Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.

Mental Health (Expert Forum)

Email this

Zoloft side effects

Answered by

Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness

Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.

Post a Question Back to Forum

MedHelp Member's Question

Zoloft side effects

by cnmt, Mar 14, 2003 12:00AM

Tags: zoloft, mental, Health, Mental Health

I am a 38 yr old female. I have suffered from severe post partum depression after each of my four children were born for which I was treated successfully with zoloft. I took the drug for a period of one year for each episode and did very well on it.

It has been 3 yrs since I stopped taking zoloft and have been feeling very anxious recently and I feel like the depression is creaping back. My doctor suggested I go back on the zoloft because it helped me so well in the past. I have taken 25mg a day for the past past week and now I am experiencing a terrible salty taste in my mouth that is quite bothersome. I didn't have this side effect in the past and am wondering if it could be the Zoloft and if so, will it eventually go away?

Thanks

Doctor's Answer

by Roger Gould, M.D.

, Mar 17, 2003 12:00AM

A "salty taste" is not a side effect that is famiilar to me or reported in the literature, but 10-15% of people taking Zoloft do report a dry mouth, which does go away. Perhaps your salty taste is secondary to a dry mouth. If not, then zoloft is probably not the cause.

Member Comments (6)

by Skizo, Mar 15, 2003 12:00AM

To: cnmt

This is part of the Zoloft package insert.

-------------------------------------------------------

Treatment-Emergent Adverse Experience Incidence in

Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials*

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                       Percent of Patients Reporting

                         Zoloft   Placebo  Difference

Adverse Experience       (N=861)  (N=853)  Percentage

Special Senses

Vision Abnormal            4.2      2.1     2.1

Tinnitus                   1.4      1.1     0.3

Taste Perversion           1.2      0.7     0.5

-----------------------------------------------------

In the table above 'salty taste' is in the "taste perversion" category.

I've heard similar complaint with the "old" antidepressants and also with Wellbutrin and Neurontin.

Try a mouth wash, this has helped some people. There are anecdotes about improvement with calcium, zinc etc. but I am not sure about this

by Skizo, Mar 15, 2003 12:00AM

To: cnmt

Sorry, the format of the table was distorted.

The point is that Zoloft does cause changes in the sense of taste.

by frecklesag29, Mar 16, 2003 12:00AM

To: skizo

Skizo,

Hope your weekend has gone well. I need to ask you a question about effexor xr. I have taken it for 2 1/2 months, 75mg a day. I really don't see any results. Although, I haven't thrown anything lately. I still have the weird say the slightest thing negative and send me into crying spells. I also still have a unusual fear and have experienced the numbness in the fingers ect. Should I still be having these symptoms? I have thought about just tapering off the med because it is quite costly if since I have not really seen any noticeable results.

Thanks

Hey

by Skizo, Mar 16, 2003 12:00AM

To: heyheyhey

The weekend went ok, thanks.

Obviously the medication is not working. The dose of Effexor XR you are taking is still in the lower side.

One of the advantages of Effexor is that it works in 2 different ways in the nervous system. At the dose you are taking it is more likely to be working only like a SSRI (Prozac-Paxil-Zoloft), to get the second effect (in the norepinephrine) you would have to take a higher dose.

In resistant depressions the combination of Effexor with Wellbutrin has worked pretty well.

I don�t know if you had the numbness in the fingers before Effexor. This medication is known to produce �paresthesias� (tingling and numbness).

Talk to your physician,.

Hope you feel better.

by frecklesag29, Mar 17, 2003 12:00AM

To: skizo

Thanks for the reply.

Back to Forum

Expert Activity

Fluoroquinolones increase risk of t...
Jul 08 by Enoch Choi, MD

The role of coronary angioplasty an...

Jul 06 by Lee Kirksey, MD

Heart Scan-Painless but not Harmles...
Jul 04 by Lee Kirksey, MD

Related Expert Forums

Emotional Eating

Self-Improvement Coaching

Related Communities

Anxiety

Depression

Bipolar Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Military Health Issues

Head & Traumatic Brain Injury

Information contained within this site is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. Always seek the advice of your physician or other health provider for any questions you may have regarding your medical condition. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. By using this site you agree to the following Terms and Conditions.

MedHelp.org subscribes to the HONCode principles of the Health On the Net Foundation. Verify here

Your Name:
Your Email:
Friend's Email:
Message:

	Enter the code shown:



	Leave a Note Send Message Add as Friend cnmt Member since Mar 2003



	Add as Friend Roger Gould, M.D. Male Member since Jan 2001 Journal Entry: "This is a comment for everyone who has re..." [Read]



	Add as Friend Enoch Choi, MD Male, 43 years Palo Alto - CA Member since Aug 2007 Mood: Enoch Choi, MD is meeting with MedHelp for our quarterly meeting Journal Entry: "This new box warning via FDA is something..." [Read]



	Add as Friend Lee Kirksey, MD Male Philadelphia - PA Member since Apr 2008 Mood: LeeKirksey is ...optimistic Journal Entry: "There are frequent questions being asked ..." [Read]



	Add as Friend Adam R. Tanase, D.C. Male St. Louis - MO Member since May 2008 Mood: AdamTanase is happy to answer your questions. Journal Entry: "I'd like to share this interesting articl..." [Read]



	Add as Friend Rebecca Resnik, PsyD Female Chantilly - VA Member since May 2008 Journal Entry: " I do not know of any parent who ..." [Read]



	Add as Friend Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. Male Member since Aug 1999 Journal Entry: "Over the years during which I have contri..." [Read]



	Add as Friend Rachna Varia, PhD Female, 37 years Chantilly - VA Member since Apr 2008 Mood: RachnaVaria is thoughtful Journal Entry: " We often get requests for "ADHD testing..." [Read]



	Leave a Note for Just a note Hugs Thinking of you Thank You Welcome Prayer Feel better Congrats! July 4th Just a quick note to say hi! Add as friend Post It Never Mind 800 character limit exceeded Just a quick note to say hi! You deserve a big bear hug! You're in my thoughts all the time, but especially today. Thank you for everything! Welcome to our community! You are in my thoughts and prayers. Hope you feel better soon! Congratulations! Time for a celebration... Happy Independence day!