Feedback on Zoloft Side Effects and Usage, page 7
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 withdrawal
Date: 11/23/2005
Longterm use of Zoloft caused me to have somewhat “manic” behavior and decision making. I had to quit “cold turkey” because of unavoidable circumstances, which caused severe headaches, “noise hallucinations”, severe anxiety and outbursts of rage and uncontrollable crying somewhat similar to heroin withdrawal. I was often troubled by relapses of this withdrawal and I have since been on Straterra with no side affects and great results.
H.
Subj: Terrible insomnia
Date: 12/6/2005
I’ve been on a 50 mg dosage of Zoloft for four months now and I don’t think that it’s helping my anxiety much. I’ve had terrible insomnia ever since I began taking it, nightmares have dominated what little sleep I do get, and sometimes I’ll get this hopeless wave of depression out of nowhere. The doctor said to wait it out, but I’m thinking it’s time for a new medication!
Haids
Subj: Worst nightmares
Date: 12/8/2005
The day my doc suggested increasing from 25 to 50, I had one of the worst nightmares of my life. and the thoughts of suicide are sometimes very hard to handle. the suicide thing is not very accurately described, from my view. I do NOT feel that I want to harm myself I simply feel that my life will imminently be over. It’s a sense of imminence that feels as though the curtain is about to come down, so wrap up your business and get ready for the end. There’s no sense in me of self-harm, but a strong sense that the end will come all on it’s own and is inevitable and arriving any moment. Not fun at all.
Marion
AskDocWeb: I hope you advised your doctor of this. There are other meds available that will not cause this side effect. One is Lexapro, which will start working immediately and you don’t have to build up dosages.
Subj: Zoloft
Date: 12/14/2005
I’ve been on zoloft for 6 weeks now and I feel better than I did before I started taking zoloft. My doctor prescribed it for me for OCD. I also noticed that I lost 5lbs in one month, which I see as a plus.
Jay
Subj: Zoloft alopecia
Date: 12/16/2005
I started taking zoloft 25mg for a week, then increased it to 50mg as recommended for about a month and a half. I was taking it for anxiety and depression. I started feeling better about 2 weeks into the drug therapy. After about 2 months I stopped because I felt I didn’t need it any longer…cold turkey. Bad idea. About 2-3 weeks later I had a relapse, this time worse than the last. So I started on the 50 mg again. But then I started to notice my hair falling out more than usual…I was terrified. I then read that alopecia is one of the infrequent side-effects of sertraline (zoloft), so I weaned myself off of it for about 3 weeks. I now take zoloft every now and then and only 25mg for a few days out of the month if I am experiencing any depression. I noticed that at even this small and infrequent dose that it helps me with depression some, but it still causes the hair loss, so I am going to see my doctor to try another ssri.
LP
AskDocWeb: You might ask your doctor about Lexapro, you don’t need to build up the dosage and it starts to work immediately.
Subj: Zoloft nightmares and weight loss
Date: 1/2/2006
I have been on Zoloft for over a year now. It works really well for my anxiety (along with alprazolam prn), and I’m now on the maximum dose of 200 mg. Going from 150 to 200, I began to experience some unmistakable side effects… mainly night sweats, bruxism, and vivid nightmares. Also, Zoloft exacerbates my insomnia so I only take it in the morning. I lost 20 pounds in a month when I began this medication. I can miss only one day’s dose before I begin to experience severe withdrawal symptoms including panic, visual hallucinations, and “brain zaps”. Yet, despite all of these side effects, I am glad to have this medication because in balance, the side effects are tolerable whereas the panic was not.
Jax
AskDocWeb: You will probably start to gain your weight back in about one year. It might be worthwhile to talk to your doctor about reducing your dosage in order to avoid the nightmares.
Subj: HYDOXYZ HCL 25 mg
Date: 1/18/2006
Hello and thank you for your help. I’ve just been giving a prescription for HYDOXYZ HCL 25 mg for eczema – what does it do and what are the side effects?
AskDocWeb: We are not familiar with that drug. If you call your local pharmacist, he will give you the information.
Subj: Quit cold turkey
Date: 2/2/2006
I was taking zolfot. I decided to stop the medicine because I felt it wasn’t doing anything for me. How bad is it to quit cold turkey? I haven’t taken a bill in about 3 weeks.
Trish
AskDocWeb: You’ve already gone cold turkey for three weeks without asking your physician first, that’s a no-no. You may have experienced side effects and your depression could be worse now than before. Ask your doctor about Lexapro, it begins to work immediately and many people have had wonderful results with it.
Subj: Zoloft side effects
Date: 2/14/2005
Hi, I have been taking zoloft for 2 1/2 months now. I started with 25 mg for 4 days then up to 50mg then final up to 100 mg, at first it made me sleepy so I started taking it at night then I could not sleep at night waking up all night. So I was put on trazodone 50 mg at night for sleep it helped me to sleep. But now I have ringing in the ears, headaches and just a weird feeling. I told my dr. he said it should go away…well it has not. Anyone else experience this? All in all though it has helped me so much I was losing weight like crazy, having 2 panic attacks a day did not want to get out of bed. Always afraid I was dyeing since I went through alot of medical test for illness. Now I am able to function but I am tired alot and feel a bit different…Hopefully I will be off this stuff soon. But I am doing what I must to get better. All meds have side affects. What can ya do?
Lindsay
AskDocWeb: While it is true that all drugs have side effects, some have less than others. The drug companies seem to be promoting Lexapro as an alternative to Zoloft. That way you won’t have to take another pill just to fall asleep, which is a waste of money.
Subj: Zoloft insomnia
Date: 3/4/2006
I take zoloft, I can not get to sleep until 2:00 am sometimes 4:00 am. I feel it is not good for me to live this way. I have been on lunesta and ambien and xanax, none of these help me.
Joe
AskDocWeb: Zoloft can do this, you might try taking it only in the early AM upon rising. If this doesn’t work, and you are using it for an anti-depressant, talk to your doctor about trying Lexapro. It immediatley begins to work and doesn’t cause you to be up at all hours.
Subj: Zoloft?
Date: 3/22/2006
Can zoloft cause a false positive on a urine drug screen? Please send me all info you have ASAP! Thank you,
Rebecca
AskDocWeb:Zoloft is excreted unchanged in the urine. In other words, it will show up as Zoloft and not something else.
Subj: Zoloft with Phentermine?
Date: 3/29/2006
Hi, I was just wondering if its ok to take 50mg of zoloft with 30 mg of phentermine … I’ve done fine on both drugs separately but wonder if there would be a bad reaction with them together?
Toni
AskDocWeb: We can’t find any problem with taking the two together but you need to talk to your doctor before doing anything like that. There may be something in your personal situation that would prevent safely mixing the two.
Subj: Zoloft and hair loss
Date: 3/30/2006
I have been taking 50 mg of Zoloft for about 6 months. It has greatly helped my mild depression and anxiety. However, I have experienced a significant amount of hair loss for the past 4 months (like a handful a day). I asked my doctor any connection with Zoloft and the reply was that it was not a side effect of using this drug. But after reading other comments at this site, it seems I am not alone. Has there been more recent research on the connection between Zoloft and hair loss?
Gloria
AskDocWeb: None that we are aware of but if someone enlightens us we will share it with you.
Subj: Quitting Zoloft
Date: 4/4/2006
I took zoloft (50mg) for about 3 months and felt so much better I thought I didn’t need it anymore so I quit cold turkey… I felt really, really bad. I then found out it’s not good to quit that way so I thought start taking it again and quitting correctly might do the trick… I’ve been taking it (50 mg again) for about 7 months (worked great again) and I feel like quitting now (I don’t want to depend on it my whole life) but I’m kinda scared… How should I lower the dosage? For how long? Any tip?
Alec
AskDocWeb: The idea is to gradually reduce the amount taken over time. Zoloft comes 50mg and 25mg so going to the lower dose would be the first step. Once the body becomes adjusted to that, cutting down the number of pills taken, one every other day, further reduces the dosage. When the body becomes adjusted to that lower dosage, it is much easier to stop taking them.
Subj: Violent nightmares
Date: 4/17/2006
I’ve been on zoloft for 4 months now at a 50mg dose to treat postpartum depression. Since I started taking it I’ve had violent and intense nightmares every night. They’ve gotten so bad that most of the time I put off going to sleep to avoid them. I suspect that some of the positive effects of this drug are being outweighed by the negative effects of poor quality sleep and sleep deprivation. However, I’m very hesitant to find out how I would deal without any chemical help!
M
AskDocWeb: You could ask your doctor about trying Lexapro. It doesn’t have the effects on sleep that Zoloft does.
Subj: Zoloft hair loss
Date: 5/2/2006
I am a hairy guy but have been losing hair. Does zoloft cause hair loss all over the body? I have been taking it for two years. Thanks,
Mbolivia
AskDocWeb: There has been no mention of hair loss with Zoloft.
Subj: Concerned about side effects of Zoloft
Date: 5/5/2006
I took Zoloft 50mg 3 years ago while being pregnant. I was always able to control my anxiety, until those pesky pregnant hormones kicked in. I stayed on from my 3rd month until the baby was 6 months. I didn’t have any WHAT SO EVER side effects. I phased off in increments for about a month. I remember having a few headaches during that time. Nothing unbearable. Now three years later, I’m finding it hard to deal with my moms passing. So the doc tries Lexapro – I felt like a Zombie, no ability to achieve an orgasm (which stinked) and all emotions were flat. Now I’m trying Zoloft again. With all the bad the reviews I’m getting worried. Did Pfizer change the drug in the past three years? Weight Gain and Night Terrors are not on my wish list!! 🙂
Alison
AskDocWeb: If you didn’t experience bad side effects before you are not likely to now so you can relax. Many people use it with no side effects at all. Read more feedback
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