Zoloft for anxiety - i need info. anout side effects

[LauraS345]

Hi, can anyone help with my question, or direct me to the proper forum?

I've been taking a very low dose of Zoloft (25 mg) for a whole year now  - prescribed for severe stomach knots and panic attacks, and other physical symptoms of anxiety. I've been diagnosed with panic disorder and social anxiety disorder.

The low dose (25 mg) is the only only dose I've been able to tolerate all along - higher doses gave me over the top side effects - unbearable, made me feel worse! And my doctor decided not to switch me to a different med as she thinks they would all have side effects (for me - I seem to br hyper sensitive to any treatment that changes the brain chemicals!).

Well, the 25 mg has been working - yay!!! -my anxiety symptoms are under control, but the side effects - they are BACK! - I'm so worried! Does anyone know if that's normal? - for the side effects to be hell for the first few months (dizziness, pressure and rushing feeling in my head, and a dopey feeling by afternoon every day - those were the worst of it)...then to subside!! - I was free of every side effect except a more minor dopey feeling for the past 8 months!!..But now, my head feels terrible again - the pressure and rushing feeling IS BACK, and I've had some spells of headaches in the past couple of months but those only lasted a couple of days. The dopey feeling is also more extreme again! ...I skipped a dose last night to try and lessen the side effects but  the pressure in my head is still there - just like when I first started taking this med a year ago and suffered thru extreme side effects for those first few months...Weird thing is, despite the side effects returning, this med Is still  helping my anxiety - panic and stomach knots are still under control...BUT is this normal for the side effects to return after 8 months?? And will they subside again if I just grin and bear and push through them like I did when I first started taking this med?

[LauraS345]

Thanks for the info., Paxiled and Nursinggirl.
Yes, sooo odd that I called the 811 health line last night and spoke to a pharmacist. He said my head symptoms are NOT side effects from the med because once the side effects subside they DO not come back after 8 months. Like Paxiled explained, the med is metabolized.

Therefore, I am now thinking that the pressure and rushing inside my head are from the anxiety itself! As nursinggirl suggested, it could be from extra stressors of late. I started taking care of a suddenly ill family member in the past few weeks, and I've had 3 job exams/interviews as I aim to return to work following 2 years on stress leave due to my anxiety disorders.

I looked all over the internet and read someone's comments on another anxiety that sounded  very similar to my head symptoms - they said there head would  feel like it was building up pressure and ready to explode! Yes, I have that symptom except my head feels more like it would collapse inward - implode!...It's happening at random throughout the day, it is not if I get up suddenly or anything like that. It sometimes lasts a couple of hours, going for a walk, or breathing slower brings temporary relief.

Yes, I have an appt. to see my family doctor this week to review my medication - every 3 mths. she reviews it with me. For now though, has anyone else had weird head symptoms from anxiety??

[nursegirl6572]

Hello and welcome!

While not impossible, it would be pretty rare to experience a resurgence of the initial "start up" side effects a year into the regimen.  I'm wondering if your symptoms could be anxiety related?  You stated that the Zoloft manages your anxiety pretty well, but have you had an increase in anxiety before these symptoms presented themselves?  Did you experience any big stressors or changes in your life before the onset of the symptoms?

Another possibility is that perhaps you're experiencing a sort of w/d.  It's not uncommon for these drugs to eventually sort of "peter out", and like Paxiled said, the Zoloft doesn't stay at a steady state that long, so it is possible that you may need a slightly higher dose, or perhaps a change in your dosing schedule would alleviate the symptoms?  While Zoloft is usually taken once daily, it can be taken twice daily, and sometimes dosing it like that takes care of that "in between dose" type of w/d.  Also, are you on a generic formulation of the medication?  Sometimes, changing to the brand name formulation will make a difference.  Like Paxiled stated though, definitely do not skip doses.  That will probably make you feel even worse.  Adhere to your regimen until you can have a sit down with your doctor about how you're feeling.  I think it's also a good idea to have a thorough physical with lab work if you haven't recently.  This may be something completely unrelated to the Zoloft, although I agree that it's the likely culprit, in SOME form anyway.

Discuss your options with your doc and see what he/she recommends.  My gut says it isn't necessarily "side effects" as in the same as the side effects one would experience while adjusting to the Zoloft, but rather another issue.  

Take care, please update us when you can!  Hope you get something figured out!

[Paxiled]

This is odd, as you're on such a slow dose, but don't go skipping doses.  On such a low dose withdrawing from this drug won't be that difficult most likely, but know that these drugs only stay in your body a few hours and then you start to suffer withdrawal effects, so this isn't a drug you can just skip.  I can't tell you why you're suffering what you're suffering after a hiatus, and I can't explain how such a low dose is doing anything for you.  You're obviously highly sensitive to this medication, but keep in mind different drugs have very different side effects on people -- they aren't all the same, as your doc maintains.  I speak from experience of having used several antidepressants.  The only thing I can tell you is when they work, it means they're metabolized, and you have side effects, some have them worse, some have them very mild.