No energy, no motivation

Sounds a bit like my experience ... exhausted and unmotivated.  All the doctor did was keep raising the dose  ... didn't work.  After reducing the dose and finally stopping altogether I am starting to feel more alive.

 

I was put on Zoloft to stabilize my mood, and counter depression.  It did stabilize the mood ... not so many ups and downs.  But it did set the level pretty low  ... so depression was still there.  I was on Zoloft for about 3 years during which time it was raised to 250mg.  I had a series of unrelated health and employment issues which should have had me taking action, but I just couldn't be bothered, and ended up with a sizable credit card debt.  This impacted my co-renting accommodation, and lost trust and credibility with housemate.  I should have been concerned, but everything seemed to be suppressed.  I was at this time I started to wean myself off.  It was a slow process and took several months, and patience with the withdrawal symptoms.  I was able to recognize the symptoms, and realize that they were only temporary.  It would have been easy to have interpreted the mental racing sensation as anxiety, but I was able deduce that it was just part of the withdrawal process  ... accepted it, and kept going.  I am convinced that coming off the sertraline was the best thing I could have done.  I also question whether it was the right medication in the first place.  

Everyone is different though, and my experience may not be typical.  I would advise anyone going onto Zoloft to have some idea of what they expect from the drug, and have an exit strategy for when it is no longer required.

All the best with your experience.

 

Hi, it can make you more tired, but since your still on a relatively low dose  it's odd it's impacting you that much. It might be worth giving it a bit longer, but if you found Prozac worked fairly well in the past I'm surprised the doctor didn't try that first. Might be worth going back and talking to the doctor about how your feeling. Hope you get it sorted soon xx

Thanks, I have been back to the doctor today and he said give it another week or so as it's still early days. He thinks the fatigue and lack of motivation is more to do with mental health than the medication but I'm not sure. He also said I could stop taking it and move straight over to prozac which sounds weird to me.

I am not having that reaction- I am having heightened anxiety though, almost 3 weeks in.  I actually have no side effects other than that and a nasty headache everyday.  I am however, going to bed at 9 om which is super rare for me! I have been extremely reluctant to take any meds. I tried lexapro and was literally a zombie for three weeks and gained 15 pounds--- i waited but need desperately for something to take the edge off...i am banking on this-- but not sure i am even on the right dose at this point.  I am on 50mg.

I am hoping it gets much better, i am waiting for the "ah ha" moment everyone talks about!  Hope it works for you- there is so much to consider, do you need a higher dose, was your anxiety worse this time than it was when you started Prozac? 

I can relate to how you are feeling. I started Zoloft on July 10th. Started slow at 12.5 for a few days and worked my way up to 62.5 mg. Was on 50mg for the majority of the time I’ve been on it. But 62.5 seems to be just right for me and my anxiety. I too struggled with the no energy for the most part, especially about a month or so into it. But I can tell you it does get so much better. A lot of ppl on here have different times of when you hit that ah ha moment and honestly mine was right at the 12 week mark. I felt good at 8 weeks but still was struggling a little with some anxiety here and there, and my sleep I struggled with-wasn’t sleeping on my own til I got to 12 weeks. I will say also one thing that has helped with my energy and anxiety and sleep has been taking a magnesium supplement. It has been a godsend to me. I highly recommend you google magnesium supplements especially on amazon. If you need any information on what I use I will gladly help you. But for me, Zoloft has helped me, and I’ve never been on any medication my entire life til now and I’m 45. Let me know if you have any other questions. It is a long process but it is worth it

Thank you so much for all the replies. My doctor did say stick it out a bit longer and hopefully the fatigue will pass. I will give it until 6 weeks by which time I hope to notice some improvement even if it's not complete. I will definitely look into magnesium too as I have restless legs and I know it has helped in the past with that too.

Did you get any better on sertraline? I'm supposed to start taking it but I've been putting it off!

Hi cattia, I'm at the exact stage as you are 50mg for weeks in and feel exactly the same just want to stay in bed and sleep all the time with sweats and headaches. Went doctors yesterday and told him I feel a physical wreck and he upped to 100mg so here's hoping

Hi. I know this is 3 yrs late but I've only been on sertraline for just over a year now. I started at 50mg but my anxiety leads to aggressive behaviour. I now take 200mg daily, it was my request which the Doctor allowed. It has helped, my anger is literally gone. Sadly though I've gained weight and lost motivation to care or go anywhere basically. Not saying I don't go to the shops but I found myself going less and less distance wise to the stores. My sleep pattern is also messed up. Sometimes I can be awake for almost 2 days straight but when I do sleep it's always 8 to 12 hrs.

Trouble is this medication works, I've tried others in the past but it made my anger far worse. No one gets harmed as that's not me, I had a breakdown years ago due to being injured by a forklift at work. My life became somewhat different but as I got older I became more prone to hurt and I have no idea why. I also started becoming more anxious over the years. I used to drink so that didn't help.

All I shall say is if you found after a month or 2 that it still makes you fatigued then speak to your Doctor. Guessing by now you probably have. Hoping you're on the up.

It is a old link. But I have this symptoms now 6-7 weeks. What happend with you? Some experiences to share. Thanks in advanced!!!