Anyone used Zoloft for treat of severe anxiety and depression?

[King52]

I have been on 100mg of Zoloft for about 2 months now and I honestly can't tell if it's working. I used to be on Prozac and was in a good place for awhile but then my meds got switched up and the Prozac stopped working for me. I'm really hoping Zoloft helps me because I feel like I'm back at square one. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Hidden]

HJi,'ve used both zoloft and Prozac (at different times) Prozac was a living hell for me.. I could have played one of "The Walking Dead" Zombies as result.. It was miserable. The detox from (prozac)was worse than heroin withdrawal. Zoloft, as I recall worked well for a while, then it didn't. I don't recall any issues with it otherwise.. I found a good combination of Welbutrin and Paxil seems to do the trick for the most part. Hope this reply helps.I

[King52 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the reply. I'm also on Welbutrin so I hope that is helping. Do you happen to remember about how long it took for the Zoloft to really start working?

[Hidden in reply to King52]

No, I can't recall. Everyone has a different experience with any drug. Usually it can take two and up to four weeks to build up a " therapeutic blood index: or in plain terms. It take time to build up enough medication in your system to be effective

[EnglishRose63 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Lazaruslong, I'm hoping your still active on here. You say the detox from prozac was bad for you and wondered how you felt coming off it? I've been off it for about 9 weeks fully now and I'm still feeling awful, crying too much and don't want to do the things I once enjoyed doing. X

[Hidden in reply to EnglishRose63]

Hi. My withdraw was a nightmare. My depression was overwhelming. No energy I slept up to 16hrs a day. Basically it was a 10 on a scale of 1-10 10 being the worst I've ever experienced. I don't know a precise time-line but it was a good two weeks of debilitating depression the it tapered off to where I was depressed and functioning enough to do the basics for survival.

[EnglishRose63 in reply to Hidden]

Blimey! I was ok for the first month but then I was getting brain zaps and I still feel soooo low. I'm considering going back on them. I only came off them for a break. Hate the idea of not coping without them...

[Hidden in reply to EnglishRose63]

It was rough. It took a while to fully recover. I can't recall what the difficulty meds were after that.I'm currently taking a combination of Paxil and Welbutrin. It's working very well for me

[EnglishRose63 in reply to Hidden]

I'll look into that then. Glad it's working for you luvvy

[Hidden in reply to EnglishRose63]

Good luck with your quest. A thing to remember if you're not already aware. Meds are not " one size fits all " We are a bunch of chemicals in a shell. We are unique. Meds are chemicals. No one chemical works the same for everyone. It takes time and monitoring as well as a certain amount of " experimentation " to find a good fit. Be patient and in tune with yourself and assertive with your provider till you find something that works.

[King52 in reply to EnglishRose63]

I know how you feel about not being able to cope without the help of meds. However I look at it this way. Theres nothing wrong with taking medication if it helps. To me ts also no different than somebody who takes meds for high blood pressure, or to help manage their diabetes.

[EnglishRose63 in reply to King52]

It's so sad not managing without them. I was on the prozac for 10 years, only 10mg daily but it helped, god knows why I bothered coming off them. I think because I'm on a few other meds and weekly injections I wanted my gut to have a rest 😆🤣

[Hidden]

Hi, the first medication I was ever on was Zoloft and the highest dose I was at was 200mg. I was on it for a year and a half and I thought it was working but then had an urge to switch because I started to feel off. I wasn't sure if it was the medication or other factors that were making me feel shitty. I started prozac after and was on it for four months but I found that it made me really tired and I didn't feel like it was helping with my anxiety. Now I am in the process of getting off the prozac and starting something new. But I think it all really depends on your body, everyone reacts differently. Im hoping whatever I start next works because I have been feeling shitty. But I actually did like the zoloft personally better than the prozac! I hope it works out for you

[King52 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the feedback. I hope whatever your trying next works out for you!

[Momwhocooks]

Did you tell this to the doctor who prescribed you Zoloft? I’ve been on 100mg/day for almost 2 years, and it definitely has made a difference in stopping my catastrophic thinking and major anxiety/depression. I started with 25mg, then slowly worked up to 100 as my nurse monitored the effects.

I find it’s a “subtle” drug compared to others, so it can be hard to tell. But only you know if you still have all the same symptoms at all the same severity levels as before. If you do, then it’s time to talk to your doctor!

[King52 in reply to Momwhocooks]

Yeah I did tell my doctor all this originally. Last time I talked to her she bumped me up to 125mg of Zoloft. It seems though like this may not be the best choice for me. I will talk with her and see then. Thanks for the feedback!

[Hidden in reply to King52]

You're welcome

[katyee8]

Hi, I was on Zoloft 50 mg. for a looong time and it did help me a lot. Recently I experienced anxiety and depression again, went back on it and it didn't help me at all with either. I had terrible insomnia as well. So, my MD suggested Mirtazapine 7.5 mg (smallest dosage) and am taking it every night with .5 clonazapam and sleep well and have no anxiety as I did before. You've given the zoloft two months already and if you're not being helped I would try another medication. I hope you find more relief. Annette

[King52 in reply to katyee8]

Thanks for the reply. I agree I think by 2 months I should have seen more improvement. How many different medications did you try until you found Zoloft and had it work for you?

[katyee8 in reply to King52]

It was maybe two others but tricyclic antidepressants which made me constipated so impossible for me. Depending on your symptoms, a good psychiatrist should come up with a better medication for you. I hope they do.

[Pineapple1986]

By 2nd month you should know already if it’s working or not. I’ve been on Zoloft 3 times. Taking it now too. It works well for me. I was on 100 first two times and am on 75 now. I think if you feel at least somewhat better, it’s working, but your doc has to amp up the dose and then wait another few weeks for it to build up. Everyone is different. I believe if Zoloft is not showing major improvements at 100-150 mg, than it’s not your medicine. I’ve learned it hard way. It also depends on your issues. I was misdiagnosed with Bipolar and put on other meds that were not only not helping, they made things worse. As soon as I quit and went back to the Unipolar depression treatment on Sertaline, I was out of depression in a matter of a month and a half. There are too many variables. Keep experimenting with your doc! Not alone!! Good luck and feel better!

[King52]

Thanks! And thanks for the helpful reply that’s all good stuff to know

[Freesoul66]

Was put on Zoloft for manor depression and anxiety... had to slowly increase dose and I’m now at 150. I do believe it makes a difference but it took a long time to be effective. I was also trying to be on the lowest dose as long as I could. No side effects so I guess I’m lucky in that sense. But still taking Ativan for the anxiety. Low dose .5 generally twice a day or at least once in the early morning when stress hormones are highest. Do you do therapy also? I think that is very helpful... you want to get to the bottom of what brought you to this place in the beginning. I am aware I have a predisposition to depression and anxiety and need meds. But my depression is triggered by an event, always, a trauma. Being able to talk about that and letting it all out in a safe place meaning a good therapist makes a huge difference. Hope this helped! Good luck and a big bear hug to you 😘😘😘☀️

[King52]

Yeah I used to be in therapy for awhile and then stopped when things were going good for awhile. I'm thinking of starting up again. It's hard to really tell if the Zoloft is helping or not. When I was on Prozac I could definitely tell it was helping with a major reduction in my anxiety.

[Matt_S]

I have been on Zoloft 100 mg since 2014 in the fall it got upped to 200 mg I also take 30 mg remeron with that it took roughly 3 weeks to kick in but I am still feeling ok some ups and downs along the way but ok for the most part I hope this helps

[Hidden]

Many times we think we no longer need meds or stop taking them for various reasons. I think the two most common reasons for quitting meds is side effects and feelings that we're stable without them. That last part is IMO due to the meds actually working the way they are supposed to. We quit, we crash and burn and start over again. If something is working, why mess with it.

[Hidden]

I was on Zoloft for awhile and it did nothing at all for me.

[King52]

Bumped up to 200mg for almost 4 weeks now. No improvement with anxiety. I am going to speak to my doctor about switching to another medication.