Feeling worse on Zoloft

Yes GIVE IT ABOUT A MONTH.

Hi, These symptoms are very normal and common. It does take time for your body to adjust with any form of medication. It will all balance in time. Try if you possibly can to focus on anything else but your anxiety... I know this will not be easy and challenging but the less power you give to your thoughts the better. My name is Kathryn and I am a CBT therapist. You can read more about me on my website www.nourished-renewed.me. Please do contact me if you need any further support. Wishing you all the very best.

I was on 50mg I was on that for 2 weeks and now on 100mg maybe u should talk to ur doctor and see he might up ur dose..

Hi I'm on day 8, first few days was horrible I was in bed and could not move. My full body was shaking and I was sweating. Yesterday and today have been ok during the day, later on I start to feel anxious tho. I can't stop thinking about how I feel. Reading these forums have helped me to keep going with the meds.

Any advice would be great.

Hi!

I am on Sertraline for OCD and anxiety as well, and I am on day 100, with 25mg increments, currently at 125mg.

I was in a very dark place half a year ago but I have come so long on my road to recovery, and it has both to do with meds but also with therapy. I know what you are going through, just hang in there, and know that it is only temporary side effects from the meds, in the long run you will recover!

What you experience is very usual, first it gets worse before it gets better. For me the OCD and anxiety got many times worse at the beginning... Almost like I never experienced before. I could barely function. I could see minor improvements only after 4 weeks, but it was marginal and with many ups and downs. Around week 8 I could notice improvements in mood, with me feeling way better at times. Around the 12 week mark seems to be where many notice large improvements. Right now my intrusive thoughts are way less and not bothering me that much, I can more easily let go of them and I can feel normal, and my anxiety is back to a low level. The OCD and side effects returns for me with every dose increase and it levels out back to normal after about 2 weeks. So you'll get used to it.

To get therapeutic benefits for OCD, sertraline takes longer to be effective than depression, and it is clinically effective at higher doses such as 150mg-200mg according to research.

Another thing that helps for OCD is CBT and ERP. By changing your behaviour and the way of relating to your thoughts and anxiety, it can help you cope with or even overcome your anxiety. Exposure and response prevention is about exposing yourself to your triggers and instead of doing compulsions you stay in the anxiety and challenge it. Your new behavior will then teach your brain that the trigger is not harmful or dangerous. Remember that Avoidance is also a compulsion, and it is a crucial part that feeds the vicious OCD anxiety circle. You need to confront and challenge your anxiety, and replace your fears with better stories. The anxiety will be easier to cope with if you put less weight on it, and accept it without resistance. You can still choose wether you want to pay all of your attention to your anxiety and let it rule your life and every decision, or you can take control over it by accepting its presence but not letting it prevent you from doing what you really want in your heart. And don't isolate yourself. Share your stories with people you trust, a big weight will come off your shoulder. That was the road to my recovery.

best wishes!