I think some of you here have been taking zoloft or tried it. What are your experiences with it?

Psychiatrist just prescribed it to me. He was a bit disbelieving at first that I even had a question that it was stress that caused the inner ear and panic/anxiety stuff. I guess after telling him what happened and the order in which it happened, it does seem fairly obvious...

Either way, I need to get rid of the anxiety/panic in order to get the stress to stop. I'm a little hesitant to take it..

Hi Sipa,

I actually started on Zoloft.. It made me quite anxious and jittery.. I since then moved to Lexapro which I think has been better for me.. My mother (who is a psychiatrist) says that this drug is mostly used to calm anxiety while being an SSRI. I think it has worked well for me.

But I know others who have tried zoloft and said it works for them. I myself had that butterfly in the stomach feeling most of the time I was on it...
Just watch your reaction to the drug... Some say you have to stick it out, and the adverse reactions will go..... But you be the judge... try to realize that if you do feel something it just may be the side effect... I myself kept going back and forth saying yes no, etc...

Well, I guess I'll try it. At this point I NEED to do something, it just can't go on like this.

I was put on lexapro a year ago. Took it for one week and felt so miserable on it that I just quit. I was either sleeping (15+ hrs a day) and when I was awake.. pure misery; extreme nausea, depressed, feeling sick as hell.

That's part of the reason I'm so hesitant.

I've been reading a booklet he gave me on panic disorder, and I have to say that's quite interesting. Has a section on cognitive behavior therapy on it. It addresses a lot of what quite a few of us here are dealing with.. being scared to do things, increased anxiety while doing them, etc. Basically the theme appears to be to NOT avoid those things, and gives tips on how to make it through.

I'm going to start that, I think. There are things that definitely make me more anxious and I *have* been avoiding those. Guess it's time to go face em. :)


(sorry if this is all a bit disorganized. My thoughts are kinda jumbled from that appointment; was pretty intense. sigh)

Edited slightly to make a bit more sense, I hope... it's all a bit fuzzy right now, lol.

Everyone is different...you could do great on it. Give it a try, and see how it works for you. You can adjust to many side effects over a short while.

Chin up.

Everyone is different...you could do great on it

Charlotte is very right. I often try and compair myself with others who have tried things but everyone is different. I had an absolutely horrible time on the zoloft while Howie benefited greatly from zoloft.



At this point I NEED to do something, it just can't go on like this.



After 3 years of this junk for myself, I couldn't agree more with that statement. I got on the boards here this morning before my appointment this afternoon and am doing exactly what you are doing, asking and checking weather or not I should try a med or not. It is stupid. We've already told ourselves we need to do something, right? If we don't then we are exactly where we are right now. Believe me, there is no one else more terrified to try a med than myself since my whole head monster is a result of a reaction I had to a med in the first place. I do think we cause more anxiety though thinking about weather or not we should try something or not.

By the way, my reaction to the zoloft went away very quickly after I stopped taking the med back in December of 2005. I only took it 4 days and within a few days, it was out of my system and the reaction I was having to it was all gone.

Good luck Sipa; I hope it gives you some relief.

Gloria

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to say I felt the same way as all of you. I had to do something because after 4 years of this stuff I just couldn't live like this anymore. I just couldn't enjoy life and was not the fun happy person I once was.

I saw a new Dr. who put me on Effexor XR. At first I was scared to death to take it but I thought what do I have to lose? I'm glad I did because I am starting to feel better than I have in along time. I acually caught myself laughing with my husband last night and he was real happy with the change he is seeing in me.

I know Anti-D's aren't for everyone but I'm happy I stuck this out this time.

Jill

PS: Hi Gloria, I think about you so often and hope you get some answers today. Please let us know what you decide to do.

Hi Jill,

It is so wonderful to hear from you. Have you started any therapy for the little bone structure discrepancy in your jaw your last doctor found?

I'm glad I did because I am starting to feel better than I have in along time. I acually caught myself laughing with my husband last night and he was real happy with the change he is seeing in me. I'm glad you shared this information. It gives me some confidence.

Maybe by summer you'll be back boating on the lake and finally feeling happy again.

I've started TRT for the ringing. Do you still have your Tinnitus? So far it is too early to tell if it is helping. The sharp ear pain that we use to talk about that we both had/have, well mine is almost all gone. I still have the daily headache/pressure symptoms with the dizziness but every year it seems to improve a smidgen.

Good to hear from you.

Gloria

Gloria,

The specialist I saw thought a bite splint might help but I tried that already and it made it feel worse. He also said surgery is an option but there are no guarantees with that and sometimes it makes the problem worse. I sure don't want to risk that.

I still think this was all caused by a virus that plugged my ear during the flight I took and when it didn't clear up I started researching on the internet. Reading all the horrible stuff that can happen caused anxiety which in turned made me clench and grind my teeth at night and during the day. I think after feeling so bad for so long this turned into depression and a vicous cycle I couldn't pull myself out of.

This caused my neck muscles to tense and then I started with the daily head, neck, ear pain, dizziness and tinnitus. The horrible tinnitus has left but I still have a little ringing that I notice gets worse if I get stressed.

I am currently taking the Effexor XR, trying relaxation, gentle neck streching and a chiropractor every three weeks. I am starting to finally feel a little better. I just hope it conintues and is not just a fluke.

Please let me know what you decide to do and what your Dr. says today. Best of luck to you.

Hugs,
Jill

Thanks all for the input. I'm going to pick up the rx this morning and try it. He said any side effects should disappear within the first week and if they don't, to call him. See what happens. I'm hoping it'll work like the Effexor did for you, Jill.

Charlotte, I'm glad the meds seem to be at least somewhat working for you. Been reading your thread every day. :)

Good luck on your appt, Gloria!


Thanks for the support, really appreciate it.

I am a little busy so this will be brief but I had great success on Zoloft... I am diagnosed wityh Vestibular Migraine I was 100% stable for over a year on Zoloft 50 Mg's and Verapamil 180 Mg's I took Klonopin in the begining to deal with the initial Zoloft Side effects. I then came off the meds to see how I would be and was great for 6 more months. I am in a relapse now due to no medication and seasonal changes. I went back on the meds and I am like 85%. I may need to increase to 75 mg's this time. I see the doctor tonight.

Be patient as this can take 2 to 3 months to really kick in.You need to be on at least 50 Mg's as this what is considered theraputic. Each time they go up after you are feeling better you get better results

The initial few weeks is what scares a lot of people. If you can tolerate that you will be ok... Some can some cant. I could not handle lexapro or Paxil but Zoloft was great. But I also took Klonopin to counter those siude effects

Best of Luck,

Howie

Thanks Howie.

He told me to take 1/2 50mg for 5-7 days, then up to 50 mg for another week. And then I have another appt with him.

Just took my first half and hoping the side effects won't kick my ***. Klonopin is similar to xanax? I could probably take that during the first week if it gets too unpleasant then. Other than the occasional xanax, I put off taking something for the stress/anxiety/panic for a year, and I think that's exactly what's stopping me from recovering enough to get the hell out of the stressful situation. Circle of hell. Grrr.

Determined this time to see it through!

Xanax is in the same class as Klonopin so yes you can take that...

My doctors plan was a little more spread out but each doctor has their own time frame..

I took 12.5 a week, 25 a week then 50 mg's
Once on 50 Mg's you need to at least 2 months to determine if you are receiving the benefits

best of luck.... dont be afraid of the XANAX during this time period. I am not sure how to take that. Klonopin has a longer shelf life so I took 1 during the day and 1 at night. I am still taking that till I am 100%

I see.

So far it's just making me sleepy... maybe I need to take it at night. I'll take the xanax as needed.

Thanks!

Hi Sipa,

Go easy on the Zoloft to start. I'd ease into it the exact same way Howie did really - 1/4 for a week then a half and so on. Unfortunately Zoloft made me totally crazy - anxiety went nuts so ditched it after one week. Cipramil did the opposite and worked. As Gloria said, we're all different with meds.

In terms of using a benzo such as xanax etc, you might like to consider what Prof Hain says about this too (summarised):

Lorazepam and Klonazepam are particularly useful because of their effectiveness and simple kinetics (short half-life). Addiction, the biggest problem, can usually be avoided by keeping the dose to 0.5 mg per day or less. Similarly, low doses of diazepam (Valium) (2 mg) can be quite effective. Clonazepam (Klonopin), appears as effective a vestibular suppressant as lorazepam. Hain prefers to avoid the use of alprazolam (Xanax) for vestibular suppression, because of the potential for a difficult withdrawal syndrome.

I've been using a low dose of valium off and on for years when in rough patches and it's all good as long as the dose is low and you have days off here and there.

Best ... Scott :cool:

Aye, I don't really want to go against the psychiatrist's directions tho. And I'd have a hell of a hard time cutting those little things into quarters!

Your experience with Zoloft sounds like mine with Lexapro. Man, I was such a mess for that week.

Thanks for the info on the meds. I take as little as possible of the xanax. I'm still up to 0.5mg for it to be effective unfortunately; half used to do it. I tried Valium but it didn't work as well for me. Didn't take the edge off during anxiety attacks.


But anyway, so far so good! I need to take it at night; knocked me out. Anxiety is still in check, my stomach is a little queasy but that's almost a normal state for my by now anyway so no big change... lol

Well, w.t.f. :mad:

After taking it yesterday, I was sleepy, tired and kinda groggy all day. Go to bed and I'm lying in bed for ~2-3 hours, unable to fall asleep. Woke up a dozen times or more and around 6 30 without an alarm clock..... :confused:

Even better, I turn over and BAM, vertigo. So now that's back. Did the home epley 3 times so far but so far no luck. Hell, I can tell it's not working right while doing it...

Grrrrrrrrrrrr. This is the first vertigo attack since the first of October. I thought I was through with this for a while.

So frustrated!!!!!!

take the Xanax to counter the Zoloft

Ok, will do. Thanks.

Made an appt with the neuro to do the epley tomorrow morning since I can't seem to get rid of it myself.

So frustrating

Sipa - it's probably not BPPV but just vertigo which comes out of the blue with this garbage especially if migraine. When you do the MEP is there any nystagmus going on? If not than unlikely it's ear rocks.

No doubt the Zoloft has wound things up for you as it does for some. You may need to just tough it out for a week or so as Howie mentioned and use xanax to counter any nasty side effects.

S :cool:

There is nystagmus. But you may be right; it's a bit different than all my previous episodes. It's still unquestionably positional but the provoking position is slightly different. I don't know. I'll take the xanax again tonight to be able to sleep, see what the neuro has to say tomorrow.

Thanks again. I'll stick this out and hopefully the meds will start working.

Vertigo in BPPV is elicited by the change of position, not by being in a particular position.. i.e. it occurs moving to a position, not simply by being in that position. The vertigo stops in < 1 minute.

Just remember that positional vertigo and BPPV are not the same thing. Positional vertigo is a symptom of BPPV, whereas BPPV is a specific disorder.

Aye, it's provoked by changing position...to a certain position (right ear down.) It also fatigues. The difference is that it's worst when my ear is horizontal to the ground; the angled downward position during the Epley does give me a (like one) very quick spin but that's it. The subsequent positions do nothing. And it's not cleared afterwards.

I'm really confused by this. Maybe it's the meds... I don't know. I've had a dull, pressure-like headache most of the day today and yesterday.