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Need Advice From Zoloft Users ( or Ex-Zoloft users)

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Posted 11/19/2012 11:40 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Everyone - Hope everyone is doing well :)

I've been taking 100 mgs of Zoloft for a little over a year now. Its has worked wonders with my Anxiety and Depression. Before zoloft I didn't understand why I was feeling the way I did? I had racing thoughts, my heart would start pounding, I would get confused very easily and I also felt the need to 'get out of the room' around groups of people - I just figured I was extremely shy? But after the zoloft I've discovered that I am a social butterfly and in-fact enjoy being around other people. In short- I just feel very confident and feel like myself for the first time in my life!

Soooo Whats the problem you ask? There are LOTS of problems .... about 40lbs worth of problems shocked

For the past three weeks ( after consulting w/my doctor) I tried to slowly wean myself of the drug by reducing my dose by 25mgs every 7-10 days. For the first two weeks I felt fine, then I started getting these awful dizzy spells and lightheaded feelings? It was so scary that I went to the ER and was told ( after they checked my blood presser and blood sugar) that I was having withdraws, they told me to contact my doctor and see what milligram to start back on.

So - now im back on 50mgs and I my anxiety is back...and it sucks! If my axiety doesn't go away in a another week I'm sure I will have to slowly go back to 100mgs a day.

I need advice or your experiences with zoloft and your weight gain and if you've ever been able lose weight while on the drug? I just need to see some kind of hope that I may be able to lose this weight sad

( More information: I also wanted to add that before zoloft I was a committed health nut! I watched what I ate and exercised 5/6 days a week. yeah )
Posted 11/19/2012 7:42 PM (GMT 0)
SunShine78

Wish I could help you out but I was on Zoloft last spring and this is one drug that did not work for me, however I had a major medical problem going on that I was not aware of so I can't say the whole problem was Zoloft.

Blessings,

Kitt

 

Posted 11/19/2012 8:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Sunshine78!  All I can say is WOW! The timing of your post is baffling.  I have been on 75mg of Zoloft for 4 years and have steadily gained 30 pounds over that time period.  I knew it was a weght gaining/retaining med, but had no idea what that REALLY meant.  For me, it meant a slow and steady gain that is next to impossible to get off.

Last week I decided I wanted to wean myself off of the meds and get this weight off.  I started on Thursday and have a weaning plan to taper off over the next month.  I am really nervous about the possibility of the withdrawal side effects.  I feel confident that I can control the anxiety without the Zoloft (easy to say while still on it, huh?) but what I cannot handle is this weight!

Nothing I have read indicates that you can get the wieght off though, so I guess we all have to weigh the risks invovled with the anxiety relief. My diet and exercise lifestyle is one that would heed weight loss or maintenacne if nothing else, but I just keep gaining. I cannot take it or I will need meds for depression too!

I am reading the reccomended site, The Road Back, which provides supplement reccomendations to aid in the withdrawal symptoms.  I am going to look around on the site to see if anyone has feedback on that program.

Posted 11/20/2012 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your encouragement stkitt :-)

ebox101-how are you doing? Hope all is well.

I just wanted to pop in here for a quick update. After getting back on 50mgs of Zoloft I felt a lot better. No dizzy spells or vertigo. But im back to having no motivation as well...

My doctor wants me to stay at 50mgs for 3weeks then we will start slowly going lower on the doses until im completely off it.

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving :)
Posted 11/21/2012 4:49 AM (GMT 0)
Sunshine,
The best advice I can give you for weaning off of the Zoloft is to take it very slow. If you have to, taper in 12.5 mg increments. I have weaned off of it 3 times in the past, and I'm starting to wean off of it again, a week in actually, and I'm coming off of 200 mgs.

What always worked for me was to taper down in two week increments, drop your dose down and stay on that for two weeks, if you feel better after the two weeks, drop it down again for another two weeks, and so on. I always found that taking Benadryl helped a lot with the dizzies, and the lightheaded feeling.

Keep in mind, that you do get the "zaps" for a little while after coming off of it completely, but the Benadryl helped with that too.

Good luck!
Fox
Posted 11/21/2012 12:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Fox, I really appreciate your input :-)
Posted 11/21/2012 12:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sunshine
I didn't have any weight gain with zoloft for the first few years but then I slowly started putting it on. I had never been a 'big' person and was becoming upset when my friends and family started commenting on how big I was looking. Finally I had enough and joined a gym and went at least every second day. I even had a personal trainer for a while but that got too expensive. I cut out or cut down on the junk food and sweets that I was having. The was a healthy eating ad campaign at the time with the slogan 'swap it don't stop it' saying swap unhealthy treats for healthier options (for me I changed to having yogurt for desert instead of ice cream) and having smaller servings rather that cutting things out completely. I think it's a good way of starting a healthy eating plan. It was a slow process but I did loose some weight while still on Zoloft. I'll admit I didn't loose as much as I would have liked but didn't start making the changes to my diet for a while. :P
I find going for walks/runs helps take the edge off my anxiety too so it's a win win :)
all the best
Belle
Posted 11/21/2012 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
No problem at all, I'm glad I could help. Good luck with your tapering.

Fox
Posted 11/21/2012 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sunshine,
I only joined this forum last night ... Although I can't help you with weight gain because of Zoloft (that's a whole other issue I'll address when I'm feeling better) I would love to hear yours, or other success stories about Zoloft for the treatment of anxiety/depression. I have just tapered from effexor, tried nortriptyline briefly but unsuccessfully - and in a few days I start Zoloft. (I feel I may have tried it about 15 years ago when my anxiety was less chronic).
If you or anyone else could offer inspiration I would love to hear from you.
Thanks, good luck with tapering and your weight loss journey.
Posted Today 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone! Well, I started the tapering process back on 11/15 so I am about 2.5 weeks in. Everything was going very well until yesterday, which was my first day taking only 14 milligrams. I am now experiencing what I think everyone is referring to as brain zapps. To me it feels like I am being randomly struck with a tazor, although I honestly have no idea what that really feels like.

I am planning to stay at this dosage for a week before coming off completey. I have read so many posts, which have been extremely helpful in setting my expectations. I am just going to fight through it so I can get to a place where I am off meds and coping with my anxiety.

I will update again in a few days!
Posted 12/2/2012 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hello everybody!

Im just popping in with an update.

So I started taking 37.5 mgs this past tuesday and I feel fine. No brain zaps yet...but I know those may not come for another few days.

I have a doctors visit scheduled for Tuesday so im kinda relieved to talk to him about all of this. Im hoping to come off the zoloft completely and if the anxiety comes back I will try another medication.

Oh and the day after thanksgiving I made myself get up early and get back into working out before work (or after work if need be) and so far so good. For at least 30 minutes a day I have been getting in some form of physical activity and it feels so empowering :-) I even watch what I eat through out the day (im a cake decorator at a local bakery so tempting sweets and breads are always close by). My motivation is slowly creeping back into my life. It feels so good!

ok, just a quick update. Have a great weekend :)
Posted 12/2/2012 1:36 AM (GMT 0)

ebox101 said...
Hello everyone! Well, I started the tapering process back on 11/15 so I am about 2.5 weeks in. Everything was going very well until yesterday, which was my first day taking only 14 milligrams. I am now experiencing what I think everyone is referring to as brain zapps. To me it feels like I am being randomly struck with a tazor, although I honestly have no idea what that really feels like.

I am planning to stay at this dosage for a week before coming off completely. I have read so many posts, which have been extremely helpful in setting my expectations. I am just going to fight through it so I can get to a place where I am off meds and coping with my anxiety.

I will update again in a few days!

I hope your zapps go away soon, there terrible. shakehead

I too hope to be coming off the medication completely in about another month or so. 12/11 I will drop down to 25mgs a day then continue dropping down in 12.5 increments until im done.
Posted 12/4/2012 10:54 PM (GMT 0)
Well friends, I am on day 2 with NO Zoloft.  Yesterday was pretty good.  Still zaps, but not much more than last week when I was taking 14mgs.  Today is a different story.  I am very dizzy, lightheaded, nauseated, and the feeling that I am being electrocuted is almost non-stop.  Not painful, but just a little creepy and annoying. The dizziness is what is really getting in the way of my work day.  Can't really take Benadryl during work!

Overall, still feel 100% confident in my weaning schedule and decision to do away with this drug.  Most of what I have read indicates that this could be a pretty rough week, so my expectations are set correctly and I am willing to fight through.  Better days are ahead :-)

Posted 12/11/2012 11:39 AM (GMT 0)

ebox101 said...
Well friends, I am on day 2 with NO Zoloft. Yesterday was pretty good. Still zaps, but not much more than last week when I was taking 14mgs. Today is a different story. I am very dizzy, lightheaded, nauseated, and the feeling that I am being <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">electrocuted is almost non-stop. Not painful, but just a little creepy and annoying. The dizziness is what is really getting in the way of my work day. Can't really take Benadryl during work!


Overall, still feel 100% confident in my weaning schedule and decision to do away with this drug. Most of what I have read indicates that this could be a pretty rough week, so my expectations are set correctly and I am willing to fight through. Better days are ahead [img]/community/emoticons/smile.gif[/img]

How's it coming along? I hope the dizzy feeling has eased a little...

I start 25mgs today for two weeks...kinda excited to see my dose go down. I am noticing more anxiety. But workouts seem to help a lot with that and my doctor has prescribed a very lose dose of Valium which I don't take everyday, just on days when I need it. ( I don't like stimulants too much).

I am noticing a change in my behavior since lowering my dose of zoloft. My emotions are coming back and I feel more...so the zoloft did kinda put me in a trance. But it helped when I needed it :-)
Posted 12/11/2012 2:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hey! I didn't realize I had not posted an update since this time last week. What a difference a week can make!
Everyday last week was, to be honest, pretty bad! It did get a tad better each day. I just felt liek I had gotten off a terrible roller coaster. For some reason I was great in the mornings, but around 11:30 - 12:00 I would just start getting dizzy and have the buzzes.

I am HAPPY to report that I could tell a big difference Friday night. Saturday around 2:00 I was still feeling good so I went for a run/walk. I made it through a 40 min session, so I knew I was back to good! Very few symptoms since then and am feeling great!

The Zoloft didn't put me in a trance, but I have seen it do that to other people and it bothers them too. I feel good though and finally feel like my work in the gym is going to start paying off since I have no Zoloft to prevent progress.

I am still taking the Fish Oil, B-12, and E just b/c I already bought them and might as well :)

I do feel the anixiety coming back. I mainly see it my reaction to my kids. My main issue is a mess - I CANNOT stand a mess. And I can tell I am pretty quick to be snappy. I have to take a deep breath, count to 10, and then react. I am proud of myself for acknowledging what my weaknesses are and proactively thinking about how to react.

Thanks for chekcing on me Sunshine78. I hope this week goes well for you. I didn't feel any physical symptoms until the week I dropped to 14mg, so hopefully you won't either :)

Keep us posted on your progress!
Posted 12/26/2012 12:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hello

ebox101-I was wondering how your doing now that your off Zoloft?

I have about 3 12.5 mg pills left, then I will be completely off the medication. I feel good for the most part. My anxiety is back...but I do have Valium if it gets out of control. but so far so good. I just have to learn how to deal with my emotions on a more reserved manner ( I tend to live in the moment without stopping and seeing the big picture in any situation - hope that makes sense)

For the past month or so I have been pretty consistent with my workouts but not my eating. As a matter of fact I recently joined over eaters anonymous in hopes of finding an inner balance/ inner peace.

I just wanted to pop in here and give a quick update.

Hello to anyone reading :)
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