![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by knicknack55 on February 5, 2005, at 16:48:32
Hi all-
I've been on zoloft for 2.5 weeks now. The first two weeks I was on 25mg and had incredible jitteriness and insomnia. I was also a bit out of it the first week. The doctor put me on trazodone at night to sleep, which is great. By the end of last week I was in fine form though, almost like my old self and able to think critically and interested in things again, feeling good for the first time in years. That was after about 1.5 weeks on 25mg.
This monday, the doc upped me to 50mg and now I'm like a zombie. I was fine til wednesday, then wed afternoon I was out of it. Thursday morning I was okay, and then thursday afternoon I was completely un-functional. Friday was bad all day, and today too (it's saturday). I'm so tired all the time, yawning constantly, and I can barely stay on the road when I'm driving. I don't know if these side effects will go away too? I went from insomnia to falling asleep in the middle of the day and missing two meetings! How long should I wait to see if this will go away?
I'm concerned because i'm in grad school and I have to be able to think!!
Posted by BennyJ on February 5, 2005, at 18:03:11
In reply to just starting zoloft - side effects?, posted by knicknack55 on February 5, 2005, at 16:48:32
Hey,
I'm on exactly the med regimen as u since coming off effexor. My first thought is to ask why the need to go up to 50 in the first place?...did 25 stop working for you?...u seemed pretty happy with it. My theory is to just remain at the lowest possible dose that works and once it stops working and negative thoughts dominate again I go up a lil bit. Some of youre tiredness during the day might also be residual from the trazadone, can you bring that down abit and see if it messes up your sleep at night?keep smilin,
Ben
> Hi all-
>
> I've been on zoloft for 2.5 weeks now. The first two weeks I was on 25mg and had incredible jitteriness and insomnia. I was also a bit out of it the first week. The doctor put me on trazodone at night to sleep, which is great. By the end of last week I was in fine form though, almost like my old self and able to think critically and interested in things again, feeling good for the first time in years. That was after about 1.5 weeks on 25mg.
>
> This monday, the doc upped me to 50mg and now I'm like a zombie. I was fine til wednesday, then wed afternoon I was out of it. Thursday morning I was okay, and then thursday afternoon I was completely un-functional. Friday was bad all day, and today too (it's saturday). I'm so tired all the time, yawning constantly, and I can barely stay on the road when I'm driving. I don't know if these side effects will go away too? I went from insomnia to falling asleep in the middle of the day and missing two meetings! How long should I wait to see if this will go away?
>
> I'm concerned because i'm in grad school and I have to be able to think!!
Posted by CareBear04 on February 5, 2005, at 18:38:00
In reply to just starting zoloft - side effects?, posted by knicknack55 on February 5, 2005, at 16:48:32
trazodone for me is really sedating and at 25 of 50mg, it leaves a hangover that lasts all morning. for me, zoloft was much more activating. my initial side effects were lots of agitation and jumpiness and an inability to sit still. despite this, i too was in classes at the time. i started at 12.5mg and it took me months to get up to 50. sometimes, you've just gotta go back down and go up more slowly, breaking those pills into teeny pieces. if your dr has samples, you can break the 25mg pills as one way to titrate. once i got used to 50mg, i didn't feel so jumpy but i did have some more energy. now, it has pooped out at that dose after 1 1/2 years, but going up further causes more and more agitation, so i've added prozac instead. good luck.
Posted by ed_uk on February 5, 2005, at 18:43:27
In reply to just starting zoloft - side effects?, posted by knicknack55 on February 5, 2005, at 16:48:32
Hello!
>By the end of last week I was in fine form though, almost like my old self and able to think critically and interested in things again, feeling good for the first time in years. That was after about 1.5 weeks on 25mg.
I think you've found the answer to your own problem! If you felt good at 25mg, increasing the dose was illogical!
Ed.
Posted by Smeegle on February 7, 2005, at 1:09:13
In reply to Re: just starting zoloft - side effects?, posted by ed_uk on February 5, 2005, at 18:43:27
I was on Zoloft for about two year (prior to being on Effexor for the past three years). It worked quite well initially as an antidepressant. The only side effects I had passed after one or two weeks. First the fatigue. Then I had a week or so of night sweats (woke up drenched and it was NOT due to the temperature in my house), but it passed and was bearable.
In the end, Zoloft made me manic, which is primarily why I came off it. I had difficulties sleeping (staying asleep) and used Trazadone for a while. It was quite sedating, but I never experienced any residual grogginess the next day. I eventually developed "Inappropriate ADH Syndrome" (had me up urinating 10-20 times per night, GP ran all kinds of test but upon referral to Urologist once he read the meds I was on, he nailed it. It went away immediately when I stopped taking it. Too bad, it worked quite well. I currently take Provigil for Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) due to various medications I am on and also due to having sleep apnea. It "promotes wakefullness" and really helps me stay awake and alert all day. It's not a stimulant, though it act silimarly in nature. I have been on it over a year and have not had to increase my dose (as a matter of fact, I have actually decreased it). Doesn't seem to be habit forming or addicting. And it's not scheduled as tightly as true stimulants. (don't have to physically pick up an rx every month...my insurance actually covers it as a maintenance medication so I can get a 90 day supply for one copay). If you continue to have fatigue issues, ask your dr about it.
And good luck on the Zoloft. It worked quite well for me while it lasted and I had no problems when I stopped taking it (cold turkey...not a single problem).
Smeegs
Posted by CareBear04 on February 7, 2005, at 10:10:55
In reply to Re: just starting zoloft - side effects?, posted by Smeegle on February 7, 2005, at 1:09:13
smeegle,
i wasn't clear-- do you take provigil with zoloft/ and what is syour meaintenance dose of provigil? i took both together and had 200mg of provigil. just wondering. thanks!
Posted by knicknack55 on February 9, 2005, at 8:59:05
In reply to Re: just starting zoloft - side effects? » Smeegle, posted by CareBear04 on February 7, 2005, at 10:10:55
hi everyone - an update:
I went back down to 25mg yesterday and IMMEDIATELY felt better. I called the doctor on saturday - I figured I had given it enough of a chance. Unfortunately I forgot to leave my number, which has a different area code, and the doctor forgot that it was a diff't area code, so he wasn't able to reach me until monday when he got in the office. Anyway, he told me to go back down.
So, yesterday I wasn't sleepy and actually had quite a bit of energy, and was able to participate in class again! I guess it goes to show how important finding the right dose is!
As to the trazodone question: it doesn't make me hungover in the morning at all - in fact quite the opposite, I was waking up quite refreshed before the zoloft got upped.
Posted by CareBear04 on February 9, 2005, at 19:30:51
In reply to Re: just starting zoloft - side effects?, posted by knicknack55 on February 9, 2005, at 8:59:05
dear knickknack, i'm glad you got the dose worked out and didn't feel pressured to rise to the "therapeutic" dose.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.