Hey all, I recognize this might be a silly question since these meds treat everyone different, but I have a question for people who have been on lexapro and are now on zoloft to give some impressions on the two. The differences, the pro's and cons of each, etc. A big question I have is hows the sleep with zoloft? Lexapro gave me some moderate insomnia for which I have to take trazodone for. Should I expect the same with zoloft. Just asking because I'm currently coming off lexapro and if I take another AD I was thinking of asking my pdoc about zoloft or wellbutrin next. Thanks!

I took celexa (which I believe is the same active ingredient as Lexapro) for a couple of years and actually slept better on it - however, since being on zoloft I have had trouble sleeping, although I had trouble sleeping off meds and that runs in my family. I have recently tried listening to a classical music CD I bought to relax me, and have been sleeping better since trying that. Again, disturbed sleep runs in my family, and I was also having disturbed sleep before taking zoloft, so I'm not ready to place all the blame on the meds.

Yes, meds do treat people differently, but it never hurts to ask around about other people's experiences, so this isn't a silly topic at all! Just be aware that your results may vary.

Take care,
Dewayne

I liked zoloft better, I was able to get results from it for over a year before I "outgrew" it. As far as the sleeplessness goes-my sleep patterns are terrible and I found that once I did fall asleep I was out for the count-part of my issue is I sleep way too much and just started taking Cymbalta; I heard it helps with the giddiup and makes you more active.

I have been on both medications and really I found to be really sleepy with both medications. I think I had more sexual dysfunction with Lexapro though.

Hello myjourney!



It's good to have you aboard.

How long have you been taking Cymbalta? Is this the only med you're on?

Please keep us posted on how you're doing with this new med.



-Bean

Hey. I just came off Cipralex, (Canadian name for Lexapro) a few weeks ago and am transitioning to Zoloft. Ummm....cipralex was okay for me. It DID stabilize my moods, I definitely wasn't as irritable. However I still had a few depressive episodes, so we're trying zoloft now. For cipralex, my se's were dry mouth and sleeping a LOT. (Up to 14 hours a day.) On zoloft, I've got dry mouth, zero appetite, and I'm sleeping up to 26 hours a day. (Days?) I was reading the drowsiness thread here and I noticed that people on higher doses of zoloft (say, 50mg+) said they slept forever, while other people said they had trouble sleeping. I'm on 100mgs, I was on 125 for a bit, and i was supposed to go to 150 last Tuesday but my doctor figured I was getting too sleepy.

(Also please note that I'm 17, so my body is a WHOLE LOT different than yours, unless you're a teen too.)

PS: I edited to take out the quote.

This post has been edited by AerianaEve: Oct 18 2007, 03:09 PM

Hi Aerianaeve,

I took Celexa, which I understand is the "precursor" to Lexapro, for quite some time, and it made me sleepy. Zoloft has made it hard for me to sleep - just goes to show everyone's different, whether we like it or not!

And good for you in monitoring your startup SE's in conjunction with your doc - that helps a lot.

Take care,
Dewayne

This post has been edited by DeeBear: Oct 18 2007, 06:53 PM

I'm on lexapro right now 10 mg and the SE's aren't that bad. It really helps with my anxiety. Definitely sleepy though. I was on Zoloft years ago, it was the first AD I ever took, unfortunately I freaked out after a month or so and stopped taking it. Bad idea. I really wish I would have stuck with it, because I'm sure it would have helped me and the side effects would have eventually disappeared. Oh well, I know better now, I'm an AD lifer.

Yeah djepicurus,

A lot of people are scared off by the side effects - you're definitely not the first to do that! But good for you in sticking with it this time.

I'm an AD lifer too - but it's much better than being a depression lifer, I think!

Take care,
Dewayne

Well, I went on cymbalta since I first started this thread and I'm not doing too bad. Sleepiness was one of the big reasons I went off lexapro.

Celexa made me very sleepy, but zoloft has disturbed my sleep. The doc gave me something that helps, though.

Great to hear you're doing well!

Take care,
Dewayne

I could only bear Lexapro for 5 days and had to switch to Zoloft. Couldn't deal with the SE.

with lexapro i am always tired and i dont have any sexual dysfunction at all.

Ive been on Lexapro for two tries now, and both times it worked well for two weeks, then abruptly stopped working .....my doctor recommended a switch to Zoloft....i know the side effects are similar, but are there any significant differences between the two, or just any different side effects between the two? (i.e. sexual side effects, sleeping, eating, and playing competitive sports, alcohol)... also i extremely limited drinking while on Lexapro.....my doc assures me this isnt necessary on Zoloft..?

also, doc wants me to switch from one day to the next, without a break inbetween...?

Thanks a lot for reading!

-Tim

I have never been on Lepraxo. I cannot comment on that. But my doc told me i was not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages while on Zoloft.

It is definitely not a good idea to drink while on zoloft - there are threads here which can confirm that. I've never heard of a doctor saying it was alright.....

It seems to me that SSRI's as a class have similar SE's, although different meds will cause different SE's in the same person. Unfortunately, the only way to find out how zoloft will affect you is to start taking it.

I have heard of people switching from one SSRI to another without tapering under their doctor's guidance. It seems strange, but many doctors feel that switching within the SSRI class of drugs is okay. I'd go with what your doc recommends. From what I've read, this is very common, and it's my understanding that the new SSRI just picks up where the old one left off without any tapering on/off your meds. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to ask a pro on this! This is just what I've seen & heard from others.

Take care,
Dewayne

I was on Lexapro 10mg for 2 years. It worked great for me! I had very few side effects, it did make me tired for the first few months but I was happy with that opposed to the horrible anxiety and depression I had prior to lexapro. I switched insurance companies and they took me off of the Lexapro and put me on Celexa because it was covered by my insurance which did not work for me AT ALL and here I am trying to come out of another major depressive episode. This time I have been given Zoloft and have been taking it for 3 weeks. I am very tired but again....your body eventually gets used to it or you just don't notice anymore I'm just hoping this works.

In the beginning I had to take a nap almost every day . It was a serious nap to. Like a couple of hours. Eventually is started getting better. I fall asleep a lot better with the Zoloft, I take it in the AM. Maybe if you change the time you take it. that will help

Ive been on Lexapro(10mg) for about 6 months now with spotty results....i am finally switching medications to Zoloft!....I am very aprehensive, yet excited to start the new medication and im hoping i get the results i got from lexapro in the short time it actually worked!..... but only time will tell.

My reason for writing this is that i have just started a high paying job for a 21 year old and dont want to have any risk at losing it.....its a construction job, and im wondering if the first few weeks of taking the medication will interfere with my work at all....my job isnt dangerous, but rather prescise.....and i know everyone reacts differently to medication, but should i have any big concerns with working?

....there are many many SE's around for every AD out there, but i would love it if you guys and girls could share with me some of your worst and most common mishaps while on your first few weeks of Zoloft.......on the other hand, feel free to share your immediate rewards from it!(my pdoc says i will have an almost immediate boost of energy)

Thanks for the read, and any responses are appreciated!

tman

Welcome to the"Z" room!
Every one acts so differently to the same med. I would wander around the Zolfot room and see what others have had to say. For me personally, I was a little nauseas, and I had night sweats. I started my meds during the summer because I am off from work. since you have just started this job I know that taking time off is not an option. But try to remember to think about yourself a little. Pay attention to your body and keep in touch with your Dr. Good luck, and keep posting .

I am oin Zoloft for depression. At first it made me sweat and tremble. I think this may intere with your jobs or it may not. Perhaps you won't even suffer from that. For the first few weeks on Zoloft my hands were trembling all the time and every time i upped the dose it got worse. In the beginning it made me jumpy and i am a nervous person, so that was really bad. This may interfere with work too... but after a time Zoloft started having sedating effects for me. That is good, because i really needed something sedating. My pdoc told me Zoloft and Paxil were the two most sedating SSRI. I did not tolerate Paxil, so he put me on Zoloft. For me it is definetly sedating. It does not really increase my energy, but it increases my self-esteem and makes me less fearful of life.

(My father used to work construction for a while. When i was younger i always wanted to be a steel construction worker. Waht exactly do you do?)

This post has been edited by Christopher: Jun 2 2008, 01:09 PM

Im 2 weeks into Zoloft and so far the worst SE was feeling very sick for the first 3-4 days of taking it,my pdoc has started me on a low dose of 50mgs which will go up to 100mgs soon.......I still feel clear headed and havent had any of the tiredness that I had with other ADs.......I understand it could be up to 8 weeks before I notice a benefit but already Im feeling quite good!!
Stick with the Zoloft if you can the sickness does wear off,I had no trembling or anything like that......hope this med works out for you and good luck with your new job sounds great!!!!!

I've been on Zoloft for several years. The pdoc started me at 25mg>50mg>75mg>100mg to prevent SE's. It worked as I didn't have any from the step-up in dose. With every step, I began to feel better and better. I'm currently at 150mg. It's working well with my depression.

We all metabolize medications differently and can have different reactions. SE's usually go away in a few weeks. If the SE's are unbearable and affect your functioning, contact your pdoc for advice and feeedback. Don't stop taking any pmed on your own without your pdoc's permission. Doing so may cause problems for you.
Sheepwoman

Thanks for the replies guys!....also, good news(i hope it lasts).....its been working already!....i can feel effects already, but dont get the anxious feelings i got on Lexapro!....also its only working a little bit, i have a hunch it might start to work a little more consistently.

as for the side effects, the only ones were slight tiredness and a little bit of queeziness/nauseau, whatever you want to call it, but that was only after 2 hours of basketball with my friends!

So thanks again for the replies guys, ill keep you posted.

oh and by the way Christopher, i do masonry work.....

also, the med makes me kind of tired for the following few hours after taking it(not sure if its b/c of a lack of sleep)....but does this happen to anyone else? And can you take it at night?

I really didn't like the always tired and numb feeling on Lexapro and am thinking of trying Zoloft now

I hjave never tried Lex, but I am on 100 mg of "Z". and I am happy with my results

[quote name='maintainin' date='Jul 26 2007, 11:59 AM' post='260623']
Hey all, I recognize this might be a silly question since these meds treat everyone different, but I have a question for people who have been on lexapro and are now on zoloft to give some impressions on the two. The differences, the pro's and cons of each, etc. A big question I have is hows the sleep with zoloft? Lexapro gave me some moderate insomnia for which I have to take trazodone for. Should I expect the same with zoloft. Just asking because I'm currently coming off lexapro and if I take another AD I was thinking of asking my pdoc about zoloft or wellbutrin next. Thanks!
[/quot

I was on lexapro then went to Zoloft. The Zoloft worked way better for me.

Im glad to here you have found a med that is making you feel better.

Hi all - I'm new to this board and came across it when searching for treatment for anxiety/panic disorder. I began having these problems in college (10 years ago) and I took Lexapro (only 10 milligrams) for about 6 years. It alleviated a lot of the anxiety but I still had panic attacks, though not as frequent. I recently went off as my husband and I are trying for a baby, but my anxiety has really come back strongly. I have major panic attacks now, especially when going to large stores, driving, etc. My doctor has suggested Zoloft and I'm wondering if anyone on here has had better luck with Zoloft or Lexapro for their panic? Lex did work for anxiety and depression, but hoping to find someting that alleviates most panic attacks. Any thoughts? Thanks so much in advance!

Took Celexa, which is similar to Lexapro, made me incredibly sick, had to quit after 5 days. Took zoloft, a little nausea and drowsiness at first, but able to tolerate, and doing well on 100 mg. The only AD I've been able to tolerate.

Hi Stacy,

I saw your note on one of the forums on zoloft. i think we have heaps in common. i just had a baby 10 months ago. i get panic attacks and anxiety. it has been a problem for me for ages. i manage it with zoloft 50mg to 100mg varying doses. it has made a HUGE difference for me!! i used a drug called aurorix when i was pregnant. it helps but it's not as strong as zoloft. its really tough when your pregnant and can't take your zoloft and when you're breastfeeding as well. i found it a really difficult time and i don't look forward to having to go off my tablets when i'm next pregnant, i hope there is a better option by then. hope to hear from you, claire.