I recently started on Zoloft for depression and anxiety. I took it and all the other traditional AD's back in the '90s. I do have a history of afib and tachycardia but hopefully that's all in the past. I've been started on 25mg but will go up to 50mg after a week. I do have clonazepam to rely on for extreme anxiety.
My main issue is whether or not Zoloft will wreck havoc with my sleep as I already have issues with sleeplessness.
Thank you for your comment Paxiled. I completely agree with you. After I posted this I actually thought to myself that I don't want it to take the anxiety away because the only way to recover from anxiety, so you're not always looking over your shoulder, is to lose the fear of it. The meds are helping me to tackle that because now I'm not depressed I'm more positive and feel more like myself again, so if the anxiety stays then so much the better. When I come off these meds next year I want to have recovered and have learnt enough not to relapse. That's what I'm working towards and always have been. I try to remember that anxiety is a completely normal emotion common to all humans, it's not about getting rid of it permanently or never experiencing it again, its about healing your relationship to it. I wish you the best with your recovery and nice to hear from someone who thinks the same x
You can't expect any medication to get rid of all your problems -- some are lucky and get that effect, but most still have problems, just not as bad. It sounds like the Zoloft is working, but it isn't a cure, just a treatment for your symptoms. And it should work better over time, but only if you work on your anxiety as you have been doing in therapy or some other way so you don't think the way you're currently conditioned to do. Too many people take medication thinking it's a cure and stop all the other work -- a mistake I made. And just to mention, your reaction to the homeopathy was actually possibly a productive one. When it works it takes you back through the stages you went through to get where you are, and it sounded like it was doing that. Which doesn't mean it would have worked, just that it was doing what it was supposed to do. Treatment just isn't easy for these illnesses, unfortunately, no matter what kind of treatment you opt for.
Hi, Laura. Welcome to MedHelp. We are glad you came. I have almost the exact same diagnoses as you do. I also take zoloft for depression. I take a different med for anxiety, a mood-booster, an anti-psychotic, and a sleep aid. Yeah, I'm a walking pharmacy. But having been evaluated by a psychiatrist, it has been made clear to me that I must take these meds for life due to my issues being hereditary. So, no, I'm not one of those people who just beg the doctor for a happy pill for no real reason. My thoughts on what you are experiencing is that you may benefit from an anti-anxiety medication, versus continuing to raise the zoloft dosage. Many people who have true anxiety issues are treated using benzodiazepines (Lorazepam, Clonazipam, and others). Benzos are always addictive. And if you take them, and want off them, even when you take them as you are supposed to, you must be weaned off them under a doctor's care. In my case, the benefits outweigh the risks. They may for you as well. Ask your doctor. Blessings - Blu