Thanks for all the advice everyone. It has been very helpful along with searches of earlier threads but I am 99% sure that I am going to hold off on taking Zoloft or other meds for now. I’ll have to give my doctor a call on Monday and let him know so I can schedule a therapy appt. I just don’t think the possible gain will offset any side effects plus dealing with withdrawal. I mean I’m not suicidal, not depressed, I don’t cry for hours, I don’t have panic attacks, I can function reasonably well in every day life, I eat well, I exercise, I sleep like the dead, I generally enjoy life – when good things happen I’m happy and when things go bad I’m sad but not suicidal or depressed. In fact it is extremely rare for me not to get out of bed glad to have another day to live.
I think my main problem for the last 5-6 months has been the unraveling of my relationship with my girlfriend (although as long as I can remember I’ve had social anxiety and am generally shy and introverted). Since we broke up 2 months ago I know I’ve been really negative about things. I guess I’m worried about having to take control of my life and meet new people and do things socially on my own. My failure to get promoted at work and a few other things have been buggin me too. In fact Tuesday I was looking at a cognitive behavior therapy site and it talked about the ways we sabotage ourselves mentally and beat ourselves up and I read the list and pretty much all of them apply to me lately. I think that kind of snapped me out of it and now I feel much better and realize I’m being my own worst enemy. So I think in terms of making a plan for my life and doing therapy there is a lot of room for improvement and things aren’t as bad as I think they are. Plus in the next few weeks I’ll hitting the road to see some old friends and have a vacation coming up and maybe even a new kitten for my apartment so I have a lot to look forward to.
Plus it seems like the people who get the most benefit out of meds are people with major problems (ie suicidal, clinical depression, panic attacks, etc.). My friend who is on Zoloft (and was on Paxil) said it took the edge off things but it was no magic cure although she does like Zoloft better(she has social anxiety/depression). Also when I talked to my psychiatrist he mentioned I obviously wouldn’t be on Zoloft for a long time – maybe no more than a year. So seeing how I’m eventually going to have to learn to cope without meds I figure I should first try therapy alone. I mean I’ve tried self-help books before but never working with a therapist so it will be worth a shot. If I don’t make progress then I can always try meds at a later junction as I have decent insurance so I don’t have a tight limit on my number of sessions.
Well thanks for all the advice and well wishes. Have a happy 4th of July everyone!!!