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Insomnia and extreme anxiety after starting Zoloft

Posted , 3 users are following.

Anichand
Anichand

Hi

I am new here, I am suffering from anxiety from more than decade ( on and off)

2 years back I had extreme anxiety so my doctor prescribed me asitalopram and clonezpam.

I took therapy, it did help me tremendously...

I took medication for a year but my doctor did not taper it off ...and now I started getting anxiety.

So my doctor put me on Zoloft 50 mg

Today is my 13th day...

Initially it was hell, I had insomnia, extreme anxiety, confusion etc...so my doctor asked me to take clonezpam 0.5 mg.

I did feel good , I slept well too...

Now after a week I started feeling anxious again, also insomnia....

I did not sleep from past 2 days and it is clearly upsetting me adding to my anxiety.

I never had issues with sleep ( except when I had anxiety) now I feel it has become so bad...i don't know what to do.

My doctor think , it's the side effect and I will feel better in couple of weeks but I just don't know...

Please help me

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • pam01968
    pam01968 Anichand

    Posted

    The side effects are horrific but they will eventually pass.It is not easy.We are all fighting the same fight and are in this together.Praying for you🙂

    • Anichand
      Anichand pam01968

      Posted

      Thank you.

      I know, side effects are worse than my actual anxiety. Sometime when it gets too much i feel so hopeless like no medicine or therapy could cure me.

      It's a lonely place to be.

    • pam01968
      pam01968 Anichand

      Posted

      You are exactly right I had days were I wandered if I would ever function normally again
  • sparrow-
    sparrow- Anichand

    Posted

    hi Anichand, it sounds like you have had anxiety a long time, so it's good you are taking medication to help you to live life without so much struggling and discomfort with anxiety

    you should feel better soon so try to keep going with 50mg sertraline, and things get very bad take something alongside the sertraline to help you feel calm (such as clonazepam)

    your body should adjust to sertraline soon and so you start feeling better.  sorry to hear you (like most of us) have had to go from the very difficult start-up phase, but you are on the right track and are not on a high dose, so give it more time (as your doctor said), and of course do keep in touch with your doctor

    • Anichand
      Anichand sparrow-

      Posted

      Thank you so much for clarifying.

      Whenever my anxiety gets too much, I lose hope that medication is not working and nothing, no one could help me.

      I have a loving husband, he support me in everything but there are times I become unbearable even to him....

      I wish I could stop this , I wish no one feel the way I feel ....

    • sparrow-
      sparrow- Anichand

      Posted

      hi, it is very difficult i know,  the problem seems to be that when anxiety and depression gets very intense, then we are no longer 'ourselves' and our thinking and mind is in a mess, and we have lost control and can become very scared, fragile, and weak feeling with no hope (and other difficult feelings and thoughts).

      i know it hard to think straight at the moment but please do be assured that anxiety and depression do not need to be permanent for anybody, as there is help and treatment for all of us

      give it a little longer and sertraline some time to settle in properly ok.  until then, try to avoid things like too much stress.  you need to get well again so you come first now ok.  and dont worry, your husband is going to be really happy when you are well again, and so will you, because believe me, what you are feeling now is only temporary (even if every part of you at the moment is telling you the opposite).

    • pam01968
      pam01968 sparrow-

      Posted

      How long after increasing a dose of setraline does it take for you to be 'normal' again? I understand each person is different

    • sparrow-
      sparrow- pam01968

      Posted

      hi pam, that's the problem, there just does not seem to be any sure pattern with people when taking sertraline or any other ssri (and other) meds

      the general method with sertraline is to start on 50mg (some start on 25mg though which is fine) and then, expect that you may feel worse for a little while as this is something new going into your body, so eg. you may have an upset stomach for a day or two, and/or other side effects

      then, after some weeks (for example 2-4 you can increase from your starting dose, but may experience some side effects when your dose is changed, but they usually settle down soon again

      it's tricky because sometimes it can take several weeks for sertraline to start doing it's job correctly, and in that time, you may not need to increase your dose much from your starting dose (or perhaps just stay on 50mg, as many people do).  so it's important not to rush with increasing your dose, unless of course your doctor has said it's ok - for example, your doctor knows you and your history and has decided that a lower dose of sertraline may not work for you and so perhaps your doctor will start you on a higher dose (eg. if you were previously taking a higher dose of a similar ssri to sertraline, and are switching over)

      sorry there are no clear answers to the question.   all what is really important though is to keep going and try (As hard as it is) to be patient and ignore negative thoughts like "im always going to be feeling like this".. which is total nonsense, for someone now seeking and receiving treatment for your condition.   so keep going, moving forwards and you will come out of this ok and undefeated.

    • pam01968
      pam01968 sparrow-

      Posted

      I was on 75mg of Paxil cr and it pooped out.My dr changed me to setraline 100mg with no taper off the Paxil.I am now up to 150 mg (3 weeks at the higher dose) and have had a couple of good days I am worried if it is going to work or not
    • Anichand
      Anichand sparrow-

      Posted

      Thank you.

      It's been so long since I am suffering like this, that sometime i lose hope

      It's my frustration after knowing that still I am struggling to come out of this anxiety...

      It's hard for me, because I can see I am getting exhausted....

      But yes...we should keep going, keep trying... that is all we can do..

    • sparrow-
      sparrow- pam01968

      Posted

      hi pam, 3 weeks is not very long so keep going as you are for a couple more weeks, and you should see some improvements

      you said you are worried if it will work or not..  for most people they do well on sertraline but if for any reason it is not effective on you, it's just a case of switching and trying something else

      there's something out there for everyone (as long as they keep looking and trying of course)

      you said you had a couple of good days so that's good.  hopefully those good days will increase, so give it a bit longer and in the meantime try to keep occupied so as to not let anxiety and depression have all of your attention.

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