week 2 of sertraline

[chicaplatense1]

Today I hit the 2 week mark on Zoloft/Sertraline. I feel awful. Woke up very anxious, sad and nauseous. I feel like crying. I prayed to God last night that I would die in my sleep.
I took Clonazepam to go to school hoping it would help me, I felt good for about an hour and then again jittery and wanting to cry.... Hopless. I think I feel worse since I started taking this medication.

[chicaplatense1]

Spoke to Dr on the phone and he wants me to increase dose to 100mg, but I don't know, if 50mg made me feel more anxious depressed, I would hate to see what 100mg will do to me. I will try it. My doctor thinks that it will calm me down. Honestly, I don't know. I will try tomorrow and see what happens to me

[Ally-SA]

In my humble opinion, you should start slow - because yes - we ALL feel horrible for the first few weeks as our mind adjusts to the meds. Anxiety does go up, a lot...

If I were you, I would have started at 25mg, then up to 50mg once the 25mg settled. And then up to 75mg, and then 100mg... etc.

But give it a try. Maybe it will help you. And if it doesn't, you can always go back down to 50mg.

Just remember that it's only anxiety - that the meds are safe. So try not to be too scared. And be gentle with yourself. Good luck!

[-Stella-]

I can't give any advice on the dosages because I started on 50mg and have only ever been on 50mg, but I can say don't give up yet! I think it is very, very common to feel worse before you feel better when taking these medications, but the side-effects WILL diminish and you should find that it does start to help.
I am on day 34 now and I know for certain that it is working, so it was definitely worth enduring the initial adjustment period. I know it is scary, but hang on in there. *sends you a comforting hug*

[chicaplatense1]

HI everyone, so I was terrified but I did take the 100 mg in the morning and after that I felt super calm. I went to school and felt great, wonderful! Calm and awake, able to pay attention, not tired, not nauseous and with poor appetite. I had a moment where I though I was going to get a panic attack but it dissolved. I ended the day great. The following morning I woke up without the anxiety that I normally get got ready went to school again, felt great and around mid morning started feeling anxious. I then had peaks of panic attacks from 11am pretty much until 4pm. I took clonazepam but did nothing. I tried to take a nap to tune out and I would dose off and wake up in panic, so I got up. I don't get it!! Yesterday I felt so normal. I had not felt like that in months!! I though: if I could feel like this everyday life would be wonderful. Life can be so cruel!!!

[Chartobi]

I have not been on zoloft but when I initially went on citalopram it took about a month for the panic to ease up enough to really notice. It was small steps along the say, I noticed small achievements were met without anxiety but the feeling of being "normal" too a couple of months in total. Hang in there, side effects can be awful but it's worth it when you find something that helps.

[Ally-SA]

Hi I've just increased my Sert... and this always happen:

On the day - I feel good. Calm. Happy.

2nd day - I feel anxious again.

But it will pass. Keep going!

[kahi35]

hey what triggers your anxiety?

[chicaplatense1]

Ally: wow!! That's really good to know! I though that was so weird that I felt great and then horrible the next day!

---------- Post added at 11:36 ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 ----------

Kahi, my anxiety has gone through different triggers throughout the years.
First it was fear of a heart attack, then fear of a brain tumor or a stroke.
Then it switched to fear of going crazy and hurting someone I love, fear of hurting myself, fear of being alone.
Currently it is fear of the anxiety itself, fear of becoming so depressed and anxious that I will not be able to function and work, go to school, take care of my children, fear of feeling so bad that I will become suicidal, fear that I will never get better, fear of medications: that the antidepressant will make me worse or crazy and fear that the antianxiety medication will make me become addicted or that it will not work and that I will have a horrible panic and anxiety that will last forever everyday non stop until I can no longer take it. I was good and normal for 2 years and relapsed due to marital problems that made me feel really stressed. Right now my hubby and I are working things out and it is better but I am stuck on the panic loop now which is hard to get out of....

[chicaplatense1]

Today is day 18 on Zoloft: 14 days on 50mg and 4 days on 100mg.
Yesterday I felt ok, no anxiety, no sadness, was able to study all day and concentrate, had energy, slept great. Didn't need to take any clonazepam at all.
This morning I woke up and I had a little anxiety on my chest but not too bad, went to church and I felt sad. I still feel sadness mixed with a low grade anxiety. I just feel like a heaviness on my chest... I am going to take a clonazepam and see if it helps because I have to study and be able to concentrate. Sometimes when I have really low grade anxiety it feels like sadness. At times it is very hard for me to distinguish whether I feel anxious or extremely sad.... This is my update so far. I figure this is like a daily journal to keep tract of my moods....