[medik8]

Zoloft
Generic Name: sertraline

Have you taken or do you take Zoloft?
How did it work for you? Did you experience side effects?

We want to hear your story. Please feel free to share your experiences (good and bad) while taking this drug.

The featured drug this week is Zoloft.

Zoloft (sertraline) is in a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's).

Sertraline is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia.

Common side effects of Zoloft include:
- Anxiety, insomnia or sleep disturbance
- Diarrhea or gastrointestinal upset
- Headache
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Sexual Dysfunction (decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm).

Consumer Information at:
http://www.drugs.com/zoloft.html

Professional Information at:
http://www.drugs.com/pro/zoloft.html

[jaydawn]

i had no side effects from zoloft except for dry mouth
it has taken away my crying spells and anger out bursts.
get drug

[hkimmie]

I have had severe TMJ jaw pain since starting back on 50mg of zoloft about 4 weeks ago. I recall this same side effect happening last year when I was on it. I never thought it could be the drug, now I am sure it is causing it. I clench and feel tense. My face is killing me, I have trouble sleeping, weird dreams, stomach upset, headache, diarreha and constant anxiety. I also feel like the back of my skull is going to blow off! I stopped taking it this weekend and already my face and jaw feels better. I have an appt. with a psych. this week and will see what he says to do next.

[scubablt]

I hurt my back in 1999 and still suffer intense PAIN. I even had surgery, P.T., Injections, and much more. The only thing that has helped is Pain Rxs. Well, I also am suffering from severe depression from all I have been thru since the injury where I hurt my back -- loss of last parent, loss of mother in law, moved and lived in 5 houses in 13 months, resigned a job due to unethical acts at the top, took two other jobs, marital problems, financial problems, and the while time I battled intense level 6-9 back pain and the dark world of DEEP DEPRESSION!!!

So, to make a long story short, my Dr. prescribed me Zoloft for the depression and it worked OK, but I was so depressed, It would be hard for anything for to work. I should say it did not work at first, until they got the dose up high enough... which took several months of experimenting w/ the dose. ***But, here is the BIG proble: The Zoloft left me totally impotent! I could not 'get it up' hardly at all, and when I did the 'big boy' [] to come to the "Taco Party," (get it?), I could not cum or have an ORGASM at all! I could make love or get sucked for an hour and not cum! I am not kidding. Plus, it took all desire away for sex due to my ability to not have any pleasure at all. I mean, who wants to go thru the work of having sex and not enjoy it? I did not!! So, this made my wife mad, and she started considering getting laid by others to pleasure her sweet clit and Taco. So, I chose to get off the Zoloft to save my sex life and marriage.

So, it helped w/ the depression, but the side effects were not worth it. I switched to Well Butrin, BUT It does not seem to work at all on the depression, so I still suffer thru life w/ horrible pain and in the dark, miserable, terrible, life-threatening, career ending, and extremely lonely world of deep depression. sometimes, the deep depression is worse than the intense physical pain I suffer.

So, that is my word @ Zoloft... it worked some, but killed other parts of my life!

Any advice from anyone that could help me? [?]

I hope you can get some effective help. Good luck on your own struggles. Mine are literally killing me one day at a time.[8]

Lee

Keep the Faith & trust the RXS!!! In SCUBA: Don't hold your breath, and come up slow blowing bubbles. Also: God created WOMEN for MEN... PTL!

[ega95jch]

I've been on sertraline (Lustral in the UK) for 16 weeks, 50mg for the first couple of weeks, then 100mg. I had minor side effects to begin with (dry mouth, increased anxiety level), but these didn't last very long. The drug has really helped my depression and anxiety, but I've developed some sexual dysfunction side effects. At the beginning, I lost all interest in sex, but as my mood began to improve and my sexual interest returned, I noticed the well documented effect of difficulty in reaching orgasm (but not too much difficulty in achieving an erection). This has now improved somewhat, but I now experience incredibly intense orgasms. You might ask what I'm complaining about, but this phenomenon is a bit disconcerting!

Regards to all.

[tina_b]

I had diarrhea when I tried zoloft. Probably it was a side effect of the drug. Apart from that, there were no side effects for me and the drug worked reasonably well for me.

[zippysgoddess]

Zoloft worked great for my depression and anxiety, only had a minor effect on my OCD. I took it for several years, the worst problem I had was the weight gain, since I switched to something else, I am already losing.

verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[bodyelectric]

There's a guy on the "Suicide" forum under "Need to Talk?" experiencing some severe withdrawal from Zoloft. If any one could offer their experience, it would be really appreciated.

[ehcehc]

I had a bad reaction when i took zoloft. I only took the starter pill (half dose). I began to have bad nausea and strange tingling all through my back. Tingling doesn't sound that bad but it was horrible. also a terrible scared feeling. I had this like every two days for like 3 weeks (from only one pill). I also had BAD stomach aches and nausea for like a month (every day).

Wow.

-CHE

[User Name]

quote:Originally posted by bodyelectric

There's a guy on the "Suicide" forum under "Need to Talk?" experiencing some severe withdrawal from Zoloft. If any one could offer their experience, it would be really appreciated.

That would be me.

I feel much better now. I think the combination of alcohol and sertraline was giving me mixed reactions. When I stopped taking it(due to the negative reactions)I became suicidal and stopped caring about everything. I've been taking 50mg daily since then and things are looking good. I cut down drinking considerably. I drank Saturday night and had some more suicidal thoughts the next day so I decided that drinking is not something I can do while on this medication, although I think it makes me crave alcohol more than normal and allows me to drink more than normal with less hangover.

As long as I stay away from alcohol, I'm happy with sertraline. it makes it hard to have an orgasm, but I kinda like that.....and so does my girlfriend. I have no trouble sleeping anymore. If anything I think I sleep too much. I hardly ever experience dry mouth. Diarea doesn't seem to be a big problem. I noticed my pupils are very large, but that doesn't affect my vision.

I'm not crazy......

[delta9]

i got most of the unpleasant side-effects from using zoloft for about a year.

the first side-effect i noticed was a effect that i hadnt heard about before.. i could barely walk the 5 metres from my room to the kitchen for about 2 weeks.

i lost balance and co-ordination.

is that a common effect?

and did any of you overdose on it?
i took about 30-40 of the 100mg pills on two occations and i felt sick for 2-3 weeks after that, and everytime i take an SSRI now, or even an Efexor (european name) my jaw starts to clench and i feel a great stomach discomfort.

i thought that i had destroyed my serotonine-receptors, but when i take an illegal serotoninchanging drug i just feel like you should when you take that substance...

any ideas wth is wrong with me?

[Yvonneonline]

Been on 75 mg. of Zoloft for about a two years. I like it, makes me very CALM and I love it. [8)] Helps my anxiety and nervousness. Been on other antidepressants but this one works for me. Tried higher dosage of 100 but started to feel weird when ramping up so I reverted to 75, and I have been doing fine. No weight gain, but I get the runs daily.[:0]

Oh -- also helps with PMS. Reduces the severe crazy feelings and crying.

[RockedByRequiem]

I was on Zoloft a few years ago and it didnt help me at all. All it did was make me impotent. I am having much more success with Effexor.

[scott0985]

I am taking 100mg of Zoloft a day for panic attacks, OCD, depression, and anxiety. I absolutely love it. I feel "normal." I have been taking it for about 4 months. I started on 50 mg and then went to 100 mg two months later. I gradually increased my dosage from 50 to 75 to 100, as per instructions from my doctor. I have noticed some side effects - ejaculatory delay, upset stomach, foul smelling urine, and VERY VIVD DREAMS. My dreams are soooo extraordinary - sometimes terrifying - and I sometimes remember them for days.

[mija]

i hated being on zoloft bc it made me gain weight and i was unable to have an orgasm...(i told DR."i even tried to achieve one myself")...i did get a good laugh at the expression on his face..lol (bout the only thing i got with zoloft)

[Mlytle]

I have been taking Zoloft for over 3 months now for anxiety and panic attacks. Initially the 50mg dose gave me nausea and diahrrea so I took half the dose and eventually was able to take the full dose. I also had episodes of hypoglycemia for the first couple weeks (I'm not diabetic.) I've been taking the 50mg for a month now. The side effects for me are inability to reach orgasm, and for the past few weeks foul smelling urine. I also have to urinate more often and much larger amounts. I have noticed that my appetite has decreased as well. My general anxiety level has decreased and my mood fluctuates less. However, I still have panic episodes, especially at work. I suspect at my next MD appointment my doc will increase the dosage.

[gsheps]

I just started Zoloft four days ago. First day, loose stools and have had them every day and night since then. When will that stop? I am only on 25 mg! And next week I am supposed to go up to 50 mg. I also had severe heartburn yesterday, as if my esophagus and stomach were on fire. I woke up in the middle of the night because of it. Got up this morning and took a Prevacid right away, it was literally sizzling in my mouth as I chewed it, as if I was loaded with acid! But the pain went away almost immediately, which was weird, but I am certainly not complaining!!!

Anyhow, I really need to be and stay on this drug. I am bipolar and also on a mood stabilizer. I have been very depressed for a long time now, and none of the other antidepressants worked for me. I can deal with the above if I know that stuff will eventually go away. I was just wondering how long. It is wearing me out!

Only been 4 days, so no change in mood yet.

[Gregorio2011]

Second day on Zoloft 25mg. A little sleepy but for me thats a good thing. Tried Lexapro before worked great for two weeks then had the worst panic attack of my life to make a log story short. Hope the zolft works as well as the lexapro without the side effects! So far so good!

[jrosek5]

I started with 25 miligrams for one week then moved to 50 mg. The first week I experience nausea throughout the day, but that stopped after that one week. Since starting Zoloft I have been unable to reach orgasm at all. I'm considering talking to my doctor about this when I have my one month follow up appointment.

[AveMaria]

I have taken Zoloft in the past. It worked for me but not quite well enough so I switched to Lexapro.