Depression Blog.com

I have been taking Zoloft for anxiety and insomnia for two months now and altough my anxiety is vastly improved and I am generally very happy. Ihave begun drinking daily and smoking (I quit four years ago!). I am concerned and wonder if anyine else has experienced this? will cutting my dose perhaps stop the compulsion to drink?

I guess I have both good and bad things to say about Zoloft. I went on it for panic disorder and mild depression. I have been taking it for about 2 months now, and I notice a drastic change in my emotions and anxiety levels. I haven't had a panic attack since I started the drug, and I handle stressful situations so much better than I used to.

The side effects I've experienced have been more annoying than anything else. My sex drive has noticeably decreased, but not to the point where I have completely lost the desire for sex. It just takes a little longer now. I think the worst side effects I've had are the night sweats and weird, vivid dreams. I keep having dreams about the very things that used to give me panic attacks or the issues I would dwell on when I was depressed. They're not so much disturbing as they are simply odd, and they usually wake me up at night. So other than waking up either sweating to death or freaked out by some strange dream, I really haven't had too bad of a time with Zoloft yet...although it's only been two months. On another note, I've lost most of my desire to go out on the weekends. I've become perfectly content to sit home and watch tv, and I no longer have any desire to drink. I haven't noticed any weird interactions between alcohol and Zoloft, but I just haven't felt like drinking at all ever since I started it (I was a social drinker before).

Overall, I honestly have to say that the good effects of the drug definitely outweigh the minor side effects for me.

I was on Zoloft (25mg) for 9 days and then increased to 50mg. By the next day I developed what at first seemed like a drug rash but in the end seemed more like a bad case of acne. It covered my face, neck, chest & back. I am 40 yrs old and didn't experience anything like this in my teens. Has anyone else experienced this for Zoloft? Maybe this reation was actually some crazy hormonal thing that lasted a couple weeks.

J

I have been taking zoloft--50 ml. per day--and have in the past--I think I've had probelems with depression, as well as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. To the person with the blood pressure problems--I hope you get your blood pressure checked out right away, because, I think that it is really high--from your description--though, I am not a doctor. I haven't had blood pressure problems with zoloft--that I know of--but I have had diarreah on it, and I don't like the way I feel on it. I hate that I don't have a sex drive on it. I don't feel 'right' on it.

It's been 5 Years now since last taking Zoloft
Still no sexual desire or orgasm

Male 43 It's Bad

I had taken 50mg of zoloft for 2 years and recently weaned my self off of it. The withdrawal symptoms have been worse than the depression was in the first place.
As of today I have been 2 weeks and 3 days without the drug. Severe headaches, weird dreams, and uncontrollable crying have stopped the dizziness and ringing in my ears has gotten increasingly worse and is driving me crazy to the point of not being able to sleep. How long will this last???

My experience with Zoloft has been very negative. Tremendous weight gain--27 lbs: 15 pounds while on (100 mg for 3 years) and 12 pounds post-zoloft (7 of those in less than one week!) Everyday is a battle not to put on another pound and I have been off the awful drug for 9 months!!!!

I urge everyone to read any mental health forum to truly understand the devasting effect these drugs have on people's bodies.

I am so furious that NO ONE can tell me "why" I gained this weight and how I can lose it. I am now considered obese and have to shop in plus size stores. Before zoloft, I wore a size 10.

I also had night sweats so bad I had to change my shirt every night, terrible acne which I never even had as a teenager, more dental problems than ever before, good ole weight gain, bowel problems, stomach problems, no libido, tremors, shakings, brain zaps, twitching etc etc.

I feel totally abandoned by everyone. Most Dr. out there truly do not understand all the side effects of these drugs and can't recognize them as the drug company's studies did not go for long enough for all the effects to show up.

I've taken Lustral/Zooloft/Sertraline for nearly two years. I feel I've been in a daze for this period. I'm supposed to be a student, but haven't been able to study. I started smoking again after 5 years. I went cold turkey last week, and became very clear headed, but then the withrawal symptons started!
I must give up soon or my life will be permanently on hold.
Don't let me put anyone off though, as it has got me through some pretty tough times and hopefully I've learnt enough about myself to live without it in the future

been off zoloft a week no side effects went off bc i gained 20 lbs in one year

VERY VERY TIRED! Absolutly caused severe insomnia! Feel very de-personalized.

when i was on zoloft 1 year from p t s at ay rate
when i was useing this drug i did have some side affects but over all it helped my depression my peoblum was when i could no longer afford the drug i was forced to stop cold turkey this experance allmost killed me the horrible affects lasted 6 months it made the depression i was fighting while on the drug was a walk in the park compared to the living hell i suffered coming off it BEWARE COMING OFF OF ZOLOFT IS
VERY DANGERIOUS

I have been taking Zoloft for nearly three years. I have gained approximately 65 pounds(from a size 10 to a size 18W), I have blurred vision, headaches, two episodes when I was hospitalized with possible heart attacks, severe night sweats, high cholestrol, bone loss, loss of hair, no self-confidence, a craving for sweets, loss of balance, severe coughing and sinus problems, and worst of all...no interest in sex. I started taking it because my new husband said I was getting "bitchy".

I have been off of the medication for four days and feel better already...sleeping through the night, without sweating, the sinus problems have cleared up, as have the coughing spells. My appetite seems to be returning to normal, and I don't crave sweets constantly.

I have an appointment with my doctor, and I plan on approaching the cardiologist who took care of me with my theory. I really feel, after close examination that Zoloft almost killed me(twice) and that it has diminished my quality of life greatly.

I hope that my experience will help others to evaluate their situation BEFORE taking this drug!

I have

My experience with Zoloft was like a vicious cycle. See, I started taking Zoloft for obsessive-compulsive behaviors and depression. I guess you could say it was starting to work. Well, the first night, I actually felt euphoric when I took it. See, the problem is, it also caused me to be very restless and anxiety prone. This also cause me sleeplessness. So at night, I would have to force myself to sleep. I think this is where the problems arose. I feel that forcing myself to sleep for countless months and years actually altered my brain chemistry, for the worse. Now i'm more depressed, compulsive, and socia-phobic than ever. I'm even borderline suicidal. So if anyone shares these same symptoms, or knows any Zoloft-reversal techniques, please E-mail me. I'd love to know.

I had to be evaluated for dizzy spells and I have BPPV my Dr wants me off Zoloft.
I took 100mg per day for 10+ years.
My last dose was Sunday Sept 11th 2004.

I feel great, no bad withdrawel symptoms, except for a strange feeling in my head, feels like a ZAP or shock that occurs through out the day. Is this normal and how long will it last ?
Hope someone can tell me as I don't want to go back on the Zoloft..
Thanks CMN

I'm on Lustral(Zoloft)several months now.I get awful nightmares,have started smoking and drinking,developed a rash on my neck and upper body.I'm on 100mg daily but still feel very sad,although the suicidal feelings have gone. My kids tell me I've started sleepwalking some nights.I get terrible headaches if I miss a pill or if I forget to take one.my mother has disowned me...she says I've changed a lot since starting this medication,but I'm afraid if I stop taking it,the thoughts of commiting suicide will return.

I was prescribed zoloft for at least 3 months. I have only taken it for 30 days. The reason why I stopped was because I have no insurance,and it costs about $76 a fill. I guess you can say I experienced weirdness in the begining when I started, then I thought I was getting better. I was put on for anxiety. I am a very speedy person as it is anyway, just naturally. My therapist thought this would be good help for me. However after stopping the medicine only for about a week now, I've been experiencing HELL! Massive headaches than I've ever gotten before, these electrical shocks in my brain, hyper-sensitivity, super emotional, hot flashes like I'm going through menopause. I'm only 27 years old and haven't been on any prescription drugs before except the birth control pill. my boyfriend was worried about me taking Zoloft when I told him what was up. He was mad because I didn't consider the side effects or what happens when I stop. Now I see why. All I have to say is that I've been looking into natural remedies for what can replace drugs,because I do NOT belive in them. They're a scam! They make you feel like you want to die when you come off of them! That's not a cure to our problem! Our doctors and psychiatrists are shoving drugs and bills down our throats promising us "a new life" and renowned hope for how we were before these drugs. Well let me tell you my friends, I was attacking my boyfriend, having night sweats, irritibility beyond control and these CRAZY electrical shocks in my head! I was scared that I would have to consult a neurosurgeon, afraid I would have a brain anyrism or something. Only to find on help websites that other people were experiencing my troubles! How absurd, these doctors and they're control with drugs! What happen 100 years ago when herbs and natural therapies took place and there were no drugs like today. Or, what about the all too familiar Chinese-medicine and what the Indians believed in. Forget this synthetic crap. I am opting for what seemed to have worked before these money hungry, greedy doctors that don't even have your best interest of health towards you except that their high-end fancy car payments are being made! After my final days of these crazy side effects I'm looking into the book, "Handbook for Herbal Healing, A Concise Guide to Herbal Products", by Christopher Hobbs. If anyone is interested in some good ol' fashioned solutions to our problems instead of creating more, pick up one of these guides and go with your intuition. Thank you for reading.

I'm on Zoloft for severe depression, suicidal thoughts, social anxiety, and severe stress. I have been on it for a couple of months now, and I'm experiencing some very difficult side-effects. I am very regular on taking my pill, I have never missed taking it once. I am very careful to take it the same time every single day, but I am still having very difficult side-effects. I am experiencing night-time sweats, dizziness, severe headaches, upset stomach, weird and disgusting nightmares, continued depression and suicidal thoughts, and insomnia. I have had very little help from Zoloft, but I know the difficulties of coming off of it, so I am reluctant to do so. I had been on Effexor several years back for severe depression, and when I came off of it, I experienced a lot of the listed side-effects for coming off of it.

I honestly don't recommend anti-depressants for anybody. They just mess a person up.

I have DID(Disociative Identity Disorder)as well as severe anxiety and depression and have been on Zoloft for two years and have done pretty well on it. Recently my dosage was increased from 200 mlgs to 250 mlgs and I started to experience severe nightsweats, fatigue and analyzing things to the point where i get too emotionally high and risk getting severly depressed(crashing)>though I find my head is cleare and it is easier to focus as well as use my coping tools, still this alarms me because i thought Iwas alone and that I was Crazy. Please E-mail me. Thanks. J

I have depression and my zoloft was increased-I have experienced some bad side effects. I'm tired most of the time,my depression has gotten worse,I sweat a lot,find it hard to concentrate,have no desire to cook(one of the things I love to do, it has made my agoraphobia worse, and I can't sleep well at night.I'm thinking of decreasing my dose back to 200 milligrams(I'm at 250 now).I'm scared to get off it completely. E-maill me

does it cause shortness of breath

I have been taking Zoloft for about three years now going on 4 for depression. When i first started it was great. I was happy and stressless than I pevously had been. But about 2 years into it i have been feeling the the same way i had been before I started. I take two 25mg tablets two times a day and it makes me feel no different than I did before. I am 17 years old now my grades were great after i started zoloft but now i am 4 credits short of graduating. I lost my job and my freinds becasue they say i am just not the same anymore. I was very popular. NOw my dodctor never told me how long i have to take it but it has been 3 olmost 4 years. Am i going to waste money buying a expencive drug that doesn't work? Am i amune to it or am i just not taking enough? I dont know what to do any more i am getting suiside thought again. I'm scared.

I was prescribed Zoloft about 3 months ago to help stabilize some IBS symptoms I was having difficulty managing. I wasn't able to keep weight on so the doctor said this might help. For fear of becoming addicted, I took myself off of Zoloft about 2 weeks ago. Anxiousness has returned, depression, crazy headaches, restless nights, & when I am able to get to sleep I have such terrible nightmares. They make me wish I'd never tried to sleep at all. If anyone knows any Zoloft-reversal techniques, please E-mail me. I'd love to know as well.

Thanks

I was on Zoloft for a total of about three years (of and on...mostly on for two years straight) and I am going through hell now that I stopped it "cold turkey" (as my doctor advised me to do). Mind you, I was on other drugs too, all of which I stopped recently. I had been diagnosed as bipolar, and they had me on antipsychotics, which I also stopped abruptly. It is pure hell. I have crying spells, I get hysterical because I am scared that I won't get better even though everyone assures me I am getting better. My head "buzzes", I have been up all day working and yet I feel this alert sensation in my head and I can not sleep. I wish to God I had been diagnosed properly--I'm not bipolar. I have unipolar depression. I wish I had stayed away from psychological drugs. I don't advise them for anyone but the most severely depressed--then they may be worth a shot.

My husband has been taking Zoloft for 4 months. At first he started behaving strangely after 2 weeks, Ingorning my phone calls, being very distant and wanting to be alone. The Dr. said that he just needed time for the drug to get into his system. Now after 4 months, I never kniw who is coming home. One week he is affectionate(although no interest in sex) and then next week, he is hateful and starts arguements. He goes off to be alone and ignores our children. His friends notice this so it is just not me. He likes the drug, because it makes him feel less tense at work. I am wondering why he is on this pill and not just a nerve pill??! I hate this drug and what it is doing to our marriage. I feel I may be divorced becaause of this drug..yet he takes it like gold. Anyone feel like this or has a sopouse taking this?

Now that I have read so many stories similar to mine, here's my story.
When I was 19 years old, I went to the doctor because I felt like I was having these weird breathing problems and twitching when I would sleep. He diagnosed me with anxiety and depression, and put me on 50mg of Zoloft. For the first couple of years, I thought that this drug was a miracle.
I had been very depressed and suicidal all through highschool and directly after, and was prone to abuse OTC drugs because I felt like I HAD to.
Once the Zoloft had established itself in my system, I was a very happy-go-lucky person. But when I look at the big picture, I realized that I had turned into this zombie that didn't care about anyone or anything.
I used to be very careful with my money, and never paid a bill late. After Zoloft, I could care less about paying my bills ontime... if I paid them at all.
Although I am still a caring person, many people have told me that I have changed into a bit of an 'unthoughtful' person. To define this further, my personality has changed from 'caring and worrying about what other people thought of me' to a personality of 'I don't really care what other people think, as long as I am happy'.
Furthermore, I used to obsess about how I looked. I always had to have the perfect body, clothes, hair, makeup, etc.... Now I am overweight (having not lost weight after a pregnancy), I don't hardly wear makeup anymore, I barely style my hair, and my clothes are just "whatever". When I really think about it, I am most happy when I know that I've put the effort into looking great, rather just being plain.
So all-in-all, Zoloft has turned me into a someone who just floats through life.
Other side-effects that I have experience on this medication are terrible, vivid nightmares that leave me feeling 'out-of-body' and fatigued when I wake up in the morning. I also have a consistant buzzing in my ears, which I've gotten so used to, that I really only realized the buzzing when I am in a quiet environment. And recently I have come to relate my memory loss to Zoloft as well. I've always been an intelligent person, but since being on Zoloft, I often have lapses in memory and judgement. I forget small details and conversations that I have had in the past. This is something that bothers my husband the most! He just feels like I am being 'dumb', but it's something that I can't help. Adding to the list of things my husband doesn't like, would have to be my lack of sex drive. We are newly-weds (married less than a year), and the love-life just isn't there. I usually just don't feel like engaging in sex, or if I think I want to, then orgasm is very difficult for me to achieve.
It seems that I could write a book on all of the negatives of being on Zoloft, doesn't it? Another symptom that popped into my head is my lowered 'wanting' to constantly be doing something. If an exciting situation comes up, most of the time I am just like, "Eh, I really don't feel like doing anything." I used to always be up for hanging with friends as much as possible, or going out, or whatever. It's not that I am avoiding social situations... that doesn't bother me. It's just the lack of "wanting" that is there, and wasn't previously there during my "pre-Zoloft" days.
I would really like to come off of Zoloft, but as most people in my situation know, the withdrawl is like HELL! Even just missing one whole day of the medication, I become extremely irritable, nauseous, have headaches, and the worse feeling... the 'electric zaps'!!! I can't stand that dizzy feeling that I get in my head and body from not having the medicine in my body.
I am going to be meeting with my doctor soon to talk about going off of Zoloft. I am considering staying off of prescription anti-depression/anti-anxiety meds, and trying the herbal remedy, "Valerian Root".

If anyone is interested in talking to me about this, please find me on MySpace.com and we'll chat: www.myspace.com/ashleighsmilf

I was on Z from 1995-1997. During that time I had just about every single side effect mentioned on this and every page of side effects. My formerly involved, consciencious self became uninvolved and careless. I began shoplifting compulsively and was finally arrested. I was a law enforcement officer with an untarnished record with the department. I couldn't have cared less about what I was doing. After my arrest, I could only cared about whether or not I'd get Zoloft in jail. Going off the meds. was tough, but the zapping and the hyper-emotionalism finally went away. My life as I knew it was destroyed and I moved to another state and started reassembling me. It's been ten years. It will only be a matter of time before the SSRI horror we've unleashed on ourselves is understood and accepted. SSRI's as we know them will one day be remembered as the dark ages of psychiatry. Good old coping skills like exercise, living right according to the conscience God gave you and working hard will win out as the vehicle to mental health (the exception being that those who are truly, morbidly mental disturbed can and do truly benefit from these medications)

It's amazing how many of these stories relate to mine. My doctor decided to take me off of Effexor (Venlafaxine), and put me on Zoloft about five months ago. Since I have been on Zoloft, I have had depressing/suicidal thoughts, nightmares, night sweats and anxiety. I have also gone up two pant sizes since starting the drug. My sex drive is non-existent, and I recently had a horrible drug interaction with the painkiller Tramadol for broken fingers, and a Serotonin Syndrome scare related to the medication mixture. I have also picked up smoking, which I never had the desire to do in the past.

The side effects have been so persistent, I stopped taking the drug cold turkey after my prescription was gone. I am currently experiencing horrid withdrawal symptoms such as "brain zaps", headaches and bowel problems. I would not recommend this antidepressant to anyone!!!!

I have been taking Zoloft for 1year and a half now since having my first child. I have found that i have gained 15-20kg in that time and have totally disconnected from my Son and have been reckless and out of control!! I go on w/e benders and am not the same person at all anymore!! I havnt concerntrated at work cant put my energys into anything. 4 days ago i have a decress in appetite and im feeling rushes and sweats and my heart beating really fast then slow im a little worried?? any advice?

Is there anyone out there who has noticed a problem taking Zoloft and birth control pills at the same time of the day? I was ok until I did so, and now am bleeding, cramping every day. Please help if you are out there. Am I crazy?

I had been on zoloft for 6 1/2 years, and had gained 20 pounds almost immediately. I also developed a hoarse voice. I was told it was due to my underactive thyroid that had gone undiagnosed for several years and that my voice would always be this way due to the damage that had already been done. I was taken off zoloft and put on pristiq, within three weeks my voice is almost back to normal.

well, wow, I must be the only person in the entire world to benefit from Zoloft. I have lost 10 lbs without trying in a week and a half, which I needed to lose - had gained b/c of depression - have tons of energy. My husband says I'm me again and I've enrolled my daughter in all kinds of activities that I used to avoid b/c of shyness/lack of energy.

The best thing of all tho is the sense of motivation, purpose and hope for a bright future that I now have. Everyone I know is commenting on how "bright", "sparkling" and "lively" my eyes appear these days. So, Zoloft does work for some people!

Wow.. Reading all of these comments has really boosted my anxiety level. I was just put on Zoloft 4 days ago and came online to check out the side effects of the drug. I had tried Zoloft 8 years ago and from what I can remember it worked well for me, but my doctor took me off from it because I was experiencing some IBS symptoms and they were convinced it was the Zoloft. So they put me on Lexapro. The Lexapro made me gain 40lbs in 6 months. Then I ended up getting pregnant and obviously gained even more weight. The Lexapro just made me more depressed because I was fat and repulsive looking, so I stopped taking it. The withdrawls were horrid, but I knew that I would feel better after that was all over with. So I went for a year without any meds but the weight that I gained didn't come off at all. About a month ago, I started to feel depressed and anxious again and it got really unbearable, so I made the decision to go back on the meds. I chose Zoloft because 8 years ago when I first started to take it, I felt great. I had energy and could focus, I could set a goal and actually follow through with it. I even lost 30 lbs while on the drug. But like I said, my doctor took me off from it because of IBS symptoms. Well even without the Zoloft, I still had the IBS symptoms, so I decided to give it a try again. I'm having some side effects and anxiety but I'm hoping that it will go away. I just want something to work for me and make me feel good so that I can work on taking care of myself and feel better about myself. I avoid cameras and mirrors and people in general because I'm completely mortified by the way that I look and feel. I hate going out in public but I do, I just hope that I don't run into anyone I know. I pray that I have a positive outcome with Zoloft and that these side effects go away soon!!

I have been on Zoloft for 4 years, and have gained 75 lbs! I do believe it has helped me become less angry, or critical of people. The problem now is, even though I have improved in those areas, because of my weight gain, I now am soo tired, depressed because of my weight, and lack any motivation. A no win situation.

I've been perscribed Zoloft twice, each time I took them for about 6-9 months, I'm currently off of it for 4 months..

Why I was on it: I have mild-moderate bouts of anxiety and depression. Nothing needs to spur on these attacks, but when I get them, my sleep is thrown off I don't want to leave the house and I don't have any motivation to do anything ( I make myself though, and often don't enjoy doing so without booze) I get very overwelmed, irritable, and sad.

The first time I was on it, I slowly went up to 100mg, I felt great and lost all the anxiety and depression, unless I drank to much and it came out like crazy. I had sexual, weight, and sweat side effects. Weened off out it because I fealt good and thought I would attept to cope with life without it. Coming off of it was an awful experience, I had the spins, electric shock type feelings, anxiety and depression. after the withdrawals I felt great for months, when all of a sudden without reason, the bouts of depression were back.

I thought I would give it another shot, but this time I would try being on the lowest does I could be on with minor depression and anxiety, but not debilitating bouts. 25mgs worked for a long time and I would just work through those down times, which were completely tolerable and infrequient, and were brought on by real life events, which everyone has. I still had a few side effect (weight gain and a feeling of not being myself) I decided, lets try to get off this stuff again, so I did that, and had a much easier time getting off the lower dose, once again a few months past and bam, bouts of depression and axiety are back. I'm currently trying to see a therapist and do it without drugs, it's not easy and something are working but the bouts of depression can still be pretty bad.

So here are my pros, cons and suggestions

pros-if it works for you.

You will feel better and can enjoy the short time we have on this planet

you are not forced to take it and you can always get off the stuff, even with a struggle

cons

may not work for you

side effects can be a complete drag, you need to weight out if they are better or worse than how your life is with this terrible anxiety and/or depression

you may not feel like yourself and you may not express the normal emotions of life, good or bad.

There is very little long tern studies done on these drugs and that worries me a lot..

Suggestion:

Try getting on a low dose, and set a goal for that dose, don't plan on being happy all the time and not experience the down sides of life, but if it can take the edge off and allow you to function and enjoy the majority of your days, it sounds like a nice step forward. I also recommend combining it with a therapist that can help you work on the things you would like to change.

husbands on zoloft and no sex drive. what is there to do?

I have been taking 25milligras of Zoloft for about one year now. I have not gained or lost any weight. I am more socially active than before taking Zoloft. I use to be afraid of talking in public, working with people and I had anxiety attacks frequently. Zoloft has helped me in many ways. Sexual side effects are delayed orgasm, which is fine, cause the sex lasts longer. I am more outspoken which had effects on friends, cause now I stand up for myself more. I know reactions are different with all different types of people , but I cant say much bad about the drug as far as aiding me in conquering my anxiety disorders.

I am surprised by the responses on here about Zoloft. Zoloft is a psychoactive drug, and only taken if you really need it. If you are irritated by side affects like weight gain/loss insomnia, sex drive etc.. perhaps you were not in need of it originally. The relief of being treated for my OCD is immense - my anguish was such that I could have killed myself. I wouldn't care if my hair fell out on this drug. Further, consider that you're blaming extraneous issues on the medication, weight gain is uncommon with Zoloft, weight loss is most frequently observed. Mental slowness is present in depression and mental illness and rarely evident in trials for Zoloft. I am a medical student and the number of patients who are on this drug for a bad break up is insane.

I have anxiety, depression and ocd. Well for seven months I have taken Zoloft and I feel a lot better. I just recently went up from 75 mg to 100 mg per day. I was a heavy smoker before going on it, and a social drinker with cravings for alchol the next day. Now that I am on Zoloft I have cut back on smoking and when I drink no longer crave alchol the next day. I no longer worry and my depression is gone because of the Zoloft. I feel a lot more energized too! However I have been aware when I am dreaming ever since starting on Zoloft which I like! However my dreams are stranger than normal. I don't know if that's a side effect or not.

Weaning myself off Zoloft 50mg. Took it for 3 months. Wow. I'm feeling "out of myself", like my body is 4 steps ahead of me. I am very light-headed and super tired I have no energy whatsoever. If anyone is experiencing these sxs, please let me know.

I've been on Zoloft(100mg) for about 2 weeks, and its been a relatively wierd 2 weeks. I Take the medication at night, in the middle of the night I am woken up and vomit. I then go back to bed and get up in the morning and vomit again. Sometimes I feel restless and moody, and other times I'm just in a daze and I don't feel like I'm in touch with reality. Has anyone else experienced these things? I've talked to my Doctor about these side effects and she tells me to continue taking the meds.

Hello everybody in Zoloft land. I take it for anxiety, depression, also I used to dwell on things to no end. I also used to have so much anger pinned up in me that my fuse was dangerously short(I'd go from mellow, skip mad, and go straight to flipping out). The scary thing about this is that the stupidest little thing would trigger my short fuse. So insignificant to the real under lying issue that I would not even remember what the hell made me so angry in the first place.
I may have a mild case of OCD, for example: If I see the #'s 666 on a license plate or on a product SKU # or serial # I have to say "777 777 777" three times and not look at the # of the beast again. If I order fast food and the amount comes to $6.66 I have to add an item or make my drink a large so the total amount will come out different(this has actually happened to me on 3 different occasions in the last couple of years). If I see the # of the beast repeatedly in a short period of time I find my self repeating the "777 777 777" chant in my head while looking to find the # 7. For example: If I am on the interstate and see the # of the beast on more than one cars license plate(does not have to be in sequence)I have to luck out and find a car with three 7's on the plate(impossible you would think) or I have to find three different cars one right after the other with one 7 on each of the plates. Or it can be one car with two 7's and one car with one 7(one right after another). If I don't see a # 7 on a cars license plate one right after another, I have to start over until I do. I know, Its crazy. On the other hand If I see a license plate with three 7's in a row I get this overwhelming feel of joy as if I was blessed by Jesus himself (this actually happened to me twice, 2 days in a row on the way to work), amazing. The weird thing about all of this is: I am not even religious. I have not been to church since I was a kid(I am a recovering Catholic so maybe that has something to do with it?) Yeah, I guess you could say I have OCD. The Zoloft does tone it down quite a bit though and makes me conscious of doing it unlike before.
I have been on this shit(Zoloft) for almost 5 yrs. Started at 50mg, then 100mg the second year. Then the 3rd year it went to 150mg and I have stayed at that dose ever since with out any urge or need to increase to any higher of a dose. I must say, it took me 2 years to figure out what dose worked best for me. So anyone that has not taken Zoloft for at least 6 months to a year at a steady dose really won't have any idea as to what works for them and what does not. For example: 50mg made me feel loopy and not my self at all. 100mg made me feel tired and useless. 150mg makes me feel fine, focused and normal. This is the dose that works for me. I have experimented with taking larger doses up to 300mg and it seems like the initial cycle starts over at 200mg for me. For example: 200mg makes me feel loopy and not myself. 250mg makes me tired. 300mg would probably bring me back to how I feel on my steady dose of 150mg except that dose makes my stomach turn and I will sweat like a whore in church. Plus I did not feel any better on 300mg in contrast to the 150mg.
I too have had substantial weight gain over the last 5 years. 7 pounds per year topping out at a total of 35 extra pounds. There is nothing I can do to loose it. I was already a stocky man at 5'8" and 205 pounds when I started the Zoloft. Five years later I am still 5'8" but now I am 240. The way that I deal with it: I do sit ups and push ups so at least the bulk of the weight is muscle. But I am really stocky now and my size is so screwy that I can't find cloths that fit me at all. It's rediculous. my lower body is an XL and my upper body is a minimum of XXL if not XXXL. I look like a total meat head bruiser and the funny thing is I am one of the nicest and honest people you will ever meet(as long as I take my Zoloft).
I got the flu bug really bad about 3 months ago and I was so sick I could not go and get my prescription. I did not take my Zoloft for almost 4 days and on the 3rd night I started having these electric shocks in my head like there was a lightning storm going on up there. I had a really high fever(103.5 to 104) and thought that was the reason until I read some of these other posts. I thought I had Swine Flu or something. I accepted the fact that I was going to die that night. It was scary! I thought I was going to have an aneurism in my sleep. The lightning storm in my head immediately stopped when I got my prescription and took my normal dose of 150mg that next morning. So, it definitely had something to do with not taking the Zoloft for over 3 days.
I also have ran out before because of not having benefits being between jobs. It is really expensive with out medical insurance. I have to mention that on the end of the 2nd day of not having it I start to become this irritated jerk with absolutely no patients what so ever. In other words; a total asshole to everyone. So after experiencing that a couple times, I call them my "Anti Asshole Pills".
I also sometimes have these dreams that are so vivid and disturbing(usually very violent). I am also known to sleep walk now and then. On several of these incidences I have eaten a gallon of Ice cream and not remember any of it. No shit, a gallon, LOL!!! It is kind of funny because each time I did that I put the empty plastic container back in the freezer and the next evening my wife is pissed that she did not even get one spoon full and I don't know what hell she is talking about.
My sex drive has been reduced to about 1/2 of what it used to be. Bare in mind that I used to be a total nympho maniac. Now istead of thinking about sex every 6 seconds, I think about it every 12 seconds. It does make me last longer because the most sensitive part of my penis is about half as sensitive as it used to be. My sexual life has dwindled down to nothing at this point. But, that has to do with my wife, not me. Thats, a different issue all together. Its probably a good thing that I am not as horny as I used to be. Just for the record I still desire sex at least 2 to 3 time a week. But that is a lot less that wanting it 2 to 3 times a day.
One more thing while its on my mind: I had thrown my back out about 6 months ago and my older brother gave me some Vicodin to take the edge off the excruciating pain and I ended up being in for a real ride. Turns out that taking Zoloft and Vicodin is like taking speed(for me anyway). After researching it on line(Should have did that first) I found out some interesting information. The Zoloft makes the Vicodin come on stronger and the Vicodin makes the Zoloft come on stronger. So much stronger that I only had to take 50mg of Zoloft along with 1/2 of a Vicodine to feel really really good. Of course I had to find that out the hard way. When I originally took my 150mg Zoloft dose with a whole Vicodine I was so spun out that I could not do anything except figure 8's in my head. Then I researched it on line and found out that if you take less of both it is like taking more of one or the other because the interaction of both drugs cause them to both come on way stronger. The Zoloft enhances the Vicodin and the Vicodin enhances the Zoloft.
That about sums it up for me. What more can I say, It seems to work well for me. Like I said earlier in this little novel I just wrote; "So anyone that has not taken Zoloft for at least 6 months to a year at a steady dose really won't have any idea as to what works for them and what does not." Drugs affect everybody differently. I know with out this drug I am a really f---ed up nut job that is an asshole on the side. With it I am just a little f---ed up like everybody else.
I hope this helped somebody besides me. Because I sure feel a hell of lot better.

P.S. Everybody thinks of suicide. Some people actually commit it.

Thanks
-Dick

I'm one of the few who've completely benefited from taking Zoloft.
I find those of you having the most problems were on very high doses.

I'm 19 and I started at 25 mg for the first month,
and then went up to 50mg midway through my second month.
I have been on Zoloft for about 6 months now and have had nothing but good experiences.

The first month I was nauseas and had headaches,
but that's common when starting a new anti-depressant.

I dream much more vividly, at first I had very vivid nightmares but they weren't anywhere near the flashbacks I was previously having.

Now I don't have nightmares at all, I just Dream very vividly.

I put on a little weight, but my anxiety had put me Underweight. I'm now at a very healthy weight, and am not having any issues with weight gain Or weight loss.

I haven't found a loss of libido at all, if anything I'm much more responsive than I was before taking Zoloft.

My desire to drink and party has gone down, my desire to smoke is still the same as it was before the zoloft.

I'm on zoloft for PTSD, Anxiety and Depression.

I've found myself Much more active and aware than I was before. I'm a much more empathetic and compassionate Go-To person.
Before Zoloft I couldn't care about anything, was either being extremely reckless or hiding.

Now I am able to Work, and interact with people and actually have the desire to do so.
I have the desire to Clean and Cook and make friends, where there was none of that before.

Zoloft is working wonderfully for me and my suggestion is that you start at the lowest dose and up it as need be- Don't start at 100mg or 200 mg like some of the people I've seen here. Too high of doses are obviously hurting more than they are helping!

I was put on Zoloft back in the winter of '07. It was believed to help my insomnia and borderline personality disorder. However within a week or so of taking it, it made it a lot worse. It turned out when I thought I was asleep I was actually having another personality all together. I came to this conclusion after I was not caught sleep walking and sleep driving but interacting on a whole other level. I even snapped out of it late one night driving down the road with a car full of strangers that I apparently had been club hopping with. I don't think, in words, I can express how disturbing that was.
It also had a horrific effect on my personal and finical lives as well. Seems I was on the "more aggressive than normal" binge that I was only warned about 5 months after taking. I had honestly been wanting to sue someone over it. I had to drop taking it against several doctors orders to stay on it and "let it come into full effect". I felt like I was losing control of myself.
Late one night, it was snowing. Me and my good friend were out on his back porch smoking and watching it snow when he made some kind of smart ass comment and ruined the moment. I beat him to a bloody pulp over it. Apparently I felt so bad about it I bought him a 350$ watch to make up for it.
I don't remember ANY of that. Infact I don't remember 3 days of my life where I was apparently fully active and overly generous with my money.

I stopped taking Zoloft after that span. Since then, and well under proper supervision, I've used Zoloft in a number of dosage forms, as an experiment to see what sort mental side effects it was having on me. I WOULD STRONGLY NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TRY THIS! (i suppose it's a fair disclaimer to begin with and that curiousity can kill the cat.) I know several people that have taken the drug and are still on it with good effects and change in their overall behavior and life. However every time I've tried to take the drug again I've only worsen my mental states. I've got more mental problems that I would like to admit to and adding Zoloft is not one I'd recommend.

I've been told Abilify with Zoloft could help. I'm not even going to think of what would happen if I tried that combination. Granted it might make it work "properly" then again I might lose myself all together. My advice is don't listen to doctors that throw new pills at all the problems.

For those of you who are having sexual side effects from Zoloft, ask your Dr. to add Wellbutrin. 100mg of Zoloft per day had the desired effect of stopping my depression, but, just like with Lexapro, I couldn't have an orgasm to save my life. 300 of Wellbutrin per day added to the Zoloft, and that problem was gone in days.
My only side effect now is severe sweating (just from the armpits) all day long.

My MD prescribed zoloft for my "depression". I have suffered migraines, vomiting, wt loss (40lbs),feelings of fuzzy scrambled eggs for brains, nightmares, feelings of displacement,seroius anger and rage, inability to concentrate, pain all over (even my skin hurts with clothes on), I can sleep for days at a time, and more ...this is my lfe since oct 07. Before that I was fine, I worked as a nurse for 20 years, my ours were between 40 to 60 a week, I had energy, I had a life. Now on the zoloft the only thing changed is I no longer rage but nothing else has changed in fact its worse. ANY IDEAS??
I can't live mylife in bed feeling like crap and the MD thinks its all in my head....I don't. If anyone can help me email e at cbeakley@hotmail PLEASE.....I want my life back.

p.s thank you for everyone who posted their experiences on Zoloft. If it wans't for you posting your stories, another person (me) would have been sent on a journey to hell that probably could have been avoided. thank you!

I've been on 50mg Zoloft for the past three years for anxiety and depression. Over the past three years I have gotten these two things under control. The problem now is the weight gain. I was 124 pounds when I started. I am now 155 pounds. I don't llike all of the weight gain. Also I have noticed that I don't care about doing anything anymore. I just want to sit around and sleep all of the time. I've decided to wean myself off the pills by myself because my doctor thinks I'm fine and that the weight gain is from not eating healthy. I don't eat junk and I am a very athletic person. So with that said, I'm becoming a very depressed overweight person. I have read on many posts and blogs that other people have gained massive amounts of weight while on this drug. The doctors don't agree....hmmm maybe because they get a big kick back every perscription they write....

I have been on zoloft fot the past 10 years !
tHis drug saved my life and I am ding very well on it !
I even had lost weght at the beginning .
It really is the Best thing that could have happenned to me
Except that lately I have been having meomry loss .
THat is my only concern lately !

After the third day on 50mg ZOloft for anxiety/zoloft its been the worst feeling in the world on the third day. I feel extremely nervous and tension in my feet. Going to the doctors to talk to him about it. This drugs is awful.

I love to read all these comments. it has been bugging me. so many things have bugged me. most important... sex drive and impotence. i have been hanging with my girlfriend and she thought it was her fault till i finally found out it was this. if i stop cold turkey... how long till i am not impotence?

I took Zoloft for 7 days and it rocked my world. It sent me into the worst darkness ever. I took it for mild anxiety and what ended up happening was an increase in anxiety to the point of panic. Suicidal thoughts, insomnia, loss of appetite and deep depression where I could not get out of bed. While on it, I broke up with my partner out of the blue and decided to give up the rights to my child. Luckily I was reeled back into reality when someone said to me, are you having side affects from zoloft? My friends told me that I was not the same happy person and that I seemed intense and agitated. After not sleeping for 4 nights and having severe panic attacks and racing thoughts, I was forced to eat and go for a walk and then was given a mild sedative last night. I woke up this morning feeling mostly like myself again. I still feel it in me but nothing like yesterday where there was no hope whatsoever. I hear this pill works for lots of people but for me no. I will just keep going through life chemical free.

I have been taking zoloft over a year now and past few weeks started having weird dream I remember very detail to. All of the dreams have been very negative. Could this be causEd by zoloft?

I have been on Zoloft for the past 13 years !
this drug saved my life and I am doing very well on it !
It really is the Best thing that could have happened to me
Except that lately I have been having memory loss .
that is my only concern lately !

I have been on Zoloft for only 30 days, and even though I have noticed some positive changes, I am already refusing to get my first refill. I started with 25 mg and was instructed to increase to 50 after 5 days, so I did just that. I was prescribed Zoloft for my chronic headaches and depression.

About a week into it, I already started noticing that I was handling my stress much much better than before. I wasn't experiencing my anxiety attacks as often, and when they came, they weren't severe. As time wen't on, though, I started to grow more fatigued. I took naps nearly every day, and waking up in the morning was nearly impossible.

I took it at night time because it made me sleepy, and even though I would get 7-8 hours of sleep, I would wake up feeling like I slept for 3 hours max. My dreams became a nightmare. Every single night, I would have dreams about things that used to haunt me in my past; things that used to tear me apart inside. These dreams were mainly about my past extremely unhealthy relationship and the emotional trauma that it caused.

Every single morning, within an hour of waking up, I was in the bathroom dry heaving and coughing up stomach bile and mucus. There would normally be food in there, but since I never feel like eating recently, there's nothing TO throw up. All this stress on my guts started to show up in the form of little red speckles mixed in with the mucus, which I believe to be blood. I also think I spotted some blood in my stool a couple times. I wouldn't even call it "stool." It was usually mushy diarrhea or... liquid.

My sexual desire and my attitude toward sex has become dramatically negative. I hardly ever get "in the mood" and it... takes a lot longer than it should.

While my outlook on life became quite positive at first, I believe it was psychological. I later on started to view some things more negative than before, and I can attribute that to my lack of energy. It takes energy to think positive when you're depressed. I am sure you'd all agree. It's only been 3 days without taking Zoloft, but I'm sure I'm going to start to feel the effects a little soon.

I am starting to view the drug as a life inhibitor, similar to the issues it tries to resolve. What a waste of time.

If anyone else is feeling like this, too... I urge you to back off the Zoloft and make a doctors appointment this week. You shouldn't have to go through more sh*t than you've already been through.

I took zoloft for 4 yrs now, I currently just quit taking it but I never had any symptoms except decreased sex drive. It really helped me with my anxiety and worring all the time. The thing that docs don't tell you is the way you feel when you stop taking it. It has been 5 days now and I'm very tired and very very dizzy. Im waiting for this affect to go away so I go be back to normal again. If your considering taking any kind of meds I suggest you try natural pills and relaxation even praying. Do not take pills if you don't have to. I wouldnt wish the side affects on anyone.

I have been on Zoloft for about 2 months now, was put on it for anger and depression (minor). It has totally changed my life and the lives of my wife and children. My aggravation level has dropped massively and I am enjoying my life again.

Zoloft has changed my life for the better in a big way. It has saved my marriage and is helping me be a better man / husband / father.

I do sweat a bit when sleeping, not a big deal. No headaches, actually I used to have chronic little headaches and those are gone now. Sex drive has decreased but no problems with the actual physical part of getting an erection. My stomach does hurt some, not bad, just a bit unpleasant. Probably my fault because I don't eat right. No weight gain.

For me Zoloft is currently working and the pro's far outweigh the con's.

just wanted to say how incredibly grateful iam for coming across this blog. i've been on zoloft for 4 months and have been having an interesting experience. i can relate to most of the posts on side effects. i think the pill is right for you if are able to cope with the side effects...bc there are many and they are not fun. memory loss being the worst. but i equate the use of zoloft to moving to a different country.. you have to learn how to live a little differently. like adapting to a new culture. i feel like i can FEEL my brain rewiring itself somehow (that's both fascinating and a little scary). bottom line, the pill is a miracle for me. it's cured what needed curing and, consequently, rendered "not fun" side effects. i can totally understand why people hate it. it's odd: while i'm aware of the negative things going on (physically and mentally) at the same time i have found a new-found "bright side/glass half full" type of mindset... ultimately this "mindset" paired with these side effects makes for a change... you have to get used to yourself again. "grow up" with the medicine. all that said, very glad i came across this. great to know there are tons of people and can pretty much relate to everyone.

thanks

i went on zoloft for depression and anxiety, it shocked my body at first and i felt worse before i got better. i now also take xanax for the isolated panic attacks as i think zoloft is more for depression which anxiety can be then a symptom of. i put on a bit of weight but only because i became very tired and nauseaus but now the weight is coming off as i'm back to my old self, full of energy and happy. i would say zoloft is a help but you need to be taking it under the guidance of a psychiatrist. talking to a good doctor is this way and taking xanax really really helped me. i've actually started to wean myself off zoloft. 100mg every other day and i do experience some dizziness. this is normal. no one should come off it cold turkey. very dangerous. i would say that most people only put on the weight because they crave to eat random things, for me it was bread bread bread at first and beer bizzrely. never drunk it before. but you have to be strict with yourself. throw yourself out of bed, eat healthily and go to the gym. so hard. believe me. i'd have panic attacks in the gym and pass out. its a battle but you will get through it. good luck to all.

I thought I would post my experiences on here.

Firstly, a lot of people seem to be complaining about side effects after being on the drug for a very short amount of time. You can't really get as decent idea of how the drug is affecting you until you have been on it for the 4-6 week uptake time recommended. Of course don't put yourself through hell for it, but this is just something to consider.

As for my experiences, they have been in many ways been very positive. I used to be on Prozac, but came off it accidentally after forgetting to take my pills. After about 6 months the chemical depression started kicking in again, so back on the pills, but this time the doctor suggested zoloft, generally considered to have less side effects than prozac.

My initial reaction was very positive. I respond to anti-depressants very fast anyway, but after a week the undercurrent of negativity that was the main symptom of my depression was totally gone, and now the only time I feel depressed is when something in my life makes me feel that way, rather than a permanent feeling. Being able to feel normal ups and downs has been fabulous.

Despite the purely positive effect of zoloft on my mood, however, over time I have built up a number of side effects, which are now making me consider other treatment avenues. Firstly I noticed increased sweating - I have never been a sweaty person, but now have to use high strength antiperspirant. In tandem with this my skin has become greasier, increasing a tendency for spots. It is purely aesthetic, but does make me conscious about my appearance.

Most importantly for me, however, has been the complete vanishing act performed by my ability to reach orgasm. I no longer care about sex as much as I used to, although I still enjoy it, but it got to the point where achieving orgasm was a bit of a non starter. It seems zoloft has some of the highest rates of sexual dysfunction, and it is enough to make me consider other options.

Having been off the drug for a week now (I need a medication review, but my doctor was only free 3 weeks away, and I only had 2 weeks worth of pills left), I experienced many of the usual withdrawal symptoms. For me the worst is dizziness - I feel more like I am on drugs when I am off them! Also when I close my eyes I feel all of the bloody rushing around in my head - a very disconcerting feeling. However, alongside this has been a steady increase in my ability to reach orgasm - I had forgotten how easy it used to be! This is one of the main reasons I am now considering other drugs.

In summary, don't get me wrong. Zoloft is the fastest and most effective anti-depressant I have tried. As someone without root psychological causes to her depression, I would recommend it. However, there are side effects, and for me they have now got a bit too much. I may well come back to it in future, but for now I want to test the water with alternatives.

Hope this helps someone!

L

p.s. my blog quite often bears the brunt of my depressed ranting - if anyone is interested / if it helps anyone, the address is http://mysterycreature.wordpress.com

Ok, like many of you, I love the good things about the drug but also HATE the bad. I have been able to control both my depression and OCD while using this drug but now I am starting to worry my family about my memory loss. I dont know what to do and until today I thought that I was alone. Ugh! It's so annoying because I am very smart and the "go-to" person for our family's history. But lately I can't remember too much of $h!+.

I took zoloft about 6 years ago. After about 1 month of being on zoloft my hair texture changed as well as my hair started to fall out.It never grew back. A permenant side effect.

Zoloft, is the wosrt shit you get. It ruins your body. One fucked up company knowing it and selling it for money. They sell fucking death in a tiny pill saying its heaven. PLEASE its shit just admitt it ok dont lie for them.

Im an 18 year old girl who was prescribed zoloft For depression and bad Anxiety . All Tho i think this levels me
Out at times
. I have all these new worse syptoms that im dealing with . I do for sure
Notice the blurred
Vision. And im having problems with control such as
Sweets
And intoxicants. Ive been smoking more mj for the insomnia and mood swings
As
Well as
Awful headaches .

I
Feel as tho these antidepressant mess
With the natural neurotransmitter chemistry too much to call it a
Positivedrug . Ur left with worse symptoms of the extreme

Start lookjng natural ... There
R herbs which elivate those levels without the side effects

Id do that but im dreading having to withdraw!!!because the symptoms multiply!!
If i can be prescribed this side effect pill causer
Im gonna roll my herb to help too !!

Check
The symptoms of fibromyalgia . I have a theory that these unbalances cause this condition Made
Worse by the drug

I was on Zoloft 20 mg's for 5 years. My memory got progressivly worse. It effected my job to where it made me look down right stupid. I switched to another med. and over a couple of months my memory was noticably improved. I thought I had Alzhiemers. My doctor had even scheduled me for testing till I told her about Zoloft info I found on line about memory loss. Zoloft was the culprit. Wheeeeeeeeew.

Generic sertraline. No more insomnia, sleep walking, sleep eating, night terrors. I have always been a sleep walker, my Mom had to dead-lock the front door to stop me from leaving the house whil asleep. Decreased sex drive. Sometimes I do have night sweats, but I put that down to Perimenopause until now...may be the drug. Overall, the drug is a God-send, as I never thought that there was a cure for night terrors and sleep walking.

My daughter was on Zoloft 100 mg for depression and clonipin for panic attacks well Friday night she took a bunch of pills and drank 2 bottles of liquor she was found in time but she said she just felt empty and before she knew it she was opening bottles and something in the back of her head was saying. Go ahead and take them and that was the last she remembers

i too was on Zoloft for two years, i still did not feel right. how about 200 mg a day. sweat at night, sleep 12 to 15 hours a day. it was nota good life, lost my job because i was not a people person.... don't know if ZOLOFT cause it? so i went to a blood DOCTOR he found out that all my vitamins were low and need help.... also my testrone was real bad, today i am drug free and i feel the best of my life. maybe people need to look into there blood,and go to church more and ask GOD,Jesus,and MOTHER Mary to help them... i did,,, i'm now on my way to being a great DAD,,, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME......... GORY

Was on zoloft as a child for anxiety and OCD. Seemed to work really well for me as a child. I am now 27 and recently went back on zoloft and had a totally different experience than before. As before it seemed to help with some of the anxiety, although it appeared to make the OCD worse. On top of that I found myself constantly angry and quick to violent behavior whereas before this was never a problem. I have since stopped taking it.

I started zoloft 3 weeks ago and like the MP below here I have stopped having panic attacks, and don't have any sort of anxiety anymore it is great. My quality of lif is finally back and I feel normal again. Also like MP I used to like going to drink with friends and would actually loose sleep the night before going to drink cause I would be so excited to go have some beers. I obviously had a bit of an alchol prollm, but now I have no urge to go drink or smoke up which for me is awesome. I have had weird vivid dreams as well, starting zoloft and felt quite tired and couldn't stop yawning for the first few days but it slowly went away with the weird dreams within a week er so. Zoloft has been great for me and my whole family, I wish doctors had of put me on this years ago rather than going through trial and error with Paxil, Celexa, and Effexor which did nothing for me at all. Thank You to my new Dr. and Zoloft for changing my life.

My advice is find a Christian counselor who really has your best interest at heart that can do it by many holistic means working with an endocrinologist. Fell into the trap and believe the lies of all big Pharma Psycho drugs , ended up with major losses in everything in my life , it changed my personality and it is totally not good ! Frim the Pharma company and the doctors don't receive kickback for every script they write and only have the pocketbook at heart. Go on the Internet used bookstore or Amazon look up books written by author Whitaker that proves that none of the psycho drugs work on anyone and everyone is led to believe they have a lifelong chronic illness when all they needed the love and support of of people around them and get into a good Christian counselor whose interest is not with financial game which is the biggest motivator with all people involves pushing these so-called drugs that help. I have been delivered from many different types that I had taken I now I'm on a strict vitamin and diet supplement regimen , feel great , my life is productive and everything and everyone in my life is going wonderfully better than I could've dreamed or imagined. Read the books get the fax written by Whitaker!!! It reveals all the things that big Pharma does not want you to know. All of these crazy happenings you see on the news reading the paper on the Internet of two people doing bizarre things they were all on big Pharma psycho drugs get the picture! It's being blamed and let people with so-called mental illness but it's the drugs !!! All of the so-called evaluation symptoms are many normal symptoms that many people have that goes through all the trials and calamities of modern-day living at one time or another in their life and with proper nondrug treatment and you
Can and will overcome! Note: you do not have to be a Christian to go to a Christian counselor with(holistic approach)! Why the FDA hasn't caught on by now , really surprises me with so many lives that Have been destroyed over all the pycho drugs that they have approved!!!

Zoloft and all psychiatric drugs are proven to not !!!!! work at all!!!! read books Witten by Whitaker ! for all the case studies not paid for !!! by the drug Pharma companies or doctors just filling their fat pockets with kickbacks, free office supplies, vacations, catered lunches and why the FDA approves these drugs is beyond me unless they get kickback like the doctors do for writing the script. After a horrible battered marriage , n several deaths the drs switched me from one to the other and I missed out on life n had negative effects on all the meds, although don't convince you that you're doing much better or let's try a different kind of pill. My advice seek Christian counseling holistic therapy local support groups and read books written by Dr. Whitaker and all things shall pass. Everyone in life these days goes to dance but it's only for a season.

I have been taking zoloft for over 2 years for severe depression. I started being depressed my freshman year of highschool it was horrible. The zoloft helped alot at first. Now i feel like i cant enjoy myself and like ive just had an artificial happyness since i started it. I recently had sex with my girlfriend and i couldnt orgasm which was very embarrising. I looked into my medication and saw that there were some sexual side effects that i wasnt aware of and my doctor never mentioned. Just last week i stopped taking zoloft and i feel completly different than i have for the past 2 years. I havent been depressed but i havent enjoyed myself in a very long time i believe that zoloft just numbed my feelings while i was taking it. I read peoples personal stories of withdrawl from zoloft and most people became more depressed during the withdrawl than they were before taking the medicine. I am very worried that i will have a bad withdrawl. I am hoping i can get back to life without this drug i dont feel like ive been myself since i started taking it.

taking Zoloft. going on 5 months now. it seemed to help at first. I slept like a baby, and stopped crying and being so depressed all the time. Then I didn't even notice it myself. I've had others tell me that I'm saying things that I don't even remember saying, threatening people and not even remembering. And the depression is not only back, but much worse. emotions all over the place. I feel like I'm losing touch with reality. I have fantasies that I know aren't real but I can't help it.

I was recently switched from Lexapro to 100mg of Zoloft. ive been on it for almost two weeks and have apparently been sleep walking,sweating, and having severe breast pains and tingling in my arms and a feeling of being numb, not happy, not sad.

I took Zoloft for about 11 months at 150mg, I am currently weening due to the obvious 30lb weight gain and other side effects. Im usually quite active and watch my diet, but this didn't help me maintain weight. I have noticed that recently that I don't want to drink alcohol as much. I was not a drinker prior to taking Zoloft, maybe a glass of wine on occasion. While I was taking it I cas easily drinking 2 bottles a week. Friends and family were getting concerned. In retrospect it is scary to realize how out of control this had gotten. I also noticed that I became very photosensitive, a few hours in the sun, even on cloudy days, all exposed skin broke out in hives. I found it extremely hard to focus on anything for more that 5 minutes, this ultimately led to me getting dismissed from the nursing program I was in. This became the final staw and I began the weening process.

Weening on the other hand has been a unpleasant process as well. At times it feels jolt of electricity running down my arm, other times I have vision disturbances. They have been easing up, which when addressed with my doc she had told me this is normal given the dose I was on. Other times I feel physically drained and easily frustrated.

I have noticed the ability to focus a little better and become as organized as I was before taking the medication. I have had mood swings but they pass.

I currently work at a hospital and I am amazed how many people are on some sort of anti depressant. After the things I went through with this med as a healthy adult I can't begin to imagine how it is treating them.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

I was on zoloft last year for maybe just a month. Strangely I experienced very odd side effects quickly. It was mostly that my personality was changing. Looking back I think I was turning into a sociopath or maybe it's a silly example but I was wanting to get high and doing a lot I drugs I never thought I would be interested in and stealing. Also spending a lot of money on shopping. So when I'm not on meds sometimes I have issues with these things but I know they're wrong. And then when I was I zoloft I didn't really care about anything. But at some point something clicked and I realized I was acting strange. Also my best friend noticed I was acting weird. She and her ex had been on zoloft before and had bad experiences and she told me to ask my doctor if it was possibly causing me to act strange. When I told my doctor what was happening she was sort or alarmed and told me to stop taking it and that it wasn't a coincidence. I wanted to share my story because while medication can sometimes help people, sometimes it can really hurt someone. I'm relieved I didn't do anything worse.

Zoloft definitely helped for anxiety but after the second week of taking it, I started sleepwalking. I would wake up with things knocked off of shelves and in the middle of the floor. I have a 3 month old son and his crib is right next to mine which is scary..

I am writing concerning my brother-he has been on zoloft for quite some time now and has had a deteroiration of his memory 'n I'm writing this blog to ask if anyone knows how to alter this memory loss? I asked him to check wi/his doctor, see if he can have his dosage decreased but I think he's afraid of what effect that might have on his depression. Help!!

I took Zoloft for a very short period of time. I mean 1 wk. my anxiety went through the roof!!! I couldn't think straight so I just stopped it. I thought I would I be ok since I only took it for 1 wk (and if anyone thinks that the med can not act that fast your wrong I lived it) I went through hell. panic attacks, I never had one before in my life btw, the hot flashes, confusion, memory loss, heart was racing, insomnia. I know it works for some people but when the drug is prescribed it should come with a warning. good for some but EVIL for others

When I was younger like in college I had some issues and I went to really cool support groups etc. one woman's group in particular I really liked I noticed a tendency for all this anti depression pill push. My counselor said it was open to me if I wanted but I rebelled against such drugs, no matter how bad I felt because I saw in others, damage taking place instead of any kind of healing or cure. I know and have known people who took antidepressants because they are suicidal. And so they spend 90 percent of their time in groups because they are just as depressed while on the drug as they were before. On top of this, I have seen the spiritual wickedness associated with the prescribing of such drugs because the mentality adopted by a lot of physicians is that an emotion is a mental illness. So, if I'm crying uncontrollably because of the death of a loved one, I'm mentally ill? what did they do 100s of years ago when there were no anti depressants? I have also learned that the medical field wants people to be depressed. This whole thing about I'm depressed I'll take the drug is bondage. It's slavery. I can't judge why someone else takes it. I know now a days it's used for pain like fibro myalgia etc. understood. There was a time when I was so depressed I couldn't shower myself. But a lot of things had a hold on me to make me that way. My family had strife and there was no joy. I was rejected by a lot of people in my family. Low self esteem. Etc. over time I just fought back like hell and no matter how down I got, I hung on. I finished college but it was a struggle. I started eating better and overall worked on my self esteem. I crawled my way to church because I hated going but somehow sensed down inside God wanted me there. Over time I started to enjoy singing and worshipping. Then some years later I started seeing all my friends from !group! And it seemed they were still doing the same ol- not working, going to groups and taking the meds still. And one thing that really bothered me was how they seemed even worse than the first time around I met them. I mean, they're taking drugs to help/cure all this depression, suicidalness - where is the improvement? There never was one because they believed a lie that a pill can fix an emotion. I'll always be grateful at such a young age I saw through all of it. They kept trying touch it on me and I ran like hell.

I took The Zoloft generic for about 3 weeks and the middle finger of my dominant left hand began to experience trigger finger. I immediately called my physician and demanded another drug. All the while the office is saying, it doesn't cause that. I'm off it two days now and the symptoms are not yet better. I did find several articles and blogs also referring to trigger finger in association with this drug. I recommend not to take it.

i been off zoloft over a month now i notice when i get up in the night i seem to lose my gate and lean to the left side of my body could this be a cause of taking zoloft.

Hi, I have been on Zoloft 50mg for a week for mild anxiety. I already feel a lot happier and am not suffering with any major side effects, although I don't really feel myself. My anxiety and panic attacks have disappeared completely. However after doing lots of research I am doubting weather I should be taking this drug - as I've heard coming off it is hell and for many people their reasons for taking the drug comes back. Does anyone have any advice? How will my doctor react if I just stop taking it? (Planning to lower it down to 25mg and come off slowly to avoid any side effects)

i started taking zoloft yesterday and i am having a issue where i start sweating really bad and i start shaking and my hands go numb and feel like they r tingling like they are asleep

I have been on Zoloft for 20 years. At first the only side affect I had was the sexual ones. Two years ago I started getting a rash type thing on my chest and neck. It would itch and burn like mad. Sun made it worse. I sleep with ice packs on my neck as that is the only way to relieve the burning itch. My doctor told me it was photosensitivity. To stay out of the sun. Well I'm light skinned so I do everything to avoid sunshine that I can. Nothing helps, mostly because I am a mail carrier and cannot avoid the sun. I wear 100spf and a hat and sunglasses. Recently I started getting migraine headaches from sun exposure. I have been on 200 mg for several years. I come home and sit in a darker room and the headache just disappears! Never has a headache left me so quickly. I looked up sun induced headaches and came up with extreme photosensitivity. Zoloft causes this. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and can't just stop using it. I feel like I'm trapped with a drug that continuously will make living a normal life impossible. If they put you on this, find a way to manage depression without it! I'm only 39 and it's looking like I won't be able to do my job anymore because of the side effects.

I've been on Zoloft 50mg for 3 says now, my anxiety is awful I feel like I'm on the verge of a panic attack for several hours after taking it, also just kinda feel weird. Will this pass and how long will it take to stop

Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil all cause alcohol cravings. They cause you to drink and they intensify your buzz. You do things you would've never done before taking them. You end up going out drinking all night and you can't stop drinking until early morning. You act a fool and sometimes black out. You don't care who you hurt, you just want to drink more alcohol. You end up losing your family because you want to be out partying all night. These antidepressants trigger addictive behaviors and next thing you know, you're addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, and or drugs. These pills ruin lives when they get prescribed to people who aren't depressed in the first place. Just because you feel tierd and gain some weight doesn't mean you're depressed. Try low thyroid hormones. This doctor ruined mine and my families lives when she misdiagnosed depression and put me on this poisonous medication.

I have been on Zoloft for almost five years. Before that I took Effexor for 10. I thought Zoloft was great when I was on it. Then it stopped working. I took it for anxiety and depression. Now that I'm off it. (It took almost a full month or more to taper down to get off.) I feel amazing most days. Some days I feel like I've had a bandaid on my feelings for 15 years. (ie, the skin is really fresh.) But I also feel more alive and willing to take chances. Then I think, was the anxiety and depression that bad? I was 28 when I started, I'm 43 now. To feel new inspiration for life and the will to take chances on myself is not worth the side effects of Zoloft. Yes, we all get down. But being flatlined is not worth the ups and downs. Please read this cautionary tale if you are thinking about this drug.