i'm starting zoloft today. i am so scared. i never take meds. i just cant function any more. does anyone know how long it takes to work?

i been on it for a week soo far and it is working i hear the first 2 weeks r the hardest soo far it just makes me tired everyday at 5pm i start wanting to pass out for the night i still have my high sex drive

I felt relief within 3-4 days, but it can take a few weeks to feel the full effects. If you're not feeling better in 2 weeks, I'd call your doctor/practitioner. I hope you start feeling better soon. :hug

Within days for me. The side effects of going on it (fatigue, nausea) lasted for a week or so. I kept getting better and better mentally as the weeks went on.

i'm starting zoloft today. i am so scared. i never take meds. i just cant function any more. does anyone know how long it takes to work?


I've been on and off for about 5 years. I'm told it takes about 2-3 weeks to notice a difference...but after I've started taking it I notice an immediate (1-2 days) change. Don't be scared. Be glad. It's going to help and you will be so much better. It's going to be ok...it really will.

I took zoloft after my dd was born and then again 3 yrs later after one of my m/c's. Both times I think it took a good 2 wks before I felt the dark cloud lift. Those first 2 wks I felt pretty crappy - mostly tired and some headaches. But it did go away and then I felt SO much better. Give it a little time.

Thank you all for your replies. I feel like there is some hope for me. mY biggest fear is that I will go crazy and not be able to care for my kids. I hope I got help in time.

I found that I gradually felt better, starting after a few days of starting.

Oh honey...I totally felt exactly the same way. I'm sure that I said the exact same thing when my anxiety was the worst. I couldn't imagine feeling any better and I do now. I feel tons better....

Please just hang in there and know that it will get better soon.

Thank you all for your replies. I feel like there is some hope for me. mY biggest fear is that I will go crazy and not be able to care for my kids. I hope I got help in time.


You're reaching out now. Good for you! You've taken the initiative to get better and be a better mom for your kids. How are you doing?

I guess I'm doing OK. I just have these bouts of extreme anxiety where I think I'm going crazy and I just want to push the STOP button and then times where I feel fine.
Did anyone else ever feel shakey the first few days o Zoloft? Also, everyone talkes about how "if you can get through the first two weeks"....can you tell me what I have to look forward to (feeling better wise) after the first two weeks?

I guess I'm doing OK. I just have these bouts of extreme anxiety where I think I'm going crazy and I just want to push the STOP button and then times where I feel fine.
Did anyone else ever feel shakey the first few days o Zoloft? Also, everyone talkes about how "if you can get through the first two weeks"....can you tell me what I have to look forward to (feeling better wise) after the first two weeks?

Yes, I did feel shaky - I also noticed a difference with brands - I don't know if you got generic or not, but the blue oval generics made me a bit shaky, so my DH told me to ask for the yellow little pills, and those have been much better

The shakiness did wear off after the first week, but I notice a difference with the yellow pills. It's the manufacturer, so I don't know what they do differently. Anyway, after a few weeks, I just felt more rested and calm, it didn't bother me so much I was getting enough sleep, and I stopped yelling at my DH. And I felt happy, like excited about doing stuff and I laughed a lot more. I guess I felt more like me. And I could make decisions easier.

Hope you feel better soon, I was on zoloft 4 months after DD was born, and then I had to back on theme recently now that she is 18 months,

Shakiness is very normal until your body adjusts. You may have increased anxiety or the feeling of heart palpitations for a while, too. But this will go away within two weeks. Your psychiatrist should have told you all of this ahead of time.

It is normal to feel tired, jumpy, nauseous, hungry, have diarrhea or be constipated while starting. It is all very individual... oh and it's normal to have trouble sleeping or to want to sleep all the time. All very normal. It will level out and you will feel so great in the coming weeks.

You asked what you will feel like in 2 weeks or less. Yourself. You will wake up one morning and feel like, "now, what was I so worried about?" Or you will realize that what you have been anxious about, you do not need to be.

Are you in therapy? You really should be in therapy for PPD, also. A therapist can teach you coping skills and help you understand what is going on.

thanks everyone...i'm feeling a bit better today--day 4, i feel like i count the minutes in the day until i'm feeling better.

thank you for starting this thread. i am planning on asking my dr about putting me on Zoloft. i have tried all the natural alternatives, and nothing is pulling me out of the black hole. 5htp keeps me from killing myself but i dont feel happy. i am still depressed, just not suicidal.
so, two weeks of hell for really happiness? i feel like sometimes i cant even remember what happy feels like. i dont remember "myself" so turning back into myself sounds so foreign, cause i dont know who that is anymore.
in fact i worry that who i am IS depression.
i have ppd, as well as BiPolar. so i am doubly fecked up.
Emily, please keep us updated. i'd love to know how its helping you.

Sleepymamabear,

PLEASE stop taking the 5HTP for at least 2 weeks before starting the zoloft. You risk something called serotonin syndrome, which is very scary and could be deadly.

5HTP should never be taken while nursing, either, just for the record.

Please go and see your doctor and tell them what you have been taking and get advice on going off it before you start the zoloft.

You. Will. Feel. Better. On the zoloft. It really helped me and so many moms here.

we(my ND and i) checked Hales, its safe.
but i will stop taking it before taking Zoloft.
my Dr put me on 5htp. i am sure she will know how to get me off.

If your doctor is a naturopath, I would highly suggest going to an MD. I psychiatrist, before going on zoloft and checking how to wean off of 5HTP.

Last I checked, Hale did not approve of 5HTP. I have the most recent book and can check what it says, but I know that Julia Ross, who is a huge advocate of 5HTP for depression, says NOT to use it while breastfeeding.

Just be really careful, please.

From Hale:

THis author does NOT recommend the use of L-tryptophan or 5-HTP supplementation in breastfeeding mothers until we know corresponding milk levels.

Also from Hale:

5HTP is category L 3.

ALSO FROM HALE:

We do not know if supplementation with 5HTP could produce milk levels leading to overdose in the infant.

A bit too scary for me to consider it "safe," especially when there are so many safe alternatives, like zoloft, which we know for a fact do not get into milk in detectible levels.

seeing as i make MAYBE 5 oz of milk on a GOOD day (bfar mama) and my ND and i have discussed it at length, i am comfortable taking it since it keeps me from jumping off the overpass and leaving my children without a mother.
plus, my baby is a 28lb, 15 month old, not so much an infant anymore. and Vicodin is also an L3, but that is also still prescribed often to nursing mothers.
i AM going to go get on Zoloft, my ND and i agreed that if i wasnt able to get out of the depression with 5htp, EFAs, Bvites, etc, that she would agree to put me on Zoloft.
you know, it maybe me the crazies due to depression talking, but i feel like your typing tone is really harsh towards me. i feel like i am being attacked.

Oh gosh. I am not attacking you at all, but I do remember feeling like that. Depression can make you feel like everyone is against you. I am not at all. I was emphasizing the above for any other moms reading here so that they knew the risks before taking 5htp.

I am so glad you are going for zoloft. Take it from someone who has been there, you will be so happy that you did.

Well, today is day six on Zoloft. Overall I feel a lot better. I just can't help but worry that I will backslide--the panic feeling is something I don't want to ever feel again. Is this pretty much as good as it gets or does the medication keep making you less and less anxious?

You will get so much better, the meds take 6 weeks for FULL effect. Just hang in there.

Thank you. You all have totally saved my life this past week with your posts. I wish I could bake you all cookies and give you a hug!

i talked to my ND today, got a referal to a nurse practitioner for zoloft.
we also talked about seratonin overload syndrome, and she feels very comfortable with me taking 5htp up til the day before i start zoloft, and then to slowly wean onto the zoloft. she has had many patients do just that and never has there been a problem, only one time did any patient have a seratonin overload and thats when he came to her as a new patient on way too much paxil (but no 5htp)
i got some acupuncture to help me out for a lil while til i get on the zoloft.
i cant wait to start feeling better!

I went on if after DS #2 - one think i will tell you is dont ever stop taking it cold turkey!!!!!!! you really need to wean yourself off it when and if your ready.
I made that mistake myself e ven though my dr told me it was safe to take should i get preggo again i didnt want to take it. So when just up and decided to try for #3 i just stopped taking the Zoloft - wow did i regret that... i had MAJOR withdrawl issues. I actually read somewhere that going cold turkey off it was compared to going cold turkey off heroine - i totally empathize was drug atticts now. it was horrible.
i had the shakes and i would get this electrical shock feelings in my brain...

however - when on it it was good... it did take me some time to adjust to it though - about a month or so - just had small tremors and what not.

i will be looking at goign back onto it after i have this baby but am hoping that since i was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism this time around that those meds are going to help me with my depression as well.

GOOD LUCK

Well, today is day six on Zoloft. Overall I feel a lot better. I just can't help but worry that I will backslide--the panic feeling is something I don't want to ever feel again. Is this pretty much as good as it gets or does the medication keep making you less and less anxious?


Oh, big ((((hugs))))! I'm so glad you're starting to feel better. The first time I had PPD, I resisted meds for quite a while. When I finally decided to give in, I stated that it felt like there were lead weights around my ankles that had finally been lifted! I was so happy to be rejoining the living.

Give the Zoloft a little time to get into your system before you evaluate it for effectiveness. Talk to your doctor, but I'd probably give it 4-6 weeks, just like a pp said. If you still don't feel completely up to par, don't hesitate to talk to your doctor about slowly increasing your dosage a little at a time until you get the right dose for you. Sometimes it can be a journey of trial and error trying to find the correct antidepressant in the correct dosage.

In the meantime, keep talking and processing your feelings. If you can afford it, talk therapy is a wonderful tool to help process matters and find some solutions. A combo of both meds and talk therapy have been shown time and again to be the most effective. Of course, most insurance doesn't pay for much when it comes to counseling. But it's worth checking it out.

Once again, I'm so glad you're starting to feel better. I'm so proud of you for stepping up and getting help!! :love You're such a good mommy!!

I just have to update everyone. I am FEELING AWESOME. Not high or low---just me. I feel so relieved and blessed that caught it when I did. THank you allfor your help. You are amazing!

yes! oh Emily i am SO gladd for you!!!!

:thumb

ok. i've been doing really well for the last 4 days and now i feel like i'm backsliding a little today. i was so excited about getting 100% better. i am still day 11 of zoloft. should i up my dose? obviously not w/o talking to my doctor and midwife but i cant talk to them until monday...is the backsliding during the first two weeks normal?

ok. i've been doing really well for the last 4 days and now i feel like i'm backsliding a little today. i was so excited about getting 100% better. i am still day 11 of zoloft. should i up my dose? obviously not w/o talking to my doctor and midwife but i cant talk to them until monday...is the backsliding during the first two weeks normal?

Oh sweetie. I'm sorry you're having a tough time today. What's going on?

Its nothing like it was last week....just a little down and I have had a couple little mini anxiety attacks--not really attacks, just that sweaty prickly feeling for a couple seconds...and I've been tired all day. I think its normal, I guess i just need to hear someone else say that it is!

Its nothing like it was last week....just a little down and I have had a couple little mini anxiety attacks--not really attacks, just that sweaty prickly feeling for a couple seconds...and I've been tired all day. I think its normal, I guess i just need to hear someone else say that it is!

From what you're saying, it sounds like you feel it's a normal progression and you've improved. I'd maybe give it a few more days and see. Even on an antidepressant you're still going to fight normal emotions at times. The key is to not feel so horrible *all* the time. Keep us updated through the weekend so I don't worry about you, would you?? :o

Totally normal to have some "breakthrough" anxiety like that. What you are going to do now is, through therapy, to learn how to overcome those. And what you will learn is, that you CAN. I think your dose is fine, I would not up it until after at least a month on the same dose.

Just popping in to say that I am doing so well. i think yeseterday was just a little anomoly. ANyway, this feels so good to be myself again. Thanks for your support. I'll keep you updated...but today was the first day that I think i could say I was 100% better...I know I still have a ways to go--but I feel ready to tackle it!

:joy::joy::joy::joy:

Yay!! So happy for you!! :thumb

well, i feel like i have backslide slowly and today i woke up and realized that i am super depressed again. my mw thinks i should up to 75mgs but i am so afraid of the side effects that i had when i started...has anyone uped from 50 to 75 and had bad side effects?

The side effects would not be bad, probably. Maybe some headaches, just slight. It should not be bad at all. If you need it, do it. 75 is still a baby dose.

I would definitely increase your meds. I have been on meds for about 5 months and I still have tough days. Everyone has bad days once in a while, yk. I have recently begun to think I need to increase my meds also. I just wanted to let you know that your not alone...it's really hard to have fluctuations in our moods because it makes us worry we're having a setback or it's going to get bad again. Just try and keep a positive mindset and when you having a bad day, just try to accept and not ruminate too much.

Hugs

The side effects would not be bad, probably. Maybe some headaches, just slight. It should not be bad at all. If you need it, do it. 75 is still a baby dose.


I'm sorry you're having a hard time. With my last baby I started at 25mg and slowly increased all the way to 100 mg. I was on that for about 6 months (should have stayed on a little longer) and now that I'm pregnant I'm on the 25 mg again. You may feel some slight side effects, but it shouldn't be anything like when you first started taking it. Good luck, mama. We all know how crappy depression is and I think it's wonderful that you're being proactive and reaching out to people!

thanks guys... so far just a little nauseous....