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1533352 tn?1307054656

Sister's Depression - Can Zoloft make you sleep too much?


My 25 year old younger sister who lives at home has struggled with depression and other health issues off and on for the past several years, and about two months ago she finally agreed to start regularly taking medication for her depression. She was prescribed Zoloft, which she has been on for 6 or 7 weeks, and now she is sleeping at least 14-15 hours a day.

  Is it possible that the Zoloft could be making her sleep this much?


Its really getting in the way of her making it to her job working as a cashier at Lane Bryant. She's been there almost a year and she claims that she still totally loves her job, so I dont think its job-stress related. I cant think of any other particular change in her life besides the Zoloft that would cause her to start sleeping 15 hrs a day. Health Wise: She's had asthma most her life, but its been fine lately; she's probably put on an extra 20 lbs this past year or so, but she claims it doesnt bother her; She's been a diabetic since she was a teenager, but she is usually reasonably good at moderating her bloodsugar; She still smokes around a pack a day or so, but everyone in our family has basically always smoked so thats nothing new; She's also still dating the same semi-cute auto-mechanic guy that she's been sorta-dating off-and-on for the past year or so, and thats going ok as far as anyone knows. I can't figure out what else there could be that make her go from sleeping 8 hrs a day like most people to sleeping 15 hrs a day for the past two months.

Can Zoloft make her feel like she needs to constantly sleep like this? Is that normal?
  
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1535467 tn?1342231670
I forgot to add, before there were anti-depressants , doctors use to sleep deprive people with excellent results. Before I started AD therapy, this was my only tool for fighting depression. If she can limit her sleep to 4-5 hrs a night, may see a notable improvement until she gets the meds straightened out :)
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1535467 tn?1342231670
It definitely can. You  have to weigh the benefits and side affects. If she is too sleepy she may need a different medication. Some doctors may prescribe stimulants in conjunction with the Zoloft, depends on circumstances.
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Avatar universal
Sorry my bad, I got them confused with my sleeping pills.

I have been on those anti-depressants, as well as how many other pills, they didn't really work for me, they didn't make me sleep.

I've notcied that people with depression either sleep too much or not much at all, I don't sleep that much.

Sorry again about misreading your post, just woke up!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hiya,

I'm new here.

I have those sleeping pills, I don't take them very often, just when I really need them, but when I do I just sleep the normal amount of hours as usual but I tend to sleep a lot better than normal.

Kerrie
Helpful - 0
1541754 tn?1294331420

That does sounds like an unusual amount of sleeping, she should probably see her doctor, because it could be that her depression is getting worse. It might also be the holidays contributing to bringing her down, the holiday blues happens to alot of people this time of year, myself included; and for folks with depression sometimes it can be just enough extra to set back her recovery. Hope your sister gets to feeling better soon.
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Avatar universal
It can cause drowsiness, but not to the point of excessive sleeping, but depression will make you want to sleep like this. I think she truly needs to contact her doctor regarding this, because "no" it isn't normal. Her Zoloft is just now reaching it's full therapeutic level in her system and you say she's been sleeping like this for 2 months?  Her doctor needs to know about this as Zoloft may not be helping her, or causing this side effect.  We all react differently to these types of medications, but she needs to keep her doctor aware of any changes in how she is feeling.  Depression robs us of everything, and we reach a point of not caring about anything, I think this is where your sister is. Plus, make sure she is taking care of her diabetes because it can also keep her tired.  You're a wonderful sister for wanting to help her out! She could use therapy as well, so if she isn't in therapy you may want to suggest it.  Often our depression has a root cause, usually something traumatic from our past which we never dealt with and have forgotten.  It comes back to haunt us in the form of depression and/or anxiety.  Therapy can help her discover if this is the case, deal with it, and move on. They can also help her in many other ways. I wish her all the best, and take care.
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