Starting Zoloft

[Shenbeam]

I'm on my 7th day of 25mg Zoloft and it has been such a difficult week. For the first several nights I had panic attacks within an hour of taking the med. I was ok for a couple of more days but then it started again. I've recently been diagnosed with PVC's but the panic attacks and heightened anxiety this week is almost unbearable, making the PVC's soooo intense... have been to the ER twice already this week. At times I've been feeling dizzy, weak, trembling, and honestly feel like I'm going out of my mind. I know everyone reacts differently but is this normal? I'm very med sensitive and terrified to increase to the prescribed 50 mg.

[remar]

We can have lots of side effects when starting a new med. Some of us have none, others have few, while other have a lot of them. I've found that with most of the AD's I've been on the side effects get better within a week or so.
Have you ever been on an AD before? I'm wondering too if your Dr can give you something for the anxiety until the Zoloft starts working.
If it were me, I would not up my dose for awhile. I would stay on this dose to see how I do. This is just my opinion. If you feel like you can not tolerate this med you can always stop and try something else.
What ever you decide to do I hope you feel better. I know the first week is the worst and can be just awful.

[Shenbeam]

Thanks Remar! I had been on AD's in the past, a number of years ago, and don't recall this much heightened anxiety. I'm 37 and had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer 2 years ago... that has been resolved but I think that I'm much too "body sensitive" since then... it was only upon my insistance that the cancer was found. Now when I feel strange sensations in my body it worries me and becomes hard to handle. Maybe that's why the side effects of comstarting this AD are so intense, because I'm hyper aware of new feeling caused by the med... but I just can turn it off. Over the past few months I have developed PVC's and can feel every flutter, skipped heartbeat and flip-flop in my chest when they're intense, adding to my anxiety/panic... The Zoloft seems to be making them worse (or could be the increased anxiety... I just don't know anymore).
I like your suggestion about staying on my current dose for awhile :) Don't think I can handle an increase right now, maybe in another week or so.