zoloft made me feel crazy the first day

[colleendawn813]

So i went to the dr. and they prescribed zoloft 50mg for gad, depression, and panic disorder. I have been on it before and started at 25mg, then went to 50 after a week. She assured me starting at 50 was fine. Holy crap i ended up at the er i just felt WRONG. weird thoughts, anxiety through the roof. I called and she said to take 25mg today instead. Im terrified to take it at all! I thought maybe it was serotonin syndrome but ive been on zoloft before, up to 100mg and i was fine. Also im taking thyroid meds, penicillin for a root canal and ativan for the craziness:) but i know those dont interact with zoloft.

A lot of people say it happens during the first days of a ssri. is this normal? im gonna stick with it and take the 25 mg but im scared to death! ive also tried lexapro but it caused palpitations for me. Any one else ever have this happen with the zoloft? does it go away if you stick with it? Im so nervous cuz i just took the 25...

[nursegirl6572]

Best of luck.  The good news is, you should hopefully get some relief soon, you weren't on it long at all.  Hang in there!

[micohe11]

That was my problem I went to a Primary Care PA and she gave me the Zoloft. My Psychatrist put me back on th e Lexapro and Klonopin and Have felt much better. Good Luck!

[colleendawn813]

I have to stop taking the zoloft. I screamed cried paced and freaked out all night. even now im typin like crazy and can NOT quiet my mind. I took double my ativan dose and it made me a zombie but the crazy thoughts were still there. I can not do this for one more minute. i need to make an appt with a real therapist, not an urgent care 'physician's assistant' ill let you all know what happens thank you for your support

[nursegirl6572]

HI there...it sounds like a pretty common initial side effect of SSRI meds.  Of course, since we all react differently, my experience was reversed, I felt like you do when I started Lexapro initially (worse the second time...which I also was surprised at...but it seems common when returning to a prior med), and was pretty good with the Zoloft.  I had the same "jittery" feeling as though I had also drank gallons of coffee.  The good news, for ME, these symptoms improved after about a week and by the second week were virtually gone (again, your situation may be different).

Like Lydia said...keep working with your doc...it may just be an initial side effect and something that a temporary increase in the Ativan would combat....ask your doc for guidance on that.  You shouldn't need to change to Xanax if the Ativan works, you just may require a slightly higher dose until the side effects improve.  Try to stick it out for a few days.  I remember it being pretty uncomfortable and I wanted to throw the towel in several times, but ended up being glad I didn't.  I also used a slightly higher dose of Ativan during those side effects (per my MD) and it helped quite a bit.

Let us know how you're doing!

[RubyWitch]

It sounds like when you backed down to 25mg last night and took some Ativan, you were doing fairly well this morning..........although a bit "shaky," which you said was tolerable. Keep taking the Ativan as often as it has been prescribed and don't worry about getting addicted to it. I'm not saying that can't or won't happen, but hopefully the Zoloft will kick into high gear sson and you can take the Ativan strictly PRN. If you've been careful and have taken the Ativan only when you really needed it, addiction would probably never have been a problem for you anyway. But to get you over this period of being spooked, an antianxiety med is going to make your life much easier and the transition back onto an AD less stressful and therefore less anxiety provoking. (The nasty cycle!) If your current dosage of Ativan does not seem to be working very well to control the anxiety, talk with your doctor about increasing the dose for awhile, or trying Xanax.........they are very similiar benzos, it's really just a preference on my part. Ativan doesn't seem to work as well for me. If the Ativan works well for you, stick with it.
No insurance...........so many of us "working poor" without it. It's a crime.
While the therapy would have been a great adjunct to the meds, once you get on the right meds and the right dose and "smooth out," the therapy can wait. You do need to figure out what's causing the anxiety and depression, but for now, let's just worry about getting the symptoms under control so you can get on living your life with some peace.
Stay in touch!
Peace
Greenlydia

[RubyWitch]

It sounds like when you backed down to 25mg last night and took some Ativan, you were doing fairly well this morning..........although a bit "shaky," which you said was tolerable. Keep taking the Ativan as often as it has been prescribed and don't worry about getting addicted to it. I'm not saying that can't or won't happen, but hopefully the Zoloft will kick into high gear and you take the Ativan strictly PRN. If you've been careful and take the Ativan only when you really need it, addiction would probably never have been a problem for you anyway. But to get you over this period of being spooked, an antianxiety med is going to make your life much easier and the transition back onto an AD less stressful and therefore less anxiety provoking. If your current dosage of Ativan does not seem to be working very well to control the anxiety, talk with your doctor about increasing the dose for awhile, or trying Xanax.........they are very similiar benzos, it's really just a preference on my part. Ativan doesn't seem to work as well for me. If the Ativan works well for you, stick with it.
No insurance...........so many of us "working poor" without it. It's a crime.
While the therapy would have been a great adjunct to the meds, once you get on the right meds and the right does and "smooth out," the therapy can wait. You do need to figure out what's causing the anxiety and depression, but for now, let's just worry about making getting the symptoms taken care of so you can get on living your life with some peace.
Stay in touch!
Peace
Greenlydia

[colleendawn813]

thank you so much you really are making me feel so much better! I would LOVE to try therapy without meds, but i dont have insurance right now. My ativan helps, but maybe i will mention xanax. i definitely dont want to be addicted to anything, i try to be careful not to take more than i absolutely need to. I am going to stick with this i guess until it becomes unbearable. i hate that a med that is supposed to make me better is making me worse!

[RubyWitch]

Just keep working with your doctor, Toots and together you'll find an answer.
Perhaps you could try therapy without medication and see if that would be enough. Just a thought.
Be strong. I think your anxiety is really working against you right now. Maybe trying a different antianxiety med until the antidepressant kicks in might help? Xanax really helped me a lot at one time. Just be careful with that stuff. It's a really great medication, but use it ONLY short term and preferrably PRN.......as needed.
Any time you need to talk, we're here, OK?
You're gonna be fine!
Peace
Greenlydia

[colleendawn813]

thank you for posting. i took the 25mg at about 430 pm yesterday with 1 mg ativan, i felt ok all night. today im very anxious. its tolerable but also agonizing at the same time. feel like i drank 3 cups of coffee, and i havent had caffeine in years! my bp and hr are normal though, and so is my temp. just hyper and nervous and shaking. gonna talk to my doc. Im nervous about changing to lexapro cuz it gave me palpitations, and prozac did what this zoloft is doing now. ugh i wish this woudl just work like last time, but that was 10 years ago, guess my brain has changed:( praying that this is just an initial reaction and all will iron itself out.

[RubyWitch]

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say your reaction was "normal," but these rare sorts of extreme reactions DO happen. We are just all so very different in how we react to psychotropic drugs...........any 5 of us on Zoloft will all tell you something different. So, you must go by what YOU are experiencing.
Just keep in very close contact with your doctor and let her know immediately of any reactions you are having, especially if they land you in the ER!
While it is very common to have the same reaction to a medication we've taken before, it is not unheard of to have an adverse reaction when we go back on it.
Finding the right med can often be a real trial and error process, so keep in touch with your doctor and you will eventually find the one that works for you. Don't give up. I know it's frustrating, but the right med IS out there.
Often when we begin an AD, we can experience an increase in our symptoms and they do normally go away. Many of us have experienced what you're going through and not just from Zoloft. I can't promise you these feelings will go away. So much depends on how bad they are and how much you can tolerate. But I don't think it's a good idea to just stick with it if the side effects land you in the hospital. These meds are meant to relieve our "suffering," not make it worse.
I wish you the very best.
Talk to your doctor!
Peace
Greenlydia

[micohe11]

I was on Lexapro and had an anxiety attack. My Dr. Put me on 50mg of Zoloft the 100 and I could not getting the tremors. felt like I was exhausted and was freezing inside me. I could barely function. went ot the Dr. and they said it was a bad side affect. They took me off the Xanax and Zolft and back on Lexapro and Klonopin and i am much better. Hopefully the reduction on the zoloft will help.