Pillcutter Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 So, Long story short: I've been suffering from dysthymia with depressive episodes since I was 16. Panic and GAD was added to the fun in my early twenties. I tried Prozac and Luvox as a teen. Felt numb and quit it after only two months. I felt better after I finished high school , but anxiety decided to join the fun just before I started College. I tried Celexa - It did nothing. I tried paxil - It worked, but with lovely weight gain and libido effects. Then Again, I felt really good, and kept taking it for 5 years. Then it pooped out. I tried lexapro, gave it a year now - It doesn't do the trick. I feel like it's almost working. so, my pdoc gave me zoloft today. I was wondering if any of you had success with Zoloft for GAD\Panic\Depression? How are the S\E? what should I expect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justme04 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I took zoloft for the same reason. for me, zoloft was terrible! i felt like a living zombie on zoloft, and it also made me very nauseous. ugh. but, different drugs work different for everything, so i don't want to discourage you from taking it, who knows, it may work wonderfully for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 some do great, some do horrible, same as any other med. I will say this, my sister looovesss zoloft. She is bp II. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaze Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Many years back I took a anti depressant roller coaster and ended up with Zoloft. It was great for a few years and ended up just not doing anything. It gave me a desire to have sex, but had a hard time going over the edge. When I first started taking it, I was instant happy within a week. I zoomed and it reminded me of speed. The good ones never last...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Krazy Kat Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Hey there. I've been on Zoloft on and off (mostly on) for about 5 years. I take it for GAD, PTSD, and depression. It was pretty much the only SSRI that ever did anything for me (but, for the majority of them, I was a teen and didn't take them long enough to be effective b/c I didn't want meds, so who knows, maybe the others would've worked.) It's been so long since I started it that I can't really recall the side effects-- probably the usual dry mouth, headache, etc that goes away in a couple weeks. It didn't cause any weight changes for me (yay!), and the only thing lasting have been sexual side effects (i.e. difficulty with both arousal and orgasm). However, I have sexual "issues" to begin with, so I can't completely blame the Zoloft. I wouldn't say Zoloft is by any means the miracle drug for me, but it has certainly taken the edge off my anxiety, and my depression has been better controlled too. I feel better on it than off. (I had a couple trials of going off and the anxiety was INSANE, which could in part be withdrawal effects.) Are you in therapy too? Therapy, especially CBT, is highly effective for treating GAD and panic disorder (it's good for depression too, of course). Sometimes it's about finding the med(s) that makes us feel "good enough but not great" so that we can do the hard work in therapy. So, I guess mine is a partial success story? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillcutter Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 I can't believe it, but it seems I am the zoloft success story! It's seems almost ridiculous - I'm only taking it for four days, but I feel SO much better! for the last few months, up until last week, I've been down most of the day, anxious, didn't want to get out of the house, avoided friends and slept about 14 hours a day (yep, that's a full night sleep + nap) and then - BAM! I've been taking 10 lexapro and 25 mg zoloft for the last few days, to make the transition easier, and I feel awesome. I sleep great. no need for naps. for the first time in months I'm actually planning my weekend and I'm chipper as a hyper bird. thanks lexapro - seems like you weren't the one for me. I just hope the sexual side effect won't suck too much (paxil really helped me but I had no libido at all).... I forgot to add: I've been at therapy for 6 months now (CBT), I think that helped the most Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Krazy Kat Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I can't believe it, but it seems I am the zoloft success story! It's seems almost ridiculous - I'm only taking it for four days, but I feel SO much better! for the last few months, up until last week, I've been down most of the day, anxious, didn't want to get out of the house, avoided friends and slept about 14 hours a day (yep, that's a full night sleep + nap) and then - BAM! I've been taking 10 lexapro and 25 mg zoloft for the last few days, to make the transition easier, and I feel awesome. I sleep great. no need for naps. for the first time in months I'm actually planning my weekend and I'm chipper as a hyper bird. thanks lexapro - seems like you weren't the one for me. I just hope the sexual side effect won't suck too much (paxil really helped me but I had no libido at all).... I forgot to add: I've been at therapy for 6 months now (CBT), I think that helped the most I'm glad to hear that it's been a good experience so far and that you are getting a lot out of therapy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimpmaster Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 My wife has been on zoloft for several years for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. It has been really effective for her. She still has episodes occassioally, but in general it works really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaceAndHarmony Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I have been on 200mg of Zoloft for a little over a year now (among other things). I can't say that I have noticed a significant difference as far as mood. Sometimes I feel like it is not working but it could be because I've gotten used the med and I'm not noticing the positive effects anymore. The one area that I did notice a significant difference in is my PMDD. Zoloft is the on SSRI that I didn't have horrible side effects from. I hope it helps for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjimjam Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 I am weaning down off Zoloft now because my pdoc says he tries to get bipolars off ADs BUT I was on it over a year and it completely obliterated my panic disorder. I used to have panic attacks and need benzos alot and once I got up to about 100mg of Zoloft, after a while I didn't panic any more. My anxiety wouldn't go above a certain level. It's just amazing how it's worked so well, that I haven't had a single attack in over a year! The main side-effects I experienced initially and after each dose increase were stomach problems. It sucked but didn't last. Dry mouth too but that also went away. I think it has reduced my libido but I've been on and off AD's since I was pretty young so I'm not quite sure as to the extent. That said, it didn't help so much with my depression. AD's never helped me much on that front. Now that I'm down from 200mg to 25mg I am feeling anxious again. No panic, just GAD stuff coming back. My mood's taken a dive too but there's been a lot of changes in my life recently. But maybe I wasn't giving Zoloft enough credit and now my brain is starting to miss it. Sorry if this doesn't make sense. I'm really tired. To summarize: Yay Zoloft! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donut Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 I took zoloft for 2 years during highschool, I felt like a zombie (i was on 250mg). However I didn't panic and I wasn't depressed, which is what the medication is for. It worked well enough that I graduated with no problem. I even sung in the christmas choir concert. The side effects I had were: nausea, tiredness, hot sweats and dry mouth. They weren't too bad. But I went off zoloft and just recently tried to get back on it, except this time within a matter of days of taking it my anxiety felt like it was on steroids. I couldn't handle all the panicking and the rampant obsessions/compulsions. So I went off again. I plan to talk to the doc about a different med. But like everyone has said, it can work amazingly for you or it may not work at all. Medications are so trial and error it's a pain in the neck. I hope it works for you though! Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Glad you're doing so well on it so far. Quick responses tend to scare me a bit, but they're usually quite good things. It sadly did nothing for me, but was a wonder drug for a friend. I am curious why you have gone through the entire ssri spectrum (or close to it), rather than switching to a different type, but if it works, it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillcutter Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 Glad you're doing so well on it so far. Quick responses tend to scare me a bit, but they're usually quite good things. It sadly did nothing for me, but was a wonder drug for a friend. I am curious why you have gone through the entire ssri spectrum (or close to it), rather than switching to a different type, but if it works, it works. I tried several other things - Effexor, Wellbutrin and Remeron. I just started seeing a new pdoc a month ago, and she decided we should try the last SSRI I didn't take yet before trying other meds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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