my experience on Zoloft for the last 9 months

Thanks Duke! Im in US. Texas. I tried Zoloft (genric). Twice. 50 mg. Couldn't do it. Mentally it helped greatly. Physically I was soooo sick. Severe diaherra. Flu like symptoms started 2 months after I started it. Liver area pain. My bloodwork showed liver enzymes went up to low 50's fr the teens (normal). Anorexia. Not on purpose either. I just couldn't eat. Got down to 119 fr 130! In 2 an half months! I felt aweful. I discussed this with M.D. an didn't want to stop because mentally I felt like I did back 10-15 yrs ago. Normal! Happy. Doin things, etc... but my labs an physical said "no way" I had to stop it rt away. Went down to 25mg for 2 wks then stopped. Yeah, had the ol antidepressant withdrawls. Brain zaps, dizzy, melancholy, then depression slowly crepted back 2 months after I stopped. Went on Lexapro (generic). Not many side effects physically except soooo tired all time. Didnt want to do anything. An wt gain!! Geezzz. Gained 13lbs fr Nov to Jan. Not much help mentally except calm anxiety to much! Its a deactivating antidepressant an real good for anxiety but I have both. An fibromyalgia an under extreme stress then an worse now. Went on to try Cymbalta (helped with pain for fibromyalgia but blood pressure went way up, but I was rear ended an flew into car in front an taken by ambulance to hospital for ct on head. Hit head. Now fighting with a lawyer with the insurance company of the guy who hit me. Prob gonna have to go to court) then I fell 3 wks later at Walmart inside, their fault an broke my foot! Ugggg!! I duked it out with them and just settled because I was to tired an stressed fr car wreck an I also am caregiver to my 81 yr old parent's last 4 yrs. Im 47. No help fr older sister. So alot of stress in Dec 2015 an Cymbalta wasnt cuttin it an blood pressure issue so stopped after 5 wks. Holy cow worse withdrawls than any of them. Then Prozac (generic). NEVER AGAIN! Its horrible (for me anyway) i was sooo depressed more an anxiety out the window. It got very bad. An physically worse than the Zoloft. So stopped again after 5 wks. I was soooo sick! So now not on snything. May try Celexa. But Im real glad Zoloft works for you. I wish I could take it but nope. Thanks for lettin people know good about a drug if helping. Sorry such a draggy post. Just bummed rt now. My Dad was diagnosed 2 wks ago with mild dementia an I just moved them fr their home to a senior living community but he may not be able to stay there if he gets worse mentally. Sad. My Mom is so tired fr caring for him to an cant cook anymore. I have 2 sons (teens) an husband who come first but this all has taken toll on my family an my depression. Iv had it since May 2014. It sucks. Im tired.

Goidluck!

Hi Duke,

I have to somewhat agree with your experience. After many years of chronic pain and lsoing my career due to it and havig a void in my life as a result, it took it's toll and I ended up very withdrawn and depressed, some anxiety too, didn;t want to leave to the house. Nobody really understands it. I too have taken up to 150mg of sertraline, as 50mg and 100mg didn;t do the job. It did work for me, although I wasn't 'me'. After best part of 2 years I decided again in April to come down to 100mg, then a few months later down to 50mg. It's not easy, I got the GI side effects coming down, the nausea and stomach cramps, and some rebound anxiety / jaw clenching....but I am glad I did. I am still on 50mg, and my dr suggests I stay on 50mg over the winter as I do suffer from SAD badly and still live in chronic pain ( lower back, and affects my quality of life and mobility to point I live on morphine for the pain ). I am going to try and come off next Spring. I have no doubt that I needed an antidepressant at the time, going on is full of side effects as is coming off again, which is a real pain !! But the talking therapies weren't working and in the UK a lot of people, inc'g myself at the time, spend months in queues to speak to someone, and even when I got there it wasn't as good as what I had built it up to be in my mind. 

I think it's impt to realise that the days you feel able to try and engage with friends / family, get out of the house and go swimming etc....to escape the focus on assessing how youre feeling all the time. 

I'm not saying I am cured, it 's hard to know that as I still have the chronic pain and disability and two teens that require my attention.  But I am feeling btter than I did, and I feel better for now having lifted to cloud that the sertraline placed over me to numb me from what once hurt so badly. It's nice to feel like I am ''feeling'' again if you know what I mean. 

I was Lexapro for 10 yrs when it stopped working! Went to my GP who increased my dosage from 10 mil to 20 mil! Did not see much improvement so lower to 15mil! I have been n that dosage for 8 weeks now and little improvement! Just worried that Lexapro is not going to work again! Feeling very frustrated! Does anyone know if it can take longer the second time around for a antidepressant to start working!