Hi mamas. I was prescribed Zoloft today for anxiety that's related to some marital drama. I'm not at a point where I can't function - I have 4 kids and 2 jobs so that's not an option - but I am having trouble sleeping, feel panicky, nauseous, get short of breath, get sudden headaches, etc. The prescribing doc is a good psychopharmacologist who I trust...but I hate the idea of being on medication for something when I know what the problem is and feel that in a few weeks when this phase passes for my husband, I'll feel better and won't need "help" coping because there won't be a crisis to cope with. So I haven't filled the prescription yet.
So if you've been on this...did you like it? Did it help? Did you have any nasty side effects? Did you feel like a zombie or did it make you feel like yourself, just better? Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Thanks for the link to yesterday's question. I did a search on Zoloft before asking but somehow missed this very recent question (duh)! I'll check out that thread - thanks again!
I took it 10 years ago before I was married. I was numb to the world. Couldn't show any type of emotion, and didn't care about much of anything happening around me. I don't remember my dosage, but I would say I was on an entirely too high dose. I haven't taken any other anti-anxiety med to compare, but there are many people in circle of friends and family that it has helped tremendously.
Sure, you can stumble through without it.... But,
you are having multiple symptoms of anxiety/depression. Just because you know the cause doesn't mean you aren't actually suffering.
You deserve to feel better. Zoloft should not make you feel like a zombie.... If it does, the dose is wrong. If you try it for six weeks and don't like it or it doesn't help, you can
stop (gradually of course). What do you have to lose? You aren't
doing OK now.....
I started Zoloft for post partum anxiety after my third. I only wish I had taken it after my first two were born
too. I am so much better. Not at all a zombie.
I am a much better parent and wife..... I can get out of my head and engage with my family like I want to.
If you have doubts, just commit to giving it a
try. If not for you, do it for your kids.
It sounds like you have a lot of responsibility and
are an amazingly strong woman. Taking a medication to help
with an actual problem is not a sign of weakness.... It means you are
smart.
I hope you feel better soon.
Soooo.... this is just from my perspective... and my experience... maybe it was the wrong doseage or I should have given it a little longer but....
It made me feel like my feelings had taken a powder...
I wasn't angry or even sad... just kind of numb...
You know when you cry at a commercial or at a song or even at church? You know when you know that you want sex? Well all that went away for me. You can function... but I just didn't feel like me...
They gave it to me after we lost our store in an earthquake....
You have 4 kids and 2 jobs... and stuff going on in your marriage... ANYONE is going to feel a little out of control... I like TALK Therapy better... I have been going for a while... never thought I needed it... but it makes you feel... well not crazy... and that is all I was looking for... You are reasonable to look for a way to cope...with all you have going on... you are not unreasonable for feeling stressed.... but therapy can put things in perspective....I worked in a Psych Ward for six years and I dealt with meds all the time.. I still think talking it out and getting tools that way is better than just numbing what ails you.. My best friend would argue with me...she is totally a woman of substance and if I could grow up to be just like her, I would be happy... I love her... but she swears she can't be without her meds... she is normal and great and functioning well with them... I can't even tell she is on them.... but she swears like I said if you take her off of them... she will fall apart... Not sure if you want to be that dependent on something? I don't. I would rather pull off the bandaide and deal with the healing...
Remember to come back and let us know what you decide...
Prayers going out for you!
I don't know anyone that has taken zoloft, but do know several people that take paxil for anxiety reasons as you describe above. They too felt a little shameful (for lack of a better word) to take it-like it would be admitting that would somehow make them less of a person. Finally, both the people I know that take it felt instant relief, didn't have any side effects and felt like they could handle every day life. Just as AKC's mom pointed out below.
There is no shame in using this medication if it will help you feel better. That is what it is there for. It sounds like you will be monitored by a great physician while taking it, so let yourself trust that medical judgment. If you were a diabetic you wouldn't deny yourself insulin. Anxiety is a disease all of its own and many people around the world deal with anxiety issues all the time. Use it for the time you need it and when you feel more in control of things, then take yourself off of it. I hope this helps!
Good luck and God Bless!
A.
I've been on Zoloft. I didn't experience any side effects with it. I felt like myself. It just helped take the edge off for me. And no, I didn't feel like a zombie with it.
Don't worry about having to take something to help so much. Everyone needs some help from time to time. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. If it'll help even you out resulting in you being able to handle things more calmly then I say go for it. Good luck!
I take Zoloft - I first took it soon after my son was born for the first few months; after my daughter was born I took it again - that time for about a year. A few months ago I was feeling very anxious and while I am the kind of person who can hide things easily I was having a very difficult time and there wasn't a day when a couple of times I had to excuse myself at work to calm myself down and gather my thoughts....anxiety and depression was really getting to me. I now take 50mg of Zoloft every day and it was not a major change - over the course of a month all of a sudden I realized I just felt 'normal.' I am still me - I still get angry and I still have regular feelings - I just cope with things much better.
This almost exact question was asked yesterday.. Check it out. You are not alone..
http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/675967083519082497
JB, someone asked a similar question this weekend. Here's the link for you:
http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/675967083519082497
All my best,
Dawn
I completely concur with the "takes the edge off" feeling. That's exactly how I would describe it. I was on a fairly low dose of Zoloft for years, 25-50mg, even through my pregnancies and nursing. It was so helpful. And I've got a solid relationship with my kids and husband which might have suffered if I had just kept on stumbling through life. I can feel joy and laughter and silliness again.
After five years I did have to switch to something else, as the Zoloft just wasn't as effective for me anymore. I moved over to Prozac. Still a small dose.
Those of us with anxiety issues can easily spill over into depression. And many people don't understand it. "What are you depressed about?" is not a legitamate question. Anxiety means everything is what you're depressed about. What finally drove me to accept that I needed help, infertility, is no longer issue. Yet I stay on light medication because if it's not one big stressor it's another. Often there are lots of stressors. Life is full of them.
Take a little help. Keep it monitored every month or so. You'll feel more like you again! Good luck!
Like you I don't want to be on meds either however, I took Lexapro which is similar to Zoloft...Did wonders fo rme because I had all the symptoms you did and then some. I weaned off of it this Last June after 18 months of it. I had absolutely no side effects and I feel great now! Something worth considering..trust me I know you don't want to be dependent and I didn't either. I have three kids and work fulltime and have had my fair share of drama. It just helps get through those rough patches...sounds like you have your plate full. No the meds don't make you feel drugged....or weird or abnormal. Hugs!
I have been on Zoloft for many years. It has helped me go from a panic that kept me from going out, from driving, from functioning.....to a more independent panic free life. I will probably be on it for the rest of my life, and that's OK as long as I can function as a "normal/typical" human being.
The first week or so, you will feel a little spacy. And, it does take a few weeks to kick in. If you are feeling that "troubled" in your life, I say, give it a chance!
Good Luck!
B A
Zoloft caused diarrhea for me. Diarrhea was not one of the obvious side effects, and it didn't begin immediately after starting the med, so it took 2 months before I made the connection that the Zoloft was the cause of the diarrhea. For TWO MONTHS I let myself get weaker every day and did nothing but worry about what might be causing the diarrhea, which eventually was coming within 15 minutes of eating anything. In my healthy mind I would never have put up with that and would have sought help after a week of the symptom. So I would say that Zoloft did not work for my mental issues. My mother on the other hand has taken it for a short time period and found that it was a little helpful for her anxiety.
