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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tink on June 1, 2008, at 18:26:26
Hi! I am new to this site. This is my first post here. I have been diagnosed with PD and GAD. I currently take 150 mg of Zoloft, 0.5 mg of Xanax and 10 mg of Ambien daily and have been doing so for about 6 months. The first few months were hard. The Zoloft really messed with me and increased my anxiety to the point that I almost quit taking it. However, I hung on and eventually my anxiety subsided greatly. However, it the past 2 weeks I have noticed that it is slowly coming back. Just here and there and I am really afraid that I am going to have a panic attack. Does the effectiveness of Zoloft decline with time? I also noticed that I seem to be more anxious about 2 days before and about 2 days during my period. I peak at these times. I really need some advice. I am going to discuss all of this with my psychiatrist, but my next appt. isn't until the end of June. I would like to research some options to discuss with her, but I haven't been able to find much on the internet. I don't know where else to look. Do you think the answer would be to increase the Zoloft? Another thing with the Ambien, I have also noticed that it is not working as well either. I used to take it and be out within 30 minutes or so. Now I take it and it takes about 2 hours to make me feel drowsy. I go to bed but still lie there for about 30 minutes trying to sleep. Can this stop working over time as well? I am getting really annoyed. I thought that I had this anxiety stuff under control, but lately I feel like I am losing it again. Any advice that anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
Posted by bulldog2 on June 1, 2008, at 19:06:27
In reply to ANNOYED!, posted by Tink on June 1, 2008, at 18:26:26
> Hi! I am new to this site. This is my first post here. I have been diagnosed with PD and GAD. I currently take 150 mg of Zoloft, 0.5 mg of Xanax and 10 mg of Ambien daily and have been doing so for about 6 months. The first few months were hard. The Zoloft really messed with me and increased my anxiety to the point that I almost quit taking it. However, I hung on and eventually my anxiety subsided greatly. However, it the past 2 weeks I have noticed that it is slowly coming back. Just here and there and I am really afraid that I am going to have a panic attack. Does the effectiveness of Zoloft decline with time? I also noticed that I seem to be more anxious about 2 days before and about 2 days during my period. I peak at these times. I really need some advice. I am going to discuss all of this with my psychiatrist, but my next appt. isn't until the end of June. I would like to research some options to discuss with her, but I haven't been able to find much on the internet. I don't know where else to look. Do you think the answer would be to increase the Zoloft? Another thing with the Ambien, I have also noticed that it is not working as well either. I used to take it and be out within 30 minutes or so. Now I take it and it takes about 2 hours to make me feel drowsy. I go to bed but still lie there for about 30 minutes trying to sleep. Can this stop working over time as well? I am getting really annoyed. I thought that I had this anxiety stuff under control, but lately I feel like I am losing it again. Any advice that anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
possibly decrease your dose?
Posted by Phillipa on June 1, 2008, at 20:28:39
In reply to Re: ANNOYED!, posted by bulldog2 on June 1, 2008, at 19:06:27
Think it's PMS that is making you more anxious. It goes back to normal afterwards? I'd let the doc know as anxiety always increased for me during PMS. Love Phillipa and welcome to babble.
Posted by Molybdenum on June 1, 2008, at 20:42:17
In reply to Re: ANNOYED!, posted by bulldog2 on June 1, 2008, at 19:06:27
Hi Tink,
firstly - welcome to babbleville. People are pretty friendly here & always willing to help. Hope you find this site beneficial.
Well firstly re anxiety, I recently asked my pdoc for something non-benzodiazepine, non-sedating, non-addictive to help take out my anxiety. I was taking .5mg Xanax 3 times a days - having worked my way up from .5mg once every few days. So I was worried about addiction & tolerance. He put me on 150mg Moclobemide, taken 1st thing on the morning. And from the first dose, I've felt the anxiety almost entirely disappear. All over the net I could hardly find any info on this drug, except for people saying it was a pretty ineffective anti-depressant. I'm just telling you that it sure is working for me. Maybe something to consider talking to your doc about? No side effects that I've noticed either.
I'm afraid I don't get periods - it's a structural issue ;)
Re the Ambien, I've been on one of the 12.5mg slow release ones for years and it's hardly ever not helped get me to sleep. I found it works better than the 10mg normal release. However, my sleep doc is fond of the idea that I take a break now & then to reset my sensitivity. If you can tolerate it, this might help you get the Ambien working properly again?
Lastly, I've always had some sort of trouble sleeping. I have found that melatonin is cheap & effective & semi-natural. The other thing that has been great for "knocking me out" was a small dose of mirtazapine (Remeron). Taking it at 8pm means I am having trouble keeping my eyes open at 9pm.
Hope there's something useful for you in this.
Take Care
Molybdenum.
Posted by Tink on June 3, 2008, at 20:45:53
In reply to Re: ANNOYED!, posted by Molybdenum on June 1, 2008, at 20:42:17
Thank you all for replying. I went ahead and made an earlier appointment with my psychiatrist and she increased my zoloft from 150mg to 200mg. I felt pretty good today. However, today I was kinda sleepy and felt a kind of "brain fog". Is this normal? Will it get better with time? Thanks for all of your help during this time.
Posted by Molybdenum on June 4, 2008, at 0:35:30
In reply to Re: ANNOYED!, posted by Tink on June 3, 2008, at 20:45:53
Hi Tink,
Looks like the doc has made a typical choice for your listed conditions & the dose is within the normal range. That's reassuring. See http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/sertral_ids.htm
Not sure how much you know about these sorts of drugs so forgive me if I write things you already know. From my experience & reading in general, the "side effects" tend to kick-in immediately whereas the "desired effects" can take weeks to begin & months to fully manifest. Your doc should tell you how soon you should start to feel better if indeed this drug is going to work for you. If you don't feel it's helping after "x weeks", then your doc will probably change you over to another type of drug. Don't worry - there's LOTS to choose from.... Finding one that will work well for you can take a few turns but eventually you'll get to feeling good again ;)
BTW, if you feel pretty good with the first drug, then you're one of the lucky ones...! I'm not suggesting it's unlikely - just fortunate if this happens :)
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sertraline#Adverse_effects, it states that feeling sleepy and dizziness are common. Would that equate to your "brain fog"..?
There's just so many different reactions people can have. From my experience, if you can cope with the side effects for the first couple of weeks, then it's a good sign as they generally subside to an "acceptable level" or disappear completely over time. You just need to read (usually on the paper that came with the medicine) about the difference between "normal" side effects and those that indicate you might be allergic & hence need to see your doc asap.
If the side effects that bother you don't subside or disappear within a few weeks, then tell your doc. He/she may change you to something different or even add something else to counteract the side effects. Don't worry - your doc has seen it all before :)
Take Care & keep us in the loop.
M.
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