Posted by 3 Beer Effect on May 16, 2002, at 0:48:04
In reply to 3 beers read, posted by geno on May 14, 2002, at 17:18:47
Geno,
I stopped taking Zoloft 100 mg along time ago because after about 3 months it caused me insomnia to the point where I couldn't sleep for days. I think I went straight from 50 to 100mg b/c 50 mg was worthless & they don't make 75 mg Zoloft pills.
While I took it, Zoloft was the best anti-depressant I had ever taken (actually, Zoloft is the only one to this day thats worked). The main problem was the insomnia, which is common to Zoloft & Prozac, but can be easily cured by Ambien or a benzo like Klonopin, or even by lowering the dose to 75 mg. But my psychiatrist I had then was an idiot & "didn't believe in prescribing benzos, they are extremely addictive, blah, blah, blah" so eventually I just started taking Benadryl all the time & getting drunk at night in order to relieve the insomnia. The combination of alcohol & Zoloft was a bad one, I guess they somehow potentiate each other. That, & the lack of of sleep I was getting led to lapses in judgement, & eventually manic-type behavior (DUI, got beat up after throwing a pool/billiard ball through some guys' F-250 4x4 pickup truck window- he was a big ol' country dude like Bubba Sparxxx (I live in Texas) & he knocked me unconscious & I ended up in the ER).
So I stopped it because I ended up in the hospital after self-medicating with alcohol to alleviate the Zoloft insomnia. After that I tried Remeron, Effexor XR, Celexa, Neurontin, Lamictal, SAMe, & they all sucked bad compared to Zoloft.
So now, I don't take any anti-depressants, just Klonopin 1 mg 2-3x per day, Dextostat 20 mg 2x per day, & the worthless sleeping pill Sonata 10 mg at bedtime (I plan to change to Ambien soon).
So far, the SAMe has been worthless after almost 3 weeks. I am at 800 mg right now, twice the normal dose & still nothing. Since insurance doesn't cover it, the cost increases fast as you increase the dose- its expensive, much more than an insurance co-pay at higher doses.
I think SAMe, like St. John's Wort before it, is just a major media-exaggerated hype. Don't stop your Zoloft to take SAMe- its a waste of your time & money & also you should never stop a prescription anti-depressant to take an over the counter one, you'll just become more depressed.
Maybe Duloxetine will solve all our problems when it comes out (whenever that is), but somehow I doubt it. I should probably just start lifting weights & exercising, while watching less TV, internet & getting out more often instead of trying to find the perfect anti-depressant, which doesn't exist. And a great anti-depressant without side effects?- I doubt that will ever exist.
3 Beers....
P.S.
I'm probably going to stay off of here for awhile cause i'm sick of reading about drugs- I need to do other stuff with my time & i'm also getting lasik eye surgery done soon & won't be able to see the screen for awhile anyways. So see ya later, & good luck, although your probably not going to find a good anti-depressant that doesn't cause sexual side effects- Remeron & Wellbutin SR are the only ones that don't.
poster:3 Beer Effect
thread:106388
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020510/msgs/106599.html