Does anyone have any personal experience with the anti-depressant drug Zoloft? Does it work? Are there any major side effects? How long did it take before it started to work? I’ve read quite a few FAQ’s and other bits of information about it on the web, but I would like some personal opinions from the Teeming Millions. Thanks.
Dirty Devil,
I was on zoloft for over a year, it worked ok for for a year, it too about 2 1/2 months for me to notice any real difference. The biggest problem I had was it made it very difficult for me to reach orgsam.
That was no fun !
Now I am on Serezone, I’m not sure it works better on depression/anxiety, not for me, not yet. But it doesn’t make getting to orgsam seem like work the way zoloft did for me.
Just remember we are all different, and have different reactions to medications.
“Ayesha, Who can bend minds with her spoon” WallyM7
Voted SDMB Biggest Flirt (Female) and Least Shy (No Mom, I have no idea why they think that)
Not quite personal experience, but the next best thing: my wife was diagnosed with clinical depression in 1986 and took Zoloft for a number of years.
Yes, it works; it took about three weeks to have a noticeable effect for her. Side effects include constipation and dry mouth; my wife also reports that she drew occasional blanks whilst on it. YMMV, of course.
“I don’t just want you to feel envy. I want you to suffer, I want you to bleed, I want you to die a little bit each day. And I want you to thank me for it.” – What “Let’s just be friends” really means
Zoloft did not work for me, and I can’t say it will (or will not) work for you. Yes, it takes a few weeks to kick in, you will get side effects, but most of them go away after a month or so.
Zoloft is part of a family of drugs called SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) which include Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Remron, Serzone, Anafrinil and a few others. They basically trap Serotonin (a neurotransmitter involved with mood) in your brain. You can think of a depressed person’s brain like a sink where serotonin is water. The SSRI(Zoloft) is like a drain plug to keep the water from escaping as to let it build up. So increased levels of Serotonin lead to increased mood.
If at first you don’t succeed you’re about average.
My advice would be this: if one antidepressant does not work, try another.
I have not been on Zoloft, but I have been on Paxil and Prozac. The Prozac did not work all that well, but the Paxil works great. They are all SSRIs, but they are a bit different from each other. Figuring out which one to be on is sometimes a matter of trial and error.
Side effects of the antidepressants have included weight gain and reduced libido. But is the trade-off worth it? Hell yeah!!
I had some pretty hardcore experience with the signifigant other side of this dillema. A pretty gut wrenching experience.
I was seriously dating a girl who developed a quite serious case of bipolar disorder. She was perscribed Zoloft. It did stabilize her mood and help her manage things. She did seem to build up a tolerance to the medication after a couple of years, and she needed to raise her dosage slowly. I imagine at some point she may have switched to a new drug, one her needed dosage reached a undesirable dosage. Some of the side effects were a decreased sex drive, but luckily she was a nympho beforehand so it wasn’t a major problem. A decreased sex drive and difficulty orgamsing is a hell of alot better than severe depression which isn’t exactly condusive to a healthy sex life. She also had some minor problems with high blood pressure, and other minor cardiovascular problems that were a little scary, but turned out to be passing.
All in all the drug is quite useful, and treated the depression well, but I might inquire about some other options that have less side effects. Zoloft is getting to be kinda old, and since I haven’t researched anything since my extensive work about 4 years ago, but I suspect there might be newer drugs that have less complications, and are easier to adjust to. I would suggest, in addition to your research, asking the doctor point blank why he chose Zoloft for treatment. Make sure he can justify that choice over the many others, and keep your research in mind. Doctors are influenced by drug salesmen, when they decide what competing drugs to perscribe, so try and be informed before the treament, as well as after.
I’m on a low dose of Zoloft for mild depression. The only side effects I noticed were a moderate headache for about 5 days and fatigue for about 3 more. After that my body adjusted and the mood effects were almost immediate.
Yes, I’ve noticed some change in sexual function, but it’s a very small change and hasn’t affected anything between me and the missus.
However, the doctor does ask me on every visit if it’s still effective, so I would guess there’s a tolerance factor in there somewhere.
Thanks all! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. Much appreciated!
I too take medicine for bi-polar. For years it was Doxepin. For seven years, it helped tremendously. Then it seemed, in one day, to have stopped. Serzone seems to be helping me now. I must say though, after about two years the dosage has had to be increased. It’s just something that we have to work with, play with and hope that our loved ones understand. No problem with sex thank god, but I haven’t slept for years…
Life is like a river, changing as it flows…
I am an 18 yr old girl. I was on zoloft for six months after I had anxiety and panic attacks and told this would just help. I was a very smart girl and did very well in school. I went off zoloft and months later was told to go back on starting at 50mg. I took it for three days and it was way too much for me and my brain was overloaded and I now cannot sleep at all. its been a month since i took it. ZOLOFT IS DANGEROUS AND GPs Are very undereducated on mental health. do not take this drug, there are just so many alternatives to these whatever the problem is.
Huh. I’ve been on it for 12+ years with basically no problems. And it’s been quite effective. Some brain fog has been the only side effect I’ve noticed and that’s been a worthwhile trade-off for the severe depression.
I was prescribed Zoloft about three months ago. I haven’t noticed any improvement in my mood but I have gained a lot of weight. Weight gain is a common side effect of many antidepressants.
I took Zoloft as a teenager, from around age 13 to 16/17 and I didn’t have any major side effects. In fact I quit taking it cold turkey without a problem.
To this day I have no idea if the Zoloft actually helped at all or if I just became more mature and more able to handle various issues. I’ve been prescribed anti-depressants since then, but I can function without them, so perhaps I was just a moody teenager who didn’t actually need medication.
Just in case anyone missed this: The OP has been dead for many years, and also the author of the first response.
Must… eat… pills!!!
Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Zoloft.