Ativan use to start zoloft?

[Brelaxed]

Hello - After several years of GAD and high anxiety I am looking for some more consistency in my quality of life. I've tried a few ssri's over the years, but honestly I quit them as soon as any side effects cropped up. I'm at a place now where I need to give medication an honest try. I have come a long way with CBT and life style adjustments, but I just have some racing anxiety at times, and I need to be better for my wife and kids. I started zoloft 12 days ago. 12.5 mg for the first 7 days, and then 25 mg for the last 5. My doc wants me to take it slow, so he says we will look into going to 50mg at the end of the month if I need to. I have noticed a marked increase in my anxiety the last 3 days, and I was warned to expect it by my doc. He gave me ativan to take up to 1 mg per day as needed. I have needed 0.5 mg each morning since starting the zoloft. A couple of days I took a second 0.5 mg in the afternoon. I am really hoping for a pay off at some point. Is the increase really typical? Is the ativan use at my dosage and frequency safe? I don't know how I would be doing without it and hard cardio everyday. Thanks for any support.

[mommy22babes]

Thanks for the response.  I just happened back onto the site and saw that your responded!  I have increased to 50 (just 6 days ago); 50 is where I was supposed to be, but it took me 5 weeks to increase to that dosage.  Everyone is saying that I need to give it more time.  My pdoc prescribed Xanax, but I am afraid to take it.  For the first couple of days of a dosage increase, I feel fine.  Then, it hits me again like a ton of bricks, heightened anxiety, very panicky feelings, etc.  I want to stick it out because some days I feel so good but then other days I feel terrible.  I just wish that it was a simple solution, but it seems not to be.  I think that I should give the 50 mg at least a month to work, but it seems hard to do right now.  Any encouragement/advice would be great.  Thank you!

[Brelaxed]

Sorry I haven't checked this post in a while. I started on 12.5 mg for one week, then upped to 25 mg for another four weeks. I must say that the first week was ok. A little nauseous but nothing too horrible. The change to 25 mg sent my anxiety through the roof. I have a friend who used zoloft for two years who encouraged me to stick with it. I did, and after about three weeks after my first  dose, I realized that I was feeling really good. Anxious, but normal anxious. Like before I developed abnormal anxiety. I used ativan (0.5 mg) up to twice a day for about the first three weeks to cope with the massive increase in anxiety. I realized one day, while feeling good, that I had not taken an ativan in about a week. I got two glorious weeks with great sleep and appetite, even decent libido. Then at work on a Monday I felt the old anxious thought creeping back in. I decided to up my dose to 37.5 mg based on a previous discussion with my doctor. The next day I was back to the same heightened anxiety I had when upping to 25 mg. what disappointment, but this time I have the hope of knowing that it won't last forever, and that I will almost certainly feel relief once I adjust to the 37.5 mg. it is just a process, but I need to see this through. I have taken 0.5 mg of ativan the last three days, and I expect not to need it in a few more days. I have always been sensitive to meds, so I hope that 37.5 mg of zoloft will bring some peace to me as it has done for so many others.

My advice is to stick it out. It's the only way to know if a med can offer some help. I'm committed to at least two solid months before I think about throwing in the towel. Good luck.

[mommy22babes]

I started Zoloft again (took it over 10 years ago for about a year and a half) and started first at 25 mg.  Had terrible panic and anxiety.  Skipped a day or two then started again at 12.5 for 7 days, now up to day 6 on 25 mg.  I am starting to feel the panic and anxiety again.  I don't remember this the first time I took Zoloft.  Perhaps I too am very sensitive to meds.  I am supposed to increase to 50 mg.  My doc did not give me anything to counteract the startup anxiety, but search for it on this site, plenty of instances of people taking Zoloft and some other med to help counteract this initial anxiety.  I am taking it for anxiety, so it's frustrating to feel anxious while starting the meds... I am contemplating increasing to 37.5 this weekend but am nervous to do so.  What do you think?

[Brelaxed]

Thanks for the input Paxiled. I am going to try to taper it off over the next week. I think the increase in anxiety with starting the zoloft is starting to ease up. I have been down to 0.5mg of ativan per day the last few days, so I hope it's not too hard to reduce and stop the daily use. I am very hopeful that the zoloft is starting to give me some help. It's been 8 days at 25mg and I am very sensitive to medicines. Wish me luck

[Paxiled]

The longer you take the Ativan daily the more likely you'll become addicted to it.  When your doc said as needed, that means not regularly, just when you really need it.  Taken this way it's not as hard to stop taking, but if you continue to take it every day -- and you're already upping the dose to twice a day -- it may become very difficult to stop taking it.  You gotta do what you gotta do, but if you can do without, it's better for you.  

[Brelaxed]

I really hope somebody out there can offer me some thoughts and support. Thanks