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Uplifting post- Zoloft CAN take effect after 8+ wks

Posted , 9 users are following.

Taurus223
Taurus223

I just wanted to post a positive outcome because I know those can be rare on this forum and I hope my story will serve as a shining beacon of hope for some people.

Eight and a half weeks into Zoloft, battling constant anxiety, no lifted mood and overall lack of energy (and being advised by my doctor to slowly up my dose because of this) - I finally had a break through with the medicine and literally felt a dramatic change overnight. It sounds unreal but it was almost as if the medicine had finally settled completely into my system enough to take effect. I feel like myself again FINALLY when I was starting to wonder if it was ever even possible. This just goes to show that you should definitely stick it out, even when the going gets rough, because things will unfortunately have to get a little worse before they get tremendously better as your body gets used to the medication. Stay positive and you can make it through <3

8 likes, 20 replies

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  • thomas96833
    thomas96833 Taurus223

    Posted

    Thank you Taurus. I have been prescribed Sertraline and scared to start taking it! 

    I had a very hard time adjusting to Fluoxetine and had to stop after 3 weeks. How did you cope during the first few weeks of Sertraline when the side effects were at the worse?. 

    My biggest concern is how hard it is to get through a day in work now, there is no way i'll cope with the side effects on top rolleyes

    • Taurus223
      Taurus223 thomas96833

      Posted

      I also experienced trouble with Fluoxetine.. Wasn't ideal for me at all. But I can say that the side effects of Zoloft were less intense for me than that so I'd say it's worth giving a shot!

      Anywho, I wish I could say I had a perfect coping mechanism but unfortunately I had to work with what I was given.

      My psych had prescribed me Propanolol (a beta blocker) on the side to help with the physical side effects of the anxiety which I would take when it got unbearable.

      But overall, I just tried to set a goal by looking at my calendar and keeping in touch with my doctor that if I wasn't feeling any improvement by the end of week 8, I would consider changing meds.

      I think that is the easiest way to get through it and to give yourself a timeline! Hope this helped!

  • pam01968
    pam01968 Taurus223

    Edited

    Thank you for your reply.i am 4 plus weeks into Zoloft and still have a lot of anxiety and wander if I will ever be able to get out and go as I normally did without being scared of having a anxiety or panic attack
    • Taurus223
      Taurus223 pam01968

      Posted

      All I can say is, give it 6-8 weeks to fully get in your system! I know it's very tough mentally to carry on with your daily life experiencing all of the side effects, but you have to give it time!! You can do it!

  • holly34337
    holly34337 Taurus223

    Posted

    Hi Taurus,

    What dose are you on? I am 6 weeks at 50mg and seeing some improvement but not were I want to be yet. Just curious if you increased or what dose you take. I don't want to increase just yet as I know these meds can be slow to really kick in....

    Thanks!

    • Taurus223
      Taurus223 holly34337

      Posted

      So this is kind of a long thing-

      The first time I took Zoloft and it really worked for me I was on 100 mg.

      I tried to ween off it after 6 months because I thought I was good, realized I still needed it, but when I got back to 100 mg, it was no longer effective and my anxiety had gotten so bad that my doctor SLOWLY had to up me to 200mg. Even now he says that we might move me back down to 150 because 200 is pushing it but that's where I'm at.

      But 50mg is definitely still relatively low... BUT it is very promising that you're already starting to experience some relief!! So I'd just keep in touch with your doctor and if you haven't reached the full therapeutic level of the medicine that you want to, he/ she will be able to let you know when the best time to up it is!

  • nancyew
    nancyew Taurus223

    Posted

    What dose of Zoloft were you on?
    • Taurus223
      Taurus223 nancyew

      Posted

      I started on 100mg and slowly increased to my current dose of 200mg.
  • pam01968
    pam01968 Taurus223

    Posted

    My dr started me on 100 mg of Zoloft I had been on Paxil cr 75mg and it had pooped out I had been on Paxil for 12 years and over the time climbed all the way up to the 75mg dose so my obgyn changed me to Zoloft 100 mg 4 weeks ago and I am still struggling with anxiety awful I am trying to learn to deal with the anxiety instead of taking Xanax as it seemed to make me worse.
    • Taurus223
      Taurus223 pam01968

      Posted

      It's definitely an uphill battle and not an easy one but just try to make time for yourself every day so you can release some of the anxiety and doing things you enjoy.

  • ana52704
    ana52704 Taurus223

    Posted

    Been on zoloft for one year and a month now 100 mg.And yes things get worse at first but than you will have your life back.Defintly you will have bad days and blips and days you think that you will be at the starting point but don't give up on sertraline.I don't know why people don't except the fact that we need sertraline our brain needs it.

    • pam01968
      pam01968 ana52704

      Posted

      How long before you started to lose some of your anxiety
  • ihavenonickname
    ihavenonickname Taurus223

    Posted

    WoooooHooooo!

    It is so difficult to know how long to wait...thank you for sharing! thank you for encouraging!

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