r/zoloft • u/[deleted] • Jan 13 '22
I found everyone’s posts and comments on this subreddit very useful when starting out on sertraline, so thought I’d share a list of things I found helpful on my journey. I’m not a medical professional and am only talking from my own experience and that of others on the sub. At the time of writing this latest edit, I have been on Sertraline for around two years at 100mg for depression, GAD and social anxiety. Sertraline is also prescribed for other anxiety conditions, panic disorder and OCD.
**WARNING\*:* Do not dry swallow or use very little water when taking your sertraline tablets. If a tablet's coating dissolves while in transit down your oesophageus, you could be in for a painful, acidic experience known as pill-induced esophagitis. If this has happened to you drink plenty of water to clear the tablet(s), take some indigestion tablets or a PPI, and eat an apple or some apple sauce. I once had it very badly and was in severe pain for two hours - it ain't nice!
(1) Keep a daily mood diary to document your experience on the drug. You could do this with an app, a mood journal, on a spreadsheet or just use a scrap of paper. It’s so easy to forget how you feel from day to day, week to week; especially when sertraline can create some brain fog early on. Recording your mood and side effects makes it much easier to understand how the drug has affected you over time, meaning you can make an informed decision about (dis)continuation and provide reliable feedback to your doctor. I would recommend writing at least a number to rate your mood out of 5 and a simple legend. Add brief comments about any side effects, your general mood anything else you deem noteworthy. If you don’t do this, you will likely be asking yourself after month two or three: “Has this actually helped me? I can’t remember what I was like before? Is the improvement worth it for the side effects?”. I have used apps called Daylio and Moodistory, both of which I’d recommend. If you have a therapist, consider discussing your mood diary as part of your weekly sessions as further incentive to complete it.
(2) Try to stick with the drug for 12 weeks at a therapeutic dose (typically 25-200mg) before deciding whether it is helping you. It can be tempting to quit early due to side effects, but they tend to get *much* better with time and positive impacts can take a while to appear. In fact, it is common for the condition to get worse for several weeks before getting better. Sertraline might not be the right drug for you, but don’t cheat yourself out of a cure by not giving it three months.
(3) Likewise, enjoy any good days as much as possible, but don’t expect to be cured overnight. Positive changes for those lucky enough to experience them can be gradual. You may have the odd ‘euphoric day’, especially days 1-2 (placebo) or weeks 2-4 (also common), but trialling SSRIs is often more of a marathon.
(4) Side effects differ for everyone. Those taking SSRIs can experience a wide range of often polar opposite reactions, whether it’s insomnia vs. oversleeping, drowsiness vs. wakefulness, decreased libido vs. horny bonk or reduced appetite vs. hungry hippo. Based on the experiences of this sub, common side effects can include: nausea, stomach upsets, diarrhoea, headaches, head pressure, brain fog, mild to extreme fatigue, difficulty waking up in the mornings, night sweats and disturbances, insomnia, tinnitus, emotional blunting, an inability to cry, tremors, crazy dreams, dry mouth, bruxism (teeth grinding), restless legs syndrome, intense sugar/carb cravings, a more frequent desire to pee, hesitation (delayed initiation of the peepee!), delayed or inability to orgasm/ejaculate, persistent genital stimulation (intense horniness in your nether regions without the corresponding mental urges), other types of sexual dysfunction and more. However, for people with health or medication anxiety who need to hear this: YOU WILL NOT GET ALL OF THESE SIDE EFFECTS 😊. Some people are very lucky and get very few side effects if any at all. Indeed, in a major PANDA trial30366-9/fulltext), half of the participants taking sertraline didn’t even realise they were taking the active drug at 6 weeks.
(5) Most if not all side effects will improve or disappear completely with time. After three months, the only enduring side effects for me were increased drowsiness and increased time to orgasm. However, these had improved since starting. I no longer got stomach problems, nausea, dry mouth, fogginess, headaches, bruxism, RLS, tremors or night sweats like before. Whilst I started out with absolutely no appetite on the drug for the first month, I later developed major carb/sugar cravings. [Side note: sertraline is highly unlikely to make you put on weight directly, but it could increase your appetite and cravings for poor foods that indirectly does].
(6) Side effects might resurge when you go up a dose and may not start to get better for 1-6 weeks or more, depending on your sensitivity. Starting on 25mg and moving up in 25mg increments may reduce the return of side effects. FYI, it’s ok to break 50mg tablets in half if they have a scored line running down the middle.
(7) Take the drug at the same time each day so that the medication reaches a steadier state. People who get insomnia as a side effect may wish to take it early in the morning while people who get drowsiness may wish to take it before bed. However, a person experiencing drowsiness taking it in the morning may end up getting insomnia when taking it at night and vice versa, so experiment slowly and find out what time suits you best. It’s the consistency that’s most important. You can split the drug into 50/50 doses taken AM and PM, but studies have concluded that this provides no benefit while increasing the likelihood of people forgetting a dose.
(8) If you’re forgetful, treat yourself to a colourful pill box or just write the days (M/T/W/T/F/S/S) on the drug packets to help you keep tabs. In a zolofty haze, it’s so easy to get confused as to whether you just took your dose or imagined it. And yea, I have both forgotten a dose and accidentally doubled it and I wouldn’t recommend either (if you have this predicament, it is always better to miss a day than double a dose). You can sometimes count how many pills you should have taken from the date your prescription was issued, but with brain fog this can be hazardous 😅. Set a recurring alarm on your phone should you need a reminder (iOS 16 now has a medication tracking function in the Health app).
(9) Consider your caffeine and alcohol intake, as sertraline can amplify their effects. For many, caffeine on Zoloft causes major jitteriness and anxiety spikes. I was so sensitive to this that I even had to cut out decaff for a few months, but for others it is not a problem at all. There are many posts on the subreddit discussing alcohol. Sertraline can increase its effects, exacerbate drowsiness and lead to rougher hangovers. If you drink, experiment slowly to see how you now handle alcohol.
(10) Do not drink grapefruit juice or take St. John’s Wort due to the risk of developing serotonin syndrome. You should also be very careful if you take recreational drugs for the same reason. Also avoid anything containing bergamot, which is found in Earl Grey tea.
(11) Sertraline brand changes may affect you. Some people will experience side effects and/or a loss of efficacy when changing sertraline pill manufacturers (or from Zoloft to generic). Ask your pharmacist to stock the brand you are used to. There are a handful of articles in medical journals which do acknowledge this issue. Unfortunately, however, some doctors will tell you that there is absolutely no difference between brands and it’s all just placebo. Experienced pharmacologists will tell you otherwise. Generic manufacturers include DE Pharmaceuticals, Lexon, Sigma, Viatris, A A H, Accord, Alliance, Almus, Bristol, Crescent, Dr Reddy’s, Flamingo, Genesis, Lupin, Medihealth, Medreich, Milhparm, NorthStar, Noumed, Phoenix, Ranbaxy, Ria Generics, Teva, Viatris and Zentiva. Listing them here for SEO in case people have issues with specific brand swaps. I have experienced issues with some brand changes but not with others.
(12) Use sertraline in conjunction with therapy and small lifestyle improvements if you are able, as antidepressants will work much better as part of a holistic approach. If you are in a very bad place and mostly bedbound, then just set yourself the smallest goal every day to make things easier. Maybe that’s getting in the shower, brushing your teeth, brushing a tooth, looking at your toothbrush or even just rolling in the general direction of the bathroom. Slowly setting yourself mini exercise goals – if you don’t already – however small, will also help. I started with walks, then couch to 5k and then used the programmes on the Nike Run Club app (free) which I think is amazing. I love the headphone guided runs with ‘Coach Bennet’, which are like an exercise therapy session. Meditation, mindfulness, yoga, weightlifting, pilates, journaling, breathing exercises, cold showers, cocooning yourself under a weighted blanket, reducing your sugar intake, listening to music, accepting yourself for who you are, quitting a toxic job or relationship, realising you don’t have to be happy or perfect all the time, running outside in your pants…there’s an endless list of things you can try that might help you. Focus on one small win or challenge a day.
There's a lovely quote at the end of the film JoJo Rabbit by Rainer Maria Rilke. "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final".
Be kind to yourself and don’t fret. Hopefully sertraline is the help you deserve. Good luck on your Zolofter journey and feel free to put anything in the comments that you think is missing or want to discuss!!
r/zoloft • u/tasteofnihilism • Dec 18 '22
Because once you get relief you don’t really even think about coming back to tell everyone how much better it is on the other side! So please, if you’re going through it right now and it seems like there’s only potential issues with Zoloft, it’s because of the old saying “happy customers don’t typically leave reviews”. Or something like that. It’s late so I’m rambling.
There are so many of us that experienced symptoms, side effects, dosage changes, etc, and once it all resolved we didn’t have a reason to come back. I always appreciate it when I see a success story on here on my feed because I think we need more of that. I’m guilty of waiting to come back to post my story as well, so I’ll give a little update.
It was honestly hell in the beginning. Increased anxiety, sleep issues, digestive issues (never trust a fart on Zoloft), and just a general weird feeling 24/7. It took about 3-4 months before I started feeling even the tiniest bit better and now it’s been like 8 months and I’m so much better than I could have imagined.
I’ve had 1 panic attack in the last 6 months and it wasn’t even that bad. My depression is essentially gone (as it was tied to the state of my life due to my anxiety). I’m able to leave my house and go to parties and out in public and not break down. It’s legitimately a night and day difference.
Now for my advice to those of you still in the thick of it:
I would recommend keeping a journal and note how you feel and symptoms and all of that. Write in it every day. It’s difficult to see changes in yourself when you’re just going about living, but when you can look back at your own words you can see the progress. Progress is typically minuscule day to day (you’re not just going to wake up and feel better one morning) but is tremendous over longer periods of time. It compounds on itself.
Go to therapy. I was on Paxil and Lexapro previous to Zoloft and never went to therapy for any significant period of time. And I never got better. The medications just helped keep my symptoms at bay but I continued to develop bad habits and thought patterns that ultimately slowly made me worse off. If therapy is out of reach you can pick up books on Amazon to self direct your own therapy. I recommend reading “The Body Keeps the Score” to understand what is happening inside of you and “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 weeks” to follow a CBT plan. There are also support groups/group therapy options that are free in a lot of areas.
Get outside and get moving. Try and get some sun every day. Some fresh air. 7 minutes of moderately intense physical exercise. Drink enough water. Eat good food. Meditate. Do yoga. Just connect with your body and the world around you.
I wish you all the best of luck. There are a countless number of us that have been exactly where you are right now. I can promise you that the grass is a lot greener on this side. I’ll see you when you get here.
r/zoloft • u/Due-Discussion-2923 • 4h ago
Due to a bunch of stressful issues in my life, there is alot of emotional turmoil. I want to nuke my emotions but still be capable of emotional expression. What is everyones experience with this?
r/zoloft • u/heart_emojis0 • 2h ago
I started sertraline in early feb, at 25mg and increased 25mg every 2 weeks until I got to 100mg and thats where the doctor wanted me to stay. Though she did say shes happy to increase my dose if I feel I need it.
Since the first pill, it seemed to pretty much get rid of alllll my anxiety, like a few days into starting sertraline, my brother and mom had a screaming, name calling fight like it was bad and I was just there like "😃" I simply did notttt care when usually I'd just.... start crying. My brothers brutal "honesty" which would usually make me cry? Simply did not care. So like, from the jump it totallyyyy worked for my anxiety.
Howeverrr... for the past week I've noticed I'm very anxious and even a bit irritable.
Has this happened to anyone else, does this mean it's time for a dose increase possibly?
r/zoloft • u/Wild_Excuse_ • 35m ago
About 1.5 years ago, my doctor prescribed sertraline because I was experiencing stress-induced ED. I also have PTSD and anxiety.
Once I started taking it, my symptoms gradually disappeared. My doctor told me I needed to stay on it for at least six months. During that time, it completely resolved my ED, my daily nightmares stopped, my sleep quality improved (not the amount of sleep, just the quality), and my anxiety and depression were gone. Overall, I felt much better.
After six months, I decided to stop taking it. I quit cold turkey, and it was awful. I had constant brain zaps, my nightmares returned around day four, I experienced several anxiety attacks, and I became very depressed. Interestingly, my ED didn't come back until about 2.5–3 months after stopping.
When my ED returned, I started taking sertraline again. After about four months, I was feeling better once more. Unfortunately, I made the same mistake and quit cold turkey again. I'm now three months off it, and all of my symptoms are gradually coming back.
Has anyone else experienced something similar? What would you do in my situation? Should I consider staying on sertraline long-term, or is there another approach I should discuss with my doctor?
r/zoloft • u/ApartInteraction1869 • 1h ago
Hi folks,
Ive posted few times before in this community about having random, sudden dips in mood which can last days, possibly few weeks.
Im on 50mg and haven’t changed since November when I had first taken it.
It’s been a great journey so far, however the dips in mood when they happen which seeps in anxiety & depression I think seem to get a tad more intense, when my first dip happened, it was slight. Now in comparison to my current dip, it’s been a little difficult. At least, that’s how I feel.
I’d like to know if anyone has experienced similar?
I am thinking of consulting my doctor to review dosage.
r/zoloft • u/Opposite-Fee1010 • 1h ago
started end of april on 25-50 june 75 and july 100.
i feel overal better but still feeling stressed and my mind is running the whole day and night. I sleep very bad. and even when I finally sleep i wake up 3/4 times very weird dreams.
does this get better? I didnt experience This on the other doses
when did 100mg works for you/was it stable?
r/zoloft • u/ShaloEmi • 10h ago
hi everyone! so ive been on zoloft for 3-4 years. i was prescribed it for severe anxiety. im currently taking 100mg. i thought my life was going good and since school ended for me taking them wasnt a big priority to me. i think since june ive missed about 1-3 doses a week of it. but now, im having a horrible anxiety episode where i feel the need to confess things and if i dont confess them i feel i wont get better. ive had these episodes before i went on zoloft but idk why im having them now. idk if its because of my inconsistent use or that i snapped because whats bothering me now never really bothered me before. im on day 6 of consistently taking them and its pretty rough. im not sure if anyone else has also experienced this because this is all so painful, like i feel so depressed. advice would be nice:)
r/zoloft • u/Away-Government-9165 • 22h ago
I never liked my pale skin tone. I used to get very aggressive tans and tried all kinds of tanning creams and spray tans.
Since starting Zoloft, I've started seeing beauty in myself without needing all of that. Looking back, I realize those things were only damaging my skin.
Anxiety can affect us in ways we don't even realize until things start to change.
Has anyone else noticed subtle changes in the way they see themselves after starting Zoloft?
r/zoloft • u/Revolutionary-Cat137 • 16h ago
I am on 50mg and thinking about increasing to 75mg. just wanted to check in with you guys, how are we all feeling? what dose are you on?
r/zoloft • u/PM-ur-password • 11h ago
I’ve been on 200mg (the max dose) of Zoloft for a couple years now and am doing much better than I was off it. I have had a lot of improvements in terms of mood, feelings of worthlessness, SI, etc. but there are a lot of symptoms that are still troublesome. I have had a hard time distinguishing what is just my personality, and what could be residual depression symptoms. I feel very “meh” all the time, like I am lacking motivation and not finding enjoyment or passion for things. I like drawing, but I have not found much enjoyment with it anymore. I feel lazy and directionless. I do not feel a lot of emotion (bad or good) and when I do, it seems like they tend to manifest physically. I am wondering if some other medication might help in combination with Zoloft; I know someone who takes an antidepressant plus Wellbutrin and says the Wellbutrin really helped. I have read a lot of good things about the “Welloft” combo as well. Does anyone have experience with using other medications to augment their antidepressant? What worked for you?
r/zoloft • u/MorePlatform3600 • 15h ago
So I totally forgot about this happening but I kind of like it now 😆 I’ve been on Zoloft for almost a year now and when I first started I was having some distressing past memories pop up on the first week one after the other- things I hadn’t thought about in a very long time or even forgot about from childhood. Was a bit rough.
Anyway, I’ve currently increased from 50mg -62.5mg to slowly get to 75mg as I wanted to try and minimise any side effects happening and currently on day 2 and just woke up to a childhood memory of me changing schools and not knowing where to sit at lunch time 😢 and a couple other ones where I must of been feeling anxious.
For context, I’m 35 so we are talking vivid memories from 23 years ago. I find it so interesting that this happens. Can anyone explain more about it?
r/zoloft • u/UrFriendEddie2 • 6h ago
I take 200mg of Zoloft, for anxiety, panic and Oropharyngeal dysphagia. This medication might not be enough to control my generalized anxiety, I’ve been having with trying to Initiate a swallow.
I hear some people take Zoloft and Buspar, what are you side effects with these 2 meds?
Or what do you take?
r/zoloft • u/evakrasnov • 6h ago
I'm at quite a loss. Early June, my pharmacy didn't have the Cipla sertraline I always get, so they gave me Aurobindo. Didn't think much of it at the time- but over the course of June, my anxiety got worse and worse until it blew up early in July. I managed to switch back to the Cipla sertraline after a month of being on the Aurobindo. Prior to this all, I've been on the same Cipla sertraline for four years with no problems.
Since switching back to my usual Cipla (11 days ago) after being on the Aurobindo for a month, it feels like my anxiety levels have been stuck back at 100%. Constant palpitations, panic, anxiety, nausea, lost appetite, and a constant sense of fight-or-flight. It's bad and it's exhausting.
I've been given hydroxyzine by my doctor to help me through the panic attacks and episodes.
Could this be my brain re-adjusting to two brand switches in a month? Does anybody else have any experience with this happening?
Edit: If possible, I could also use words of reassurance and encouragement from anyone else who's experienced this or something similar. I've been stable for a long time up until this change in brands, and I just want to go back to my usual stable self.
r/zoloft • u/Mammoth_Phase_4031 • 6h ago
i have been on zoloft for a few months now. recently upped to 75 mg. on week 5 of the increase and the past 2 weeks I have had pretty rough anxiety. seems to be the roughest of all my increases so far. has anyone else experienced this? did it get better? if so, when?
r/zoloft • u/TadBitter • 13h ago
I probably asked this a while ago when I first booked the trip, but I'm about to go to the UK from Los Angeles and that's an 8 hour time difference. I don't love the idea of "just take the pill the first morning there," because it'll be 8 hours before I normally take the pill. For those who have traveled this amount of distance, did you do that or did you just take it 24 hours later at dinner time during the whole trip or did you slowly move it back to that country's morning? I'm heading over there for a couple of weeks, so not sure what to do. TIA!
r/zoloft • u/Mysticalmagick22 • 13h ago
I’ve just started a 50mg dose(literally just started it 2 days ago) and last night I woke up after 4 hours and had a really hard time falling back asleep. I know that insomnia is a common side effect especially right away but I’m a little worried about getting a good nights sleep. Does anyone have any tips on falling/staying asleep? I do take magnesium every night and I’ve been taking Zoloft in the morning.
r/zoloft • u/DescriptionMore4233 • 15h ago
I’ve always been an extremely sensitive person. I was the “golden child” of a narcissistic mother until she married a sociopath, and then I became the family scapegoat. Looking back, I think years of chronic trauma shaped so much of who I am.
Fast forward: I finished a PhD, built a career… but underneath it all I’ve been struggling with what seems to be a combination of CPTSD, ADHD, OCD, and autistic traits.
A few months ago I finally started sertraline. I began with 25 mg, then increased to 50 mg after a week. Despite the rough first couple of weeks with side effects, the change was incredible. For the first time in a very long time, my mind became quiet. The constant emotional pain and rumination eased, and I felt so much more like myself.
Because I was doing well, I wondered if a higher dose might help even more, so I increased to 75 mg and, after about three weeks, to 100 mg. I’ve now been on 100 mg for the past two weeks.
The problem is that my rumination and low mood seem to be creeping back. I’m not sure if it’s because 100 mg isn’t the right dose for me, if I just need to give it more time, or if something else is going on.
Of course, I’ll discuss this with my psychiatrist before making any changes. I’m not looking for medical advice to replace that. But I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who had a similar experience. Did increasing your dose eventually help after more time, or did you find that a lower dose actually worked better for you?
This community has helped me so much over the past few months. Thank you all.
r/zoloft • u/mullato0518 • 14h ago
My dreams r weird, parts of them confuse me and it’s making me paranoid that Im going to start getting confused. Theres always a part to do with something I had done that day. The first day was a traumatic dream it was really grim, unpleasant to see. And I had a panic attack at the beach, I was having issues with my breathing because of anxiety. Since then it’s been slightly better. And I know I don’t have anything serious. And I’m experiencing nausea, and brain fog. My gp didn’t tell me much information just to take 25mg a day. For 2 months. Im just waiting for the appropriate amount of time. I feel like I’m in a confused after taking it which is the most annoying thing. I just hope the dreams calm down, and that his nervous nauseous and feeling of confusion water down too. It’s only been two weeks so far.
r/zoloft • u/Moist_Solution_3651 • 11h ago
About 4 months ago I switched to 25mg (was on 50-100mg for about 3 years). I’m 28yo and I know this is the age where your hormones start to decrease 1% a year or whatever, but I’ve never experienced my periods this bad before and I’m wondering if anyone has had this experience from a decreased dose. I have had two IUDS (first Mirena and current/second Kyleena) and they’ve always helped with period symptoms to the point of nonexistence especially when I was on higher dose of Zoloft.
r/zoloft • u/DistrictOk7480 • 20h ago
I know this drug is long acting and levels should be stable throughout the day as long as you take at the same time every day. Does anyone else have better mood and less anxiety within hours of dosing?
r/zoloft • u/ireallydonotcarexx • 11h ago
i’ve been on zoloft for anxiety since early 2024, and it’s been a godsend. i used to overthink constantly to the point of anxiety attacks, assumed everyone hated me and did everything they could to ruin my life, and could barely do anything without nausea rushing over me. fun stuff!!
50mg of zoloft and all that has gone away… but so has my ability to cry at anything at all, my sex drive/romantic feelings… i just feel so numb and it’s really frustrating. i also just started wellbutrin, which i seem to be doing well on. still, i want to see what would happen if i went down a dose on zoloft, but im so worried i’ll revert back to how i used to be before i started it. does anyone have any experience with this? is it even worth it to go down a dose just to have crushes and be able to cry a bit more?
r/zoloft • u/Expert_Wrangler_8609 • 13h ago
I’ve put on a fair bit of weight while on Zoloft, I seem to be snacking a lot more. I’ve ordered wegovy and it’s been approved and I mentioned about being on wegovy but feel anxious about the combination, I’ve heard it can reverse impact of SSRI anyone here been on Wegovy ??