Zoloft - Rowlett,TX

My son was on zoloft for a while and for a while it was fine, but he did have issues w/ needing to "up" the dosage often, it seemed that every time he leveled out, he need "more". We were uncomfortable with that, so we took him off. But yes, it took about 2 weeks for there to be any affect.

If for some reason you decide to stop taking it -- it can be very hard. My son, and 2 friends who were on it all quit taking it and went through very, very bad withdrawl. My son had the shakes really bad, my friend had "brain shivers" and my other friend went through the shakes so bad he would just lay on the floor in the fetal position and cry and shake.

Now, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong w/ depression medication, if you need it then by all means you should take it. I just feel like dr's should explain more about the side effects of quitting a medication b/4 they prescribe it. My friend who had the "brain shivers" ended up going back on it, even though she didn't want to, just b/c the withdrawl was so horrid!

Now, all the negative aside -- before my son started taking it, he would cry every day, every single day! He was honest too goodness depressed, he had major feelings of impending doom, like he thought the world was just going to end, and he was so very anxious (he was only 6 - but depression and bi-polar run in our family). After about 2 weeks on Zoloft, he really started to get better! He stopped crying everyday, and slowly started to realize that it wasn't such a bad idea to get out of bed, and that chances were worth taking. He was a lot less anxious in new situations and really became a much happier child!

He was on zoloft for about 6 or 8 months I guess. And while the withdrawl was harsh and I hated to keep uping his dose, all in all, it was a good thing. I don't regret it b/c it did help him. We had a lot of success taking him off, and he is doing a lot better now off the meds actually. I think his problem was that we just couldn't get the right dosage, it seemed like it either wasn't enough or it was too much.

But I feel like it sort of "jump started" him, like helped his body to produce whatever it was that was missing to help him be happier. He is a much happier child now and rarely goes through bouts of depression anymore. When he starts to "crash" and I notice a change in his behavior, we treat it w/ changes in his diet and such. But like I said, I don't regret the time he was on zoloft, it really helped him through a tough and terrifying time.

Good luck to you!

I too had never taken any kind of anti-depressant but after my second child I fell into a deep depression that was not only affecting me but my family as well. When my son was about 7 months I scheduled an appointment to talk to my doctor. He recomended zoloft, and I admit I was skeptical about it at first, but decided it was worth the try. A couple of weeks after taking the medication I could really tell the difference and still can. I now want to get out of bed, I don't feel like running away anymore, I don't get upset about every little thing, my husband and I have a better relationship (in all areas), I'm not getting frustrated with my 4 year old nearly as much, and it's okay if I don't finish all of the laundry in one night. Needless to say, it has helped me out tremendously! Good Luck!!

N., I took zoloft for years and it helped with the depression part of my bipolar disorder. It's efficacy dimished and I needed another depression med (Lexapro). But watch out for side effects of any drug. The doc started me on paxil and within days I was jumping out of my skin. He then switched me to zoloft. Zoloft was prescribed for me by my family doctor. I now see a psychiatrist because my depression still has its highs and lows and I wanted a specialist to monitor my meds. Depending on your depression you might want to seek counselling from a professional. They have helped me tremendously throught this time.

As with any drug, take it as prescribed and contact your doc if you are having side effects. There are so many antidepressants available on the market, that it may take a couple of tries to find one that works. Good luck, girl!

L. H.

I took it several years ago and the side effects were unbearable for me. Dry mouth, constipation, very low libido. I called them my happy pills because they helped my mood, but physically I couldn't take them.

Lexapro made me sweat like a man on a treadmill, it was disgusting!

I recently thought about going on a new antidepressant, but after reading about side effects and withdrawals I've opted to figure out another way.

Good luck to you!