Saw my psychiatrist Friday, and today I took my first 50mg of Zoloft.
So far, so good.
Generally the only problem I have with antidepressants is ineffectiveness.
Prozac worked great for me several times for several years, most recently 2005 to January 2009, when it just fizzled out.
In years past, Effexor helped, but was too sedating.
Wellbutrin made me agitated, didn't help with my mood at all.
Celexa was like eating candy. It was way too wimpy, it just fizzled, even at 60 mg/day.
Manerix didn't do anything but get me agitated.

The wimpiness of Celexa notwithstanding, from my medicinal history, it seems like a boost of serotonin is what I need. Something to get me into that groovy zone that Prozac used to do for me. Which is why I wanted to try an SSRI.

Unfortunately I also feel a head cold coming on, so I hope to not get my perceptions of the cold and Zoloft side effects crossed over.

Last March my father died, and two weeks ago I got laid off from work, and those are only the two biggest situational dificulties I'm having. So maybe I shouldn't expect Zoloft to miraculously put me back in the groovy pleasure zone all that easily. But, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised in the coming weeks.

It is a wonderful idea to keep a journal. when you are feeling better you can look back on it and see how things have or haven't changed. You can print or bring a laptop in to your Dr. and theat will be a great assest for the both of you when it comes to making decisions

great idea to keep a journal -
today is my 12 day on 25mg - the first few days sucked. days 1-4-headache, low/no energy, really down-I thought they made my symptoms worse, didn't fee like doing anything ...day 5 - felt great best in a very long time, fog lifted etc. Days 6 till now = ?? not sure - back to feeling mediocre and not back to myself. I think I might need more mg - i'm a 200# guy so I'm not sure if it is weight dependent.

best of luck to you!!

it is a good idea to keep a journal-take it from somebody who spent most of last night trawling through old posts of mine from last time i came off effexor.it took a long time !

i have been on zoloft for nearly 4 weeks.i started on 25mg for a week,then up to 50 for just over a week,then 75 for a week and this is my 2nd day on 100mg.i have also been tapering off effexor at the same time,this is day 8 of no effexor atall.my pdoc wants me on 200mg zoloft though i have no idea why-this is the first time ive tried this med(the last ssri left for me to try!),and im not a very very large person(larger than id like to be thanks to certain meds but still not huge).

my first couple of days on 25mg i felt like i was stoned,i felt all calm and mellow.i wouldnt have been able to get off the effexor without this med,its made a big difference compared to last time.its just difficult to tell whether its going to help or not yet with still going off the other stuff.

Day 3, 50 mg/day, and can't tell much difference, not that it's reasonable to expect much. My sleep is OK, no noticeable side-effects. I've developed a minor head cold, which sure doesn't help.
Of course, with my dad dying 2 months ago, and getting put on temporary layoff from work 2 weeks ago, and other issues, there might be more to be gained from overcoming my situational issues than just sitting back and expecting a pill to work miracles, but I hope it gives me SOME feelings of confidence and contentment back.
Anyone else have that daily cycle, where morning you feel very anxious and agitated, but if you get down to some work or exercise, you feel better in the evening? I'm kind of following that daily cycle. I still cry sometimes, lightly or heavily, and my concentration and memory sure aren't working right, confidence is shot and mood is way low.

Day 4. I'm sleeping OK, but my anxiety is high today. I'm trying to limit my clonazepam to 3 pills a day. I figure I'm entering the startup side-effect phase of the Zoloft, and any therapeutic effect can still be weeks away.
My psychiatrist gave me some Seroquel samples, but I really can't use that stuff during the day, it just puts me right to sleep.

i like your post , i have been on effexor , it gave me insomnia , citalipram worked good but i got tired of having no feelings tried welbutiron and literally freaked out for 5 days and decided it was not going to work , my doc wants me to try zoloft and i go back and forth on wether or not i want to,,, your post was nice to hear someone elses experience

Day 7 on 50 mg/day. Can't feel any improvement. It's still early though. I was bike riding yesterday which helped me feel better. I'm still sleeping too much. Either my brain wants to shut down so it doesn't feel the anxiety, or the clonazepam makes me drowsy. It's a delicate balance.
There are, of course, life circumstances that are pulling me down. 2 months since dad died. 3 weeks since I got put on layoff form work. Still lots of paperwork and stuff to settle. One day and one inch at a time I guess but this will come to some positive resolution where I get back into my groove again. That's what I'm aiming for.

my docotor wants me on zoloft ....
i am sorry about your loss, do you think the zoloft is helping at all ?

Our situations are very similar Syrinx. I too am taking 50mg of Zoloft daily and having situational issues to deal with. I don't have any history of MI for 30 years of my life, but it certainly smacked me right in the face quick. I witnessed my wife having a seizure and straight lost it. Since then I've been on Zoloft and Xanax as needed. I've been through the DEEP depression, the hopelessness, the anxiety, the panic attacks, the highs and lows, and everything in between. It's been the longest 2 months of my life, but I'm still here and still recovering.

I think in time I'll be ok. I'm learning how to cope and let the ruminating thoughts go. It's taking time, and I still suffer from anxiety at times (like today), but it's less and less and much easier to manage now. I mainly worry about my wife having anther seizure. I suppose that as time goes by and we find the right medication for her epilepsy, things will improve. Also I'm over the initial shock phase and moving on to acceptance now. I know I'm progressing, but it's a much slower process than I would like. Then again, all things considered, I need to stop being so hard on myself. I'm doing well.

I really like the idea of your journal. Give the Zoloft a good 4 weeks to really feel anything in terms of good days. After that they should start coming in bunches. That's what happened to me around weeks 5-6. Then weeks 7-9 were straight up roller coaster. Only around weeks 8 and 9 did I really feel the Zoloft was starting to level out. Even now, it's still a bit rocky some days.

Day 11 on 50 mg/day. Can't notice any benefit so far, or side effect for that matter. I hate to bring bad news. I've done a lot of reading and it seems that one to two months can be necessary. I'm seeing my psychiatrist weekly, and maybe I'll increase the dose later. I hope my impatience isn't having a sort of antiplacebo effect. I'm just in lousy shape and would love to get out of the weary, frightened, depressed funk I'm in.

Did your doc give you any anti-anxiety meds to help you through the initial start up? If not, you could always ask him about that. I had them and they are probably the only reason I've been able to get this far without giving up on Zoloft. It's been a roller coaster ride for 2 months so far, but I'm not giving up on it yet.

I honestly think docs should prescribe benzos in most cases like this. They can be an amazing thing for short term anxiety/depression. I know if it wasn't for my doc trusting me and letting me use them RESPONSIBLY, I would still be in the depths of despair from all this anxiety I've had.

Today it seems the Zoloft is working well again. Who knows how long it will last though. I still haven't reached a stable point for more than a week. I hope this time it's for good.

Good point. I do have a prescription for clonazepam, and I'm using maybe 3 pills (1.5 mg) per day to help me along.
But, I found that Gravol helps even more. Yesterday evening I felt the usual anxiety symptoms: shortness of breath, rapid strong heartbeat, tightness in chest, nausea, agitation. So I took a Gravol and felt fine the rest of the evening.
Hopefully it's a good sign, but I seem to be crying less often and less severely. Still sleeping too much though.
I have a psychiatrist appointment this afternoon, and I'm going bike riding with my club this evening which I hope helps me feel better too.

Day 15. Today I increased the dose to 75 mg like my psychiatrist suggested on Friday, although I'll take 50 in the morning and 25 inthe evening.
Funny thing happened yesterday, I felt better as the day went on. I did a lot of physical activity by helping mom in her garden, and a lot of car maintenance, so I got a lot of exercise. Tried to take a nap in the evening like I often do, but couldn't fall asleep.

And get this, it was the first day in probably a few months I didn't take any clonazepam. None at all, and I didn't seem to have any suddden withdrawal symtoms. In the evening I felt I had a lot of physical energy in me, even after all the work I did that afternoon. My mind felt fine, and I was thinking maybe the Zoloft had finally kicked in. It wasn't a warm fuzzy groovy feeling, but an energized feeling. But hey, at least it was something.

Now, I stayed up most of the night on the internet, and didn't get to sleep until 6 am, which was unintentional and not my typical behaviour. It all sounds like someone going manic high doesn't it?
Got up today about 1 pm and felt crappy most of the day. Understandable I guess, since there isn't much fun stuff or happiness in my life, at least not lately.

The hopeful sign I'm hoping to take from this is that a lot of people here have said that Zoloft takes effect in a jerky up and down way and not a smooth elevation of mood, and that my be what I'm having now.

Day 17. I'm at 75 mg/day. Unfortunately the good feeling from Saturday didn't last. Every morning it's like I reset to zero with major anxiety, and I have to crank up the clonazepam. Today I felt particularly crappy, until the clonazepam kicks in and I feel better in the evening.
Yesterday was my first class of my night school course and I felt pretty good. It seems that sleep deprivation, physical labour, and using the rational side of your brain helps alleviate the symptoms, albeit temporarily.

((((Syrinx))))

You're doing well, keep going.

PRT xx

Day 26. I've been at 100 mg/day since last Sunday. I haven't felt much improvement compared to being at 75. Last weekend was alright. Yesterday and today I felt really bummed out. Today was the first time in a week or more that I cried, so, since I'm crying less and taking less clonazepam lately, perhaps I'm improving. Far from happy though. I know this can take a while. My night school course makes me feel better. It's like being back in university. I've lost a lot of weight too. 190 pounds now. I was about 205 most of the time in recent years. I think it's due to emotional upset, and eating a lot less and exercising a bit more, probably not the Zoloft.

sorry things are not working for you.
I'm on my 6th week, 50mg and added wellbutrin (3 wks ago) for my low energy level. I feel OK but not the great feeling I had at day 5/6....really not sure how I'm suppose to feel on this stuff to be honest. I guess the big issue is the suicide thoughts have decreased- still don't feel good. I have come to the conclusion that I've been depressed for a long time but it just took one more event before i went in for help.

I have been trying to push myself to exercise and that has helped me some...also my PDoc is into positive self talk and to stop dwelling on past events/feeling and "focus on the future"--

This post has been edited by nofun4me: Jun 5 2009, 10:16 PM

Day 36, I believe. I think Zoloft is making a difference. Some days I'm bummed out but overall I have more energy, and I'm not feeling so bad about my situation, not using much clonazepam lately, and I have more energy and I'm not overleeping as much. I'm still anxious about some issues in my life and my future though.

Day 43. I've been really bummed out the last week. On Friday my psychiatrist told me to bump the dose up to 150 mg/day, and I'll see him again in 2 weeks. It's weird. I was feeling more energized around weeks 4 or 5, but now I'm bummed out again. I cried a lot last night, mostly over missing my dad.
Considering the situational difficulties I have, I'm not looking for any miracles from a drug. I guess I want to have that same boost the Prozac gave me 15 years ago, and Zoloft so far hasn't given it. Well, I'll give it 2 more weeks and see what the prychiatrist has to say.

Hang in there Syrinx. I still have those times of feeling anxious and down even after being on Zoloft for about 3 months. The thing is, my baseline is certainly much better. Even when I'm feeling anxious or depressed, it's less severe each time. Plus the "good times" between episodes is getting longer and longer.

As of today I feel like I can take on the world again. Much how I felt before my MI kicked in. It's a good feeling and I'm glad I've stuck it out this long. Just hang in there and listen to your pdoc. I had horrible mood swings right up to 2 months on Zoloft. Only then did I get long periods of stability.

These things just take time unfortunately. Don't give up now, you're getting there!

It's been 9 weeks now. Generally I feel OK. Still worried bout what the future might bring regarding various issues with my life. Felt good this week, but feeling bummed out today. I have a psychiatrist appointment today, and I'll see what he has to say. My night school course is going very well.

Sounds great bud, keep it up.

It's funny how AD's work. Unless you're really monitoring your moods, it's really hard to notice a difference until it's working fully. The thing I notice the most is the stability. I don't worry nearly as much. I also don't have mood swings and am in a good mood generally. I still get bored very easily, but I can usually find something to do to keep my mind occupied.

Time for an update?
The reason I hadn't posted in 2 months was because I was feeling good! Somewhere between the 8th and 10th week the gloom lifted and I started feeling groovy. It was an energizing kind of feeling. And when I feel good, I don't attend my support groups, or therapist, or forums, because I'm off doing fun stuff. I still kept seeing my psychiatrist though.

What's the downside?
Well, generally I don't like September, because it's the end of summer, hay fever season, and there's that old back to school feeling. But that wasn't it.
A week ago, I had dinner with a couple friends of mine, one of whom I had a crush on once, and I thought I got over her, but maybe I haven't. After that evening, I guess everything came back and hit me. I'm still on temporary layoff from work, and I still miss my dad who died in March.
The college course I took in the summer went very well. Now I started a C++ course which looks pretty tough. I remember my dad always being proud of me whenever I accomplished something.

So, I'm very upset that after 3 months of feeling pretty darn good, I crash like this. What the hell's the Zoloft doing for me if I crash all of a sudden like this? Tomorrow I see my psychiatrist, and see what he has to say. I hope he doesn't insist I go on an MAOI. I love soy sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and pizza. I don't want to give up those things. I feel like signing up for ECT and just zap me to oblivion. I'm 41 years old and this is getting ridiculous.

This is my final post in this thread. Today is the last day I'm taking Zoloft. If necessary, I'll take a few more doses to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, if I have any. Usually I don't have any trouble with withdrawal effects.
My psychiatrist was in a bit of an arrogant mood today, but Zoloft just doesn't seem to be helping. It's weird that it seemed to be working great for several months, then poof, my mood crashes.
Anyway, my psychiatrist insists that Parnate would be the best med for me, so I'll withdraw from Zoloft for 2 weeks then start Parnate. I'm not looking forward to the dietary restrictions and risks though.

Good luck Syrinx. I hope the Parnate isn't too restrictive and that you find it helpful. xx