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Clonazepam, zoloft, heart palpitiations
Hello,
I'm 38 years old, not depressed, always upbeat, happy and motivated. However, I suffer from anxiety, I get nervous in crowds, dizzy in stores, rarely get a panic attack, etc... Ok, that's to give you the picture. One thing I had progressively develop over the last 3 years is palpitations, that's skipped heart beats, they seem to come in cycle, sometimes 0, sometimes 20-30 a days (recently) and that freaks me out the most.
So my doctor prescribed me some Clonazepam to first relax (Klonopin). And then to start Zoloft (Sertraline) a week later.
The week with Clonazepam 50 mg was magic, palpitions almost all gone and lot less strong, muscles relaxed, although my libido was greatly reduced as a side effect. I could go out in crowds, stores, do anything I wanted to, feeling perfectly calm and normal.
Yesterday I took a Zoloft, I took 25 mg. That felt very unpleasant. 3 hours after ingesting, my brain became clouded to the point I could barely think at all, I could barely keep eyes open, speaking was difficult, and on top of that palpitations occured frequently. So much so that my friends kept asking me "Are you ok ?" with a concerned look on their face. I was in that state for around 4 hours which seemed an eternity.
So I read more about Zoloft today, it's supposed to be an anti-depressant, while Clonozepam is a relaxant.
Given what I experienced with Zoloft, is it normal, should I cut the the dose even more ? Or should I wait to talk to my doctor before taking it again ? Now I'm thinking that I simply need a relaxant, not really an anti-depressant.
I would really appreciate feedback and opinions since I don't know what to think at this point.
I'm 38 years old, not depressed, always upbeat, happy and motivated. However, I suffer from anxiety, I get nervous in crowds, dizzy in stores, rarely get a panic attack, etc... Ok, that's to give you the picture. One thing I had progressively develop over the last 3 years is palpitations, that's skipped heart beats, they seem to come in cycle, sometimes 0, sometimes 20-30 a days (recently) and that freaks me out the most.
So my doctor prescribed me some Clonazepam to first relax (Klonopin). And then to start Zoloft (Sertraline) a week later.
The week with Clonazepam 50 mg was magic, palpitions almost all gone and lot less strong, muscles relaxed, although my libido was greatly reduced as a side effect. I could go out in crowds, stores, do anything I wanted to, feeling perfectly calm and normal.
Yesterday I took a Zoloft, I took 25 mg. That felt very unpleasant. 3 hours after ingesting, my brain became clouded to the point I could barely think at all, I could barely keep eyes open, speaking was difficult, and on top of that palpitations occured frequently. So much so that my friends kept asking me "Are you ok ?" with a concerned look on their face. I was in that state for around 4 hours which seemed an eternity.
So I read more about Zoloft today, it's supposed to be an anti-depressant, while Clonozepam is a relaxant.
Given what I experienced with Zoloft, is it normal, should I cut the the dose even more ? Or should I wait to talk to my doctor before taking it again ? Now I'm thinking that I simply need a relaxant, not really an anti-depressant.
I would really appreciate feedback and opinions since I don't know what to think at this point.
Best Answer
I'm personally not sure you need either. Klonopin is a relaxant, but it's also addictive over long-term use, as are all benzos. When you need it you need it, but since you seem to be emotionally doing pretty well, I wonder if you haven't tried first to deal with this in therapy, particularly CBT and exposure therapy, rather than turning to meds and all their complications. As for the Zoloft, the first side effects of anti-depressants don't necessarily last, but it is common for them to be stimulating. Now, you have to decide how bad your life is becoming and do what's necessary, but this is just my thinking having been one who did have to turn to meds but wish I didn't. And there's another med that might be more germane to your specific problem, and that's beta blockers that directly control the heart palps but also help with certain anxiety problems, particularly things like public speaking and other social phobias. It might make you tired, but probably is less problematic than the other two classes of meds. At any rate, hope you find what you need.
I hate klonopin/any benzo. I think it's the worst pill ever created. I took it for over a year. I've been off of it for about 6 months now and doing pretty well. I still have anxiety issues, but not nearly as bad as when I took the med. I wonder if these drugs sometimes do more harm then good. I was on Paxil for a while at first and made me suicidal. I don't wish that for anyone. I wish the best for you all. I have turned a lot over to God and it has helped a lot. Things that I can't control, I just pray. It has helped a ton. God bless you all.
Correction: when I said TIP I meant TID (T.I.D) = three times a day - thrice-daily dosage.
I can't tell you any indications when it comes to take medications. You must call your doctor and ask. Personally I don't see any problem in cutting the dose given the description you gave us and the fact the Zoloft tablets are not using a extended release/substained release envelope, but please call your doctor before doing so, I'm not telling you in any way to do that on your own. 25mg is a small amount of Zoloft tho but yeah you might need to increase your dosage slower since everyone is different when it comes to drugs. Some doctors will tell to cut the 25mg in half for a week then take 25mg for another week and see if therapeutic effects can be reach at this dose, if not they may augment to 50mg and 100mg.
Yes, CBT have extremely good outcome for your problem, it is the favored therapy for social phobias. Normally you start with with the therapies not the medications. Non-invasive methods first then if they fail, invasive methods.
M4
Yes, CBT have extremely good outcome for your problem, it is the favored therapy for social phobias. Normally you start with with the therapies not the medications. Non-invasive methods first then if they fail, invasive methods.
M4
Thanks for your answer. That's reassuring that what I experienced was perfectly normal.
I would love to talk to my doctor about reducing the dosage but it's week-end so I'll have to wait a few days before being able to meet him.
In the meantime, I have a hard time convincing myself to take 25 mg again. I'd rather try to take a smaller dose for now because the discomfort was a bit too much to handle for me. May be 12.5 mg or less until I can talk to my physician. After all I haven't taken the pill for months, I just took it once, so I suppose I may not have withdrawal issues by reducing the dosage right now.
I understand benzos are not for long term and I've taken them for a week (just 1 pill, half the dosage recommend by my doctor). I'm planning to stop today on Clonazepam.
I'll also never was aware of therapies like the ones mentioned by Paxiled, my doctor didn't tell me about them. And that's certainly something I'd like to try since I prefer to stay drug free if possible.
But my immediate concern is to reduce the Zoloft dose so I can tolerate it until I see my doctor.
I would love to talk to my doctor about reducing the dosage but it's week-end so I'll have to wait a few days before being able to meet him.
In the meantime, I have a hard time convincing myself to take 25 mg again. I'd rather try to take a smaller dose for now because the discomfort was a bit too much to handle for me. May be 12.5 mg or less until I can talk to my physician. After all I haven't taken the pill for months, I just took it once, so I suppose I may not have withdrawal issues by reducing the dosage right now.
I understand benzos are not for long term and I've taken them for a week (just 1 pill, half the dosage recommend by my doctor). I'm planning to stop today on Clonazepam.
I'll also never was aware of therapies like the ones mentioned by Paxiled, my doctor didn't tell me about them. And that's certainly something I'd like to try since I prefer to stay drug free if possible.
But my immediate concern is to reduce the Zoloft dose so I can tolerate it until I see my doctor.
You're absolutely right, it was a misprint, it's 0.5 mg that I have been taking.
I didn't try therapy, I just talked to my physician who suggested the drugs I've currently started with the feelings I described.
Concerning beta-blockants, that's a spot-on suggestion since I've seen a cardiologist who said that if the missed beats bothered me too much, I could come back to him for light beta-blockant therapy. And I also I didn't know they have property on social phobias and anxiety benefits, I should document myself about this, thanks for the lead.
I have the sense that Zoloft is like trying to kill a fly with a hammer.
Next I will talk to my doctor about referring me to a therapist for exposure and CBT (I just looked it up on Google).
I didn't try therapy, I just talked to my physician who suggested the drugs I've currently started with the feelings I described.
Concerning beta-blockants, that's a spot-on suggestion since I've seen a cardiologist who said that if the missed beats bothered me too much, I could come back to him for light beta-blockant therapy. And I also I didn't know they have property on social phobias and anxiety benefits, I should document myself about this, thanks for the lead.
I have the sense that Zoloft is like trying to kill a fly with a hammer.
Next I will talk to my doctor about referring me to a therapist for exposure and CBT (I just looked it up on Google).
Oh, and you said clonazepam 50mg. I assume that's a misprint. That's a colossal dose.
It is perfectly normal to have side-effects the first time you take a new medication, especially antidepressants. Your description doesn't sound like a bad reaction to the medication or an allergy, if you have trouble breathing, have rashes and other really bad symptoms it means it's a bad reaction or allergic reaction and you must tell your doctor immediately and stop. Your system gotta adapt to them. Most people have the ''starting a new drug'' side-effect for more or less one week. There's also a therapeutic lag with antidepressant which means it can take up to 4 weeks for the Zoloft to work.
I think the strategy your doctor is using is first calm you down with clonazepam until the Zoloft become efficient or until you find a medication that is right for you. Once therapeutic effects from the antidepressant are felt your doctor might want to wean you off clonazepam. Clonazepam like all benzodiazepines are addictive and extremely hard to come off, generally doctor want to avoid chronic use of benzodiazepines to treat anxiety and try if an antidepressant can work before giving you clonazepam TIP or twice daily. You will also develop a tolerance to clonazepam which mean you would need to increase your dose to get the same therapeutic effects, this is another reason with chronic benzodiazepines use is not recommend and used when antidepressants and other methods fail.
A medication that will act as a muscle relaxant and will not cause tolerance is baclofen. The con is its short half-life which means you use it TIP.
Do not cut your Zoloft dose or change anything with your medications without talking to your doctor first.
The information here is for informational purpose only. Any change in your medication whether it be a supplement or prescription drug should be addressed with a qualified physician.
M4
I think the strategy your doctor is using is first calm you down with clonazepam until the Zoloft become efficient or until you find a medication that is right for you. Once therapeutic effects from the antidepressant are felt your doctor might want to wean you off clonazepam. Clonazepam like all benzodiazepines are addictive and extremely hard to come off, generally doctor want to avoid chronic use of benzodiazepines to treat anxiety and try if an antidepressant can work before giving you clonazepam TIP or twice daily. You will also develop a tolerance to clonazepam which mean you would need to increase your dose to get the same therapeutic effects, this is another reason with chronic benzodiazepines use is not recommend and used when antidepressants and other methods fail.
A medication that will act as a muscle relaxant and will not cause tolerance is baclofen. The con is its short half-life which means you use it TIP.
Do not cut your Zoloft dose or change anything with your medications without talking to your doctor first.
The information here is for informational purpose only. Any change in your medication whether it be a supplement or prescription drug should be addressed with a qualified physician.
M4
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