft for the last 3 years. The only drawback to this are the nightmares. These nightmares usually occur during the times 4-6 in the morning which is when the hormones start acting up. I have experimented to see what causes it. So here are some insights if it helps.
I lessened my sugar intake considerably. If I want to eat sweets, it has to be after meals with lots of fibres. I stay away from regular tea (I take chamomile tea – manzanilla in Spanish) coke or any drinks with caffeine, coffee, sweet drinks etc. I do not eat anything sweet after 9 in the evening especially chocolates. I make sure that my sugar intake for the whole day is minimal. I noticed that if I had taken some form of sweet or the other all day – I mean every meal and snack time, I get horrible nightmares and end up waking up at around 3-4 or 5 in the morning. I try very hard to make myself tired by walking for 30-40 minutes each day. If I cannot go out because of bad weather, I pace the house for an hour and this not only calms me down, it also provides exercise and tiredness which makes me sleep better. I make sure I do not sleep siesta or catnap so that I get tired enough to sleep throughout the night. If I don’t, I wake up with a full blown cinematography nightmare effect – dizzy spells, high blood pressure, feeling anxious, depressed, and fearful – really total awful feeling which even a night of debauchery will not come close to comparison. Just one whole terrible feeling and could last for an hour.
When I feel this way, I just go out and walk and after an hour the awful feeling is gone. I also have terrible nightmares when I go through a stressful day or week so to lessen this, I do not watch TV most especially American movies which are so full of crashing cars and killings, and violence overall plus those strobe lights and ultra high sounds that accompany most films – action or not.
If I really want to sleep, I watch either an English movie or a French movie which are so calming and relaxing even if someone is about to get throttled.
I am now trying to go back to 50 mg a day because that was the time I really felt great – slept well and no nightmares. I hope that going down in dose will also help lessen my very real and weird dreams which is usually like a whole story line which Spielberg will never be able to come up with even if he was in his most creative moment. And I am the main actor at that. Good luck to all of us.
Tina
Subj: Feel like a zombie with Zoloft
Date: 1/1/2005
Zoloft did not work for me at all…Taking 200 mg made me feel like a zombie, increased appetite and the lose of being creativity. I stopped taking the medication, lost the weight and creativity is returning to me…Before taking this medication, research all the side effects and then make a informative decision.
Andi
AskDocWeb: For an alternative antidepressant you might try Lexapro.
Subj: Zoloft withdrawals are horrible
Date: 1/2/2005
I have been taking Zoloft for about 3 years. My doctor put me on it after having my baby, for the post-partum depression. It made a real difference in my moods right away. I called it my “happy pill”. But the good mood didn’t last more than a few months. After that, it was just something I had to take to stay “normal”. I also experienced the weight gain I’ve seen others mention here (now I have a good excuse!). Now, I can no longer afford it and I ran out about a week ago. The withdrawals are horrible! I feel like I’m having an all-day stroke… constant dizziness and light-headedness and when I move too quickly, I feel like I’m being electrocuted, usually in my fingers. As I’ve read in other reviews here, I agree that you should stay away from meds unless you really need them! And then, shop around and find out more before committing yourself.
Leslie
AskDocWeb: You could have been weaned off of Zoloft, your doctor would have been happy to give you free samples to help you wean off of your Zoloft.
Subj: Dangerous narcotics
Date: 1/3/2005
Those “medications” are dangerous narcotics promoted for the sake of financial profits that should never be taken in the first place! For those who start, the best thing is to start the tapering off process immediately.
Tarikat
Subj: Zoloft and Nightmares
Date: 1/22/2005
Nightmares, Nightmares, Nightmares…I found this site when I was searching for Zoloft & Nightmares. I just had the worst dream ever. 50mg a day for approx 6 months. I’m quitting!
Sara
Subj: Gained 30 pounds on Zoloft
Date: 1/24/2005
I was son Zoloft for 4 years I just went off 3 weeks ago because I have gained 30 pounds from the medication. It kept me calm and helped the depression, but I also feel like I have been numb for the past 4 years. I feel emotion now and starting taking Relacore which is over the counter to help my mood and I have to say I am feeling good. I just hope this weight gain will subside, it’s depressing in itself enough.
Anonymiss
Subj: Wide awake on Zoloft
Date: 2/2/2005
I didn’t sleep very well when starting Zoloft. I was wide awake all night long the first night. I felt “wired” and jittery (and this was on just 25 mg).
Kim
Subj: My suggestion on Zoloft
Date: 2/3/2005
I’ve used prozac and paxil in the past but last year was put on zoloft after a bad miscarriage. The withdrawal from prozac was minimal, the withdrawal from paxil was a nightmare from hell and now on my 10th day without zoloft, I would say withdrawals fits somewhere in between prozac and paxil. I’ve had vivid nightmares, as soon as I lay my head down at night I feel like my heart is pounding out of my chest and just a generally “unwell” feeling. This morning, after another sleepless, scary night, I feel like I might be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. My suggestion: if you can do without the medicine, don’t start it, it obviously messes up your body or there wouldn’t be so many people with the same complaints. If you are over your depression or “problem” suffer the withdrawals and get “you” back. Good luck.
Regret
Subj: Tremors from Zoloft
Date: 2/5/2005
Hi, AskDocWeb. Once I took zoloft, 50mg, and in a few days I starting have UP dreams. But, I developed some tremor in my extremities. So, I quit. Would those symptoms have been likely to go away if I had stuck with it? Thanks,
Chuck.
AskDocWeb: No, the symptoms would not likely go away with continued use.
Subj: Quitting Zoloft
Date: 2/9/2005
I’ve been taking zoloft for 2 years; 50mg for just over a year and a half, 100mg for 3 months and now back down to 50mg for a month.
I’ve found it extremely helpful, but would like to get myself off it. I’ve been told to do it VERY slowly, but am also considering pregnancy in the next couple of months.
I’ve been reading some of the comments from those who are stopping this medication and find it both comforting and worrying; I now understand why I’m feeling so poorly! For some this may be a negative, for me, at least I know it’s not my body letting me down and with effort I can push through it.
I’ve read info re Zoloft and pregnancy, what is your opinion – go slow, or get off asp?
Victoria
AskDocWeb: Some people can just stop taking it and others have problems doing that. At your 50mg dosage you can likely just stop and have no problems. If you have any problems, you can always start again and then decrease your dose little by little to get off of it.
Subj: Quitting cold turkey
Date: 2/10/2005
I quit zoloft cold turkey a week ago. I’ll tell you why – It wasn’t working. Taking 50mg/day of zoloft for social anxiety for 2 months straight but it seems like I became even more nervous at work than I was before I even took zoloft. So, I quit cold turkey. Now I’m getting dizzy swings every Evening. Is this normal, especially for these dizzy spells to be hitting me at a particular time every evening? And how dangerous is it to quit cold turkey? Thanks,
Ranebow
AskDocWeb: Doctors recommend you discontinue Zoloft by decreasing the dose to 50mg over a period of time. Since you were taking 50mg you should be okay but, those dizzy spells would justify a visit to your doctor to be on the safe side. Read more feedback
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