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zoloft to prozac to zoloft :(:(:(?!?!?

Posted , 7 users are following.

Chris1991
Chris1991

Hi everybody,

A little history: ive had Anxiety just about all my memorable life, i knew somthing wasnt quite right upstairs when i felt my heart racing, i felt panic like ive just drank a crate of red bull, That even when cold i sweat buckets. i have always been an obssesive googler, have always tried excersise, performance enhancments, alcholol, herbs and a whole other bunch of magicalpotions to make me feel (NORMAL) and so my brain didnt freeze in social situations. when i know im clever but i come out silly because i acted like a lunatic to compensate or to show i wasnt shy or could be taken advanatge of. Certainly making me troublesome and not a nice person to be around.

so about 4 months ago i realised what it was thats up. I was reading all about anxiety and discuverd i have just about every variety of it. strangly enough this made me happy because now i knew...... im not stupid or a rare breed and can possibly be treated or handled better.

Medication:    I first went to my GP and explained how i was feeling  (keeping it short) he agreed and proscribed me 50 MG sertraline per day.I took this for a month and felt no better the odd day i had a flash of anxiety free.so heading in the right direction. i was told to up the dossage to 100 mg and i continued at this dossage for a month. still not better i went to the GP and asked for another increase as im 6'4" and 19 stone maybe i needed a little more than average. i was told no if its not working at 2 months we will try this.... i was prescribed Fluoxotine (prozac) 20 mg per day and i took this for 2monthsnot really feeling any effect whats so ever, still sweating nervous panic stricken cold clammy, over thinking things.......

so i went back the other day and seen another GP a brittish one this time ( everytime i vistited the GP it was a differnt one, not the best way to cope with things, lesson leard always ask for same GP. so this time he said ok lets have you back on sertraline ( zoloft) and i will proscribe you up to 200MG per day.  he just said get there as quick as you safely can........ what about 125 or 150? what happens if this is the correct dossage and i skip it out and go for 200? how do i even get to 200? do i do 100 for month ? then 150 for a a month ? just so so confused now as to what i do. so please if anyone has been in this situation or not. what do you think? should i try 150? should i do it over a month,over a week? 

Thanks so much in adavance and thankyou for taking the time to read my rambling on. smile

 

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Howll
    Howll Chris1991

    Posted

    I would take it slowly, if you put too much into your body at once you can actually feel worse. I'd do 50mg for a week, then 100, then 150. It's always best to taper it up, because it can have some sh*tty side effects. I couldn't take it at 50mg. They do take a while to take effect, could be up to 3-4 months
    • Chris1991
      Chris1991 Howll

      Posted

      thanks Howll,i know they trake a while but my problem is why has my doctor decided that 150 isnt the right dosage and to go straight back in at 200 mg
    • Chris1991
      Chris1991 Howll

      Posted

      thanks Howll,i know they trake a while but my problem is why has my doctor decided that 150 isnt the right dosage and to go straight back in at 200 mg
  • raymond43338
    raymond43338 Chris1991

    Posted

    Hello

    firstly what you put in your post to feel NORMAL, you are normal what we feel everybody feels, it is just at the moment our heads don't quiet deal with it the right way.

    i am currently myself on Zoloft / Sertraline and take 100mg (uped from 50).

    if i was you i would ring the doctor again ask for the one you seen last time and get them to direct you in the dosage you need to take, they are managing your case and should realy have givern you a dosage path.  and yes you need to make sure you go to the same dr each time when possible to ensure you are managed in the right way.

    as for a bigger dosage for a bigger guy, not sure this type of drug works that way as it helps with nurones and seratonin levels and such like, and as far as i am aware this is the same with everyone no matter your size.

    also whats right for one person is not right for another, i use to take Dulocatine but this just sent me a sleep, my current dosage works for my head (in the best place i have been for a long time)  but i am suffering side affects that may mean i have to change again.

    not sure if any of this helps, but remember your not on your own no matter what.  oh and if you ever see a fat ginger haired 50 somthing crying in Iceland (the shop) over what chinese meal to buy, come and say hi as thats me.

    take care 

    R

    • Chris1991
      Chris1991 raymond43338

      Posted

      i know im normal smile in the middle of some online CBT at the moment lol.

      ok im taking 100 now this is my second day,

      i have tried the only problem is this doc is so busy. i may have a chance to get an apoinment with him on monday or tuesday though, fingers crossed.

      i guess i just thought ssri's put your bodys seratonin into the blood supply and if somone is a bigger person then more blood to seratonin. meaning when it reaches the brian it could be diluted? like  for example....... we both take the same 50 mg of sertraline this frees up the same amount of seratonin into the blood.. if i have more blood than you then surly if you took a sample of blood: (100 ml ) in that 100 ml of blood the smaller person would have more seratonin per 100 ml. meaningh less is going throught he brain? i guess thats what my doc was meaning anyways.

      yes it is such a pain to have to change meds because its just such a step back. do people get cured or do they just learn to live with it better :@( i want to be cured lol

      haha and yes of course i would. As long as when you see a guy crying out side a group of restaurants, youl know my girlfriend has asked me to choose one. come say hi its Me.

       

  • elizabeth2244
    elizabeth2244 Chris1991

    Posted

    Hi Chris

    I would start with 100mg of Zoloft for a week then raise it to 150mg for another week then the third week raise it up to 200mg also I would also ask your doctor for ativan to go with it because ativan is great for anxieties 

    I have lived with anxieties all my life and ativan helps great. I woke up this morning around 2 or 3 and my heart was pounding like crazy I knew it was anxieties but I don't know what triggered it 

    Also if you are feeling anxiweties to where your heart is beating fast try relaxation with a relaxation CD this helps me to calm down

    • Chris1991
      Chris1991 elizabeth2244

      Posted

      Hi Elizabeth 

      Thanks i will certainly look into ativan. i do have propranalol to hand but it dosnt work for me at all regardless of dosage. is it the same kind of drug? do you take it when you are feeling physical symptoms of anxiety?

      and for the relaxation cd i have experamented with a few of these of youtube and seem to wortk quite well.

  • raymond43338
    raymond43338 Chris1991

    Posted

    CBT was a great help to me, i was lucky and also got put on a programe were i got to talk to somone every week to talk about things.  one of the practises that realy worked for me and i still do is use a period called worry time.  and anything that i start worry about, i put to the back of my mind till my alloted time (for me normaly about 18:30) and i take my self off and worry about it all.  but normaly find by this point i have forgot what i was worrying about.

    with the seratonin as i said i am not sure fully how it works, so i would take my comments on that with a pinch of salt, but as i said my understanding that your body regulates the amount you need and the drug just gets the balance right no matter how big or small you are.  but i fix computers not heads so could be talking total rubbish :-)

    yea it is such a pain changing or altering the dose as it take awhile to take hold.  and it can be hard for everyone while you wait for it to kick in

    • Chris1991
      Chris1991 raymond43338

      Posted

      yes im doing online CBT at the moment dont know if im allowed to say the name of the website on here but it is really good called MoodGym and its working everytime i go to have a negitive thought ill stop myself in my tracks. its reallly hard! my CBT is supposed to start with my therapist on the phone first week in feb. really cant wait.  

      what i think about even though i know i should just say it will all work out just leave it to work. is if im taking the meds plus cbt what one has worked? shouldnt i do one first then the other because one might be repsonible for holding me back. in other words i really dont know what it will feel like when the meds start working or will it be that gradual approach  and that i wont even notice

      yes the ones closest to me get it in the neck like my fiancee. thats been four months and nothing has worked. i always worry and think what if i left my dossage there for another week or if i had done 125 instead or 150mg that kind of thing tears me apart.

  • KevB5
    KevB5 Chris1991

    Posted

    I was once on Zoloft years ago. Was told I had to keep increasing to keep it up and working. Ended up later with Celexa for more years than a complicated part with an accident and a Traumatic Brain injury with seizure meds, Interactions with those meds, Tegretol, now about two months on Prozac and some counciling. I'm not there yet. Best I've felt for a while was last night having a couple IPA beers. Had been along time with that. Anyway just my thoughts. I'm considering cannabis with low THC and higher CBD in some form as its now legal here in Oregon. Sorry for your suffering, it sucks.
    • Chris1991
      Chris1991 KevB5

      Posted

      yes ive heard that some people are fine on zoloft then all of a sudden it stops working. good to hear your starting to feel better. 

      if i smoke cannibus it just makes me super anxiouis, especially around people i would just have a panaic attack

    • KevB5
      KevB5 Chris1991

      Posted

      I hear you and also had similar reaction and paranoid. Thinking it was to high of THC level. Researching on the low THC and higher CBD. I'm just tired of meds and there side effects on me. Live and learn and I'll share as I go. I'm just not a fan of this fluoxetine/Prozac. Just making me feel weird after 2 months and not wanting to increase to see. In one of those, downers on meds.
    • Chris1991
      Chris1991 KevB5

      Posted

      Yeah I guess it could be that however I felt it made me anxious with even really week stuff. I kept going with it though because it was the cool thing to do when I was younger:s

      To be perfectly honest I've never felt worse. After taking meds. 6 months ago I wasn't great but to me it was normal. now I'm just all over the place. I really like the sound of diazepam at a low doze. A lot of people say it dosnt turn you to a zombie as long as you stick to the low anxiety dosage. I certainly wouldn't abuse it! I guess that's seems to be a risk that my GP will have to take if SSRI's don't work. Fingers crossed I'm sure they will. Lol

  • maureen_25289
    maureen_25289 Chris1991

    Posted

    I was on 400mg Pregablin for anxiety it's brilliant for controlling it but deadly to get of im now down to 50mg but it's taken months and months to do now our docs say they're taking it off prescription as it's addictive. Really you'd think they'd know that before starting their patients on it.

    Sorry can't help with your dilemma.

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