Zoloft and Increasing Anxiety/Suicidal Thoughts

[amyt]

My husband has been treated for Panic Disorder for the last 10 years.  He has been on Zoloft 100mg since 2002.  Recently, he has become very agitated, distant and has expressed suicidal thoughts.  He is now taking Xanax on a daily basis.  He hasn't talked to me very directly but has implied that this has been going on for longer than he has outwardly shown.  He seems to be able to cover up on a short term basis in front of other people.  He refuses to seek a doctor's help.  He says it is an "inward struggle" that he has to work out for himself.  He wrote his estranged father a letter saying that he has "demons in his head" that he can't deal with sometimes.  He also said that sometimes when he goes on a business trip- he doesn't want to come back.  He had back surgery 1 1/2 ago and is still dealing with chronic pain in his back and leg.  We are dealing with financial problems in part because of the surgery.  He is 33 years old - well educated and a loving father and husband.  I have seen him struggle with his panic attacks but it just seems that everything has intensified by leaps and bounds.  Can the Zoloft cause this?  If I can't get him to see a doctor - what are my options to help?  He switched to generic a few months ago, but he says the increase in anxiety does not correlate with the switch.  Thank you for your help.

[396SS]

Please get him immediate help.  It has been rumored that Zoloft can increase suicidal thoughts in teenagers, but I don't know about 33.  I took it for 1.5 yrs and it didn't seem to cause me any suicidal thoughts, but I was on 50mg.  My husband took 100mg and he didn't have this effect.  However, my uncle was taking zoloft (age 56) for depression for a long time and said it stopped working, so he started on Celexa this winter.  Last month, he shot himself with no warning - he did try to get in to see his psychiatrist but they couldn't squeeze him in until the next day.  He didn't even wait 24hrs.  He was a proud man and would not tell and never did tell anyone that he had these thoughts, so we lost him.  If your husband is actually expressing these thoughts, then it is SERIOUS.  He is reaching out for help.  Let him know that he is not alone and I know (as well as millions of people) knows how he feels!  I too have felt like him in the past and it IS a terrible way to feel, but it is ONLY temporary.  If he can just keep that in mind and push through, he will feel better again.  Medication alone is NOT enough, he needs intense therapy, maybe even hospitalization if necessary.  Anyway, I've been in weekly therapy for 5 years and it's the only way I would have survived.  I am a successful, educated person as far as anyone else knows, but I suffer from panic disorder too.  It's not like we are psycho people, we just have this, like anyone else that has an illness like cancer or diabetes.  He needs to know that everyone has struggles and this is ours - we aren't alone as you can see everyone that is posting.  This subject is near and dear to my heart right now so I hope this helps, don't waste another minute my friend.

[Ninah]

Zoloft caused my depressin to get even worse.
At the time I was indeed, 15 years old,
but I doubt that the age was the cause of it.
The medication caused me to hear voices and become extremely paranoid and angry, not to mention...Extremely suicidal.
And I was ONLY suffering from depression and social anxiety, not any psychosis.

So if you really think that the medication might be causing it,
change it immediately to another one,
especially if your husband really needs a medication.