I have social anxiety disorder and went to see a psychiatrist today about this. I’m 27 and I’m sick of dealing with anxiety about dealing with bosses and trying to date and generally new situations. Of course I realize no treatment is going to magically cure my problem. He suggested I try Zoloft at a low dose (starting at 25 mg for a week and then 50 mg thereafter) and therapy.
Now I’m all for therapy but I’m not sure how much good therapy would do as I’ve tired self-help stuff for many years it’s just that underlying everything is the fact that I’m so nervous and tense all the time. My life works okay but I know I’m just getting by and find it difficult to get a better job (in fact I found out today I got passed over for a much better position at my company and I feel I didn’t put myself over at my interview last week), and date or find new friends. So I’m willing to try medication but… I have been reading various websites tonight concerning all the side-effects and some of the sites paint really horrible pictures of all the frequent and not-so-frequent side-effects (of course one of these sites mentioned that anxiety would just go away at some point in my life – which shows they don’t have much first hand experience with anxiety). So now I’m feeling a little scared like I’m not sure I want to do this.
I know one person who takes Zoloft (and used to take another SSRI, Paxil) and she thinks it helps a lot but I wanted to know what other people’s reaction was to Zoloft and how bad did you feel the side-effects were?
Also did any of the side effects continue after stopping the drug and for how long?
Finally how do you think Zoloft helped you?
I’m asking specifically about Zoloft because that is what I will be taking but I’d be fine with hearing other info about other SSRI’s like Paxil or Prozac, etc. Also I do realize that everyone reacts differently to different meds so I will keep that in mind.
I haven’t even got my prescription filled yet and I don’t intend to get the stuff until later in the week and start taking it on Saturday if I’m going to start it. I know I can still back out if I want to but I don’t want to if it is something that could really help. Thanks for all your help and info.
I know plenty of people who are on Zoloft and they don’t experiece any side effects. As you probably know, every medication has a list of possible side effects, but major side effects seem to be pretty rare. I have a friend who tried Buspar, that didn’t work. Then Zyprexa, that didn’t work. Zoloft did the trick. I don’t know how large or small a person you are, but you will have to eventually work up to more than 50mgs. to get any benefit.
I remember that there was a lot of misinformation about how prozac could make you violent or suicidal. What they failed to consider at that time was that the illness that resulted in people taking prozac was more likely the culprit. After all, people with depression are more likely to be very angry and suicidal.
Anti-depressants have literally saved my life.
Be aware that it may take two to six weeks for the medicine to work.
I can remember a time when anxiety used to wash over me like a big wave – especially in the mornings. I can identify with what you are going through. And I send hugs!
Well I weigh 170 lbs or 77 kg (which I guess isn’t much for a guy) so I guess maybe my doctor will step up the dose later. My friend who takes it only weighs 125 lbs and was taking 50 but just moved to 100 mg. I guess maybe my doctor senses (and I did try to communicate) my unease about meds. It’s just that I know (as do people who actually have social anxiety) that the anxiety is how the body reacts to stress and stimulus and basically overreacts. So changing my thought and behavior patterns can only do so much.
I guess I just don’t want to have to worry about taking the stuff for 3 months or so and then tapering down and stopping and having all kinds of weird side effects that won’t do away.
The “differences” between SSRIs, while there, are somewhat exaggerated in my view. I think most of them are similar.
Zoloft is purported to have less frequent side effects than some, and therefore better for use in the elderly. This seems to be somewhat true.
Zoloft can still cause insomnia, weight and sleep changes, nausea, sexual dyfunction and hypomania. I’d say several of these effects are common but transient.
I got suicidal on Zoloft – I didn’t continue on the meds to see if that would settle ;). But I’ve known quite a few people who have not had that rare reaction and who have found zoloft to be tolerable.
My kid was on Zoloft for a year for generalised anxiety and OCD. It was a really good drug for him until it stopped being effective and made him very agitated which, again, is a rare side effect which sometimes happens with kids on SSRIs. Withdrawal was hard but that was because the child psychiatrist was useless and didn’t tell me to take him down very slowly.
It comes down to whether or not the way you are living is comfortable or not. The side effects of an SSRI are very unlikely to be longterm and/or worse than a generalised anxiety disorder.
I’ve been taking paxil for panic attack disorder. I finally have my life back. I read just about everything I was able to find about paxil, and SSRIs in general, when it was first prescribed to me (about 2 1/2 months ago). After reading about all the evil that is paxil, I decided to go ahead and experience it for myself. Anything was better than allowing waves of panic to overtake my life. Having the courage to take back my mental health was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I know a lot of folks have some negative opinions on SSRIs, but you have to remember one thing. People are more likely to talk about negative experiences than positive ones.
I’ve got a severe case of social anxiety disorder (without my meds I can’t even leave the house) and clinical depression. I’ve been on Zoloft, Paxil, Buspar, and Prozac.
Zoloft, Buspar, and Paxil didn’t work. Prozac worked for about a year, but then I experienced what my psychiatrist called the “prozac poop-out”, and was put on Celexa, still on it today… it’s worked wonderfully with no side-effects at all (for me, anyway).
For my anxiety, I was put on a .25mg dose of Alprazolam three times a day. It works wonders after the introductory phase (the first week or so it can turn you into a zombie).
I used to take a tricyclic (amitryptaline) for depression, which produced a few minor side-effects (dry mouth, a fine tremor, and some slight blurring of my vision) but worked very well.
Then my psychiatrist switched me to Prozac to try to diminish the side-effects (not that I’d ever complained about the side effects). My extra-pyramidal symptoms went away, but I found it very difficult to achieve orgasm. And after a bit my girlfriend got sick of my plunging away for hours and not coming, and after another bit I got sick of faking it. So my psychiatrist switched me to Effexor, which had the same side-effect and gave me headaches.
No I’ve stopped seeing psychiatrists, and get my GP (who does what I tell her) to give me prescriptions for amitryptaline, and I’m feeling a lot better.
Hi,
I was on aropax (cousin to zoloft) for 4 years, for depression not anxiety, and now I’m on effexor. I had to come off aropax because I would have to keep upping the dose every year due to my body habituating and eventually I was on a high dose and too many headaches. I don’t think everyone has this habituation problem though, 3 of my friends have been on the same low zoloft dose for years and years. It was really hard to have an orgasm, although I’ve heard zoloft is better on this count.
I had exactly no anxiety on aropax. It was sort of like being a bit pissed all the time. I went from being very introverted to a complete extrovert and had the inclination to go out clubbing for the first time in my life. Interesting experience. Coming off was a real bitch though, took 6 months due to the constipation and migraines.
You might have to try a few before you find one you like.
Been taking Zoloft for some time now, and on the whole it has definitely helped. My depressive times are much less severe and shorter in duration. Day to day problems are more manageable. I feel more “myself.”
I have experienced two negative side effects I attribute to Zoloft:
For about two weeks when I first started taking it, I experienced mild headaches.
It has been consistently more difficult for me to achieve orgasm. My libido is otherwise unaffected.
I have depression and panic disorder, and over the years I’ve been on a laundry list of drugs. Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Elavil for the depression; Klonopin and Tranxene for the panic. Right now I’m on Effexor, which I understand comes from a slightly different family than Prozac, Zoloft etc., and Tranxene.
The SSRIs either didn’t have much effect on me or produced a weird and alarming side effect. However, be aware that I am the Side Effects Poster Child. If 0.0001% of the population gets a given side effect on a medication, I will be in that 0.0001%.
Happily, the Effexor and Tranxene seem to be working well for now. I have tried life without meds and do NOT like it! I’ll take a few minor side effects over suicidal feelings and panic attacks any day. Good luck with the Zoloft! BTW, will you be seeing a therapist? If not, I highly recommend it. IMO, the best treatment for mental and emotional disorders is a combination of therapy and meds.
I’m not surprised, as alprazolam is also known as Xanax[sup]®[/sup], a fast acting tranquilizer with a short half-life. It has a high frequency of habituation, so you can expect the wonderous effects to diminish after six months or so. You will start needing those .25’s more often than three times a day, or else you will begin to feel the effects of Xanax withdrawal, which can be likened to the worst panic attack you have ever had. Once on this merry-go-round, .25’s won’t be enough to keep the shakes away, and you will convince your doc to increase your dosage, first to .5’s, then to 1mg blue footballs. After a couple of years, you will be up to 6 or 7 milligrams a day, which won’t even phase you. Congratulations, you are addicted to prescription drugs! Don’t believe me? Ask your doctor how many of his patients take Xanax for more than six months; then ask him what did they have to do to get off of it. There are worse things in life than a social anxiety disorder.
I would describe my experience with Zoloft so far as exactly that. I’m very glad I started taking it, though, and the sexual side effects seem to sort of be disappearing.
I haven’t had headaches, but when I first started taking it, I felt lightheaded about an hour after I would take it and it would last for an hour, maybe two.
Short version: Started taking it and felt out of touch with reality. I had a hard time concentrating and really caring about anything happening in front of me because I felt detached from the world. Memory suffered HUGELY - where before I had a well above average memory, after, I was repeating things to people frequently because I didn’t recall telling them.
I’m not sure if that was a result of a chemical thing, or a consequence of feeling detached - if nothing seems real, or at least it seems distant, it doesn’t seem as important to remember.
Empathy for just about everyone sharply went down - probably because they didn’t seem real, and were distant - and I guess I was mildly psychotic in that I wasn’t able to give a damn about anyone.
Was told that was normal and that it’d go away. After several weeks, it didn’t, so I stopped taking it. The problems didn’t go away. It was 3 or 4 years ago, and I still have them.
I saw my doctor about it and she basically said that since I’d stopped taking them, the effects would stop. And that’s all there was to it. My brain was wrecked and that was that.
It was about 2 years before I saw any sort of progress - for two whole years my brain was totally screwed up in the ways I mentioned - and since then I’ve been very gradually regaining my old personality and ‘feel’ back. Still, though, after 4 years, though I can’t be absolutely sure, since the changes are gradual - I don’t think I’m anywhere near where I was, mentally, before I started.
I’m probably an oddball case, but you asked about side effects. There’s always a chance it’ll really whack your brain out… permanently.
The whole question is really IMHO territory, but for what it’s worth: I’ve been on various SSRI’s for seasonal depression, and had mixed experiences. I can understand the worries; the very first time I was prescribed (Paxil) I couldn’t sleep for two nights, then had a major anxiety attack, and all the (ahem) classic physical side-effects. Subsequently, however, my experience has been uneventful - certainly no suicidal thoughts, nor withdrawal problems - and the most recent one, Cipramil (which I think is Celexa in the USA) works well for the mood with hardly any side effects beyond occasionally feeling indefinably peculiar on waking.
I’ve been on Prozac for years for depression and OCD. The doctor kept upping the dosage, and giving me some other drugs to help me sleep and take the edge off the OCD. I had some minor side effects but the effect on my sex drive was just devastating and truly damaged my life and marriage. And, it took the edge off the depression and OCD without really curing it. (This isn’t really meant as a warning as I do understand that most people have better results.) Recently I did something really stupid (DO NOT DO THIS) and stopped taking medication for a while. Today I finally went back to the doctor and he agreed to start me back on a lower dosage of Prozac and gave me a straight sleeping pill for the sleep. We’ll see how that goes.
