Hi, I used to take zoloft for panic/anxiety attacks (mostly anxiety cause the panic went away 2 weeks after taking zoloft)... Anyway, I did not have asthma then nor had I ever till a few months after I got off of zoloft. I was looking at my diary and it seems i must have been off zoloft for a LOT shorter time that I thought (another side effect of zoloft -bad memory). Anyway, I developed adult onset asthma. I smoked for 10 years and have stopped since this. I feel that my asthma came on though due to getting bronchitis once a year for a couple of years then getting pneumonia that lasted for 2 whole months which I'm sure did some damage to my lungs, then right before the 1st asthma attack, I was in a closed bathroom cleaning it with bleach for a long time to the point I had bleach taste and smell up my nose and in mouth all day and night, I had also sanded a wood floor and some drywall and been changing vent fliters all around the same time (STUPID me) then wham! I now have asthma.
My point here about the zoloft though is this:
When I started zoloft the doc said to take at night... WELL, let me tell you! If you don't eat a good sized meal before you take it or if you lay down too soon after taking zoloft you will get horrible heart burn like lava coming up into your chest and mouth. Even to this day I have never had such a burn. Had I fell asleep before that happened, I'm sure it would have gotten into my lungs and caused problems there with the breathing as gerd can even be the cause of asthma in some people. My doc and I are trying to figure out if that is what my cause is right now but who knows.... My numbers were a little lower than he said he would like to see... Anyway, I changed to taking my zoloft in the morning after I ate and I did not have any issues with gerd at all after that.
So, if you are suddenly having bigger problems with asthma right after starting zoloft, that very well could be why (acid reflux).
If you can, make sure to take your zoloft maybe 10 minutes after you eat a good sized meal and also, at least 2 or 3 hours before you plan on going to bed or laying down and this should help with the reflux/acid issues. It might take a little while to get fully back to normal (time for the lungs to heal from the burning of the acid getting into them) but once they do, your sudden issues with asthma should subside. I'm not a doc though... so always ask your doctor to be sure.... That was just my personal experience with zoloft, asthma and reflux............
Good luck and hope you feel better!
