Increased from 100 mg to 125 mg of Zoloft, does it take another 12 weeks to stabilize??
Posted , 5 users are following.
Thanks to everyone on this forum that helped me through the worst year last year trying to adjust to Zoloft. It took me 12 weeks before the side affects esp increased anxiety to settle. After a few months I had to increase to 100 mg which wasn’t as horrible as I expected . After 3 weeks, I was ok. I had a good 3 months then started getting depressed again. Now I’m up to 125 mg and have had increased heart rate on and off for the last 6 weeks. Is this normal? Are the side affects just as bad every time we increase the dosage? I am convinced that my constant increased heart rate/anxiety started after I started taking Zoloft for depression. Any encouragement/ wisdom would be greatly appreciated!
0 likes, 7 replies
Giggity lauren77196
Posted
Did you feel ok for the first few days @ 125mg?
lauren77196 Giggity
Posted
i increased 5 mg at a time since im so sensitive. it took me 10 days to reach the additional 25 mg. the side effects seem manageable and i thouht i was doing better . then at week 4 i woke up with vertigo (bppv) and thats when the heightened anxiety started again and has been for the last 2 weeks (even though the vertigo has improved)
Giggity lauren77196
Posted
In my experience if the anxiety comes back the dose is too low.
dana01526 lauren77196
Posted
side effects including anxiety can happen after you up your dose i would just let your body adjust. it took me over a year to get to 200Mg of zoloft at a comf level
adrian98 lauren77196
Posted
I agree with both dana and giggity. if your dose isn’t doing it, but your side effects have stabilized, then dose might be too low. Just have to ride out the side-effects, to an extent...you gotta know when things are dangerous. You clearly have an idea because you knew to drop to 5..
I was really sensitive starting out, and i had to move up by 25mg. (but wow, 5mg?) With each increase the time for me to stabilize and feel positive effects shortened. My problem is that my positive effects tend to wane, so have been upping my dose. I just increased to 250 mg (up 50 this time), and my side effects have stabilized after only about a week, and feel some anxiety relief. Hopefully it will last this time.
(The max therapeutic dose for sertraline for anxiety/depression is 200mg, so am pushing it. But interestingly my dr says if you’re taking it for OCD, the max therapeutic dose is 400...tho this isn’t reflected in the literature. They usually say stop at 200...like dana. A good app for this kind of info is Epocrates. Is mainly for doctors, and I don’t think they like it when we patients arm ourselves with this knowledge! )
lauren77196
Posted
Thanks everyone who responded! it has been so trying! I didn’t think it would take this long for the side effects to decrease this time going from 100 to 125 although I got vertigo which started off anxiety again this time. it seemed it only took me three weeks last time when I increased. I feel like the continual height and anxiety is causing other physical problems as well such as stomach soreness which I have been taking Pepcid for morning and night for two months now. and my vertigo has much improved but the dizziness during the day has continued. I keep wondering if there’s a better drug out there for me but there is no way I could tolerate a change I’ve been doing this for a year now! wow! 250 mg! I did not know you could take that much.
chelsea54783 lauren77196
Posted
hi i started on 50mg 4 weeks ago and 100mg 2 weeks ago the past few days have been hurrendous for depression and then today a major panic episode did it take you 12 weeks for it to subside first time around? i am debating on throwing in the towel as i havent felt any relief at all yet hope your side effects decrease soon!