Fred1976
05-25-2004, 09:45 AM
I was wondering if anyone here has any advice on Zoloft? I've been on 25mg for about 10 days. Felt a little better but still nervous at night and in morning. When I went to the next level 50mg(after 7 days on starter pack) I felt very anxious 3 hours after taking it. Also the next morning I was very anxoius. So the next day I just did 25mg, that was 2 days ago. Now I'm feeling more anxoius more often. Should I go back to 50mg and try to get through it? My DR did give me some Valium also, only take them at night to get to sleep. Any suggestions or advice would be greaty appreciated. Thanks!
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abbygirl2
05-25-2004, 05:08 PM
I had the same reaction to Paxil, it made me extremely anxious. I just shook with nervouseness all day. I finally quit it and started Zoloft which thank goodness the jitters are gone now. It could be that Zoloft just isn't the drug for you. You may have to take it for awhile as I have heard that sometimes you can have these sorts of symptoms in the beginning. I would give it some more time and stay at a regular dose.
Hope this helps
Abby
Hope this helps
Abby
Fred1976
05-26-2004, 09:19 AM
Thanks for your information! This is the 2nd day on 50mg and I am nervous and shakey. My chest feels tight when I move a certain way and sometimes a sharp pain will shoot through it also. I feel tense and tight a lot of the time. Does this sound like a side effect? I have a follow up appointment next week with dr. Also, I'm supposed to close on our new home tomorrow and then we have to move. Do you think all this is stress related? :confused:
zekat
05-26-2004, 10:09 AM
honestly, it all sounds like anxiety. Possibly the move with the starting of a med. It takes a while for the med to really do it's job. did your dr give you any xanax or valium to help with starting the med? That helps, because often the anxiety increases before it decreases. I probably wouldn't switch back and forth witht the dosages though. If the 25mg wasn't enough, then you should start and stick with 50mg. If after a 2 weeks or so on 50 your still having severe side-effects with no relief from anxiety, then it's probably time to switch to a different medicine. As much as it sucks, you really do have to give the dosages enough time to have an effect. Just hang in there -- I know how hard it is to be patient when your an anxious person, but that's what it takes - a little patience ;)
Fred1976
05-26-2004, 10:24 AM
Thanks for your feedback. On the 25mg I felt better after 7 days. Upping to the 50mg is what has made me more anxious. I'm going to try it for a few more days to see if it begins to slow down. I have some Valium(2mg) but I only take it at night to get to sleep. In the mornings I feel a bit out of it until about 10 or 11am. That's about the time I take the Zoloft and 2 hours later I'm all hyped up again. I'm really concerned about the tightness of my left side/chest area. That really scares me and also the sharp pains. It doesn'e happed all the time. Just some of the time. Sometimes I can just feel how tight that area is. I'm almost positive it's related to anxiety but sometimes it's hard to convince myself. My dr checked me out and took lots of blood and has found nothing. She didn't really foucs on my heart, just listened to it in a few spots and checked BP and pulse. I keep thinking that she missed something. Am I just freaking out?
zekat
05-26-2004, 12:16 PM
I'm no doctor, but that would be my guess. You know, I worried so long about my heart and being hypersensitive to every tingle, sharpness, tightness, etc that I finally just gave up. Just threw my hands in the air and said -- if this is a heart attack, it sure has been happening a hell of a long time. It was almost like I wanted to have a heart attack just to get the dang thing over with. I think I reached my boiling point with anxiety and panic and finally got pissed. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. The way you stop is is by lifestyle, not worrying about it. I've started working out and that makes me feel a lot better about my heart.
I watched my dad have a heart attack and there was no doubt about it, ya know - he was pale, sick to his stomach and in real pain. We sit here and go "is it, isn't it, what's that". I think when it's the real deal, you know it is. I know that's not always the case and there are rarities where people were like "i had no idea until...", but that's not the majority AND, they seem to live to tell about it. I'm rambling, but I really want to help you not worry so much about it. If you have a family history of heart problems, you smoke, don't exercise and eat poorly, you may have something to worry about -- if your under 40 your probably no in any immediate danger and need to work on lifestyle. However, if your a fairly heathly guy with no family history, you need to keep reminding yourself of that -- also, your PCP didn't seem to think your BP was high and THAT'S GOOD!!
Also -- sharp pains on the left side can be contributed to a lot of thing -- think about the positions you sit in all day, do you work with your hands? What about when you sleep, do you sleep on your side? It's possible your back is out of allignment or your neck. Just because your left side is tight and sharp doesn't mean it's your heart. Just keep that in mind. Keep your chin up and keep fighting. The zoloft is going to help and you really will get better!! :)
oh yeah -- do your "heart symptoms" get better after you take the Valium at night?
I watched my dad have a heart attack and there was no doubt about it, ya know - he was pale, sick to his stomach and in real pain. We sit here and go "is it, isn't it, what's that". I think when it's the real deal, you know it is. I know that's not always the case and there are rarities where people were like "i had no idea until...", but that's not the majority AND, they seem to live to tell about it. I'm rambling, but I really want to help you not worry so much about it. If you have a family history of heart problems, you smoke, don't exercise and eat poorly, you may have something to worry about -- if your under 40 your probably no in any immediate danger and need to work on lifestyle. However, if your a fairly heathly guy with no family history, you need to keep reminding yourself of that -- also, your PCP didn't seem to think your BP was high and THAT'S GOOD!!
Also -- sharp pains on the left side can be contributed to a lot of thing -- think about the positions you sit in all day, do you work with your hands? What about when you sleep, do you sleep on your side? It's possible your back is out of allignment or your neck. Just because your left side is tight and sharp doesn't mean it's your heart. Just keep that in mind. Keep your chin up and keep fighting. The zoloft is going to help and you really will get better!! :)
oh yeah -- do your "heart symptoms" get better after you take the Valium at night?
Fred1976
05-26-2004, 01:04 PM
Thanks brandekristene for your information and advice. It is really appreciated and I seem to feel better after writing about it. Then I get nervous again. I'm 27 years old and have got my wieght down to 175. When all this anxiety started I was at 205. I haven't been to a doctor since high school and that was for a physical. Probably not a smart way to go. Anyway, I went after I got tired of being edgy all the time and being nervous all the time. My heart would race and only bad thoughts go through my mind. After going to the Instant Care, I felt better. The dr there took my vitals, looked at me and talked about my family history. She said it was anxety. She gave me some Ambien to sleep and set me up with a PCP. They also took about 3 viles of blood and ran tests to rule out other causes(thyroid I suppose). 2 days later I went to my PCP and she also checked me out, listened to my heart and pushed and prodded me a little bit. BP and pulse were ok. She gave me Wellbutrin to try. I went almost a month and then decided to try the Wellbutrin. Within 3 days I was all messed up, heart beating hard very anxious. I quit taking this, went back again and she gave me Zoloft. That's what I'm on now and after about 10 days I'm getting anxoius again. Yesterday I felt like my heart skipped a beat, this caused me to get really nervous again.
I walk about 2 miles a day at a brisk pace. I also mow about 4 yards a week for neighbors as well. I sit in a chair all day long at work in front of a computer and my posture sucks. I try to get up and walk every couple of hours.
My Dad died of cardiovasular disease two years ago. He was a diabetic and was 63 when he died. He was a nervous person as well. he served in Vietnam and was exposed to Agent Orange. A lot of his health problems can be linked to Agent Orange. Also lost my grandmother to a stroke 2 years ago at 81. She had panic attacks and heart disease at about 65 years of age. My mom is very healthy with allergies as her only main problem. As you can see I have some concern about heart disease, but I feel that my family problems were due to age and overall condition.
I do not smoke and gave up my beer also. The Valium calms me down but then I fall asleep within an hour. I tried to take 1mg during the day but it did not seem to affect me that much. What do you think I should try to do at this point? I've just about had it with all of this. Thanks for listening to my story and my rambling.
I walk about 2 miles a day at a brisk pace. I also mow about 4 yards a week for neighbors as well. I sit in a chair all day long at work in front of a computer and my posture sucks. I try to get up and walk every couple of hours.
My Dad died of cardiovasular disease two years ago. He was a diabetic and was 63 when he died. He was a nervous person as well. he served in Vietnam and was exposed to Agent Orange. A lot of his health problems can be linked to Agent Orange. Also lost my grandmother to a stroke 2 years ago at 81. She had panic attacks and heart disease at about 65 years of age. My mom is very healthy with allergies as her only main problem. As you can see I have some concern about heart disease, but I feel that my family problems were due to age and overall condition.
I do not smoke and gave up my beer also. The Valium calms me down but then I fall asleep within an hour. I tried to take 1mg during the day but it did not seem to affect me that much. What do you think I should try to do at this point? I've just about had it with all of this. Thanks for listening to my story and my rambling.