ive been on zoloft 50mgs for about 6 monthes and started having anxiety so my doctor uped my dose to 100mgs i take it at night and wake up very shakey how long do the shakes last   (Fri Feb 3 21:44 2012)

anxietyzoloft.com/cart.php?add=318   (Thu Nov 17 3:53 2011)

Have you heard that the risk of having a child with birth defects is increased if the mother took antidepressants during pregnancy? According to a recent study in the publication New England Journal of Medicine, children whose mothers took antidepressants, such as ZOLOFT, PAXIL, PROZAC, LEXAPRO, CELEXA AND WELBUTRIN, during pregnancy have a significant increase of being born with birth defects, such as congenital heart defects, lung defects, spinal defects, abdominal defects, skull defects, genital deformation, cleft lip, cleft palate and club foot. The Archives of General Psychiatry also reported that children whose mothers took antidepressants during pregnancy “are twice as likely as other children to have a diagnosis of autism or a related disorder.” If your child was born with a birth defect or related disorder and you would like additional information on this subject, please go to www.zolofthurtmychild.com or www.chadpinkerton.com. You may also speak with a trained representative or lawyer by calling 1-855-ZOLOFT-1.    (Fri Oct 28 9:40 2011)

i amm currently on sertraline 50mg, before i went on these i was suffering from severe dizziness and anxiety. i have been on them for over a month now abd was feeling alot better but in the last few days my dizzy spells have returned and these cause me to worry more. I make myself believe i have something serious wrong with me and always need reasuring, is it normal for the anxiety to return while on the tablets?   (Thu Sep 22 9:48 2011)

Mindful awareness. There's a book by Osho called "Awareness". Inside of each one of us is a mind, but my mind is not me. I have the ability to make my mind think of different things. If mind controls the body, and the mind is not me, then who controls the mind? I do. My consciousness does.

I'm currently on 6MG of Xanax XR, 300MG Seroquel XR, 2MG Prazosin, 50MG Sertraline, 75MG Aspirin. I've done immediate cuts of xanax from 8MG to 6MG with no withdrawal whatsoever. I definitely recommend following the advice of your psychiatrists, but most of these withdrawal effects are caused by you trying to "control" your mind. To you, your mind is the devil and you try to fight it. Instead, think of your mind as a "child" that goes on thinking day and night. Instead of fighting it, just be aware of what it is doing and remember that it is NOT YOU, it is YOUR MIND. Once you let it do whatever it wants, then it starts thinking less and less. If you feel anxious, let it feel anxious and just observe it. If it gets paranoid, let your mind feel paranoid... it's not you feeling paranoid, it's your mind. You're a totally different entity from your mind.

I used to be afraid of all types of medications. I was afraid of being put on such high dosages for such a long time. What adverse effects would I feel? What would happen to me when I wanted to stop? I'll get there when I get there. I'll just observe my mind going through a roller coaster. It will be a bit uncomfortable.

I suffered from social phobia, bipolar / mixed hypomania, GAD, and severe deppression. My doctor will increase my sertraline dosage to 200MG shortly. So far, these meds have improved my quality of life incredibly! Just remember that going off is not such a big deal. Taper off as your doctor tells you, and instead of fighting the feelings inside you, just feel them, think them, embrace and accept them... only then they will go away. Easier said than done, but everyone could definitely do it.

That devil inside of you can be your friend, just don't judge it, don't call it a devil, it's a part of your being, if you try to fight it, it's like one part of your mind trying to fight another part of your mind. It's a civil war that will leave the country that is you in ashes. Make peace with it, observe it without judging it. Definitely seek psychotherapy as research proves that it's best to seek therapy along with meds.

A lot of people worry that they have become zombies and feel numb. Well, remember, that if you feel extremely happy, you will also have the feeling of extreme depression. Only when you numb your feelings is when you achieve a true balance. And a true balance is the best way of going about living. You don't get overly happy, overly in-love, and then again, you don't feel overly deppressed, overly heartbroken... you just... are, and that's that. You just witness yourself, your mind, your feelings, and the world around you with very minimal or no feelings at all. I can't believe some of you don't like this.

Remember that no matter what happens, you will overcome. Has there ever been a problem in your life that you haven't been able to overcome? The answer is no, otherwise you wouldn't be alive right now reading this.

Fear is the single feeling here dominating most of you that are having trouble. Fear fear fear. Come on... what is the worst thing that can happen? Death is... and people fear death for the single reason of not knowing what will happen to them after they die. People are afraid of the unknown.

I personally don't fear death, but I love being alive. Even in life, everything is unknown. What will happen tomorrow? I want to enjoy my life here, but I also realize that I don't fear anything, not even the unknown. That is the pleasure of living.   (Sat Jan 22 13:17 2011)

I just wanted to add that I have returned to
Zoloft after about 3 months of being off. I
was experience the withdrawal effects of
twitching. I don't plan on staying on this
long. After Afghanistan I just endured some
pain that I couldn't shake right away. Look I
just want to say I'm proud of all of you.
Don't ever forget your create your own
reality. I'm aware now that I'm strong enough
to change my moods so I think that good
exercise and concentration is all I need.
Keep your heads up. We look out for each
other.    (Thu Dec 16 11:28 2010)

I have been taking zoloft and trazadon for anxiety for a
little more than a year now. A lot of people have been
talking about bad dreams. I'm not sure which
medication mine are from, but I get them too. They are
extremely vivid and I remember every detail the next
day. I can remember it so well that I forget what is
reality sometimes. I talked to my doctor and she said it
was normal and I have not had a bad one since. Im not
sure if that is helpful but I know how scary they can be.
your not alone and they won't hurt you. Try to keep
telling yourself that it was a dream and not reality.    (Sun Dec 12 23:09 2010)

I am on week 4 of Zoloft. All the initial side effects have passed except one. The loss of appetite, nausea, and horrible afternoon anxiety have gone. The one I am experiencing now is shakiness off and on still and muscle weakness. I think that is how to describe it. My upper muscles in my legs and arms feel like jello. Has anyone experienced this and if so, will it subside also.
Thanks   (Wed Sep 2 19:37 2009)

Hello all. I am new to zoloft (1st week), not new to ssri's. My md has bumped me all the way up to 75 mg / day in one week...I am feeling really nauseous. Any comments? Encouragement? Thanks so much.   (Thu Feb 7 7:08 2008)

I only started taking zoloft yesterday, 25mg, which I am supposed to take for a week until upping the dosage to 50mg a day. Is it normal to feel a medicated, slightly loopy feeling, only after taking zoloft for one day? It's such a small pill and I didn't think I would feel anything right away.   (Fri Jan 25 8:24 2008)

bought zoloft from australian internet pharmacy. very cheap and i know it is the real thing, which is sometimes a worry when you buy from online pharmacies.
the price for 100mg x 30 tabs was $40

the parcel arrived within 1 week   (Wed Oct 17 1:31 2007)

Hello, After reading how so many of you have had such horrible withdrawl symptoms, I decided to add my own. I have been suffering from Severe anxiey for most of my life. I have been on Many of the anxiety drugs, most recently Paxil and Zoloft. Paxil helped, I was on it for 4 years, I was able to leave my house...but I just had a feeling of not caring about anything, on Paxil I began drinking and was quite the party girl...I had never ever been a drinker in my life! I decided to stop Paxil and it took a good year to get back to "normal". After that the panic attacks came back with full force...I couldn't leave my house again. Two years ago I went on Zoloft after a million questions to my doctor about withdrawl and side effects I thought it was a good choice...wrong again! Was told it's non addictive...that is such BS! Now for 3 months I have been trying to go off Zolft with the same withdrawl symptoms as Paxil...Zaps, the butterfly feelings all through my body, vertigo etc...I'm now with a new Dr. who says I'm at a point where I just have to stop taking the medication and face the effects and let them pass...then he wanted me to take cymbalta, after reading about the effects of that...no way! All of these drugs have the same effects they are all in the same category. Withdrawl will be similar with all of them. I'm hoping the side effects subside soon...I almost would rather have the anxiety then this. I want my old body back too...I gained 50 pounds in the time I've been on them...always being a thin person now I'm just fat. So now I have anxiety and a complex about my weight! lol!Gotta laugh or it will drive you nutty! I have been reading, Dr. Claire Weekes, here is a website that you can download and listen to her for free http://www.controllinganxiety.com/ca/htdocs/
I think it is helping a little. Hope it helps somebody else.   (Mon Jan 8 11:10 2007)

I have been on these tablets since I was 16, im now nearly 26 and been varying between 50mg and 100mg a day. When ever I have dropped my dose and last time I tried to come off these I got so paranoid and didn't want to leave the house again-my whole anxiety came back again. I went of my food and cried all the time, I am putting on weight and im worried I will never come off it. Is it ok if I don't? Im really not sure! has anyone else stayed on these tablets indefinitely?   (Fri Dec 22 17:34 2006)

I have had bad dreams, sometimes more than others but not entirely sure if it is to do with the tablets or your brain dealing with thoughts and feelings?   (Fri Dec 22 17:30 2006)

i have never had sensitivity to medications, until zoloft. this stuff caused me to leave my workplace in an ambulance. i had the worst of anaphalactic you can imagine... hives, tightness in the chest, elevated heart rate { i tend to have a very low rate at about 48, it was at 121 and increasing rapidly } i had shortness of breath... needless to say i was VERY VERY sick. it was more than scarey, and since then i have been super-sensitive to new medications. my dr says that it is odd, but not un-common.   (Wed Dec 20 22:56 2006)

I too have recently switched over to the generic Zoloft-Setraline and have noticed weight gain. I wasnt quite sure what it was but have picked up 10 lbs in the past 3 months. I tried doing research to find the cause but no luck-my mood swings and anxiety are a little worse, but managable. The weight gain is my biggest concern.    (Wed Dec 20 9:35 2006)

has anyone experienced dizziness for more than 2 weeks after withdrawing from zoloft?   (Mon Dec 18 11:33 2006)

Hi, has anyone experienced restless legs? I'm in my third week and still having some jittery side effects. Will this go away and how long did it take for the jitters and restlessness to go away?   (Tue Dec 5 17:03 2006)

I have been on zoloft for 1 month and i am experiencing muscle and joint pain has anybody experienced this x   (Sat Dec 2 8:58 2006)

My sister is taking lustral (which I think is the same as Zoloft)this is her 6th week, I am very worried about her as she has started to have bad dreams this week and when I called her today she was in tears again and we thought she was getting better. Has anyone else had bad dreams or thoughts and any advice would be appreciated.   (Fri Dec 1 7:45 2006)

Hi folks! I use to take Paxil for anxiety for about 4 years.
Was on 20 mgs and ended up being able to go down to 10
mgs with prn ativan. I felt great! So great I decided to stop
taking my medication, slowly tapering down to nothing.
After a few months of being off the medication and just
taking 1 mg of ativan every other day, I found out I was
pregnant. Then stopped taking the ativan and had horrible
withdraw and rebound anxiety. Ended up in the ER 3 times
in a few weeks. Had never been in the ER in my life!
Anyway, my dr put me on Zoloft, 50 mgs because it's
supposed to be safer during pregnancy. I went through
many of the side effects, nausea, diarrhea, jitters, loss of
appetite. They are beginning to subside. The jitters were
especially hard to take because i thought i was developing
parkinsons or something! Anyway, I'm pleased to
announce that the Zoloft is slowly beginning to take
effect. I'm still not back to where I was on the Paxil, but I
am functioning much better and hope that I continue to
improve. I do believe that the meds can only take you so
far, the rest of the work you have to do! So i'm seeing a
therapist which is really scary, but I hope she can help.
Best of luck to all of you!   (Tue Nov 28 14:21 2006)

I was on 100mg of zoloft for 10 months and was recently changed over to the generic of zoloft, sertraline. i have noticed more anxiety, weight gain, and an increase change in my mood swings again. i feel like i was a year ago. has anyone ever felt this way, or has anyone had to switch over to the generic zoloft and have the same feelings?
   (Sun Nov 26 22:00 2006)

Kayla,
You need help other than just medication. You need counseling to deal with the trauma. Be pro-active. It won't get better until you address the problem, which meds don't do. I'm NOT anti-meds, in fact, you probably need to continue the meds for a while, until the counseling can get you on your way to healing. God Bless!   (Sun Oct 15 11:19 2006)

I have been on Welbutrin for about 2 months due to a traumatic event that left me beyond depressed. I am still very depressed and the doctor is now getting worried that it has been 5 months since the traumatic event and I am getting worse. He wants to put me on Zoloft to help with the overwhelming anxiety and compulsion this trauma has brought on.

I am so afraid of taking both and messing myswelf up,I am afraid of a heart attack, I am afriad of gaining weight and having another reason to not want to leave the house   (Fri Sep 22 22:13 2006)

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Hi MJ!

I took my last dose of zoloft two weeks ago.  I was on 100mgs and didn't start getting the effects till I dropped from 50 to 25.  Now, while I would like to be more positive about the experience I'm afraid I will just have to be honest.  I was still suffering from anxiety while on 100, which is why I stopped.  The effects which passed very quickly, within a week, were the nausea, night-sweats, nightmares, headache.  The ones that are still here but slightly lessened are the shock / butterfly feeling I get through my whole body, depression (I've never been depressed ever, so it really no fun), and a nervous stomach.  I usually take 1/2 to a whole xanax a day to deal with the nervous feeling and have bought something called "enviro detox." They are a vitamin that helps clean your body of toxins, and the zoloft is a toxin.  Also, I was encouraged to try something called nutri-calm.  This contains a mix of B vitamins plus some other things such as chamamile.  This information is from a certified herbologist, not me.  So, I wish you luck.  Remember, every body is different so you could experience nothing like I have anddd I am no doctor when it comes to what I am using to deal.  Its just friendly advice!  Good Luck and feel free to e-mail (below) anytime!   (Mon Jul 3 16:35 2006)

I'm trying to find information on what I can expect while discontinuing Zoloft. So far it doesn't sound like I am in for a happy ride until it is completely done. My first dosage reduction was two days ago (from 125 to 100 mg). Last night was the first bad effects that I noticed - depression/dysphoria, insomnia, feeling alone. I know these will pass... but when? and are there any good tips for coping with the withdrawl effects? I had finally got a point in life where I was feeling really good about things and don't want to spend then next couple of months feeling "down."   (Mon Jul 3 12:46 2006)

After years of anxiety and several months of depression i decided to get help. My doc put me on i think it was 50mg of Lexapro a day and i could feel it working INSTANTLY. It was weird but i couldn't have been happier. I continued that for the two weeks i had in my trial pack and when i ran out, i couldn't get more because i didn't have any insurance and wasn't willing to pay out of pocket. So after i stopped it, there were no withdrawl symptoms or anything like that. Slowly my anxiety came back and then my depression. Now i have been put on 50mg of Zoloft a day and it has been terrible! I want to hope that it works but it has given me extreme shakiness, dry mouth and my appetitie has been lost. I wouldn't complain about my appetitie but seeing as i'm pregnant, i really do need to eat. I've been on Zoloft for about 4 days and I really don't believe it will work for me but i will try and stick it out..   (Mon Jul 3 5:18 2006)

I am currently down to 12.5 mgs of zoloft ever other day and although the physical effects kinda suck my mind has never been clearer and I finally have the desire to make the necessary changes in my life.  Since I began decreasing the zoloft I've been taking xanax to help with some of the symptoms as well as the anxiety that I still have.  I have taken it many times in my life, so has other members of my family, with no addiction trouble.  I do now some individuals who have had trouble getting off of it but there were on very high doses.  I only take 1/2 of a white one (25mgs?) a day.  Bottom line, sometimes you need to try different things to find what works for you.  Although the zoloft did work at first for me no matter what the dosage I often felt pretty bad which is why I decided that it was possible it was creating some anxiety as well.  I've had many different anxiety episodes in my life and used to just take xanax till I dealt with it and it passed.  About 8 months ago I decided to try the zoloft and really wish I would have just stayed with what had worked for me in the past.  Just keep in mind, although there are alot of strange feelings going on in your body you still have to listen to it.  It will tell you what is too much to handle.  Good luck to you and feel free to e-mail anytime.  katherine55@hotmail.com   (Sun Jun 18 20:46 2006)

i been taking zoloft 100mgs of 1 and a 1/2 pills before bed ,but i woke up feeling shaky and nervous should i have my doc change my meds when i first had an attack i want to the hosptail and they gave me xanxa to take and that worked but the doc said it was addtive should i ask for that again or just stay with the zoloft.anyone can email me at goddessmania_tdo@hotmail.com   (Fri Jun 16 8:31 2006)

You sound like me before I went on the Zoloft.  I recently dropped down to 50mg from 100 and it is working much better for me.  I think too much zoloft was overwhelming my body and actually causing anxiety.  My hands would never stop shaking.  I understand you wanting to get off of the zoloft but please don't do it at the expense of your sanity.  I would stick wtih 50mg for a while longer.  I excercise every day (gym, pool, biking) but I would still have some serious anxiety issues without the zoloft.  Anyway, best of luck with whatever you decide to do.     (Thu Jun 15 0:57 2006)

Im on Lustral 200mg, along with Seroquel 200mg, and the Lustral does absolutley fuck all for me. I feel emotionless now.   (Mon Jun 12 21:01 2006)

So now I am on 25 mgs every other day.  I have the infamous dizziness / electric sensations through my whole body.  I am also very very emotional and scared to be alone.  I guess there is also quite a bit of anxiety.  On the positive side, despite how terrible and weird I am feeling I have the want and desire to get better and do things again.  When I was on the meds I was fine with whatever, no drive in other words.  So now I feel very motivated to get through this withdrawal so I can work on improving the original anxiety through exercise and whatnot.  Oh!  Fun night sweats and vivid dreams too.  Anyone have any feedback?   (Mon Jun 12 20:53 2006)

I have recently(seven weeks or so) started Zoloft for anxiety and a bit of depression. I have worked up to 100 and still have no response...no side effects, a little lessening of depression but no effect on anxiety. Nothing really big time. I am going to work up to the max, 200 mg, 25mg at a time and see if I just need more than most. That is the case in most instances with meds. I am quite resisitent as well as have little problem coming off meds. Has anyone been up to 200mg, the max, and how did you do?
Thanks,
Barbara   (Sun Jun 11 8:50 2006)

Well, I dropped the Zoloft from 100mgs to 50mgs for about a week and tonite I will take it down to 25mgs.  How am I feeling?  Well, very anxious and a little spacy.  I don't want to really go anywhere or do anything.  I know this is a side effect from the withdrawal so I guess I am just looking forward to all the med being out of my body.  I know I may still feel anxious and get attacks but at least I will be awake during the day.  I'm just trying to concentrate on the light at the end of the tunnel I suppose.     (Mon Jun 5 20:07 2006)

I have had 3 low back surgries that have not helped. This has lead to depression and my doctor has me on 50 mg. of zoloft a day. I have been on this for 5 months. Now I sleep for 12 to 15 hours a day.Is there anyone that has spinal damage out there with this kind of problem that I can chat with???? Or just anyone that can give me some imput. Thanks Gary
     (Sun Jun 4 13:10 2006)

I've heard of people having those side effects but all I had was weight loss, and some nausea.  Every once in awhile my hands trembled a bit but that didn't last.  Usually the side effects subside after about a week.  I would just give it a couple more days and if you are still having trouble talk to your doc.  Every med effects everyone differently.  I am currently taking myself off of zoloft since it doesn't really work for me anymore.  I figure I will just increase my exercise and use xanax for any symptoms.  Good Luck!    (Sat Jun 3 22:44 2006)

I am newly diagnosed with GAD/panic attacks.  Started on Zoloft 25mg 5 days ago and it seems like by early evening I am going crazy.  I feel like I have pins and needles in my arms and legs and can't sleep at all.  Has anyone else had these side effects?  Will they go away?  I have noticed less anxiety during the day, but I don't know if I can stand these side effects.  Help!!   (Sat Jun 3 11:12 2006)

More than 500,000 healthcare professionals use Epocrates mobile and web-based solutions routinely to access clinical information such as drug dosing, interactions and pricing.  https://online.epocrates.com/u/10a1444/Zoloft   (Fri Jun 2 13:56 2006)

so ive been in some situations at work when i would
normally have a severe panic attack.  ive been on
zoloft 100 mg for 9 weeks and it does help with the
severity of my anxiety.  it hasnt cured it but it helps.  
my doctor also perscribed inderal to control my
physical symptoms (pounding heart, jittes,
shakiness) and that works amazing.  i recommend
inderal for anyone who has axiety about showing
their anxious symptoms.
   (Thu Jun 1 18:49 2006)

I have noticed that my 100 mg of zoloft isn't really working that well anymore.  I don't know if its because I took it down to 50 a couple of times or what.  I suppose I should look into a dosage increase as well.  But half of me really wants to get off of it, especially if its not doing that much.  In other words, if I'm going to be anxious regardless I'd rather be anxious and drug-free.  One of the major causes of my anxiety is that after I had my daughter I was stuck in the house alone almost all day everyday with very little support from friends and family.  So when I moved in order to be closer to friends and family and was able to start going out and whatnot I realized that I had almost forgotten how.  I also didn't even want to have fun anymore, it just seemed so foreign to be doing the things I'd done before the baby.  So, all the limitations I started putting on myself just brewed more anxiety and the cycle began. Like I was telling Greg, I got over my anxiety once before without meds and I know I can do it again if I really try and really accept the feelings I get.  Oh well, fun stuff huh?    (Sat May 27 21:38 2006)

Have you been tested for Crohns disease?   (Sat May 27 12:36 2006)

I have been suffering with stomache pains for over 3 years.  I've had every test there is.  Doctors can'f find anything.  I am on a bunch of meds for multiple sclerosis, prozac being one,  I worry a lot.  I just want to rid the pain.  HELP!   (Sat May 27 8:19 2006)

I wasn't sure if I had taken my 100mg of zoloft today so I took another pill.  It seemed to really help my anxiety a lot, which had started to become overwhelming again.  So I'm thinking about upping myself to 150mg a day and see what happens.  I always heard that higher doses of zoloft are better if its being taken mainly for anxiety instead of depression.  I rather take more zoloft than continue to also take xanax with it, its becoming very addictive.  Any input would be appreciated.  Thanks   (Fri May 26 12:49 2006)

Hi Greg!

I have just found your messages here; guess why?  Cos I'm supposed to take lustral and am just in the process of considering taking it, so I checked this site and found one of my good cyber friends writing here!

Greg - Ididn't know you were taking lustral.  How is it?  Is it OK?  I am going to read your postings on here, as I find them so brilliant.

I didn't realise that you were on these drugs, though I remember you saying you were on "new" drugs.......I didn't realise you were going through all this Greg, all this when we change drugs, all the uncertainty and the waiting for them to work and things.

I am afraid to take them - I looked at this site because I am so very afraid of side effects, in particular weight gain.  Many times I have checked up about drugs and not taken them, but this time I am reaching the point when I really do think I need to help myself.  i didn't stop anti-depressants for the right reason, I stopped them to make a stand to the medical world, yeah, I know, a bit like cutting off my nose to spite my face.

Its great to see a familiar face Greg.  I really feel worried about taking lustral, I am not at all sure about it all.

Love, Sarah XXX   (Thu May 25 16:34 2006)

More than 500,000 healthcare professionals use Epocrates mobile and web-based solutions routinely to access clinical information such as drug dosing, interactions and pricing. http://online.epocrates.com
   (Mon May 22 12:21 2006)

The cure to anxiety is very simple. learning that cure is very very hard.

Why is it those negative thoughts play such a big part in our lives?we(especialy me and you) know that it is those thoughts that keep the anxiety going.

but for some reason we seem to keep those negative thoughts going. why do we do it?we pay to much attention to them , by noticing that they are there and trying to do something about them gives them a stage to play on. we need to just let them be there and get on with our lives.

i really thought i had come to terms with anxiety a few months back. my life was 95% back to how it was 3 years ago. in the sense of enjoying life.

then i did two things that i had been dreading for some time. I went back to college and had to be a passenger in a car over a long distance.

the reason that i dreaded these two things was because i did them both when my anxiety finally got to much for me. and i had to hold my hands up and say "enough is enough,i really am not coping with life"

and i guess doing them brought back a lot of painfull memories that i had buried. the events in themselves are not really that scary to me its more the feelings that i felt back then. i was so overwhelmed by what was going on inside of me, life really had become a living nightmare. no one had told me what ANXIETY WAS.

anyway , now is three years on. and i know what anxiety is.

i need to stop being so hard on myself, reaching for perfection will always cause problems. i need to accept what i have now. and then and only then will the anxiety go down. to not accept means that i have something to worry about , which makes the anxiety worse.

its soooooooo very very hard to live with anxiety depression. cos it makes you feel soooooo very very alone. your mind draws you inside yourself and life outside seems to be of no importance.

but with sites like this we can see that we are not alone.

sorry to go on. i have a cold at the moment and it makes my anxiety worse. why? cos i worry about it. stupid.

all the best.   (Mon May 22 4:33 2006)

I have been taking zoloft for a little over 7 months now.  I have good periods and bad.  At first it was really working well but now I've been having a few episodes of anxiety like I did in the beginning.  I think about trying other meds but I know that the problem is my thinking, not necessarily the meds.  I feel that no matter what meds I'm given until I can learn to control my thoughts and stop fearing the feeling of panic I will always have this problem.  Whats funny is that I used to be a therapist in a mental hospital where I taught Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)to the patients and look at me now.  The things I am afraid of are absolutely ridiculous.  I just get so mad sometimes about the limitations I place on myself.  What Greg said made alot of sense because when I first experienced panic attacks and severe anxiety, the summer before I started high school (I'm 25 now) I barely left my mother's side, hardly ate, or left the house.  I panicked all day everyday until almost in one day it went away.  I know what happened.  I just got so used to it it didn't bother me.  After having that feeling all day I stopped fearing it because I knew nothing was going to happen if I just felt anxious or if I had a panic attack.  Seriously, what do they do?  For about 20 minutes or less I may feel scared or dizzy or shaky but then what? nothing.  I don't die or blackout or whatever.  So what am I so afraid of now?  If I beat it once, why can't I do it now?   (Sun May 21 15:38 2006)

I just started Zoloft for anxiety and mild
depression. I have read that it can take six
weeks to kick in. I have been on 50 mg for
about three weeks and went up to 75 mg three
days ago. Today the anxiety was really
rough. Can your symptoms vary during the
initial phase before it kicks in, if it will
kick in, or is 75mg maybe too much for me. I
was feeling a bit better although the
anxiety had not reduced much, I wasn't
feeling so funky. I also take 2-3mg of xanax
a day, two in the am and sometimes 1/2 to 1
in the afternoon. No problems in the evening
or night.
Thanks,
b   (Sat May 20 15:20 2006)

Thanks for the information. My case is a little different but many similarities. I have had this anxiety thing for two years. It started when I came off MS Contin for pain. I have had four major leg operations in the last four years, the last being a total knee replacement. I have another scheduled for Septemeber. I also have an identified thyroid problem that has gone nuts over the past four years. I had never been anxious other than nervous in stressful situations and had NEVER been depressed. I had one of those very even personalities, no lows, no highs. This depression is driving me crazy, as is the daily anxiety. The zoloft seems to be easing the depression thus far but not the anxiety. I have upped to 75mg as the doc suggested with 100mg as an option in a few weeks. We'll see. I still think mine is hormonal based, but just can't get any docs to test deeply, so will give up and go with the meds.
Good luck to you and thanks again.
jzz   (Fri May 19 9:49 2006)