[SophiaG]

I've been taking zoloft for around 3 weeks and yes my depressed thoughts have receeded but i find myself sleeping more and more.

For example today, after a class at college i took a nap and then missed half of my next class after that because i lost track of time while i slept

Should i try to ignore the feelings of sleepiness, working through them...or should i take a nap during the day?

Would the feeling of fatigue pass if i ignored it?

I feel like i am being drugged with an anesthetic or something :/

Oh and I have to up the dose in a little over a week.

What's going on with me?

[netsavy006]

What time of day are you taking the Zoloft? If you take it in the morning, it might help if you take it in the evening.

[e_sort]

I had EXACTLY THIS PROBLEM and it was very annoying because the pdoc told me to expect to be jittery or sleepless! And he was pretty surprised when I told him that I was so sleepy I could barely stand up in the shower and needed 2 naps a day at least.

I don't know if if it goes away. I did feel at the time that I was getting accustomed to it, then I raised the dose as I was supposed to and it came right back. I switched to prozac.

There are lots of SSRIs, don't be scared to try another one.

[Malachite]

Dear Sophia,

You may have experienced the sleepiness, you describe, after Thanksgiving Day dinner. If not, you probably are aware of the phenomenon. It is due to the high tryptophan levels, of the protein comprising turkey.

Tryptophan, is a precursor to 5-hydroxytryptophan, which is the precursor to 5-hydroxytryptamine, a.k.a. serotonin. The increased level of tryptophan, increases the level of 5-hydroxytryptophan, which in turn increases the levels of neurotransmitter serotonin, hence the sleepiness.

Zoloft, an SSRI, i.e., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, does no increase the production of serotonin. However, it does increase extracellular levels, by inhibiting its reuptake into the presynaptic cell. Thus, making more serotonin available to bind with the post synaptic receptor.

It is a practice to take tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan, along with vitamin B6, as a sleep aid, prior to retiring. The B6, is a coenzyme in the production of serotonin. Therefore, it may help to take your dose of Zoloft in the evening.

The following links provide more detail:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sertraline
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-Hydroxytryptophan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-Hydroxytryptamine

I wish you the best,

Larry

[Rhapsody]

For some people taking it at night helps reduce the over all day sleepiness, but for me it did make any difference, hence why I requested to my doctor that we try some thing new after being on the Zoloft for five months.