Zoloft and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• January 17, 2012

For Social Anxiety Disorder "I just started taking Zoloft 3 days ago for general and social anxiety. I have experienced side effects that include headaches, discomfort in my chest, nausea, decrease in appetite, losing weight already. Sometimes it feels like my head is bound up. I used to get really tense while driving, but with the medicine I don't get tense, just alert. I haven't been back to school or work, so I'm not sure how effective it is for my social anxiety. I am now generally happy, and I do not experience worrisome thoughts as much. It makes me tired, and sometimes I just pass out and wake up with insomnia. I used to be very mean to my dog, I think he is seeing a difference in my behavior. I'm hoping the symptoms become less. 50mg then 100mg."

• Con...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2020

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "Never felt worse in my entire life. Within the first couple of hours after taking Zoloft for the first time, I passed out, was vomiting, had cold sweats, hot flashes, headache, and extreme fatigue. Two days after I stopped taking it, I still have no appetite and zero energy. I would describe it as the worst I ever felt in my life, and I’ve had mono before."

• NoM...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2021

For Depression "I likely have permanent tinnitus. Was on it up to 150 mg. I developed tinnitus at 75 mg, and she said it should help and to keep taking it. It's been a few months since I quit. I had to taper myself. Ugh. What an awful drug. At least I lost 20 pounds. I have insane headaches now from the tinnitus."

• Sas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 6, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I started on 50 mg of sertraline for two weeks and had nausea and a dull headache as side effects. I am now on 100 mg and have been on the 100 for two weeks, and I can honestly say I feel dreadful. Nausea, fatigue, and no motivation. The doctor would like to try me on venlafaxine, but I have heard that these are even worse. Don’t know what to do."

• ecj...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 15, 2016

For Social Anxiety Disorder "I am back again. I always revert back to Zoloft. Besides Paxil and Buspar, those are the only REAL meds with anti-anxiety properties to them that are NOT benzodiazepines and addictive. The other antidepressants can work, but I really need it for anxiety 100%, not depression. I had reported that I got headaches and body aches due to jaw clenching, grinding teeth, and scrunching up my body at night, but I will take that over the other side effects from other meds. If I stay at 100 mg and not go up to 150 mg, then sex is not affected. I never gained weight from this med. I will give it a try again and deal with headaches! This one truly does work for SAD, GAD, anxiety, etc. Oh, it's way cheaper than the other newer ones I was trying."

• dvo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 8, 2018

For Social Anxiety Disorder "I started this medication a week ago for anxiety and IBS. Within the first 24 hours of taking it, I was already experiencing almost all the side effects: nausea, increased anxiety, dizziness, loss of appetite, headache, stomach pain, and drowsiness. I kept taking it because the side effects should subside after a week or two, but they were too severe to continue taking it. I lost 4 pounds in a week, and I became so weak from not eating that I couldn’t function well. I stopped taking it today, and my appetite is starting to come back."

• Ale...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 23, 2015

For Social Anxiety Disorder "I've been on an effective dose (100 mg or higher) for over half a year, and I haven't seen any effects. My doctor first had me on Lexapro, which made me nauseous, so we decided to switch to Zoloft. When I first started Zoloft, it gave me headaches for the first week or so, but aside from that, I experienced no negative side effects. Unfortunately, I haven't experienced any positive effects either. I'm on Zoloft for social anxiety and mild to moderate depression. The only other effect I've noticed is more vivid dreams. So while I'm glad that Zoloft had very minimal side effects (headaches), this just didn't work for me. I was on 100 mg a day for about two months, then 150, and finally 200. I saw no change/improvement in anxiety or depression."

• Kyl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2021

For Depression "I think this drug has saved my life. I suffer from major depressive disorder, GAD, and PTSD. For 3 years, I had been trying so many medications. I had actually tried Zoloft before, and it didn't work, but this time it has worked better than any other meds have. Just a month ago, I had nearly attempted suicide again, and I thought it was the end. Now, I have more hope for the future, and I am working on healing. Although it has made my memory a bit fuzzy and gave me headaches for a little while, it is working. I do struggle a bit more with anxiety and insomnia, but my depression has improved, and I finally went back to school. My flashbacks have eased off as well. Please be patient and try it!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 2, 2012

For Panic Disorder "I had mild panic attack disorder. I started taking the pill, and there was a very light headache the first week that went away. I also woke up twice in the first two weeks feeling nausea, but I put up with it. Now I feel fine, and I'm a lot happier. I don't like taking pills, but my doctor thinks I should stay on it for at least one year."

• Blu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2019

For Panic Disorder "I was prescribed 50 mg by my doctor. I have pretty bad derealization/depersonalization, also anxiety, which is horrible. I cut the pill up, only took maybe a 10 to 15 mg dose, stayed up pretty much all night, heart beating super fast, throwing up nasty, body high. Anxiety was about 100 times worse on the pill. It was so bad I was questioning reality and was extremely confused. Only took for 1 day. Nope, ain't for me. Would rather just deal with the anxiety than take this drug. Maybe for some people, but definitely not for me - plus massive headache."

• Pac...
• May 9, 2017

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I'm a combat veteran with PTSD. My dose was 25 mg daily for 2 weeks, then 50 mg daily. I started out with severe headaches and diarrhea for the first 2 weeks. After that, the headaches went away. However, I started vomiting every night and morning. Not just minor vomiting, but exorcist-looking vomiting. Sometimes about a gallon. I would fill up my toilet pretty well. The diarrhea never went away. I was constantly dehydrated. After a few months, I couldn't take the side effects. Tapering off made my PTSD 1000% worse. I would have been better off not taking it at all. Before you start SSRIs, look up other people's horror stories. These things are worse than hardcore illegal drugs."

• Anonymous
• October 20, 2011

For Social Anxiety Disorder "I have just started taking Zoloft for my severe anxiety disorder. For the last almost year now, I have been dealing with this debilitating disorder, and I finally had enough, went to the doctor, and now I'm on 25 mg to start. I feel horrible (nauseated, dizzy, feeling of pressure in my head, slight numbness in lip and jaw, and itchy dry feeling in the back of my mouth), but I'm praying with all these positive responses about the medicine it will help me. I'm at the end of my rope, I have two small children. I'm trying to go to school, and my anxiety is keeping me from being able to sit in class or go into the grocery store for longer than 2 mins! It has been horrible and came on for no apparent reason. I wish you all the best!"

• wan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 27, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "This med worked for me years ago, but this time, after taking it for 2 days, I'm worse (50 mg). Bad headache, stomach upset, and anxiety. My pharmacy switched generics, and that also could be part of the problem. I am a mental wreck and a shell of my former self. I really just want to stay in bed all day. I don't have a psych, just a GP. I also have horrible OCD, and every decision I make I feel is wrong. I have refills left on my Celexa, and that worked a little better but didn't do the trick. I asked my GP for Wellbutrin at my last visit, and for some reason, she didn't want to give it to me."

• Mom...
• March 7, 2015

For Depression "My 14-year-old son suffers from major depressive disorder/social anxiety disorder. He was previously on Lexapro for 10 months, which worked well for his symptoms but gradually stopped working. He was switched to Zoloft and increased from 25 mg to 50 mg after a week. Only 3 days into the 50 mg dose, he reports much improvement in his depression symptoms. It doesn't control his anxiety symptoms as well (yet), but we are hoping that will change in the next few weeks. Overall, he feels better on Zoloft. Takes it in the evening due to the initial side effect of headache."

• vin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 17, 2017

For Social Anxiety Disorder "My doctor prescribed this for anxiety. 10 mg. Although it seemed to help my physical effects of anxiety, it made everything else much worse. Tired, anxious, headaches, brain zaps, ringing in ears, spacey, edgy, and not myself at all. I was turning into a walking zombie. It was awful. I couldn't tell if it was my anxiety or the side effects. I thought I was going crazy for 6 months. I finally talked to a therapist, and he took me off of Zoloft and put me on Lexapro, which was much better but still pretty awful. I finally found the courage to wean myself off over a period of two months, and I feel GREAT! So thankful to be myself again. Please make sure you really need to be on these before you take them. Do your research and good luck!"

• Anx...
• February 23, 2019

For Panic Disorder "Took it for around 6 months for anxiety. Caused lots of intrusive thoughts. Pushed through to see if they would go away, but no luck. Was very off and on with Zoloft. Took 100 mg daily. Sleep and headaches were also bad. I’ve tried nearly all SSRIs."

• Jjb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2016

For Panic Disorder "Everyone is different in how they react to meds. But, OMG, this medicine is the worst for me. I tried it over a year ago and lasted three days because I just got so sick. Well, then I, months later, said I'll try it again, maybe I just got the flu or something at the same time of taking it the first time. Well, I lasted 5 days on the lowest dose and, again, sick as hell. This medicine made me feel so much worse, like I was in a panic attack 24/7. Headache, stomach issues, feeling out of my body, I just don't get it how they say you need to go through the side effects to get better. Like, there's no way they can expect you to stick with something that's making you 20 times worse. Like, sure, I find it a little unpleasant, but this is overboard how it made me feel. :("

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 29, 2019

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "The worst experience I've ever had. Zoloft made me so sick it was unbelievable. I had gastric disturbances, headaches, and severe ringing in the ears. I was only one tablet from 25 mg to 50 mg, and I became so sick. I had weird dreams, had to come off the medication. I had hair loss, chunks of hair loss, vivid, weird, extremely strange dreams. With all the other reviews that I've seen on it, why was I losing my hair? Why did I have every adverse effect, and my symptoms got worse? There was no benefit to this drug for me, only sickness and the worst dream experiences. And again, why were chunks of hair coming out of my head? I will never take it again and do not suggest anyone to take it, especially since I'm the size of a child. But once again, the prescriber only saw my age. Size needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to this drug, just like every other drug."

• ker...
• November 21, 2009

For Depression "I have been on Zoloft for quite a few years. I absolutely love it, except for recently (the last few months) I have been getting headaches if I miss a couple. Otherwise, I've had no other side effects, and it has helped with the suicidal thoughts. It's helped me gain perspective and think about my feelings instead of just automatically feeling down."

• Nur...
• March 6, 2017

For Panic Disorder "Works great, but you'll never sleep the same again. I can sleep for about 3 hours per night, and then I'm up every 30-45 minutes after that. Always the same thing every night around the same time, 3 am wake up, eyes wide open, and often cannot fall back asleep. Hardly ever enter REM sleep due to the frequent awakenings. I'm exhausted all day, every day, but hey, I'm happy, right? WRONG! I need sleep to function. Stopped taking it. Other side effects: dry mouth, decreased appetite, tremors, dilated pupils the size of Texas, CONSTANT HEADACHE, decreased sensation with orgasm. There has to be another way to deal with anxiety and panic attacks, right?!?"

• ECJ...
• March 3, 2016

For Social Anxiety Disorder "This med works for anxiety, but... I have been on so many meds. I need it more for anxiety than depression, and that is why I chose Zoloft. It does work for the anxiety only. Problem after taking it for a couple of years is my sleep is so disrupted. I clench my jaw so bad that when I wake up, I have headaches, as well as my body. I find myself all clenched up in a ball, and then my body is sore from being tense, and I feel foggy-headed. The newest problem is memory issues. I guess it is this med. The sex was affected some... no weight gain. Of course, when you start any medicine, you have the normal sweating, nausea, dry mouth, but those things go away. You have to give all medicines time to work! I am going to wean off and onto Cymbalta."

• TMa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 5, 2016

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Sertraline has worked great for me! I have been on it for 3 months and take it for anxiety, OCD, and depression. The first 2-3 weeks were very hard as I felt I got every side effect listed. Headaches, more anxiety, the works! This is the second medication I have tried. I took Lexapro for 3 months prior to Sertraline, but it didn't help me much (actually caused more depression). It took about 3-4 weeks for me to fully see the benefits of this drug, however, it causes bluntness to my good feelings and extreme fatigue. It is very hard for me to function like this as I am a mother of 3 and need that energy/motivation to get around and not just want to lay in bed all day. I would rate it 7 with my OCD, 9 for anxiety and depression."

• seb...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 10, 2012

For Depression "I started on 25 mg for a couple of weeks, then went to 50 mg. Started having more side effects, such as a bad headache that lasted for several days. Have a kind of numb feeling, don't want to go out and socialize much."

• Luc...
• July 7, 2009

For Depression "I took this medication for about 3 months, and it did relieve my severe depression, but the side effects became unbearable for me, and I had to change to another SSRI. This medicine caused headaches, salty dry mouth, insomnia, muscle twitching, nausea, dizziness, and a feeling of emptiness."

• sle...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 25, 2016

For Panic Disorder "I was put on Zoloft by my doctor for panic attacks about sleeping/falling asleep after she felt I was too dependent on Clonazepam. This definitely worked for anxiety, however, I gained around 30+ pounds in a little over a year and a half. I was still exercising regularly and eating normally. It started slowly, and then one day, none of my pants fit me anymore. The last straw was when I went to the doctor for my yearly check-up and was 200 pounds. I weaned myself off of it, and almost immediately, I felt less bloated. It has been a little over a week, and I'm suffering terrible dizziness and headaches. I'm determined to never be on this crap again."