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Brain fog, anxiety from Zoloft! Help!

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Posted 5/5/2007 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
I feel like I'm going crazy today and not sure what to do.

I started taking Zoloft about 3 months ago for mild depression (dysthymia?) and social anxiety. I started at 50mg. It helped the depression slightly but not much, and did nothing for the social anxiety. Because of this, after a couple months, my doc increased the dose to 100mg. For the next couple weeks I felt so sleepy and spacey I called the doc and asked if this would pass. She just told me to cut back to 75mg, which I just did 3-4 days ago. For the last couple days I have had a lot of anxiety, can't sleep well, and my brain just doesn't seem to function. It's affecting my work and everything else. I'm constantly stopping in the middle of doing something and asking myself, "what was I just doing?" I have to read a sentence 2-3 times to comprehend it. It's making my anxiety worse when I realize it's so hard to think. I'm scared I'm going to do something stupid and hurt myself or someone. I was actually afraid to drive home from work last night, feeling my head wasn't clear enough to drive safely. (Fortunately I made it home in one piece.)

Is this just a result of cutting down on the Zoloft? My doc didn't think cutting back would cause any issues since I'd only been on the higher dose a couple weeks. Will this pass or is this a sign that 75mg is just not the right dose for me? If I would have stuck with 100mg would the sleepiness have gone away after a while? I'm not sure what to do, stick with 75mg for a while, cut back down to 50mg and live with sub-optimal results, or go back to 100mg and try to stick out the sleepiness and hope it will get better. I'm beginning to think my doctor does not have a lot of experience with this so I'm not sure she's the one to ask.

Post Edited (Sunnivara) : 5/6/2007 11:16:13 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/5/2007 10:19 PM (GMT 0)
zoloft is one of many prozac type meds, I dont know whats happening but it may help to swap to some other prozac type and see if it suits you better

Posted 5/6/2007 10:05 AM (GMT 0)
Sunnivara, I would seem to me that your most likely getting your medication from your primary care physician...correct?  If this is the case then you really need to ask for a referral to see a psychiatrist who is inessance the only type of physician who should be prescribing these type of medications.  They would know best what combinations would work best for your diagnosis and would be more able to stay on top of changing dosages, and or meds if needed.

This also goes for your prior post that you left here... https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=19&m=800373

Posted 5/6/2007 5:06 PM (GMT 0)
Els,

yes, I am seeing a primary care physician. She did recommend another doctor to see, although she didn't say whether the doctor was a psychiatrist or not. I'm guessing so. I'm kind of afraid to see a psychiatrist for fear of being labeled "mentally ill" and prejudiced against by insurance companies, etc. I don't have suicidal thoughts but I'm afraid health and life insurance companies will use the depression label as an excuse to call me high risk so they can raise rates or deny me coverage. Has anyone had that problem?

Posted 5/7/2007 5:19 AM (GMT 0)

katelynn27 said...

Yeah thats right I wrote it bull spit! Really thats what I wrote the ModSquad didnt change anything.

LOL

Thanks katelynn. Yeah, I'm thinking of going back up to 100mg. I'm feeling halfway decent again today. Anxiety is gone and the brain fog is at least beginning to lift. I think it was just because I cut back. Doc said that having only been on 100mg for 2 weeks I shouldn't notice anything cutting back. Yeah, right. "Bull spit" to that too! Hopefully now that I've been 75-100mg for a few weeks the worst is over and when I go back to 100mg maybe the sleepiness will be mostly over with. Reading some more posts it seems side effects lastt 3 weeks on average, so maybe it wasn't wise of my doctor to tell me to give up on 100mg after just 2 weeks. If I would have stuck it out I might have been past it about now. Going back and forth is not fun!

Posted 5/7/2007 12:05 PM (GMT 0)
Sunnivara,
I had complete brain fog on my meds that seemed to last forever.
You are right it is very frustrating and I hated being so confused sometimes.

Good Luck and I hope it clears up.

Shy
Posted 5/7/2007 5:26 PM (GMT 0)

ShynSassy said...
Sunnivara,
I had complete brain fog on my meds that seemed to last forever.
You are right it is very frustrating and I hated being so confused sometimes.

Good Luck and I hope it clears up.

Shy

Did it eventually clear up or did you have to cut back or change meds?
Posted 5/8/2007 12:20 PM (GMT 0)
After a few months when the meds took full effect it cleared up. I think my brain just had to get used to the meds.


Shy
Posted 5/8/2007 9:18 PM (GMT 0)

Hippy Girl said...
I had the same experience on Zoloft. Are you taking it in the morning? Is it possible you can take it just at night? For me that was the key. I asked the doctor if I could cut out the morning dose and increase the nighttime dose. It made a huge difference. I'd be a little groggy waking up but it would pass within an hour or so and I could get on with my day. I was only on the Zoloft for a year and had some success with it. The grogginess /did/ get better for me. I hope it does for you too:)

I take it at night right before bed. But sometimes I have a hard time sleeping, so maybe it's having a delayed effect on me and I should take it in the morning instead.
Posted 5/9/2007 5:48 PM (GMT 0)

katelynn27 said...
:-)  Sunnivara: Hello I hope you are doing better.

I was wondering during my note taking which I do because I forget

everything very quickly.

Were you asking about DYSTHYMIA? If so can you explain too me

what it is?

Thanks,

Katelynn

Hi Katelynn. I'm doing a little better. Not so tired, the anxiety has diminished, but still foggy-headed. I feel like I'm doped out on cold medicine and I hate that feeling.

Yes, I was referring to Dysthymia. From everything I've read on the Net that's what I have. Dysthymia is really just a fancy term for mild to moderate depression. A dysthymic person doesn't usually feel suicidal, can still function and keep a job, take care of the family, etc., but it's all minimal for survival. Everything is a chore. Nothing is fun. We just exist in a haze. There is little, if anything, that is exciting or interesting in life. If we do have any interests we don't have the mental and emotional energy to pursue them and they just exist in the back of our minds as something we hope we'll get around to doing someday.....

Posted 5/9/2007 6:30 PM (GMT 0)

Sunnivara said...


Yes, I was referring to Dysthymia. From everything I've read on the Net that's what I have. Dysthymia is really just a fancy term for mild to moderate depression. A dysthymic person doesn't usually feel suicidal, can still function and keep a job, take care of the family, etc., but it's all minimal for survival. Everything is a chore. Nothing is fun. We just exist in a haze. There is little, if anything, that is exciting or interesting in life. If we do have any interests we don't have the mental and emotional energy to pursue them and they just exist in the back of our minds as something we hope we'll get around to doing someday.....

This is also me, or was I should say. I did start taking Zoloft and felt better at first then it stopped working and I almost commited suicide so I went off it forever. I take nothing now and these feelings I have had all my life (mid-thirties now) are almost gone. I just started to eat better, find food allergies I didn't know I had and suppliments have all been a God-send!

I'm so sorry you are feeling this; it's just no way to exist. :(
Posted 5/9/2007 7:18 PM (GMT 0)

I saw you posted to me so here I am. Are you employed anywhere

or do you stay home or are you on disability?

IM on disability so IM always at home.

Katelynn

Yes, I work full-time, although for much of my life keeping a full-time job has been difficult. I actually like the work I do, but I hate office life. I'd much rather cozy up by the fire at home with a good book than come deal with office politics, meetings, and deadlines. But then I think, wouldn't most people rather not work? Everyone dreams of winning the lottery so they can tell their boss to stick it, don't they? Or is that mainly the attitude of a depressed person?

Are you on disability for depression or other reasons? Maybe your depression is more severe?

There have been times in my life I didn't have to work for various reason. But that usually makes me feel even more depressed because then I feel like a worthless sack of potatoes.

Posted 5/9/2007 7:21 PM (GMT 0)

keegans_mommy said...

This is also me, or was I should say. I did start taking Zoloft and felt better at first then it stopped working and I almost commited suicide so I went off it forever. I take nothing now and these feelings I have had all my life (mid-thirties now) are almost gone. I just started to eat better, find food allergies I didn't know I had and suppliments have all been a God-send!

I'm so sorry you are feeling this; it's just no way to exist. :(

Do you actually feel GOOD now? Or are you just not miserable any more? I mean, do you ever actually experience true happiness, joy, and passion in your life? I, sadly, don't even know what those feel like.
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