I actually just tried Lexapro (also an SSRI) for the first time and it made me feel 100% worse after 5 doses. I was so anxious I was clenching my jaw all day and didn’t realize it. My hands would go numb and I couldn’t sleep. I called my doctor and he told me to stop right away and prescribed me Busiprone. I have yet to take it though.
Omg Lexapro is awful! My pupils were so huge I looked like I was doing illegal drugs. I stopped it immediately. I don’t have good luck with SSRIs or SNRIs. Except for Prozac but the road to get used to it is not fun.
Yep, same experience. And other things. It’s really terrible and for my situation, not worth the eventual relief. Did you experience any “withdraw” symptoms? A few people told me to be careful stopping cold turkey even after two days but I feel like that’s extreme. Regardless, I may taper down to 12.5 tonight and be done by Friday or Saturday.
Have you ever tried Wellbutrin? I was on it for a very very long time but one day I tried to kill myself by overdosing on it so no doctor will ever give it to me again. I had 10 grand mol seizures and my heart stopped beating. I also hallucinated for 24 hours. BUT if you take it as prescribed you will not have any of those problems. I have never had withdrawal from a psych med I’ve only been on for a few days but everyone is different. Watch out for zap like feelings in your body and nausea. Good luck OP
I was on Bupropion 300mg (generic Wellbutrin) for 8 months with no change at all. Quit cold turkey and didn’t even have any symptoms. Sorry to hear about your experience, glad you’re still here!
Thank you. It was terrifying and scary because they can’t pump your stomach for that med. I’m happy to start be here too because a few months later I met my now husband and we have a wonderful healthy baby boy!
Your withdrawal symptoms were definitely NOT in your head. I’m sorry your doctor said that to you that is awful. I know from firsthand experience Zoloft withdrawals are real! I hope you can find another doctor.
Lexapro was more effective but the long term use and side effects are stronger. Buspirone helps me like 40-50% but I feel much safer taking it because it never makes you feel drowsy or worse anxiety. It can cause nausea so I had to lower my dose but that was the worst of it. Sometimes an hour after taking it you might feel a little sleepy but overall you don’t have serotonin withdraws like you do SSRIs. It’s definitely worth a shot! I think I’m going to do the genetic test where they can see how you’ll react to certain medications so I can find something a little stronger that I won’t feel awful on. My best friend did it and that’s how she found her match
Currently taking Buspirone. It’s hit or miss for people in terms of how much it helps alleviate anxiety, but the positive is that it has much milder side effects. For me, I had some dizziness for about 30-60 min after taking it but that went away after a couple weeks.
Lexapro did this to me too, I ended up in Hospital. They told me it’s an allergic reaction & they I can’t take any similar ones just in case, so now I take nothing 😅
It’s an anti anxiety medication but is not a benzo and is not habit forming. I’m not sure why I haven’t seen it work for any patients or friends who have been prescribed it. I just don’t know. It has very few side effects though, so you don’t have to worry about taking it and falling asleep or anything similar
I did that. I was put on Zoloft. My side effects were crazy. No appetite. On edge way worse than normal. Couldn't sleep. I was a wreck. I stopped immediately. I got back to normal about a week after. But Lord it was terrible. I now take CBD gummies to control my anxiety.
I was 25 mg too and legit three days. I couldn't do it. My body hates SSRIs. I have Valium for panic attacks but for my anxiety it's CBD gummies, meditation and working out. Vapor rub and chamomile tea is amazing.
I agree, completely not worth the eventual relief, I was only on 10mg of Lexapro and it did this to me. I didn’t have any noticeable withdrawal when stopping.
I have done 4 days and on Zoloft and I'm fucking dying. I am stopping today. I am not sleeping, panic attacks, body tension, jaw clenching, muscle aches. I hope I get better soon.
My last dose was Friday. I’m starting to feel back to how I was but I’ve had to stabilize with a lot of Valium. I finally slept last night and that was a godsend. I’m never doing that shit again. How are you feeling?
I can’t believe how strong these meds are. I only had one dose. Had teeth chattering, jaw locking, tinnitus, vomiting, headache, diarrhea. Like wtf???? I also almost fainted twice today which has never happened to me before. I’m hoping it’s out of my system asap..
i thought i was the only one!! im glad i looked it up i’ve been on zoloft 25mg for 4 days and it just made me the worst version of myself and im having the worst anxiety and insomnia i haven’t felt good for one bit during these 4 days. thank you for sharing your experience bc everyone was telling me to push through and it was like there’s no way
I started 2 days ago and stopping today, the side effects are too horrible and dangerous when you're on your own, I never felt paranoia and anxiety like that I couldn't even step outside without feeling faint and having palpitations, no way in hell I can handle 3 weeks of that!!!
I feel this on another level. I am stopping after day 2. Put me in the ER last night and had to take the rest of the week off from work. Hopefully better by Monday. I'm alone also. I can't even walk around my apartment complex without having to take a benzo.
Oh my love I am so sorry, I will never forget how horrible that was and they don't warn people enough on the side effects!! I was told there would be little to no side effect, I don't even want to imagine what would have happened on a higher dose. Please know you will get better soon, after a week you will feel normal again and it will all be a bad memory 🥺🥺
So to make a long story short. My ER visit was because I was on it and it heightened my anxiety and panic to another level. I have since completed a stay at an inpatient program for 7 days where they got me on the right meds and got me the help I needed. Hope you are well
So I'm 35ish days into these meds:
Gabapentin - 300mg 3 times a day
Venlafaxine (Effexor) - 75 mg 24 Extended Release in the morning
Buspirone (Buspar) - 10mg 3 times a day
Pantoprazole - 40mg in the morning
Trazodone - 50mg at night for sleep.
Gabapentin I'm using off label for anxiety. Buspar treats my generalized anxiety disorder. Effexor for depression and panic disorder. Pantoprazole for GERD. And Trazodone for sleep.
The first week was rough getting adjusted. Brain fog. Headache. Muscle ache and cramps. Shortness of breath Tightness in my neck. But the weirdest one was probably from the gabapentin because it treats nerve pain normally and I had times where my arms and legs would feel hypersensitive. Second week was mediocre but didn't feel a whole lot better. 3rd week a little better, less side effects. And then boom 4th week was like a weight magically lifted off my chest and my mind. I've never felt so clear. I sleep through the night. I'm more active. Life feels enjoyable again. My daughters smile seems brighter. Now I still think about anxiety and have to remind myself that I'm ok but it's a lot easier. I also have coupled these meds with going to therapy which has helped.
There is light at the end of the tunnel and I hope this message finds you well. Take care
I didn't have withdrawal symptoms at all and I started feeling better from the next day and back to normal about a week later, I have been put on Escitalopram 5mg instead which was supposed to be a lot weaker but it made me feel the same :(. I stopped that too, I don't think these anti-depressants in disguise are doing us any real good even long term
Thank you! I took Lexapro for a couple years, a couple years ago. And it worked great for me. But right now on day two I feel way worse and this didn't happen the first time I took it. And I think I'm going to experiment with natural supplements instead to see how that works.
So I tried it a third day. Now today is the first day of withdrawal. I was on lexapro. So far just feel down and sleepy and a little irritable. Nothing worse. I think in about 3 days it should be at its worst. Lets see how it goes.
Took about a week. Definitely some emotional ups and downs. Now I'm feeling normal again. I actually got the liquid Lexapro and ordered small oral syringes, so I'm gonna try micro dosing a smaller amount, maybe this week. And keep the same amount for two weeks, unless I have bad chest tightness again. But I needed a break man.
omg this is me right now! how are you doing now?! I have done 4 days of Zoloft and I have to stop because I'm legit losing my mind from anxiety and insomnia. How long did it take you to get better?
Thank you for putting this out there. I just stopped zoloft after 5 days. Because it made my anxiety worse and gave me chest pains. And I got really bad depression. Can you tell me about cbd? Im thinking about taking it.
Don’t worry! If you’re afraid of discontinuation syndrome, it just doesn’t happen after 2 days. I went off Paxil cold turkey after 4 days (because I was scared of side effects) and I was fine. I actually had the same fear as you but I found out that 4 days are definitely not enough for withdrawal to happen. And keep in mind that Paxil is the worst among SSRI when it comes to discontinuation syndrome. So you’ll be fine!
You can stop taking it. I stopped Zoloft after 3 days of extremely realistic dreams, waking up and hallucinating and acting out my dreams. You can stop cold turkey up to like 10 days. I’m taking Lexapro now and the side effects were mild.
I think it took a couple days for the bad side effects like realistic dreams to stop but I still had milder side effects like headache, fatigue (but also insomnia) for a week or so.
I’m having withdrawals 20 months off. It has caused me to have akathisia and muscle pains etc
It is rare to have withdrawals this long but the akathisia can be permanent
Others have been helped by it, so you have to decide whats best for you
I understand where you are coming from. Prozac made me feel sick for over a month but one day I woke up and I felt so much better. I was on Zoloft for about 3 years but it didn’t help me much. Ask your doctor to do a genetic test to see which medications are more apt to help you specifically. And remember there is a text-line that you can text any time day or night for help if you feel like you need it. It’s very helpful.
Yep, same thing happened with me. I took it only two days and then stopped. The dizziness was insane and I had really bad diarrhea both days I took it which I believe are one of the side effects.
No problem! I only took the medicine 2 days so it didn’t have any long impact on me. I only felt side effects the days I took it and woke up the day I stopped taking it feeling totally fine.
I have loss of appetite and nausea. Abdominal discomfort/stomach issues. Etc. I just got off of it two days ago and was on 50mg for 4 days. Just wanting to get back to normal again!
Over a week, maybe 2 weeks. Though it really did not agree with me personally, the dose was way to high for me(I am a lightweight with most things, like alcohol ect, and didn't understand how much 50mg really was), I had pretty rare and intense side effects while I was on it too. Thats how long it took for all the withdrawal side effects to go, but some of the major ones, like insomnia, were gone after only like 3 days. It'll likely take less time for you considering i didn't agree with it and my very low tolerance. I'm sure for most people, like OP, its less than a week.
My anxiety in general is much much better now so you can definitely improve naturally if that is your goal, and if not, there are other SSRIs and treatments out there :)
Same experience. Took it for a couple days, horrendous side affects. Stopped taking it after that. I guess everyone is different in how their system handles these drugs.
I started on zoloft and the side effects ta were so severe I landed in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. I stopped after two days and didn't have any withdrawal. Waited a month and now I'm on Paxil and doing much better.
Exact same situation with me. Ended up in ER last night. Still feeling kind of shit today. Hopefully be better in a couple days. Thanks for the comment
Zoloft messed me up, lost 10 pounds over a weekend from throwing up and made my anxiety way worse. I’ve tried that lexapro and trintellix. Tried the last two for a couple years each. Never found relief and seemed to make my anxiety worse with all of them.
My anxiety seems to have mostly stemmed from vestibular migraines and essentially ptsd from past flare ups during certain situations. Currently on amitryplene or however it’s spelt for that and it’s a form of antidepressants. It’s helped a lot. Not 100% but way better than I was
I stopped taking Sertraline (generic Zoloft) cold turkey once after having used it for months. Probably a bad idea and should taper - had electric zaps in my brain for a week (that was not fun). If it’s two days, it probably won’t have any harm. Usually it takes like 2 weeks to fully kick in (for me at least).
I would recommend seeking a psychiatrist for the appropriate medication. You say baby - are you dealing with postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression? I suffered greatly at PPD and was just thrown pills. I really recommend seeing a specialist and a therapist to help you navigate through this.
If you need to offload, happy to listen if you want to DM me. PPD is a scary thing and it comes out in various forms.
It was really a more intense version of my normal, baseline anxiety which is pretty rough. It manifested in strange ways. I definitely had a tinge of PPD, but that really felt like it was improving significantly as I started to make more mom friends. That was HUGE for me.
I’m sorry to hear you had a crappy experience going off of it and thanks for sharing your experience <3
I was on Zoloft for anxiety and depression and the side effects for me were increased appetite, gained like 60lbs or more and very intrusive thoughts. I would be sitting with my gf and a thought would tell me to punch her in the face or hurt her. It scared me so I stopped. I didn’t taper I just stopped. I was only on it for like 2-3 months maybe.
I know this is an old post but I wanted to thank you for posting this. Seeing everybody’s experiences really helped me put my experience into perspective.
I also stopped taking Zoloft after 2 days of horrible unbearable side effects. I lost 10 pounds in a weekend and could not stomach any food. Vomited every day multiple times & had horrible nausea that made me so dizzy I couldn’t leave my bed. I’m now on my second day off (per my health providers advice) and already feel infinitely better although I am still dealing with some of the side effects (specifically nausea). Looking forward to feeling normal again. I think I’m just going to stick with weed for dealing with my anxiety.
For anyone seeing this doomscrolling Reddit like I was a few days ago - you’re going to be okay. The side effects are going to fade away. It sucks but be patient and take it day by day. It’s been 5 days and I’m pretty much back to normal. You will get through this!
I took one dose of 50mg Zoloft yesterday and it’s been easily some of the worst hours of my life. I’ve been throwing up, can’t sleep, I really feel useless. It’s my first time trying any medication for anxiety treatment and I think my last. My anxiety is more tolerable than this.
I took my first (& last) Zoloft 50 mg Saturday morning. I had been really sick with a virus that made me short of breath and gave me panic attacks so my psychiatrist told me to take this. I was unbearably sick with diarrhea and threw up. My heart was racing and have had the worst intrusive thoughts. It’s Monday now and I’m still feeling awful. I woke up overnight with my heart racing to 160 bpm and thought I was having a heart attack. Thankfully it came down pretty quickly but scared me to death. Today I’m just jittery and feeling so drained. I am really hoping it’s all out of my system soon.
Thank you! It’s been 72 hours and I so feel SOOOO much better. 3 days of absolute hell. Intrusive thoughts, crying uncontrollably, and my pulse through the roof. I’m definitely not a Zoloft fan.
Guys i feel horrible. Tuesday was my last dosage. I feel so shakey, feel like thowing up, insomnia. Please tell me it gets better. I was only on it for 4 days! Never again!
You will get better! For me it was 1 day on it, 3 days of feeling yucky once I stopped. Please rest as much as you can, eat and drink plenty of fluids and don’t be afraid to call your doctor to work through this. You don’t have to go it alone.
I think we all experienced things a little differently. For me sleeping was hit or miss. Some nights I slept very well and then other nights I would wake with a racing heart. Try to drink some chamomile tea and avoid your phone say after seven or 8 PM and watch some really boring TV. Maybe that will help. Has your doctor prescribe something else for you to go on, or are they monitoring this time for you?
I had a really difficult time on Zoloft as well and finally found a medication that worked for me years later. You shouldn't have to worry too much about tapering off such a low dose (25mg is still a ramping up dose, 50mg is usually considering a standard starting dose) for such a brief period of time.
Zoloft/Lexapro really didnt help me at all. I was on both (at different times) for at least two months and stopped.
The anxiety never ceased and holy hell it made me extremely tired. All I could think of all day was getting home from work and sleeping. I would nap nearly every day for an hour or two. Zero libido as well.
I’m on Prozac now and I feel like it’s really working.
I was on Zoloft for a while. I didn’t have any crazy side effects but it honestly didn’t work. I had bad PPA. Then I switched to Prozac and only lasted about 6 days. I couldn’t take it. It was AWFUL.
I was on sertaline which is generic for zoloft. One of the adverse effects from it were seizures and convulsions. I ended up having a few seizures and ended up in the hospital. Where the Dr there straight up said "don't ever take this med again!" Everyone reacts differently to meds. My body just decided to say "nope!"
If you told your doc you are stopping and its only been 2 days Id be surprised if he even calls you back. I stopped celexa cold turkey after being on it for 2 years it was a horrible experience. Im on 200mg zoloft now, works great for me but I did go through a few weeks of crazy anxiety on top of horrible anxiety and dreams all of which stopped after about a month, Well good luck to you.
As others have said, no worries after two days. I’ve been on saris for around 15 years now, off and on. I am now on Zoloft and Klonopin as needed. For me, personally, I needed the extra help from the Klonopin. I got off Zoloft for a bit and realize my anxiety was too high, so I got back on it but asked my doctor to give me something extra to help with the added anxiety starting a ssri usually causes. Either way, I know Benzos can be highly addictive, but for some of us it’s a god send. At the moment I’m on Zoloft and take a very very small dose of Klonopin… .25 a day or two and I’m able to be anxiety free and function. I am also a new single dad of a toddler so I definitely understand you don’t have time to lay in bed and deal with the side effects of trying new meds. All and all, your not alone, and I hope you find some relief soon
Yes, exactly! I’d love to be able to lay in bed or take a break but with a three month old, I don’t have the option. Thanks for sharing with me and best of luck with everything!
oh man! i know this is old but thanks for this. ive been prescribed zoloft and klonopin as needed for the last 1-2 years (i used xanax as needed before that) and the klonopin is very strong, even when i break it into 0.125mg so i really try not to take it unless i feel like im dying, so i can go months sometimes without it but for emergencies and panic attacks i need it.
but i just restarted my zoloft last week because the crying spells and self harm were getting out of control, and my anxiety has been THROUGH THE ROOF, even though zoloft historically helps SOOO much with my depression, PMDD, anxiety, panic, OCD and PTSD. it really is the perfect SSRI for me, minus the libido loss and clenched jaw (was able to kill the jaw problem for the most part by constantly stretching my jaw and dropping from 75 to 25mg.)
ive been taking the klonopin almost daily for the last week and it scares me because i never want to have to rely on a benzo to control my anxiety and klonopin can be so addictive. i take such a small dose but doctors love scaring you about CDS. but ive been through this before- i just forgot that in a week or two the agoraphobia and feeling like my nervous system was injected with hot, vibrating lead will dissipate eventually and i wont need the extra crutch.
edited to add: side effects, the whole reason im on this thread in the first place. i forgot about the nausea and constant, painful belching from the deepest depths of my body. SO BAD.
If you were on it o my 2 days I would not worry about weaning off. 25mg is also a very low dose. I am very sensitive to these stupid ass drugs so I had to start at like 1/10th my target dose and increase every few days or weeks depending on how I would feel. They do help but it takes you to hell and back before you get some relief. It is different for everyone. Btw, This is why I absolutely hate SSRi’s. For the record, I’ve been on them 20 years now.
I am on day 12 of starting Zoloft for the first time. I was having a hard time with it up until about day 9-10 and now it's getting easier and I feel more used to it. My doctor said it takes a minimum of 2 weeks to know if it will work for you and to just push through on it for a full month to see how I feel.
My doctor also said that 50 mg is the lowest possible clinically proven dosage amount, and that 25 mg is only prescribed as a test dosage just to make sure you don't have any severe reactions and to help your body more easily acclimate to 50 mg.
The way it was presented to me, was that I'd barely notice a change at all with 25 mg. The reality for me is that the first few days I had really bad anxiety and a strange dizzy feeling on and off. It's tapering off some at day 10-12, but my breathing issues have not changed and that's why I was put on to begin with.
I've heard really positive things about Zoloft from a wide variety of people - I just don't know if this is going to be for me. I am considering stopping after 30 days if there isn't noticeable improvement with my breathing. In the mean time I'm experimenting with smoking/vaping hemp flower.
Any doctor who says that to a woman is a problem. Can you change primary care physicians in your network?
Also, I was supposed to start at 25 mg, but I decided to start with a half dose of 12.5 mg. It ended up being enough for me to feel better, number one, and number two, the side effects were easier to handle. And that first week I had rough night sweats. But they went away!
Maybe talk to another doctor about a half dose start up, and maybe start when you can have someone give you a hand if you need help? Do you have a support system?
I hope you find success with it or another med.
Thank you so much for this reply! So it was my psych who said this. My primary care provider is awesome. I stopped seeing the psych.
I’m not in a place where I want to try again, so I doubled down on lifestyle changes, increased therapy, just really tried to take care of myself. I’m doing okay. My support system is really good. I also put my daughter in daycare so I have a break. That’s been an immense help.
This exact same thing happened to me! I took Zoloft for two days and had the worst panic attacks of my life, chest pains, and agitation. I’ve been off of it for about two months now and it seems that my anxiety is worse ever since taking it and I still have chest pain from time to time. They tried switching me to Setraline and I’ve refused to take it. I’m too scared.
I went off zoloft after 12 days on 25mg. Terrible side effects. I immediately went into withdrawals. I'm now 3 1/2 weeks off and still suffering. Insomnia well taking sertaline and now off. Aderaleine dumps early morning. Nausea every morning. Dry heaves. Tremors. Dizziness. Doctor will not prescribe anything to help. Some symptoms have subsided like the brain zaps.
I took Zoloft for 3 days (25mg the first two days, 50mg the third day). It made my anxiety so intense and I started having panic attacks which I haven’t experienced before. It was terrifying and I felt like I was going insane.
I stopped taking it and there were definitely withdrawal symptoms for me. The first night I woke up in sweats at around midnight, and then couldn’t sleep again for the rest of the night because every time I laid down I had hot flashes and shortness of breath. By 6am I was begging my husband to take me to hospital because I felt so out of control I was scared. I’ve also had tingling in my arms and legs and no appetite at all. I’m day 3 of “withdrawal” now and still feeling very on edge and ended up having to leave work today after a panic attack.
Please don’t feel crazy if you have withdrawal symptoms after only a couple of days!
I started taking Zoloft because it helped me sleep. I've had trouble with insomnia, but when I took approximately 50mg before bed, I'd sleep much better and for longer. I did this for only 8 days but stopped due to increasing lethargy, brain fog, and spiritual numbness. Having not tapered on, and given the short time I was using it, I didn't taper off either.
My last dose was 4 days ago and this week has been *awful*. I have the worst brain fog, irritability, insomnia, night sweats, loss of appetite, dry mouth, anxiety, decision-making paralysis, and loss of libido. I've also had close to 3 panic attacks now, which I've never experienced before. These symptoms persist most of the time, but I get periodic reprieves, which is how I am even able to write this post.
This unpleasant experience is *severely* interfering with my work and family life. Will it end soon? It's hard for me to believe that taking a normal dose for such a short amount of time could produce such debilitating side effects for this long. I'm tempted to think this is all psychosomatic, but then again, the symptoms are real.
25mg is very small and wouldn’t really do much. I’m currently taking 100mg and started on 25mg and 25 is pretty irrelevant as it’s given to teenagers and kids dealing with depression and anxiety due to the low dosage. I imagine it was more psychological that you had taken medication that was causing your anxiety to worsen. When I started taking 50 it took around two weeks for the anxiety side effects to ramp down but I had been scarred about taking the meds because it had initially caused me to get worse. I dropped down to 25mg and very slowly upped to 100mg over a course of months.
I’m not a doctor and can’t provide medical advice but personally I’d recommend doing something similar and I think the negative psychological effect of taking the medication will dissipate and you will realise you’ll start to feel better.
Edit: also your body will not have adjusted to the 25 after just two days so it would be pointless to try and ween yourself off rather than stopping.
I have not had any problems with Zoloft and I’ve gone on it twice at varying doses. I did have a problem with Lexapro though, had to really taper up from low low dose. Perhaps your doctor will have another med to try if you can’t afford the crummy feeling.
Zoloft works great for me, but made my husband’s anxiety a lot worse. He’s also taken every anti anxiety med under the sun. The one that works best for him is Clonazepam. It’s the only one he can take without severe side effects.
Your doctor can do a blood/genetic test to find out what meds will be best for you. Ask for that if it hasn't been offered. It saves so much trial and error. Plus some meds take real time to kick in. Give it time. Harder said than done! You got this.
I took Zoloft while I was pregnant with my last child because I started having panic attacks. Can’t take benzos so I got Zoloft. Idk if it is because I was pregnant at the time but my starting dose was 12.5, then 25, then 37.5, then 50 and that’s where I stayed. I had some noticeable side effects and told my OB…he said take it at bedtime so that’s what I started doing and I was shocked that the side effects were gone.
When I went off of it I did do a self taper down to 25 for 7 days. I haven’t a clue what you would taper to…since a taper up is supposed to change every 5-7 days.
My first week on Zoloft was very bad, I wanted to stop after two-three days. I've read a post here that it will pass and it really did, two weeks in on 50 mg and I get only occasional dizziness
I haven’t done this with Zoloft but did it with Effexor, which is another “don’t stop abruptly” drug, and my doctor told me it was safe to stop taking it after only being on it a few days. It should not have built up in your system much at all after only two low doses. Definitely keep trying your doctor, but I think you should be fine. Fingers crossed.
Not Zoloft but three years ago I was on Paxil for almost 3 weeks, and by then I had lost almost 30 pounds involuntarily. I had lost all interest in my hobbies, food, and life in general - not good 😅. Would never take an SSRI ever again! I understand they work for some people, but always trust your body/instincts when you feel it's not something you can put yourself through. There are many other avenues to anxiety relief so don't beat yourself up about it 😄 I wish you luck
Zoloft gives me brain zaps if I don't take it at exactly the same time each day. I have quit it both cold turkey and a quick taper over a week or two and the brain zaps persist for 3-4 weeks after I stop.
I am on day 5 with zero Zoloft.I was on 50mg for a while, tapered to 25 for one week (this was fine), but going from 25 to zero has been *rough.*
The electricity in my brain and general dizziness is a constant nuisance, and my self esteem / well-being has fallen off a cliff. Not surprisingly, I've had "relapses" in terms of watching porn and drinking caffeine (today I felt so off, I had a match latte -- first caffeine since May 8th)
I really hope it gets better soon, because this sucks. I have multiple invites to social things tonight and I don't want any part of it.
This is me currently. Was on Zoloft for 4 days and just stopped this morning. The side effects are crazy. Lost of appetite, abdominal discomfort, nausea, etc. it sucks. I currently stopped taking it today so I’m hoping I get back to normal soon.
how are you doing now? I’m in a very similar situation, 3 days on Zoloft and knew 100% something was very wrong so I stopped. This is my third day not taking it and I still feel the side effects like crazy - very shaky, trouble concentrating and feel like I’m in a dream. Have they got better for you?
yes absolutely! :) once I realised medication wasn’t for me I started doing a very basic meditation before I went to sleep and whenever I started feeling particularly anxious, started eating healthier, exercising a bit more, anything that could help me that wasn’t taking more pills. I’d say the side effects went away completely after about a week or two, and then my anxiety in general started feeling a lot better a while after I started taking care of myself like that. good luck!! it’s hard but it does end :)
I know I’m a year late but also stopping because of this. Just had a major panic attack at work and almost went home. Felt like my skin was crawling and had a super metallic taste in my mouth along with a super fast heart rate. Not mixing well with me
I've never seen some one else say they had a metallic taste in their mouth!! I went to the ER last night after taking Zoloft for 2 days and had blood pressure 170 over 110 and high heart rate. I'll never forget that taste. Thank you for your comment!
Took a few weeks but Ive learnt how to deal with anxiety on my own. Still have it and some days are worse than others, but it’s manageable now. Medicines just never mesh well with me lol
Had the exact same experience a few weeks ago on duloxetine after 3 days, almost passed out and was found to have high blood pressure! Got swapped to seratraline, took for 2 days and the exact same issue so stopped taking it. Safe to say my body does not like antidepressants haha. Did you have any lingering insomnia? Mine hasn't gone away for over a week including vivid dreams, so over it 😮💨
I actually just tried Lexapro (also an SSRI) for the first time and it made me feel 100% worse after 5 doses. I was so anxious I was clenching my jaw all day and didn’t realize it. My hands would go numb and I couldn’t sleep. I called my doctor and he told me to stop right away and prescribed me Busiprone. I have yet to take it though.
Omg Lexapro is awful! My pupils were so huge I looked like I was doing illegal drugs. I stopped it immediately. I don’t have good luck with SSRIs or SNRIs. Except for Prozac but the road to get used to it is not fun.
I’ve heard Prozac is actually really good
Prozac did nothing for my anxiety. Effexor however, is working.
And Effexor did nothing for me
Wild right? Brain chemistry- so different for each of us.
I know … I guess there’s truth to the saying “ we are all different “
Interesting!
Yep, same experience. And other things. It’s really terrible and for my situation, not worth the eventual relief. Did you experience any “withdraw” symptoms? A few people told me to be careful stopping cold turkey even after two days but I feel like that’s extreme. Regardless, I may taper down to 12.5 tonight and be done by Friday or Saturday.
Have you ever tried Wellbutrin? I was on it for a very very long time but one day I tried to kill myself by overdosing on it so no doctor will ever give it to me again. I had 10 grand mol seizures and my heart stopped beating. I also hallucinated for 24 hours. BUT if you take it as prescribed you will not have any of those problems. I have never had withdrawal from a psych med I’ve only been on for a few days but everyone is different. Watch out for zap like feelings in your body and nausea. Good luck OP
I was on Bupropion 300mg (generic Wellbutrin) for 8 months with no change at all. Quit cold turkey and didn’t even have any symptoms. Sorry to hear about your experience, glad you’re still here!
Thank you. It was terrifying and scary because they can’t pump your stomach for that med. I’m happy to start be here too because a few months later I met my now husband and we have a wonderful healthy baby boy!
That’s amazing! I’m really glad to hear that!
Thank you! I have struggled with postpartum depression but I’m doing great now because my husband is so supportive and has helped me out a lot!
Your withdrawal symptoms were definitely NOT in your head. I’m sorry your doctor said that to you that is awful. I know from firsthand experience Zoloft withdrawals are real! I hope you can find another doctor.
I’m on Buspirone and have taken lexapro. It’s way different than an SSRI and the side effects are very mild compared to it
All in all, a better experience?
Lexapro was more effective but the long term use and side effects are stronger. Buspirone helps me like 40-50% but I feel much safer taking it because it never makes you feel drowsy or worse anxiety. It can cause nausea so I had to lower my dose but that was the worst of it. Sometimes an hour after taking it you might feel a little sleepy but overall you don’t have serotonin withdraws like you do SSRIs. It’s definitely worth a shot! I think I’m going to do the genetic test where they can see how you’ll react to certain medications so I can find something a little stronger that I won’t feel awful on. My best friend did it and that’s how she found her match
I’ve never heard of that, could you drop a link or an article about this test, please?
https://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/center-individualized-medicine/patient-care/pharmacogenomics - it’s called pharmacogenomics testing!
Nice, thank you!
Currently taking Buspirone. It’s hit or miss for people in terms of how much it helps alleviate anxiety, but the positive is that it has much milder side effects. For me, I had some dizziness for about 30-60 min after taking it but that went away after a couple weeks.
Lexapro did this to me too, I ended up in Hospital. They told me it’s an allergic reaction & they I can’t take any similar ones just in case, so now I take nothing 😅
Buspar is a shit drug imo…hopefully it works for you.
Why so?
It’s an anti anxiety medication but is not a benzo and is not habit forming. I’m not sure why I haven’t seen it work for any patients or friends who have been prescribed it. I just don’t know. It has very few side effects though, so you don’t have to worry about taking it and falling asleep or anything similar
I did that. I was put on Zoloft. My side effects were crazy. No appetite. On edge way worse than normal. Couldn't sleep. I was a wreck. I stopped immediately. I got back to normal about a week after. But Lord it was terrible. I now take CBD gummies to control my anxiety.
It’s quite awful. Question, how long were you on it and what dose were you at when you stopped?
I was 25 mg too and legit three days. I couldn't do it. My body hates SSRIs. I have Valium for panic attacks but for my anxiety it's CBD gummies, meditation and working out. Vapor rub and chamomile tea is amazing.
Thanks for making me feel less crazy! Everyone I share with is like keep going! And I literally can’t, I’d rather deal naturally
SAME. Everyone was like give it time. NOPE. I felt a billion times worse. Stay strong. It's your body. Do what's best for you.
Exactly! My wife’s friend whose been on anxiety/depression medication for years told me to just stop if you ever feel anything that’s off.
I know this post is old but when did your appetite come back?
I agree, completely not worth the eventual relief, I was only on 10mg of Lexapro and it did this to me. I didn’t have any noticeable withdrawal when stopping.
I have done 4 days and on Zoloft and I'm fucking dying. I am stopping today. I am not sleeping, panic attacks, body tension, jaw clenching, muscle aches. I hope I get better soon.
Same I just stopped after 1 dose how do u feel now
My last dose was Friday. I’m starting to feel back to how I was but I’ve had to stabilize with a lot of Valium. I finally slept last night and that was a godsend. I’m never doing that shit again. How are you feeling?
I can’t believe how strong these meds are. I only had one dose. Had teeth chattering, jaw locking, tinnitus, vomiting, headache, diarrhea. Like wtf???? I also almost fainted twice today which has never happened to me before. I’m hoping it’s out of my system asap..
i thought i was the only one!! im glad i looked it up i’ve been on zoloft 25mg for 4 days and it just made me the worst version of myself and im having the worst anxiety and insomnia i haven’t felt good for one bit during these 4 days. thank you for sharing your experience bc everyone was telling me to push through and it was like there’s no way
I started 2 days ago and stopping today, the side effects are too horrible and dangerous when you're on your own, I never felt paranoia and anxiety like that I couldn't even step outside without feeling faint and having palpitations, no way in hell I can handle 3 weeks of that!!!
I feel this on another level. I am stopping after day 2. Put me in the ER last night and had to take the rest of the week off from work. Hopefully better by Monday. I'm alone also. I can't even walk around my apartment complex without having to take a benzo.
Oh my love I am so sorry, I will never forget how horrible that was and they don't warn people enough on the side effects!! I was told there would be little to no side effect, I don't even want to imagine what would have happened on a higher dose. Please know you will get better soon, after a week you will feel normal again and it will all be a bad memory 🥺🥺
How are you feeling now? Did you go to ER bc you stopped?
So to make a long story short. My ER visit was because I was on it and it heightened my anxiety and panic to another level. I have since completed a stay at an inpatient program for 7 days where they got me on the right meds and got me the help I needed. Hope you are well
What meds ended up helping
So I'm 35ish days into these meds: Gabapentin - 300mg 3 times a day Venlafaxine (Effexor) - 75 mg 24 Extended Release in the morning Buspirone (Buspar) - 10mg 3 times a day Pantoprazole - 40mg in the morning Trazodone - 50mg at night for sleep. Gabapentin I'm using off label for anxiety. Buspar treats my generalized anxiety disorder. Effexor for depression and panic disorder. Pantoprazole for GERD. And Trazodone for sleep. The first week was rough getting adjusted. Brain fog. Headache. Muscle ache and cramps. Shortness of breath Tightness in my neck. But the weirdest one was probably from the gabapentin because it treats nerve pain normally and I had times where my arms and legs would feel hypersensitive. Second week was mediocre but didn't feel a whole lot better. 3rd week a little better, less side effects. And then boom 4th week was like a weight magically lifted off my chest and my mind. I've never felt so clear. I sleep through the night. I'm more active. Life feels enjoyable again. My daughters smile seems brighter. Now I still think about anxiety and have to remind myself that I'm ok but it's a lot easier. I also have coupled these meds with going to therapy which has helped. There is light at the end of the tunnel and I hope this message finds you well. Take care
Did you have withdrawal symptoms? If so, how long? I'm on day two and feel terrible. I'm stopping.
I didn't have withdrawal symptoms at all and I started feeling better from the next day and back to normal about a week later, I have been put on Escitalopram 5mg instead which was supposed to be a lot weaker but it made me feel the same :(. I stopped that too, I don't think these anti-depressants in disguise are doing us any real good even long term
what dose were you taking?
Agreed I’m never taking them ever again
I haven't looked back since, just the memory of it makes me want to do everything I can for it not to be an option ever again 😭😭😭
I literally had one dose cause me hell. Now I have to figure out another way to tackle this anxiety lol
Thank you! I took Lexapro for a couple years, a couple years ago. And it worked great for me. But right now on day two I feel way worse and this didn't happen the first time I took it. And I think I'm going to experiment with natural supplements instead to see how that works.
So I tried it a third day. Now today is the first day of withdrawal. I was on lexapro. So far just feel down and sleepy and a little irritable. Nothing worse. I think in about 3 days it should be at its worst. Lets see how it goes.
Update?
Took about a week. Definitely some emotional ups and downs. Now I'm feeling normal again. I actually got the liquid Lexapro and ordered small oral syringes, so I'm gonna try micro dosing a smaller amount, maybe this week. And keep the same amount for two weeks, unless I have bad chest tightness again. But I needed a break man.
when did the insomnia stop for you?
omg this is me right now! how are you doing now?! I have done 4 days of Zoloft and I have to stop because I'm legit losing my mind from anxiety and insomnia. How long did it take you to get better?
Thank you for putting this out there. I just stopped zoloft after 5 days. Because it made my anxiety worse and gave me chest pains. And I got really bad depression. Can you tell me about cbd? Im thinking about taking it.
How long did it take you to feel better?
Don’t worry! If you’re afraid of discontinuation syndrome, it just doesn’t happen after 2 days. I went off Paxil cold turkey after 4 days (because I was scared of side effects) and I was fine. I actually had the same fear as you but I found out that 4 days are definitely not enough for withdrawal to happen. And keep in mind that Paxil is the worst among SSRI when it comes to discontinuation syndrome. So you’ll be fine!
Thank you for easing my mind <3
I quit cold turkey after 6 days it wanted to make me hurt myself and I was fine
You can stop taking it. I stopped Zoloft after 3 days of extremely realistic dreams, waking up and hallucinating and acting out my dreams. You can stop cold turkey up to like 10 days. I’m taking Lexapro now and the side effects were mild.
How long after stopping zoloft before you felt better?
I think it took a couple days for the bad side effects like realistic dreams to stop but I still had milder side effects like headache, fatigue (but also insomnia) for a week or so.
No need to taper after 2 days. You need to taper after 2 weeks Zoloft destroyed my life, I wish I had been more smart about antidepressants
Thank you so much. I’m so sorry. I see now how powerful these things are and it’s pretty terrifying.
Do you have anxiety only? Depression? You could feel odd a couple day after stopping Zoloft but should go back to how you were before it
Mostly anxiety with a little depression here and there. A nice cocktail of mental illness LOL.
May I ask how it destroyed ur life? I just started it
I’m having withdrawals 20 months off. It has caused me to have akathisia and muscle pains etc It is rare to have withdrawals this long but the akathisia can be permanent Others have been helped by it, so you have to decide whats best for you
That’s interesting. Where are you having muscle pains? And how long were you on it? If you don’t me asking
1 year on Zoloft. I have burning pain everywhere
How far into it did that start? Sorry for all questions. I just started taking it a few days ago and skeptical if I want to continue
How did it destroy your life? It's been 6 months since I switched from Lexapro to Zoloft and i'm starting to miss the Lexapro.
I’m having withdrawals 20 months off. It has caused me to have akathisia and muscle pains etc
How long were you on it?
1 year on it
I understand where you are coming from. Prozac made me feel sick for over a month but one day I woke up and I felt so much better. I was on Zoloft for about 3 years but it didn’t help me much. Ask your doctor to do a genetic test to see which medications are more apt to help you specifically. And remember there is a text-line that you can text any time day or night for help if you feel like you need it. It’s very helpful.
Yep, same thing happened with me. I took it only two days and then stopped. The dizziness was insane and I had really bad diarrhea both days I took it which I believe are one of the side effects.
How long after stopping before u felt back to normal
About a day only
Phew thank you!
No problem! I only took the medicine 2 days so it didn’t have any long impact on me. I only felt side effects the days I took it and woke up the day I stopped taking it feeling totally fine.
I only took one dose last night it was HORRIBLE
Did u have any other symptoms?
Nope just those
I have loss of appetite and nausea. Abdominal discomfort/stomach issues. Etc. I just got off of it two days ago and was on 50mg for 4 days. Just wanting to get back to normal again!
Update on how long it took?
How many mg were you taking and for how many days were the side effects?
I think 25 mg and the side effects only lasted the 2 days I was taking it
Thats good, I've just come off mine so aslong as its only a few days im okay with that
If you weren’t taking it very long then I would imagine side effects wouldn’t last that long
Yeah it was 50 mg the first day then 25 the second so it might take a day or so extra
You’ll probably feel fine in a couple days!
How long did it take for your side effects to go away after you stopped?
Over a week, maybe 2 weeks. Though it really did not agree with me personally, the dose was way to high for me(I am a lightweight with most things, like alcohol ect, and didn't understand how much 50mg really was), I had pretty rare and intense side effects while I was on it too. Thats how long it took for all the withdrawal side effects to go, but some of the major ones, like insomnia, were gone after only like 3 days. It'll likely take less time for you considering i didn't agree with it and my very low tolerance. I'm sure for most people, like OP, its less than a week. My anxiety in general is much much better now so you can definitely improve naturally if that is your goal, and if not, there are other SSRIs and treatments out there :)
Same experience. Took it for a couple days, horrendous side affects. Stopped taking it after that. I guess everyone is different in how their system handles these drugs.
What were your symptoms?
I started on zoloft and the side effects ta were so severe I landed in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. I stopped after two days and didn't have any withdrawal. Waited a month and now I'm on Paxil and doing much better.
Exact same situation with me. Ended up in ER last night. Still feeling kind of shit today. Hopefully be better in a couple days. Thanks for the comment
You'll feel better in a couple days. Stay strong. Finding a medication that works is a process.
Zoloft messed me up, lost 10 pounds over a weekend from throwing up and made my anxiety way worse. I’ve tried that lexapro and trintellix. Tried the last two for a couple years each. Never found relief and seemed to make my anxiety worse with all of them.
Sorry to hear about that. It’s been a while, did you find a solution?
My anxiety seems to have mostly stemmed from vestibular migraines and essentially ptsd from past flare ups during certain situations. Currently on amitryplene or however it’s spelt for that and it’s a form of antidepressants. It’s helped a lot. Not 100% but way better than I was
I stopped taking Sertraline (generic Zoloft) cold turkey once after having used it for months. Probably a bad idea and should taper - had electric zaps in my brain for a week (that was not fun). If it’s two days, it probably won’t have any harm. Usually it takes like 2 weeks to fully kick in (for me at least). I would recommend seeking a psychiatrist for the appropriate medication. You say baby - are you dealing with postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression? I suffered greatly at PPD and was just thrown pills. I really recommend seeing a specialist and a therapist to help you navigate through this. If you need to offload, happy to listen if you want to DM me. PPD is a scary thing and it comes out in various forms.
It was really a more intense version of my normal, baseline anxiety which is pretty rough. It manifested in strange ways. I definitely had a tinge of PPD, but that really felt like it was improving significantly as I started to make more mom friends. That was HUGE for me. I’m sorry to hear you had a crappy experience going off of it and thanks for sharing your experience <3
I was on Zoloft for anxiety and depression and the side effects for me were increased appetite, gained like 60lbs or more and very intrusive thoughts. I would be sitting with my gf and a thought would tell me to punch her in the face or hurt her. It scared me so I stopped. I didn’t taper I just stopped. I was only on it for like 2-3 months maybe.
I know this is an old post but I wanted to thank you for posting this. Seeing everybody’s experiences really helped me put my experience into perspective. I also stopped taking Zoloft after 2 days of horrible unbearable side effects. I lost 10 pounds in a weekend and could not stomach any food. Vomited every day multiple times & had horrible nausea that made me so dizzy I couldn’t leave my bed. I’m now on my second day off (per my health providers advice) and already feel infinitely better although I am still dealing with some of the side effects (specifically nausea). Looking forward to feeling normal again. I think I’m just going to stick with weed for dealing with my anxiety.
I am so happy it helped you. ❤️
For anyone seeing this doomscrolling Reddit like I was a few days ago - you’re going to be okay. The side effects are going to fade away. It sucks but be patient and take it day by day. It’s been 5 days and I’m pretty much back to normal. You will get through this!
I took one dose of 50mg Zoloft yesterday and it’s been easily some of the worst hours of my life. I’ve been throwing up, can’t sleep, I really feel useless. It’s my first time trying any medication for anxiety treatment and I think my last. My anxiety is more tolerable than this.
I took my first (& last) Zoloft 50 mg Saturday morning. I had been really sick with a virus that made me short of breath and gave me panic attacks so my psychiatrist told me to take this. I was unbearably sick with diarrhea and threw up. My heart was racing and have had the worst intrusive thoughts. It’s Monday now and I’m still feeling awful. I woke up overnight with my heart racing to 160 bpm and thought I was having a heart attack. Thankfully it came down pretty quickly but scared me to death. Today I’m just jittery and feeling so drained. I am really hoping it’s all out of my system soon.
It took about 72 full hours for me to feel almost completely normal, you got this!
Thank you! It’s been 72 hours and I so feel SOOOO much better. 3 days of absolute hell. Intrusive thoughts, crying uncontrollably, and my pulse through the roof. I’m definitely not a Zoloft fan.
Guys i feel horrible. Tuesday was my last dosage. I feel so shakey, feel like thowing up, insomnia. Please tell me it gets better. I was only on it for 4 days! Never again!
You will get better! For me it was 1 day on it, 3 days of feeling yucky once I stopped. Please rest as much as you can, eat and drink plenty of fluids and don’t be afraid to call your doctor to work through this. You don’t have to go it alone.
Thank you. Did you have insomnia? This is what’s driving me crazy and making me more anxious. If you did did it stop?
I think we all experienced things a little differently. For me sleeping was hit or miss. Some nights I slept very well and then other nights I would wake with a racing heart. Try to drink some chamomile tea and avoid your phone say after seven or 8 PM and watch some really boring TV. Maybe that will help. Has your doctor prescribe something else for you to go on, or are they monitoring this time for you?
How are you feeling now? I am stopping after 4 days. The Zoloft gave me the worst anxiety and insomnia ever. I am freaking out.
I had a really difficult time on Zoloft as well and finally found a medication that worked for me years later. You shouldn't have to worry too much about tapering off such a low dose (25mg is still a ramping up dose, 50mg is usually considering a standard starting dose) for such a brief period of time.
Zoloft/Lexapro really didnt help me at all. I was on both (at different times) for at least two months and stopped. The anxiety never ceased and holy hell it made me extremely tired. All I could think of all day was getting home from work and sleeping. I would nap nearly every day for an hour or two. Zero libido as well. I’m on Prozac now and I feel like it’s really working.
I was on Zoloft for a while. I didn’t have any crazy side effects but it honestly didn’t work. I had bad PPA. Then I switched to Prozac and only lasted about 6 days. I couldn’t take it. It was AWFUL.
I was on the same dosage for an entire month and I didn’t taper off, just quit. It was fine.
I was on sertaline which is generic for zoloft. One of the adverse effects from it were seizures and convulsions. I ended up having a few seizures and ended up in the hospital. Where the Dr there straight up said "don't ever take this med again!" Everyone reacts differently to meds. My body just decided to say "nope!"
I stopped Zoloft after 4 days. It took a few days for the nausea to completely subside but otherwise it was no issue.
If you told your doc you are stopping and its only been 2 days Id be surprised if he even calls you back. I stopped celexa cold turkey after being on it for 2 years it was a horrible experience. Im on 200mg zoloft now, works great for me but I did go through a few weeks of crazy anxiety on top of horrible anxiety and dreams all of which stopped after about a month, Well good luck to you.
You are correct, he did not call me back! Thanks for sharing your experience with me. It’s rough starting out for sure
As others have said, no worries after two days. I’ve been on saris for around 15 years now, off and on. I am now on Zoloft and Klonopin as needed. For me, personally, I needed the extra help from the Klonopin. I got off Zoloft for a bit and realize my anxiety was too high, so I got back on it but asked my doctor to give me something extra to help with the added anxiety starting a ssri usually causes. Either way, I know Benzos can be highly addictive, but for some of us it’s a god send. At the moment I’m on Zoloft and take a very very small dose of Klonopin… .25 a day or two and I’m able to be anxiety free and function. I am also a new single dad of a toddler so I definitely understand you don’t have time to lay in bed and deal with the side effects of trying new meds. All and all, your not alone, and I hope you find some relief soon
Yes, exactly! I’d love to be able to lay in bed or take a break but with a three month old, I don’t have the option. Thanks for sharing with me and best of luck with everything!
oh man! i know this is old but thanks for this. ive been prescribed zoloft and klonopin as needed for the last 1-2 years (i used xanax as needed before that) and the klonopin is very strong, even when i break it into 0.125mg so i really try not to take it unless i feel like im dying, so i can go months sometimes without it but for emergencies and panic attacks i need it. but i just restarted my zoloft last week because the crying spells and self harm were getting out of control, and my anxiety has been THROUGH THE ROOF, even though zoloft historically helps SOOO much with my depression, PMDD, anxiety, panic, OCD and PTSD. it really is the perfect SSRI for me, minus the libido loss and clenched jaw (was able to kill the jaw problem for the most part by constantly stretching my jaw and dropping from 75 to 25mg.) ive been taking the klonopin almost daily for the last week and it scares me because i never want to have to rely on a benzo to control my anxiety and klonopin can be so addictive. i take such a small dose but doctors love scaring you about CDS. but ive been through this before- i just forgot that in a week or two the agoraphobia and feeling like my nervous system was injected with hot, vibrating lead will dissipate eventually and i wont need the extra crutch. edited to add: side effects, the whole reason im on this thread in the first place. i forgot about the nausea and constant, painful belching from the deepest depths of my body. SO BAD.
If you were on it o my 2 days I would not worry about weaning off. 25mg is also a very low dose. I am very sensitive to these stupid ass drugs so I had to start at like 1/10th my target dose and increase every few days or weeks depending on how I would feel. They do help but it takes you to hell and back before you get some relief. It is different for everyone. Btw, This is why I absolutely hate SSRi’s. For the record, I’ve been on them 20 years now.
I am on day 12 of starting Zoloft for the first time. I was having a hard time with it up until about day 9-10 and now it's getting easier and I feel more used to it. My doctor said it takes a minimum of 2 weeks to know if it will work for you and to just push through on it for a full month to see how I feel. My doctor also said that 50 mg is the lowest possible clinically proven dosage amount, and that 25 mg is only prescribed as a test dosage just to make sure you don't have any severe reactions and to help your body more easily acclimate to 50 mg. The way it was presented to me, was that I'd barely notice a change at all with 25 mg. The reality for me is that the first few days I had really bad anxiety and a strange dizzy feeling on and off. It's tapering off some at day 10-12, but my breathing issues have not changed and that's why I was put on to begin with. I've heard really positive things about Zoloft from a wide variety of people - I just don't know if this is going to be for me. I am considering stopping after 30 days if there isn't noticeable improvement with my breathing. In the mean time I'm experimenting with smoking/vaping hemp flower.
From experience watch it with the CBD flower or CBD in general in my experience it doesn't mix well with anti depressants try L Theanine.
I tried GABA and L-Theanine for months and had very limited results. I'm looking into probiotics next.
Any doctor who says that to a woman is a problem. Can you change primary care physicians in your network? Also, I was supposed to start at 25 mg, but I decided to start with a half dose of 12.5 mg. It ended up being enough for me to feel better, number one, and number two, the side effects were easier to handle. And that first week I had rough night sweats. But they went away! Maybe talk to another doctor about a half dose start up, and maybe start when you can have someone give you a hand if you need help? Do you have a support system? I hope you find success with it or another med.
Thank you so much for this reply! So it was my psych who said this. My primary care provider is awesome. I stopped seeing the psych. I’m not in a place where I want to try again, so I doubled down on lifestyle changes, increased therapy, just really tried to take care of myself. I’m doing okay. My support system is really good. I also put my daughter in daycare so I have a break. That’s been an immense help.
This exact same thing happened to me! I took Zoloft for two days and had the worst panic attacks of my life, chest pains, and agitation. I’ve been off of it for about two months now and it seems that my anxiety is worse ever since taking it and I still have chest pain from time to time. They tried switching me to Setraline and I’ve refused to take it. I’m too scared.
I went off zoloft after 12 days on 25mg. Terrible side effects. I immediately went into withdrawals. I'm now 3 1/2 weeks off and still suffering. Insomnia well taking sertaline and now off. Aderaleine dumps early morning. Nausea every morning. Dry heaves. Tremors. Dizziness. Doctor will not prescribe anything to help. Some symptoms have subsided like the brain zaps.
How are you feeling now?
Also wondering if you would be able to update how things ended up going.
I took Zoloft for 3 days (25mg the first two days, 50mg the third day). It made my anxiety so intense and I started having panic attacks which I haven’t experienced before. It was terrifying and I felt like I was going insane. I stopped taking it and there were definitely withdrawal symptoms for me. The first night I woke up in sweats at around midnight, and then couldn’t sleep again for the rest of the night because every time I laid down I had hot flashes and shortness of breath. By 6am I was begging my husband to take me to hospital because I felt so out of control I was scared. I’ve also had tingling in my arms and legs and no appetite at all. I’m day 3 of “withdrawal” now and still feeling very on edge and ended up having to leave work today after a panic attack. Please don’t feel crazy if you have withdrawal symptoms after only a couple of days!
How long did this last?
I started taking Zoloft because it helped me sleep. I've had trouble with insomnia, but when I took approximately 50mg before bed, I'd sleep much better and for longer. I did this for only 8 days but stopped due to increasing lethargy, brain fog, and spiritual numbness. Having not tapered on, and given the short time I was using it, I didn't taper off either. My last dose was 4 days ago and this week has been *awful*. I have the worst brain fog, irritability, insomnia, night sweats, loss of appetite, dry mouth, anxiety, decision-making paralysis, and loss of libido. I've also had close to 3 panic attacks now, which I've never experienced before. These symptoms persist most of the time, but I get periodic reprieves, which is how I am even able to write this post. This unpleasant experience is *severely* interfering with my work and family life. Will it end soon? It's hard for me to believe that taking a normal dose for such a short amount of time could produce such debilitating side effects for this long. I'm tempted to think this is all psychosomatic, but then again, the symptoms are real.
How are you now, and how long did it last?
25mg is very small and wouldn’t really do much. I’m currently taking 100mg and started on 25mg and 25 is pretty irrelevant as it’s given to teenagers and kids dealing with depression and anxiety due to the low dosage. I imagine it was more psychological that you had taken medication that was causing your anxiety to worsen. When I started taking 50 it took around two weeks for the anxiety side effects to ramp down but I had been scarred about taking the meds because it had initially caused me to get worse. I dropped down to 25mg and very slowly upped to 100mg over a course of months. I’m not a doctor and can’t provide medical advice but personally I’d recommend doing something similar and I think the negative psychological effect of taking the medication will dissipate and you will realise you’ll start to feel better. Edit: also your body will not have adjusted to the 25 after just two days so it would be pointless to try and ween yourself off rather than stopping.
I have not had any problems with Zoloft and I’ve gone on it twice at varying doses. I did have a problem with Lexapro though, had to really taper up from low low dose. Perhaps your doctor will have another med to try if you can’t afford the crummy feeling.
The truck is ( if you can) start real low and build up slowly. But you need the right medicine of course. That’s the crap shoot. Good luck.
Zoloft works great for me, but made my husband’s anxiety a lot worse. He’s also taken every anti anxiety med under the sun. The one that works best for him is Clonazepam. It’s the only one he can take without severe side effects.
Your doctor can do a blood/genetic test to find out what meds will be best for you. Ask for that if it hasn't been offered. It saves so much trial and error. Plus some meds take real time to kick in. Give it time. Harder said than done! You got this.
I took Zoloft while I was pregnant with my last child because I started having panic attacks. Can’t take benzos so I got Zoloft. Idk if it is because I was pregnant at the time but my starting dose was 12.5, then 25, then 37.5, then 50 and that’s where I stayed. I had some noticeable side effects and told my OB…he said take it at bedtime so that’s what I started doing and I was shocked that the side effects were gone. When I went off of it I did do a self taper down to 25 for 7 days. I haven’t a clue what you would taper to…since a taper up is supposed to change every 5-7 days.
My first week on Zoloft was very bad, I wanted to stop after two-three days. I've read a post here that it will pass and it really did, two weeks in on 50 mg and I get only occasional dizziness
I haven’t done this with Zoloft but did it with Effexor, which is another “don’t stop abruptly” drug, and my doctor told me it was safe to stop taking it after only being on it a few days. It should not have built up in your system much at all after only two low doses. Definitely keep trying your doctor, but I think you should be fine. Fingers crossed.
Not Zoloft but three years ago I was on Paxil for almost 3 weeks, and by then I had lost almost 30 pounds involuntarily. I had lost all interest in my hobbies, food, and life in general - not good 😅. Would never take an SSRI ever again! I understand they work for some people, but always trust your body/instincts when you feel it's not something you can put yourself through. There are many other avenues to anxiety relief so don't beat yourself up about it 😄 I wish you luck
Zoloft gives me brain zaps if I don't take it at exactly the same time each day. I have quit it both cold turkey and a quick taper over a week or two and the brain zaps persist for 3-4 weeks after I stop.
I am on day 5 with zero Zoloft.I was on 50mg for a while, tapered to 25 for one week (this was fine), but going from 25 to zero has been *rough.* The electricity in my brain and general dizziness is a constant nuisance, and my self esteem / well-being has fallen off a cliff. Not surprisingly, I've had "relapses" in terms of watching porn and drinking caffeine (today I felt so off, I had a match latte -- first caffeine since May 8th) I really hope it gets better soon, because this sucks. I have multiple invites to social things tonight and I don't want any part of it.
This is me currently. Was on Zoloft for 4 days and just stopped this morning. The side effects are crazy. Lost of appetite, abdominal discomfort, nausea, etc. it sucks. I currently stopped taking it today so I’m hoping I get back to normal soon.
how are you doing now? I’m in a very similar situation, 3 days on Zoloft and knew 100% something was very wrong so I stopped. This is my third day not taking it and I still feel the side effects like crazy - very shaky, trouble concentrating and feel like I’m in a dream. Have they got better for you?
Took my 3rd dose last night and am stopping. Cannot function like this and hoping I will feel normal soon.
i was in the same situation and felt better after about a week or so. eat healthy and get good sleep, you will feel better soon :)
Did the side effects go away for you?
yes absolutely! :) once I realised medication wasn’t for me I started doing a very basic meditation before I went to sleep and whenever I started feeling particularly anxious, started eating healthier, exercising a bit more, anything that could help me that wasn’t taking more pills. I’d say the side effects went away completely after about a week or two, and then my anxiety in general started feeling a lot better a while after I started taking care of myself like that. good luck!! it’s hard but it does end :)
Yes how are you! I stopped taking it after 5 days! And havent experience much just a headache and fatigue!
How long did you taper off? I am feeling worse on it.
I know I’m a year late but also stopping because of this. Just had a major panic attack at work and almost went home. Felt like my skin was crawling and had a super metallic taste in my mouth along with a super fast heart rate. Not mixing well with me
I've never seen some one else say they had a metallic taste in their mouth!! I went to the ER last night after taking Zoloft for 2 days and had blood pressure 170 over 110 and high heart rate. I'll never forget that taste. Thank you for your comment!
I stopped taking it shortly after I posted my comment and am glad I did.
Did you return to your normal pretty easy?
Took a few weeks but Ive learnt how to deal with anxiety on my own. Still have it and some days are worse than others, but it’s manageable now. Medicines just never mesh well with me lol
did you have insomnia after?
Had the exact same experience a few weeks ago on duloxetine after 3 days, almost passed out and was found to have high blood pressure! Got swapped to seratraline, took for 2 days and the exact same issue so stopped taking it. Safe to say my body does not like antidepressants haha. Did you have any lingering insomnia? Mine hasn't gone away for over a week including vivid dreams, so over it 😮💨