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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by gingersnap on May 30, 2003, at 23:45:51
Hi all,
I'm new to the group. I guess I have a few questions but it'll require a bit of an intro first:
I am a 35 yr old healthy female person. I don't consider myself depressed as I eat well, sleep well, work out 5 days a week, have a good job that I'm productive at, etc. Most of the time I function just findeand communicate well w/ others.
I've always 'worn my emotions on my sleeve' - people know when I'm mad and when I'm happy. I do have 3 'symptoms' that I've had all my life that seem to be getting worse as I get older -possibly due to more stressful work situations:
1. I believe I am overly empathetic, if there is such a thing. I can get tears by just e.g. watching a commercials
2. I tend to obsess (not overly) about confrontations... "I should have said this...", w"hat will I do if they say that...", etc.
3. Certain things will trigger crying episodes - this is my biggest problem as it can/has interfere w/ my job and I can't being locking myself in my office and crying all day. For example - in Dec, a co-worker, who had to much to drink at a party, ended up being rude, mean and insulting my intelligence. That triggered a 4+ day crying jag that finally made me see a Dr.
So in Dec. I started on Zoloft - had the typical sexual side effects. Tried Remeron once and Wellbutrin once but one kept me awake for days and the other put me to sleep for days . I told the Dr. that I could deal w/ the Zoloft side effect and wanted to stick w/ that (Gingko helps!).
After 4 months of being on Zoloft and talking w/ a EAP councelor, I told the Dr that I thought that the zoloft was only working about 30% as I had 3 'triggers' in that time that sent me into crying jags (someone was mean to me, the death of child that I didn't know, a friend that was going through emotional hell). These crying jags are completely uncontrollable - I'd open my mouth and start bawling. If feels like an emotional monster inside of me that I have no control over. In a sense if feels like a chemical reaction (like when you get angry) and over time (hours or days) is dissapates and then I feel normal again. But until it subsides - I am constantly on the verge or am crying.
So the Dr. weaned me off zoloft (50mg/day) and I am ramping up on Buspar (will be 15mg morning and 15mg at night). Dr. also gave me a rx for Xanax only to be used next time something triggers a crying jag (haven't had to take it yet).
The funny thing is that I didn't realize how well the Zoloft was working on #1 (e.g. tears while watching commercials) and #2 (obsession of conversations etc) until I was off the Zoloft and these symptoms came back.
So I've been on the Buspar 3 weeks and don't feel any difference - of course I always feel OK until something triggers a crying jag.
So I guess my qtns are:
1 - since the zoloft actually seem to work on 2 of my symptoms - would upping the dose help?2- What is the max dose of zoloft you can take?
3 - If the buspar ends ups helping w/ the crying jags, can I take buspar and zoloft together?
4 - do any of you have these uncontrollable crying jags? I feel these are due to a true physical response that I can not control. I've searched the internet and haven't found anyone w/ a similiar problem.
Thanks for 'listening'
-gingersnap
Posted by kkat on May 31, 2003, at 10:59:41
In reply to crying triggers/ too empathetic/ zoloft/ buspar, posted by gingersnap on May 30, 2003, at 23:45:51
> Hi all,
>
> I'm new to the group. I guess I have a few questions but it'll require a bit of an intro first:
>
> I am a 35 yr old healthy female person. I don't consider myself depressed as I eat well, sleep well, work out 5 days a week, have a good job that I'm productive at, etc. Most of the time I function just findeand communicate well w/ others.
>
> I've always 'worn my emotions on my sleeve' - people know when I'm mad and when I'm happy. I do have 3 'symptoms' that I've had all my life that seem to be getting worse as I get older -possibly due to more stressful work situations:
>
> 1. I believe I am overly empathetic, if there is such a thing. I can get tears by just e.g. watching a commercials
>
> 2. I tend to obsess (not overly) about confrontations... "I should have said this...", w"hat will I do if they say that...", etc.
>
> 3. Certain things will trigger crying episodes - this is my biggest problem as it can/has interfere w/ my job and I can't being locking myself in my office and crying all day. For example - in Dec, a co-worker, who had to much to drink at a party, ended up being rude, mean and insulting my intelligence. That triggered a 4+ day crying jag that finally made me see a Dr.
>
> So in Dec. I started on Zoloft - had the typical sexual side effects. Tried Remeron once and Wellbutrin once but one kept me awake for days and the other put me to sleep for days . I told the Dr. that I could deal w/ the Zoloft side effect and wanted to stick w/ that (Gingko helps!).
>
> After 4 months of being on Zoloft and talking w/ a EAP councelor, I told the Dr that I thought that the zoloft was only working about 30% as I had 3 'triggers' in that time that sent me into crying jags (someone was mean to me, the death of child that I didn't know, a friend that was going through emotional hell). These crying jags are completely uncontrollable - I'd open my mouth and start bawling. If feels like an emotional monster inside of me that I have no control over. In a sense if feels like a chemical reaction (like when you get angry) and over time (hours or days) is dissapates and then I feel normal again. But until it subsides - I am constantly on the verge or am crying.
>
> So the Dr. weaned me off zoloft (50mg/day) and I am ramping up on Buspar (will be 15mg morning and 15mg at night). Dr. also gave me a rx for Xanax only to be used next time something triggers a crying jag (haven't had to take it yet).
>
> The funny thing is that I didn't realize how well the Zoloft was working on #1 (e.g. tears while watching commercials) and #2 (obsession of conversations etc) until I was off the Zoloft and these symptoms came back.
>
> So I've been on the Buspar 3 weeks and don't feel any difference - of course I always feel OK until something triggers a crying jag.
>
> So I guess my qtns are:
> 1 - since the zoloft actually seem to work on 2 of my symptoms - would upping the dose help?
>
> 2- What is the max dose of zoloft you can take?
>
> 3 - If the buspar ends ups helping w/ the crying jags, can I take buspar and zoloft together?
>
> 4 - do any of you have these uncontrollable crying jags? I feel these are due to a true physical response that I can not control. I've searched the internet and haven't found anyone w/ a similiar problem.
>
> Thanks for 'listening'
> -gingersnap
I was taking zoloft 100 mg for about 2 1/2 years and was doing pretty good. The doc told me to up it to 150 mg, but heard that Lexapro was good, so I switched. I don't think I gave the zoloft time to work. After two weeks on the Lex, 10 mg, I started developing panic/anxiety attacks and then upped it to 20 mg. After 2 1/2 weeks, they were not subsiding, so two weeks ago, I went back on the zoloft. I was on 100 mg the first week and upped it to 150 mg a few days ago, I am getting better, but still get anxious/nervous. In my opinion, sounds like the zoloft was working, but you might need to up it. You should talk to your doctor. Before I switched to zoloft, I had a script for Xanax and had the majority of the bottle from October of last year. When I switched, I ended up using all of it and had to get another prescription. I know I was not like this until I switched to Lex. I guess it will take a little longer for it to level out and get back in my system completely. Hang in there and talk to your doc about maybe upping the dose. Good luck! Kathy
Posted by froggyanna on May 31, 2003, at 18:09:42
In reply to crying triggers/ too empathetic/ zoloft/ buspar, posted by gingersnap on May 30, 2003, at 23:45:51
Hi gingersnap,
I really feel for your situation. Before I started getting treatment for depression about 15 years ago, I had similar "events." While I don't think that my condition was quite as intense as yours, I think that you are probably on to something when you say that this is a "true physical response."
My situation was a bit different. While I *was* very sensitive and emotional in public, and did cry very easily, I could *usually* keep that under control. What happened to me was mostly in private. My uncontrollable crying spells were completely unemotional and purely physical -- they tended to precede grand mal seizures! To make a VERY long story short, I worked for years with a lot of different therapies to find a NATURAL way to reduce my tendency to have these very *rare* seizures. Through diet, and psychological/emotional release work, and relaxation and meditation over the years, I eventually "cured" myself of this condition. The crying was just some kind of physical expression of the jangled nerves in my brain, which then went on to completely charge up and cause the seizure. I never took medication for it. However, eventually, when I realized how depressed I was at times and sought medical treatment for the very first time, all the seizures faded away (I only ever had them once or twice a year and sometimes not for a few years). I also noticed, on Prozac and then Zoloft, a distinct drop in my "ability" or physical need to cry as much in normal situations. My sensitivities were still there but now I felt as if they weren't completely controlling me. I discovered a little more "choice" in the matter of whether I truly wanted to cry or not.
So I guess that's my answer to your question 4. Yes, I think this condition CAN be purely physical and that medication can remove the physical "need" to cry so that you can be a little more choosy about what gets you to cry.
With question 1, I think you just might want to try increasing your dosage (but I'm not an expert -- just talking from my own experience).
Question 2 -- You were taking just 50mg of Zoloft a day, and I've gone up to 150. Right now I'm at 100. Until recently I was vacillating quite a bit, not too sure about what dose was best. Now I'm pretty sure it's 100. I don't really know if there is a maximum.
Question 3 -- *I* take Buspar (buspirone) and Zoloft together, so I bet you could, too! :-) My doc prescribed it for help with my ADD and to potentially alleviate snoring/sleep apnea! (I don't think it's working for that, but I think it is helping me overall, subtly.) I'm currently taking 100mg Zoloft in the morning and 60mg Buspar at night. (Other meds, too, but that's a different discussion.) That's way more than you're currently taking of either, so I'd say give it a try!
I really hope to hear how you're doing with this. I don't think it's something that will go away immediately, but I think it's the kind of thing where you will eventually notice that something has changed. And it will be a solid boost to your self esteem over time, as well, because you'll feel more like you can "handle" different social situations and your body won't "betray" you as much. Please keep us posted!
froggyanna
Quick P.S. At the time I switched from Prozac to Zoloft, I had been going through a period of not taking either. I knew I needed *something* when I realized that as I walked past my TV that was turned on, and I caught the tale end of a "Full House" episode and the Dad was breaking up with his girlfriend, and I got completely taken in by the make-believe drama of it, and without even knowing the story line, I started crying in response to these strangers who I knew were just acting and I cared not one bit about! :-)
Posted by McPac on June 1, 2003, at 12:27:04
In reply to crying triggers/ too empathetic/ zoloft/ buspar, posted by gingersnap on May 30, 2003, at 23:45:51
1 - since the zoloft actually seem to work on 2 of my symptoms - would upping the dose help?
>>>>>>>>>Yes, it certainly should.....Zoloft will help the crying due to its anti-depressant effect AND the obsessing due to its anti-obsessional qualities
2- What is the max dose of zoloft you can take?
>>>>>>>>I 'think' 200 mg/day is what is recommended (I don't think you would need to go anywhere near that high)
3 - If the buspar ends ups helping w/ the crying jags, can I take buspar and zoloft together?
Yes you can......the buspar is more for anxiety....Zoloft also can work for anxiety (although it can make anxiety worse for some folks due to overstimulation of the 5HT1-A receptor for some people)
If I were you, I'd try to see if the Zoloft alone could do the job (I think it can)...no use taking add'l drugs IF you don't need them. Take care!
Posted by gingersnap on June 1, 2003, at 21:45:37
In reply to crying triggers/ too empathetic/ zoloft/ buspar, posted by gingersnap on May 30, 2003, at 23:45:51
Hi all,
Thanks to those of you that responded - especially froggyanna!
I have a Dr.'s appnt in 2.5 week and will continue on the Buspar until then to see if it kick in and works - just need to turn on the TV and see if I get tears. I've only been on it 2.5 weeks and I realize the sometimes you have to give meds some time to work.
I have been fortunate w/ my Dr. She really seems to listen to me and is willing to discuss different AD/GAD meds. It doesn't bother her when I bring in print outs off the internet. She didn't flinch when I told her that I had read on the internet that ginkgo could help w/ zoloft induced sex disfuction and that I tried it.
Now that I realize that the zoloft was actually helping but not completely and that I can up the dose, I'll suggest to her that I go back to zoloft and I suspect she'll agree.
Question - Can I go cold turkey off Buspar or do I have to ween myself off before I ramp up on zoloft.
Thanks!
This is the end of the thread.
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