Zoloft...questions?

My counselor wanted me to see the doctor today about getting on meds again. I am anxious almost all the time and my entire life revolves around avoiding fear and panic. I haven't been on meds for almost a year, but everyone is agreeing with my counselor that I should try medication again. I've been on Lexapro, then Prozac then Wellbutrin in the past. Lexapro and Prozac didn't work, but the Wellbutrin helped a lot with depression and anxiety (depression is what they were mainly treating me for because I was suicidal). Because I'm not depressed anymore (worked through lots and lots of therapy issues) and it is just the anxiety and OCD symptoms that are going haywire the doctor prescribed me Zoloft. I'm a bit scared to go back on meds and to try a new one especially. I'm really worried that it will mess with my abilities in class (college student). I guess I agree that it would be really beneficial, but I have a lot of fears about it.

I guess my point/ question is have any of you been put on Zoloft with or without other meds, and how did it work for you... side affects...ect? And if you had tried other meds before and how did they work out...ect? Any information and/or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Also I was wondering for those who have tried it and gone off how hard was it to get off of it.

I have been on Zoloft for five years and it works wonders. The only drawback is that it is difficult to wean off. I take 200 mg a day with 150 mg of Effexor and 900 mg. of lithium for a bipolar diagnosis and the combination has kept me going strong for years. Zoloft is a good med except when you need to come off of it it is a stinker, but it can be done. Good Luck to You.

I've been perscribed 25mg a day for a week and then am supposed to up it to 50mg. I have till the end of Jan to decide if I want to get the perscription filled and start taking it.

Ickydog, I'm sorry to hear that anxiety is having such a big impact on your life. It sounds like it might be worth it to try the zoloft to get some relief so that you can live your life focused on positive things (like school) rather than avoidance of anxiety and panic. 50mg shouldn't cause you problems with your studies, but should help take the edge off your anxiety.

As for withdrawals, some people have no trouble at all, for others it is difficult. For those that have trouble stopping, the main factors are how high a dosage and how long you've been taking it.

Good luck getting control of your anxiety! You've beaten depression, even though you needed a little assistance from meds, and you can beat anxiety, too. Let the meds help you until you don't need them. Then you can deal with weaning off. I hope you'll do fine and that you'll find it even helps with your schoolwork!

A friend of mine had severe panic attacks & has been on Zoloft for years. She now has her own decorating business & travels all over the place buying furniture, etc. & meets new people (potential clients) all the time. She is amazed that she can do all this things with the help of Zoloft, as before she couldn't leave the house without a huge panic attack (spent a lot of time in the ER with those).--Suzy

i'm supposed to go on Zoloft soon to help my panic attacks.........i'll let you know how it works with me.......pat

I took it for a few years some time ago. I think my top dose was 100 mg. I never had any trouble coming off of it and relatively few side effects. I think just decreased libido. It helped me some with my depression. My type of depression responds better to a different style of antidepressants, but SSRI's like zoloft are usually good choices.

Good luck,

gg