Social Anxiety Support

namowrepus · 12-09-2009, 06:36 AM

So I have been on Zoloft (actually a generic form of it) for four weeks now. I wrote down my side effects so I didn't forget any so I thought I'd share them with you. I had to write them down since I would probably not bring them up since I'm going to be nervous when I'm in there talking with her and then I'll draw a blank. That's one sign this stuff isn't working like I hoped it would.

Started at 50mg then after 10 days I moved up to 100mg.

-Tired all the time...yawning a lot (was worse when I first started or when I increased the dose)

-Buzzing or ringing in my ears that has almost gone away

-Desire to drink alcohol went away for the first 3 weeks

-Had one bad night where something triggered some pretty wicked suicidal thoughts. I wouldn't act on them but it was pretty scary how low I felt at that point. That was after about 1.5 weeks.

-Everything feels tight...my fists will sometime clench tight...it's kind of like being tense on the inside

-For the first 3 weeks I felt full all the time...not really upset stomach

-Insomnia...horrible for the first two weeks...it's tapered but not completely gone

-At the beginning I had a lot of drainage down the back of my throat...felt like I was drowning all the time...ugh

-Sensitivity to light

-Fuzzy feeling like there's insulation between me and the world. For the first three weeks I was basically just zoned out. I was apathetic to everything.

-Slight headache all the time...this has almost gone away

-And possibly shortness of breath when exercising...getting winded way before I should be and feeling like I'm going to pass out...but I'm not sure this is because of the medication or something else

RockiNToM · 12-09-2009, 07:08 AM

Wow, nearly all those side-effects is pretty much what I experienced too on Zoloft. The other things I got were apathy later on which was total emotional dulling towards everything. Do your headaches feel a bit 'Sinus' related? I had that the whole time I was on it and it never went away until I came off it.

namowrepus · 12-09-2009, 07:52 AM

Well...it almost felt like the headache or pressure in my head was causing the sinus pressure...kinda weird. But yeah I did have more sinus pressure and that did help contribute to the headache. It just always felt like I had a lot of pressure in my head.

RedMan · 12-09-2009, 08:16 AM

Zoloft was a drag for me. Made me feel physically restless and tired at the same time. This went away after a few weeks. The worst part was seriously decreased sensations sexually - actually most of the meds i've been on have had that effect.

Didnt do anything for my anxiety or depression. I know people that it does wonders for however. Everyone is different.

RockiNToM · 12-09-2009, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by namowrepus

Well...it almost felt like the headache or pressure in my head was causing the sinus pressure...kinda weird. But yeah I did have more sinus pressure and that did help contribute to the headache. It just always felt like I had a lot of pressure in my head.

That's exactly it. I thought I was alone with this problem when I would explain it to other Zoloft users. Nice to know others out there had these weird side-effects and not just me.

arth98 · 12-09-2009, 10:17 AM

I think your doses were too high but it seems that zoloft and the other SSRI type antidepressants arent for you, there are many other types of ADs to try

write a list of things you want to mention to psych and take it with you, tell her you are nervous as often it doesnt show, we become quite good at pretending we are calm

namowrepus · 12-09-2009, 11:17 AM

Yup I'm good at pretending I'm calm when I'm not...but I did let her know I still felt the anxiety even though everything was dulled a bit. I have been taken off of Zoloft and put on Lexapro. We'll see how things go with this one. I don't know yet if it's another SSRI but I imagine it is.

12-09-2009, 06:36 AM	#1 (permalink)
namowrepus Status: SAS Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Washington Gender: Female Age: 31 Posts: 26	Second meeting with psychiatrist to go over Zoloft meds So I have been on Zoloft (actually a generic form of it) for four weeks now. I wrote down my side effects so I didn't forget any so I thought I'd share them with you. I had to write them down since I would probably not bring them up since I'm going to be nervous when I'm in there talking with her and then I'll draw a blank. That's one sign this stuff isn't working like I hoped it would. Started at 50mg then after 10 days I moved up to 100mg. -Tired all the time...yawning a lot (was worse when I first started or when I increased the dose) -Buzzing or ringing in my ears that has almost gone away -Desire to drink alcohol went away for the first 3 weeks -Had one bad night where something triggered some pretty wicked suicidal thoughts. I wouldn't act on them but it was pretty scary how low I felt at that point. That was after about 1.5 weeks. -Everything feels tight...my fists will sometime clench tight...it's kind of like being tense on the inside -For the first 3 weeks I felt full all the time...not really upset stomach -Insomnia...horrible for the first two weeks...it's tapered but not completely gone -At the beginning I had a lot of drainage down the back of my throat...felt like I was drowning all the time...ugh -Sensitivity to light -Fuzzy feeling like there's insulation between me and the world. For the first three weeks I was basically just zoned out. I was apathetic to everything. -Slight headache all the time...this has almost gone away -And possibly shortness of breath when exercising...getting winded way before I should be and feeling like I'm going to pass out...but I'm not sure this is because of the medication or something else

12-09-2009, 07:08 AM	#2 (permalink)
RockiNToM Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: UK, South somewhere. Gender: Male Age: 23 Posts: 547	Wow, nearly all those side-effects is pretty much what I experienced too on Zoloft. The other things I got were apathy later on which was total emotional dulling towards everything. Do your headaches feel a bit 'Sinus' related? I had that the whole time I was on it and it never went away until I came off it. __________________ Disorders: Dysthymic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder. Medications: Propranalol, Valium, Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, Roboxetine, Effexor, Mirtazapine. Current status: Tapering off Ultram/Tramadol - nasty.

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12-09-2009, 07:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
namowrepus Status: SAS Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Washington Gender: Female Age: 31 Posts: 26	Well...it almost felt like the headache or pressure in my head was causing the sinus pressure...kinda weird. But yeah I did have more sinus pressure and that did help contribute to the headache. It just always felt like I had a lot of pressure in my head.

12-09-2009, 08:16 AM	#4 (permalink)
RedMan Status: SAS Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New Jersey Gender: Male Age: 39 Posts: 16	Zoloft was a drag for me. Made me feel physically restless and tired at the same time. This went away after a few weeks. The worst part was seriously decreased sensations sexually - actually most of the meds i've been on have had that effect. Didnt do anything for my anxiety or depression. I know people that it does wonders for however. Everyone is different.

12-09-2009, 10:17 AM	#6 (permalink)
arth98 Status: SAS Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: melbourne australia Posts: 201	I think your doses were too high but it seems that zoloft and the other SSRI type antidepressants arent for you, there are many other types of ADs to try write a list of things you want to mention to psych and take it with you, tell her you are nervous as often it doesnt show, we become quite good at pretending we are calm

12-09-2009, 11:17 AM	#7 (permalink)
namowrepus Status: SAS Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Washington Gender: Female Age: 31 Posts: 26	Yup I'm good at pretending I'm calm when I'm not...but I did let her know I still felt the anxiety even though everything was dulled a bit. I have been taken off of Zoloft and put on Lexapro. We'll see how things go with this one. I don't know yet if it's another SSRI but I imagine it is.