34 days on zoloft I need reassurance

Posted , 9 users are following.

dear all,

I will try to be brief.

i suffer from OCD and anxiety that has manifested into physical symptoms, (facial numbness and tingling, tight chest and throat, head pressure and tight neck, numb feet and random body parts. overwhelming sense of doom that i might die when i get these symptoms. constant health anxiety and anxiety in general that is part of my life every second of the day and could not function without a xanax. In the past i could handle my ocd and anxiety and didnt need any pills to calm me down but this year it turned into physical symptoms that i couldnt not tolerate and completely distrubted my life.

anyways i was ouy in zoloft exactly 34 days ago and for three weeks has been all of the above on steroids lol it was crazy and dreadful but these forums helped me cope along with xanax which i started taking daily due to extreme side effects of the medication.

first week i was on 25 mg

2nd week 50 mg

3rd week at 100 mg

on the 32nd day i woke up a little anxious but was way better than what i felt in the past and functioned without any problems. still have intrusive thoughts with ocd and anxiety but manageable and didnt need a xanax.

day 33 and 34 were the same felt good.

however today i woke up with restless legs very anxious a lot of intrusive thoughts and trembling hands and had to take a xanax to go to work.

is this normal to get this even after getting better for 3 days and will this continue to get worse ? can someone shed some light on this ?

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Posted

    first time i had bad anxiety i had such bad physical symptoms so i feel for you! i used to get a tight head like there was something getting jammed and i couldnt think. choking sensation as i was trying to sleep or of all places when i was driving! worst was one day i felt actual tremers like i was in an earthquake - i was not. i didnt medicate i stopped drinking coffee for few months and hardly drank. after 6 month, anxiety wasnt so bad then for few years but then a traumatic incident set it off again last year... anyway... yes its normal to go up and down. happened me too but after a bad few days was improving again. im getting off sert as one day it just literally felt like was taking nothing (apart from side effects). lots of people experience the downs after an an up so it doesnt mean it wont work for you. you may need to increase the dose in another few weeks if it keeps happening but fact its helped is really good sign. good luck

    • Posted

      thank you for the reassurance. i really hope it does help cause i do not want to be on xanax just to function normally.

  • Posted

    same thing here. have been on 125 mg for about a month now, which I have been building up from 25 mg since the end of July. since a week I have been feeling worse again. straight after waking up muscles start tensing, I feel restless and panicky. now waiting for a call from my psych. Is my dose too high or should I go back to 100 mg.

    • Posted

      im on the same boat i have no idea, i started on october 1st and havent felt semi normal except for 3 days and then im back to where i was, i dont know if i need more time on 100 mg or raise the dose

  • Posted

    Hi Ali, I am the same as you. Day 29 on 50 Sert and my mood hasn't lifted yet. My doc wants me to stay in 50 for another 2 weeks before going to 100 but I just don't thinks 50 is my therapeutic dose for depression. I think 2 weeks on 100 is not long really and you need to give it longer.

    • Posted

      god i hope your right. i just dont want to keep taking xanax just to survive the rest of the day

  • Posted

    Hi. You may need to update your Zoloft. I would speak to your Dr. I went down hill recently because I was given a generic so check that you're not on a generic. Zoloft (Pfizer) are the brand to have. In the UK it is known as Lustral (Pfizer) I became shaky and couldn't cope with anything. I looked into my medication which I was assured was Lustral (Pfizer) by the pharmacist but turned out it was a generic masquerading as Lustral (Pfizer) It's under investigation at present. I nearly handed in my notice at work. I went down hill that quickly. Feeling a little back to normal now though. Hope you feel better soon.

  • Posted

    Hi AJ,

    I'm sorry you are having issues. I have been taking S for almost 5 months. I too have anxiety. Our drug can work wonders, however, for it to fully kick in, the time frame is longer than expected. Whilst I felt real calming improvement after 4 weeks, the big calm kicked in around 6 weeks. Each week got better and better!

    It was interesting to read your post as I've experienced most all of your anxiety symptoms. For me it's the feeling that medically something might be wrong with me. PLUS, I put pressure on myself. SILLY really when I see it in print here.

    I have tightness in my neck, throat, heart palps, trouble sleeping, jaw clinching that is now tinnius and shallow breathing issues that lead into dizziness and heart palps.

    After 5 months most symptoms are gone and when I feel them creeping in, they mostly melt away. From the S, I do have some shaking, chills, blurry vision, sore breasts, dizziness. ALL of those symptoms from the S TO ME, are better than full blown anxiety. I literally would walk my neighborhood in my jammies and slippers at 3AM from anxiety. Not anymore!

    KEEP THE FAITH, try to get lots of sleep. Impossible I know as cortizol from anxiety keeps you awake. When I get a long nights sleep most symptoms are gone or lessoned.

    best wishes for calm days and long blissful sleep.

    hugs, - x kat

    • Posted

      thank you so much Kat for the reassurance, it means so much.

      just felt good for 3 days and then got bad again i hope it levels out soon.

    • Posted

      How are you now? I started the 3rd of October and now almost 3 weeks on 100 and I feel I never get better...

    • Posted

      hi Lynn thank you for asking. i am doing better, not 100 percent and not even close but i can function like i havent before.

      zoloft needs a lot of patience. i only started to see small improvements in week 6 but i still get morning anxiety and waves of anxiety throughout the day but i am better. be patient with zoloft and hopefully we will all get there soon

  • Posted

    i am on day 20 of 50 pristiq for anxiety. MY chest is so tight right now fills like a heart attack took my blood pressure 130/70 anxiety is unbelieveable. yesterday afternoon and evening felt better.

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