When to change meds? So many questions.
Posted , 4 users are following.
hi--i have been on zoloft (sertraline) now for about 9.5 weeks. i upped my dose pretty quickly because i was on it about 1.5 years ago for post partum anxiety and 150 worked really well. i have been on 150 for 8 weeks (i started on 50-75-100-150) but did this in a 10-14 day or so period. long story short, i had an ectopic preg and stopped sleeping and got 100 mg shot of methotrexate as well. so, the doctor put me on 1-1.25 of klonopin per night and now i am on 175 zoloft. i still dont feel great and have side effects--hands are shaking and general shaky feeling. i still have occasional pit in my stomach or a seemingly fast heart beat.
i am very frustrated. last time it did take a while to "kick-in" but i dont think it was this long. while it has helped some, it is not enough. is it time to change meds? do i up to 200? 200 seems scary to me. do i go down in dose? maybe it is too much. OR get off the klonopin.
sorry for so many questions!! i am just over thinking about it and what next steps should be. thanks!! oh, and i sucessfully weaned off of zoloft at the end of march 2016 without any issues till november.
1 like, 14 replies
kieran15442 mere03725
Posted
I'd drop down meds I'm shaky on 50mg sertraline for GAD and fast heartbeat and dizzy blurred vision spells I'm week 16 and only last 2 weeks have I got the full benefit took soo long with side affects I find excersise really helps good luck.
mere03725 kieran15442
Posted
Do you still have side effects? Or did they diminish after you moved down? I'm wondering if dosage is too high? I really don't know next steps.
lattifa7777 mere03725
Posted
mere03725 lattifa7777
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I was on 150 and dropped to 100 for two weeks then 75, 50, 25 for two weeks each. And I was fine! Then i found out I was preg and one day I was fine and the next I couldn't sleep then found out it was ectopic.
GodsServant mere03725
Posted
Hi, I have been on and off Zoloft for 20 yrs, and I find that each time I get back on it, it seems to take longer to work than the previous time I got on it and side effects seem to last longer too, but it has worked for you in the past so it will work for you again. Like you, when I get back on it I increase my dose very quickly, 50mg to 100mg (I skip 75mg) and then 150mg. Now I am at 100mg. I am not a doc, but from experience if you need to up it to 200mg, then up it and give it at least 6 weeks to work at that dose, two months or a bit more to see if you are really not responsive to it anymore. You have been on it so you should go to the higher dosage to see if it works before you give up on this med and try another med. Klonopin is a benzo, like Ativan, and they are fast-acting but don't last long and can be addictive so go easy on them.
Hang in there and keep the faith,
servant
mere03725 GodsServant
Posted
Thank you. That helps-I didn't have any side effects last time so it's throwing me for a loop. I still have pit in stomach, etc. I don't really know if I need 200. I guess I need to figure that out. It seems crazy to be in this limbo for another 8 weeks to see if it works. I want to start tapering off of klonopin asap. Ugh!
GodsServant mere03725
Posted
Wow, you're one of the lucky ones that didn't get any side effects the last time you were on it. As for me, don't get me started on the side effects, and what's even more puzzling is that each time I get back on it I experience new side effects! As if the old side effects aren't bad enough.
Stay strong but be gentle with yourself,
your servant
mere03725 GodsServant
Posted
Is it "worth it?" Getting on Zoloft? I got bloodwork done but it was all normal. So the shakes are me or meds.
GodsServant mere03725
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What's the alternative?
Perhaps for other folks, but I don't have one. Looking back I've had childhood OCD till now. I know my condition is pretty severe. At this point, I am just grateful and thankful to the Lord that it works and I pray it works until He takes me home.
mere03725 GodsServant
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Have u woken up shaking before? This is new. Wondering if it's increase or klonopin??
GodsServant mere03725
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Yep, had woken up shaken with my heart feeling like its going to jump out of my throat, had woken up for weeks if not months several times in the middle of the night, had woken drenched in sweat, had blurred vision, had swollen eyelids and bulging eyeballs, had RLS, etc. I have been on and off this med for 2 decades now, so I read a lot about it, but still doesn't make it any easier when I go thru it.
Try not to increase the klonopin if you can. Try to distract yourself by a book or something. My Bible is my lifesaver. If you wake up shaken, try this lying in bed. Clenched every muscle in your body and try to hold that position for as long as you could, then flex. Then do this again. Try this a few times.
mere03725 GodsServant
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I'm not increasing the klon. I actually hate that I'm on it. I meant increase in Zoloft. Never had that until I increased the z!
GodsServant mere03725
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Stay strong but go easy on yourself. Remember the good times in the past and you can get there again. This too shall past.
mere03725 GodsServant
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