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Please help

Posted , 3 users are following.

victoriaxo
victoriaxo

Hello. I started taking Zoloft 50mg almost 3 years ago. After 3 weeks of full blown panic attacks and my anxiety being through the roof and not sleeping..zoloft kicked in and I felt better. For almost 3 years I have not had much anxiety and slept like a baby.

I was totally "normal".

In the beggining of february I cut my meds from 50mg to 12,5mg for 4 days...and I started to feel my anxiety coming back...so after 4 days I took 50mg again...and from then...hell!!

My doctor increased my dose to 100mg...first few days I took 50mg, then 75mg and now on day 19 I took 100mg.

My anxiety is horrible! Can't eat, sleep or do anything really. I feel like I can't take it...it's just bad!!

Do you think zoloft will help(it helped me before)?

How long do I have to wait? I know it takes time but this is all too much. I have never felt worse. I have two kids and I love my job...but zoloft is killing my personality.

Please any advice...

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • emhadderson
    emhadderson victoriaxo

    Posted

    Hi victoriaxo,

    Sorry to hear you are going through this. If Zoloft has helped you before, I think it will help you again - if it took 3 weeks for you to feel the positive effects before, that might be how long it will take this time as well. (Anxiety medications are a pain because they take a while to work, and then how long are you supposed to stay on it? For life?) For right now I would focus on stabilizing your Zoloft dosage until you feel better, and then explore alternatives once you are feeling well enough to make such a decision. Why did cut your meds to 12.5 mg in the first place? Personally, I am very sensitive to medications so probably reducing the amount of Zoloft you have been used to taking for years was a bit of a shock to your system. Your doctor may be able to offer a temporary prescription such as a benzo to help you cope in the meantime, but they came become addictive and themselves are tricky to wean off of. I hope you have close family/friends who you can confide in at this time, and go easy on yourself! If you feel like you have too many responsibilities, ask for help. Just know, that this WILL pass, and you will feel better, it just takes some time. Get plenty of rest if you are able, and if you can't eat or sleep, don't stress out about it...focus on something you can do, even if it's just watching TV, reading a magazine, listening to soft music, taking a shower, etc. If you're not eating very much, I suggest taking a quality multivitamin and drinking enough liquids, anxiety can make simple things like dehydration feel 100x worse.

    Hope you feel better soon! 

    -Additional thought...I am NOT a medical professional by any means, but my logic tells me that you should not take 100mg, but rather stick to 50mg and don't change it. If reducing your dosage is what caused these issues in the first place, doubling the dosage in hopes that you will bring it back down to 50 (or lower) later does not seem like the best idea...whatever you do should be consistent so your mind and body has ample time to adjust.

    • emhadderson
      emhadderson

      Posted

      *can become addictive and they are tricky
    • victoriaxo
      victoriaxo emhadderson

      Posted

      Thank you!

      I cut down to 12,5mg because I ran out of pills and had to wait for my doctor to come back. I didn't even think it could cause so much trouble as I was taking it for years. 

      I think I should stick to 50mg as well. I was feeling great on that dose for years and I didn't had to change my dose even though I have a pretty stressfull life. I was so chill about everything...I mean I did get anxiety from time to time, but nothing major.

      But my doctor said I have to start taking 100mg...I have no idea why. I guess she thinks 50mg just don't do for me anymore.

      I don't know, I felt great...until I cut my dose. 

    • emhadderson
      emhadderson victoriaxo

      Posted

      I don't know much about Zoloft, but I wonder if your doctor upped it to 100mg based off its half life, and maybe she's trying to build it back up in your system faster. I would definintely ask why she did that though, and why you can't stay with 50mg. Doctors can seem so sure of themselves, but they are human, so your insight and questions can help them think from a different perspective and perhaps realize something they didn't realize initially. Once everything balances out and you're taking enough, however, I'm sure you will feel better again!

  • borderriever
    borderriever victoriaxo

    Posted

    Victoria

    Many say if they come of their medications they try and go back on them they feel bad and it can take time to get back onto the original basic dose. Personally I have never suffered from that, although I am very cautious when it comes to ADs

    You reduced the dose quite quick it may be it will take longer to get back to your original dose. Take time hopefully given time all will be ok

    BOB

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