just perscribed zoloft

i have been having alot of anxiety attacks lately and i keep going to the hospital and they keep giving me zanax so i finally went to my family doc and he put me on zoloft and gave me an appt. to see the phsyciatris but i took zanax before and it does calm your nerves and relax you is that what the zoloft is going to do to me also and the zanax also always made me sleepy when i had to take it on a as needed basis so what sideffects am i going to have on the zoloft and how is my body going to feel compared to taking zanax or aderol (adderall) thanx for your time!

[Hensley258]

Two completly different drugs in completly different classes.

Zoloft (Sertraline) is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)
Zoloft is an antidepressant drug, but after taking it for about 6 weeks (if your dosage is right) it can have a theraputic effect on Anxiety as well as depression.

Theraputic dosages of Zoloft are between 100 to 250Mgs per day. You will have to find your correct dosage. Some people find relief at 50Mgs a day but that is rare.

Xanax (Alprazolam) on the other hand is a very fast acting anti-anxiety medication called a benzodiazaphine. It will do nothing for Depression, but works great to squash even the worst anxiety.

Problem with Xanax is that while it is fast acting it also has a VERY short window of effectivness. Not true with Zoloft, but Zoloft doesn't help anxiety in the same way that Xanax does.

Also keep in mind that not everyone responds to Zoloft thus no theraputic effect is realized. It will take 6 weeks on Zoloft before you will know if it is helping. Even at it's peak it should not make you as sleepy as the Xanax.

As far as Xanax goes you must be cautious. It can be VERY addictive. Unlike Zoloft, the longer you take Xanax the more you will need to get the same effect. In just a few months a person can find themselves at 4Mgs a day. Once you reach that high of a dosage then your addicted.

Take it from a former Xanax addict like me. You can get hooked on it.

IMO your doctor should have been MUCH smarter and put you on the sister drug of Xanax called Klonipin (klonopin). Yes Klonopin is a Benzo drug just like Xanax, but it's onset of action is a bit slower and each dosage last much longer without the hard hit of Xanax.

Klonopin is also less addictive than Xanax and does the same job just in a more mild
way.

With luck in about 6 weeks the Zoloft will be working well enough to control your anxiety and you can taper off the Xanax.

[29sillygirl]

Nothing to add to above post, except to say I took Xanax for Panic Attacks for years before being switched to Klonopin.  It is the only drug that works for me with few side effects.

I tried Zoloft 1/2 tab today, and had a bad reaction.  It is a good drug, tho', and I believe my problem is a brittle colon following radiation for anal cancer.

Do be patient with Zoloft, as it won't really be working for several weeks.