Zoloft - Anyone Use Before

All i recall offhand was that it made me constipated, but that's a common side effect with anti-depressants.
Fortunately for me, I didn't have to stay on it. When I left my ex, my depression went away.

My daughter had been on prozac and she kept getting worse. My MIL had been on prozac for years and it began to stop working. both are now on Zoloft and it's been a great improvement. My MIL used to sit and cry all day - no matter what. With zoloft she's greatly improved and rarely cries.

For my daughter the prozac was driving her to suicide attempts. The doctor kept increasing her dose (she does not see that doctor any more) - but the zoloft has been a huge improvement. She's been on zoloft for more than 2 years.

good luck mam! Get that brain chemistry straightened out!

I have taken it off and on for about 20 years. It is my favorite SSRI, but it did stop working for about 3 years, so I had to try other things. Thankfully, it is working again!

On the Zoloft I am calmer, get upset less, and have more energy. I am also a lot more interested in sex (this is the only med that has ever had a good effect). But, I also have more gastrointestinal issues, but they usually go away after about 4 weeks or so. I am also a lot more thirsty and so I drink more, and then I have to go more. I need to take the med in the morning or I won't be able to sleep at night. I know others have the opposite problem with it.

It can be a great help if it works for you. It may not. I know my mom does well on Paxil, and my sister on Prozac. Each person is different so don't settle, keep trying until you get it right. Good luck!

I was on it for 6 months when our son was 1 1/2 yrs old and I was trying to be Super Mom and barely sleeping 6 hrs per night due to trying to do everything.
At a regular checkup I told my doctor how tired I was and she joked with me that I needed to get more organized.
I nearly bit her head off and gave her a run down of a typical day for me from 4am to 10pm in 15 min increments and asked her 'How the heck can I get MORE organized when I'd already organized the hell out of every blessed waking moment I had?'.
I think I shocked her a bit.
After 2 weeks on Zoloft it felt like the hair on the back of my neck stopped standing on end all the time.
I learned to relax a bit and let some things go.
I got more sleep and in 6 months I didn't need it anymore.

I took it for a little while many years ago now. What I do remember is it helped me sleep much better... And no side effects. A friend started a low dose recently and no side effects or sleep issues and she is way less stressed since it kicked in. Try it!

the problem is that anti-depression meds are so individual that it's very hard to foresee what sorts of side effects YOU might have. for most folks they'll fall within the spectrum of what's been observed, but no one can say how this will match up with your physical and psychological makeup.
i think you are wise to consider a switch since yours isn't working as well any more. it seems to be fairly common that the positive effects wear off after a while.
it's good to get some ideas here, and discuss it with your doctor, but it's a fact that you kind of have to guinea pig yourself through this sort of thing. good luck!
khairete
S.

I take zoloft to stop my extremes in pmt. I find it also helps to even out my anxiety and almost- irrational mood highs (which I experience when I think I have a really good idea - it's weird). I started off on a low dose, and have increased it a little. It very much helps to keep me on an even keel, and to not turn into a dragon before my period. I have experienced no side effects, and the doctor tells me that this is a non-addictive medication.

I have no personal experience with it myself, but my sister and a friend of mine have had major issues after being on Zoloft long term (10+ years).

My sister was diagnosed with bipolar disoder 4 years ago. Her psychiatrist told her that there is a link between long term usage of Zoloft and severe mental disorders like bipolar disorder. My sister started taking it for mild depression/anxiety/anger issues and now has much bigger issues.

My friend started feeling like she was going crazy last spring. She couldn't handle anything. She'd been on Zoloft for a long time, and her doctor told her it was the problem.

These are just two cases. I don't know what dosages they were on, but it has sure made me wary.

I was prescribed Zoloft a few years ago because I was going through a really rough time. My brother died, there were layoffs at work, and then my husband was arrested after I called the police on him when an argument escalated and he moved out for a couple of weeks. I couldn't sleep and was having panic attacks day and night. I didn't want to take something like valium that would knock me out at night because I was in the house alone with 4 kids, so I was prescribed Zoloft. I took it for about 10 days, following a slowly increasing dosing schedule, and didn't really feel any different in terms of side effects. The anxiety and panic attacks stopped when my husband and I reached a tentative reconciliation and he moved back so I stopped the medication. I wasn't on it long enough for it to work, but I didn't notice any unpleasant differences in my mood or physical health.

Probably not the most helpful info but that was my experience. Best of luck in finding something that works well for you!

I had good luck with it personally. When I first started it I had a mild manic episode, but after that I really leveled out. I only used it for a few months to help me get level and then I weened off it. I did not notice any new sleep issues, but I have had sleep issues since I was a child and may have been taking medication for it at the time (I have been on sleep aids on and off since my teens).

Talk to the pharmacist first. They are the experts on medications. Not the doc. The doc doesn't really know a lot about the meds. They know some but not all.

Close family member takes Zoloft. Honestly, it didn't do much until paired with Lamictal, then Wellbutrin, (after Lamictal rash) I believe it was the mood stabilizer combo that finally helped lift most of the worst of the depression.

i took it years ago. and it caused such bad insomnia that i started hallucinating. after about 3 days of not sleeping at all i sat on my couch with a knife because i was SURE someone was breaking in. i kept waking my brother up to check the windows and doors.