zoloft and ppd

[copykitten]

Hello,
I was just diagnoised with ppd and my doctor put me on 25mg of zoloft, increasing it to 50mg in a week. Now I didn't feel depressed presay, but I certainly was anxious. I remembering being treated for depression as a child and how I feel on zoloft is how I felt then. I've been taking it the last two days in the evening. After I take it, I am very aggitated and anxious. I dread going to bed. I must sleep like a log because I never remember taking my baby out of her bassenet to bring her to bed, which scares me cause I feel so asleep. During the day I feel like I just don't care. I don't want to eat, I don't want to change diapers, which is making cloth diapering feel like a chore, but I don't have any sposies in the house for her. I do care for my daughter, still nursing her whenever she feels like it. Can anyone relate to these feelings? Will they go away and I will feel normal again? I'm really tempted to not take my dose tonight because I hate how bad I am feeling. Will I go through withdrawl, even if I have only been on it for 2 days? I just wanted this time to be like when I had my first daughter. Everything has been so scary different. : And it's even raining today.
Thanks for listening.

[tanyalynn]

Did your doc say to take it at night? Some of the SSRIs need to be taken in the morning, they can mess with your sleep. I don't remember if Zoloft is one of them. I took mine in the morning, though.

Zoloft really helped me with my depression, so medication can work, and I felt normal on mine. I felt like it got rid of the negative stuff that was weighing me down, so that I could have my usual energy and interests.

I'm no expert (understatement there), but I wouldn't have thought zoloft would have an effect on your mood one way or another so quickly. But I could be wrong. Maybe start writing down how you feel each day, so you keep good track? Zoloft could be a bad fit for you.

If you don't like the medication approach (or do you just think a different med would work better?), I think there are other ways of dealing with depression that work for some people. But I think that's more of a trial-and-error approach, and I don't know if you feel good enough to do that. But I think whatever way you go, you should give it more time (unless the negatives you mentioned get worse, since sometimes some people have really bad reactions to some of these drugs). That paragraph wasn't a lot of help, I don't think. Sorry.

I think only taking it 2 days, withdrawal wouldn't be an issue. You're still on the taper-up dosage as well.

I'm sorry you're feeling like this. It's a bummer of a time to be feeling bad. Take care.

[rob's_mom]

Hi! I just started zoloft for ppd/anxiety 2 weeks ago. The first couple of days I felt very spacy and sleepy but that goes away...at least it did for me. I take mine at noon and it seems to work out well. I hope you start feeling better soon!

[mom0810]

I would change to the morning to take it. Especially if you nurse a lot at night.

I felt pretty bad the first few days on it, I had awful intestinal problems and could not sleep. But after the first week or so, it gets MUCH better. And after a month, it is GREAT! Just keep with it.

The not eating is your depressionand so is the sleep stuff and anxiety. And the zoloft might bring that out before it makes it better. I ate hardly anything my first week on it. Maybe you'll be one of the ones who loses weight on it?

Anyway, hang in there. I would discuss your concerns with your doctor and maybe stay on the 25 for a bit longer than the first week. I am still on only 25 and doing much better. I found out I was pregnant, so I did not want to go up to 50.

It will be all right.

[CountryMom2e]

Each SSRI can react differently, and with each person in a unique way. I have to take my meds (now on Celexa, had a bad reaction with Zoloft) at about 2 pm but still get completely wired at night. Try taking it in the morning on an empty stomach. Give the meds about 3-4 weeks. If the side effects become unbearable in the meantime, call your doctor. You may find an anti-anxiety med helps, or you may need to try another SSRI. In that case, you may want to see a psychiatrist just for the help with meds. I see mine really as a specialist with PPD/medication, and then I see a therapist to help with the rest. It is a little freaky that I have my own shrink, but it makes sense - if I had thyroid problems I would see an endo, not a GP or my MW so why not mood disorders?

Once you get a good fit the anxiety should lessen a lot and you should never dread sleep. Insomnia is a common pairing with PPD. As you can see, that aspect has never really gone away for me as I am up now typing at almost midnight. I have to take my anti-anxiety (Klonipin) or a Lunesta at night in order to sleep each night. Sucks but at least I sleep.

Hang in there --

[chmmr]

I agree pretty much with all the PP. Most new meds have a bit of an adjustment period and SSRI's meet their max benefit in 4-6 weeks. Many of the symptoms you mention can be a result of the depression/anxiety/ppd itself and not necessarily the zoloft so it is really hard to tell. I also agree with trying to take it in the AM instead of before bed. It can interfere with sleep for some people
Good Luck!!

[SleeplessMommy]

If the 25 mg controlled your issues, there is no need to increase the dosage. You can split the pill and take it at 2 different times during the day, or ask for the extended release meds (higher cost).

Until you get used to the meds and how they work, be very careful with driving.:

[lilysmama1124]

I have been on Zoloft for about 2 months or so. I was feeling exactly how you are feeling now as far as not really wanting to take care of my dd and having anxiety. About a week after that I started having flashes of images of me hurting her. That is when I decided to start Zoloft. They wanted me to start on 25 and go to 50 but since I had been on it on the past and knew that i was sensitive to it I actually started on 12.5 went to 25 then 37.5, three days ago I started on 50 which is the lowest therapeutic dose. This was a risk because it might not have helped me at such a low dose. Fortunately for me it started helping pretty quick-I increase everytime I felt the lack of motivation, anxiety, depression return. I increased to 50 because my anxiety returned and I was having a lot of insomnia again. I started out taking mine at night and just couldn't fall asleep and was really anxious, once I feel asleep i felt completely drugged and out of it- I almost stopped taking it. I switched to morning which has really helped and the spacey feelign went away in about 10 day. This is by no means professional advice but I would stay on the Zoloft for at least a few weeks unless your depression/anxiety gets worse. If the side effects haven't gone away by then maybe you need to switch. I fought getting on meds and really struggled with it. Now that I am on them and feeling better I realize that I would have missed so much of the joy of my dd's first months , I wouldn't have been an effective mother, and I may have ended up unattatched from her.

I also found a psychiatrist because I wanted a specialist. I had a therapist during my pg and she has been great at helping me with ppd. A pp mentioned splitting the dose or finding an extended release- I am pretty sure that Zoloft is meant to be taken once a day and I don't think there is an extended release-she may be thinking of a different med like Wellbutrin-I do agree with her comment that if 25 is helping there is no reason to up the dose. Just ask your provider before changing anything but the time of day you take the med. This is just my story, I am not saying that what is right for me is right for anyone else-maybe meds aren't the answer for you. Hang in there-feel free to pm me if you feel like you need support and keep open communication with you friends and family and care providers!