Posted by TamaraJ on July 11, 2005, at 11:33:31
In reply to Re: Zoloft - temporary problems or not?!?!? » TamaraJ, posted by SLS on July 11, 2005, at 11:05:41
> Hi Scott,
>
> Don't be scared to continue with Zoloft. As foreign as the feelings of anger and irritability are, I imagine so are the feelings of normalcy that you might *possibly* be headed for.
>
-- That would be nice. I haven't felt normal for over a year. Well, actually, I was feeling quite a bit better once the severe iron deficiency I had been experiencing was finally adequately treated (10 week course of iron injections). Then, I was put on Depo, and that screwed me up really badly.> There are two, no, three, no, four alternate explanations.
>
> 1. These are side effects that may or may not disappear, perhaps due to an interaction with Wellbutrin. However, they do not represent an indicator that you are responding.
>
-- I suppose giving it 3 weeks should be enough time to make a decision as to whether I will be able to tolerate the med and would give me some kind of an indication of whether I will respond.> 2. It is a sign that you are responding and improving. This phase will disappear within two weeks.
>
-- That would be nice. I think I will try to stick it out.> 3. You are experiencing a point in your menstrual cycle that is producing a mood state that is now presenting because the Zoloft is beginning to work.
>
-- I never thought of that. I will check the calendar. I think it may be PMS time actually.> 4. You really are a b*tch, but you just haven't felt well enough in the past to express it. LOL :-)
>
-- ROTFLMAO!!! Or, maybe everybody has been too afraid to tell me :-) But, seriously, I have been pretty consistently a soft-spoken, mild-mannered person pretty much all my life, with the exception of the times I have had EXTREME PMS (hey, perhaps that should be a new reality t.v. show LOL).> Do you feel that you are missing a "mood brightener" that would give you the motivation to participate with cheer and get things done without it seeming like too much of a chore? My friend calls what SRIs do for her as giving her the "wanna do's". Wellbutrin gives her the mental energy to do them.
>
-- I think you hit it on the head. It's like things seem like a chore. I mean, I was always the type of person who could find pleasure in simple, little things, including grocery shopping or organizing a closet, and lately it's been like "why bother". I guess it is a case of the blahs. That's interesting that your friend says the SRIs give her the "wanna do's". I hear so much about people experiencing apathy on the SRIs. I never experienced apathy when I was on Paxil, and I stayed on it for about 6 or 7 years, although the last few years I only used a small dose.> Does this include a background anxiety that is always there?
>
-- I don't think it is really anxiety, as in generalized anxiety, but it is like I have become fearful. Like the thought of going out and doing stuff causes some kind of phobic reaction. Weird, I know. And, I have been feeding it, which is terrible.
> Yeah, that's bad. I isolate when things get really bad.
>
-- It is bad. I find that after a while, it's almost like I forget how to be social.> Just because you experience setbacks does not mean that you must start all over again and begin an arduous climb from the bottom of the ladder. You do not lose the things that you have learned and internalized. You'd be surprised how much you retain, despite being in a chronic depressed state.
>
-- I have to keep reminding myself of that. I am fortunate to have a good, patient pdoc, who always spends an entire hour with me when I have an appointment discussing meds and other issues. I am now looking into doing EMRD therapy, so that may make a difference in terms of the avoidant behaviours I have developed as a result of the depression.
>
One final question (sorry), do you think it would be ok if I continued to take 25mg of Nortriptyline for a couple of weeks while I get used to the Zoloft. I am finding that I am not sleeping very well since starting the Zoloft, and wake up feeling really drained and achy.Thanks again, Scott.
Tamara
poster:TamaraJ
thread:525731
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050708/msgs/526152.html