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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Indy on May 30, 2002, at 10:36:35
I'm new here to this board and very glad I found it! I have been on Zoloft for 2 months now, 50 mg for the first month and then 100 mg for the second. I also take 50mg of Xanax at night for sleep. Anxiety has been a major side effect, which is not good seeing that the main reason for going on this med is for panic/anxiety disorder and derealization. I'm waiting patiently for it to "kick-in". My mood has become a little less depressed, but everything seems flat. Does anyone have any experience with Zoloft taking a few months to work or should I be switching to something else?
Posted by 3 Beer Effect on May 30, 2002, at 13:44:09
In reply to Zoloft - When Does it Kick-In?, posted by Indy on May 30, 2002, at 10:36:35
For me at 50 mg Zoloft didn't work. But, at 100 mg it was fantastic, the best anti-depressant ever. It took about 4 weeks for that effect to kick in. The optimal response is supposed to be around 3 months. Keep in mind that when you changed from 50 to 100 mg, it may take up to 4 weeks to notice any effect from that dose change.
I would stick with it for atleast 3 months- just about any SSRI or newer anti-depressant takes 3-4 weeks to work, so if you quit you will have to start all over again. You are supposed to become used to the nervousness or insomnia side effects of either Zoloft or Prozac at or before around 3 months, although oftentimes this tolerance to these negative side effects does not occur and if this is the case a benzodiazepine is required for as long as you are taking the drug. Be sure you are taking the Zoloft every single morning, if you skip or forget to take doses it is not going to work.
Zoloft at around 100 mg, or more in some cases, is arguably one of the (if not the) best anti-depressants around. Prozac causes more nervousness & anxiety, Paxil has a higher affinity for Acetycholine (Muscarinic) receptors at (0.93) than the old Tricyclics Desipramine (0.50) or Pamelor/nortriptyline (0.7)!!!-
-which can result in dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, urinary retention, memory disturbances.
Celexa is weaker than Paxil or Zoloft in inhibiting the reuputake of Serotonin & has some weak anti-histamine (drowsiness) effects.I'm assuming your Xanax dose (50 mg) is a typo?
Xanax is a good anti-depressant adjunct because it is the only benzodiazepine with any significant amount of anti-depressant activity but is supposed to be less sedating than other benzodiazepines. It usually works best when taken three times per day in the daytime.
You might want to ask your doctor to switch to Xanax during the day split into 2-3 doses for general & Zoloft related anxiety, and Ambien 10mg to sleep at night (which clears your blood reasonably fast resulting in no to little morning hangover/grogginess/depression. Klonopin also works well for panic disorder.3 Beers............
Posted by coral on May 31, 2002, at 19:01:07
In reply to Zoloft - When Does it Kick-In?, posted by Indy on May 30, 2002, at 10:36:35
It took 200 mgs of Zoloft to work for me, but when it finally did work, it was like a charm.... the tricyclics had failed miserably. My symptoms included severe depression and anxiety attacks. I had an aggressive doc. who was willing to up the doses fairly rapidly.
This is the end of the thread.
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