Question regarding Zoloft.

Hello. I am new to this forum and very glad I found it.

I was diagnosed with major depression and moderate anxiety shortly after my divorce. My therapist always suggested "better living through modern chemistry" as an additional tool to assist me getting past some roadblocks on my journey. After a year or so of resisting I finally relented. My therapist sent me to see a psychiatrist who prescribed Zoloft.

I started off on 50mg for the first six months and now am taking 75mg. I have been on the higher dosage for about three months now. I am glad to say that my anxiety and depression have lessened and I no longer have visions of things blowing up around me. Last Tuesday I ran out of my prescription. I could not refill it until the following Friday (payday). During the days I was without my meds I started to feel more irritable and had a shorter fuse. I also started to have headaches and feel listless and fatigued in the afternoons. I experienced feelings of separation, almost as if part of me was phased a second or two slower than "realtime."

This continued until 1pm on Sarturday when I was able get my prescription refilled. I came home and immediately took my regular dose of 75mg. Within the next thirty minutes I was zonked out on the couch sleeping. Since then I feel more centered mentally but physically I am wiped out. I have no energy and can not hold a thought longer than a sentence or two. I do not want to deal with people. I can if need be, but I choose to stay in my cave. The feelings I am experiencing since getting back on the meds are very similar to the ones I experienced during the first two weeks of taking the meds.

My questions are, was I experiencing symptoms of withdrawal from the three or four days I went without the drug? And, is the reason I am feeling similar feelings to my "ramp up" period is my body re-adjusting to the meds again or is it still the withdrawal symptoms? Perhaps a bit of both?

Thank you in advance for your responses and help.

Hiya,

I completely agree with Shy. Anti-Depressants are not the sorts of drugs that you can just turn on and off. When you go without them for a couple of days your body starts to feel withdrawls (Usually) and then when you restart them at the higher dose, your body can take a while to get used to it again. Unfortunately you may have to wait 6-8 weeks to feel the full effect again (As Shy has said)

Darren

Thank you for your quick replies. It is good to know that a support system like this one exists.