Zoloft for anxiety

[BagheeraKat]

Hi, I've never posted on any site before so I'm pretty nervous about it. Back in November 2012 I got really sick with H1N1 and ended up in the hospital for the evening. I was bed ridden for a month. Following my illness and the death of my daughter's best friends mother I developed symptoms of POTS due to my heart being deconditioned from bed rest for so long. My heart would jump to 160+bpm just from standing. I developed SEVERE health anxiety which led to a full blown mental breakdown and 40lbs weight loss in just over a month. I couldn't eat or sleep for over 3 weeks. I finally ended up in the er. My doctor then put me on Zoloft. I did not have POTS by the way. I started at 25mg for a week and then 50mg for a month and then 75mg for another month up to 100mg where I stayed for 3 months. I got better and went back down to 50mg and then quit altogether after 8 months of treatment. I did great. No problems at all. Fast forward to October 2015 and I got a back injury followed by a health scare after an affair while I was separated in summer 2014. Found out I was pregnant and diagnosed with ectopic though it turned out to be a blighted ovum. My health anxiety is freaking unreal again. Lost 23lbs. Couldn't eat or sleep again. I asked to be put back on Zoloft again. I took 25mg the first night and then took 50mg for several days. Then upped to 75mg for 11 nights and tonight upped again to 100mg. This is my 23rd night on Zoloft. My start up symptoms mainly anxiety I compare to what hell must be like. I had some good days and two days ago the anxiety hit me again. :( I feel like this will never end. Looking for support which I rarely due as for fear of rejection.

[Paxiled]

In that case, just be patient -- this might not be the drug for you at this time, but only time will tell that -- probably 4-6 weeks to tell for sure if it'll work and if the side effects will be tolerable.  Here's hoping it helps you get to where you want to go, but if it doesn't, there are other meds out there that might.  

[BagheeraKat]

I'm no longer pregnant. They had to induce miscarriage. There was never a baby. Empty gestational sac. I'm looking into therapy, but already pay 1k a month for insurance that won't cover anything anxiety or depression related. I don't plan on more children and am addressing the underlying causes of this anxiety. I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder at 15 years old. I'm nearly 39 now. I lived in peace from panic/anxiety for 20 years before the first episode in 2012. I have a very stressful life which doesn't help. The past four years have been especially rough. The Zoloft is to get me through again until the issues are resolved so I can actually function on a daily basis.

[Paxiled]

Well, my advice is, since your problem isn't chronic but related to specific health scares that are real, I'd have tried therapy instead of drugs, especially if you're pregnant.  You just need to learn to better deal with real things that are happening, and medication won't teach you anything, it will only hopefully tamp down the symptoms but then you're on a medication.  Have you tried or considered therapy to solve this way of thinking when you're in a bad situation?