Hey All,
I did a bit of searching in the forum before starting a new topic on these medicines, but I had a few more questions.
Yesterday my GP started me on zoloft. Since I've also just started taking plaquenil (at dinner time), I decided to take zoloft with lunch by itself. I went to work, and slowly the effects started to kick in. I know... the GP told me it takes a few weeks to start working, but I could tell my brain wasn't firing the way it usually does. Although I was more outgoing and funny at work, I had trouble multi-tasking which I think is my strength and it was a busy day (I work in airline operations). My concentration was okay, but only when working on one thing at a time.
I think I need to take the zoloft at night before bed, that way I can sleep it off. I'm worried that this pill is going to dumb me down, so to speak. Has anyone else noticed changes in their ability to think? Does it go away? Do you recommend taking it before going to sleep?
I read a few reviews through a forum search on zoloft, and I don't think it's the most common type of anti-anxiety/depressant taken by people on this forum. My GP prescribed it because it has been one of most popular/common/successful drugs. In the past he's only given me medications that my body has responded well to with zero side effects so I really want to give this a try.
Hi :)
I've never taken that particular medication but sometimes one's body takes a while to adjust to something. There can be unwanted side effects to begin with which disappear as the body tolerates it.
The other thing is that 'brain-fog' is pretty common with Sjogren's sufferers. As it happened right after the Zoloft it does sound more connected with that however.
Take care - Scottie :)
I took Zoloft for several years prior to my SJS diagnosis. I had no bad effects from it. Lucy
I am never taken Zoloft but have taken Effexor and Cymbalta. My Dr did suggest that I take it at night. I did for awhile but I had the opposite effect and was unable to sleep. So I started taking it in the morning it did effect me at work. It might a few weeks to months to stop feeling the effects. I would call the nurse and see if you can start taking it at night. If you have to take it in the morning I would try to take it with a big breakfast.
Hope all goes well and you feel better soon
I'm anxious (no pun intended;) to hear how you're doing with the Zoloft. I just took my first pill 10 minutes ago and I'm sitting here a bit freaked out. Logic says that I'll probably feel nothing at only 25 mg., but I'm still scared. Pill-phobia and hyper-sensitive.
Now that you're been on it a couple weeks, how are you doing? Did you start with a low dose too? What will be your final dose (I'm working up to 50mg but my GP says we can go to 75mp if needed)? Are you taking it at night? Has it helped you?
Deb
Hello Tango:
Having Sjs can be so devastating. Depression is quite common.
Just thought I might suggest exercise and meditation instead of taking drugs as an alternative. Not easy, but possible.
I don't take any medication that is not absolutely necessary. I do exercise like crazy- I am an Argentine Tango dancer.
Want to try it for fun?
Pegasus
Hi - I have been on zoloft 8 months. I had increasing anxiety and depression and had to muster up some more strength to go back to work (I was on short term disability for a bad flare and GI problems) while dealing with the many many symptoms of Sjogrens.
It has worked very well on the anxiety and depression with no side effects as far as I can tell, but I am on lots of meds. If I remember correctly slight nausea at first, but I have alot of nausea anyway.
I take it with dinner because I was worried about drowsiness too.
Best wishes!
Hello, I was on Zoloft for about 2-3 years when I was about 30. I took it for depression and mild obsessive compulsive disorder which is what is mostly prescribed for because it works really well for it. It cured my OCD as I am no longer afraid of germs...LOL. I didn't have any side effects besides weight gain...quite a bit of weight actually. It did not help with my depression that I noticed so once my OCD went away I just stopped taking it on my own...didn't wean off...just stopped it.
If anything, I feel FOR ME it made me more depressed, but everybody has different brain chemistry so it might work for some.
I do know that it is a fairly safe drug as it is given to pregnant women....one reason I went on it at the time in case I wanted to have another baby at that time.
I started Paxil about two weeks ago for anxiety and it seems to be helping as i was actually having panic attacks. They have stopped now and I only take a xanax when needed...not very often. Thinking now that Paxil is kicking in I won't need the xanax anymore.
Take care.....mary
deeindiana,
I'm on 50mg of the zoloft now. I take it a few hours before bed, because it knocks me out. For the first week I had some stomach aches, but they've gone away. My complaints are that it makes my mouth even MORE dry and it takes me longer to wake up in the morning. I feel like I've mellowed out, but I don't think it's helping with the anti-anxiety part as well as it could. I have a follow up appt with my GP tomorrow (since it'll be 3 weeks into it). I'm going to bring up my concerns to him.
I've also been in an intensive outpatient women's counseling group program at a local hospital. They are encouraging me to find a psychiatrist because they aren't too sure if my GP fully understands how these kinds of medications work with people with AI diseases. According to one of the girls in there, she was put on different medications once she found a psychiatrist from what her GP put her on. I think I'll bring this up to my GP tomorrow too - see what he says. I really trust him, but I've been taking my depression/anxiety needs more seriously recently and I'm more openminded to being medicated enough to help me deal with the changes in my life recently.
I've had anxiety on and off for 7 years now and was never medicated for it (though I have been to therapists). It's time for me to take a break from my mind.
Ok, just got back from my GP's office and he is switching me from zoloft to lexapro at 10mg. Another month of medication adjustment begins!
Your GP switched you to something different after three weeks? I'm confused. When my rheumy prescribed the Zoloft for me he said it would take at least three weeks before I even noticed a difference. Medications are so darn confusing! But I hope this new RX works well for you!
Two days after starting the Zoloft I developed a horrible cold and am feeling pretty miserable. Or at least I'm hoping it's a cold and not a flair up or reaction to the Zoloft.
Deb
I hope the lexapro works for you.
Quote from: deeindiana on September 03, 2010, 07:53:30 AM
Your GP switched you to something different after three weeks? I'm confused. When my rheumy prescribed the Zoloft for me he said it would take at least three weeks before I even noticed a difference. Medications are so darn confusing! But I hope this new RX works well for you!
Two days after starting the Zoloft I developed a horrible cold and am feeling pretty miserable. Or at least I'm hoping it's a cold and not a flair up or reaction to the Zoloft.
Deb
All depends on what drug rep was in that day
Yeah, he wasn't too thrilled with my side effects. The zoloft was making me pretty drowsy and my dry mouth, ugh, it's so much worse. I also feel more depressed... so it's definitely not doing its job. He says the lexapro should be uplifting and I'll need to take it in the morning. I've heard so many people rave about this medication, so I'm looking forward to it.
I think some doctors out there are influenced by the drug reps, but if my doctor was, I don't think he would have started me on the zoloft first - especially since he did it because it has a cheap generic. He didn't want to put me on a branded medicine, but we are trying it out since it works for both depression and anxiety.
So, here's to hoping it helps more than the zoloft did.
Keep us posted on how it works for you!
Tomorrow I start the lexapro since my GP wanted me to take a 4-5 day break in between stopping the zoloft and starting the new medication. I have to say, I had a horrible headache for the past two days, feeling really strange round around my forehead, and ibuprofen did not alleviate the pressure. It wasn't sinus either. I was had a few shakes. I think it was mild SSRI withdrawal... which I didn't think I would have experienced with just being on the medication for 3 weeks - but even more evidence for why the gap was needed.
I'm already feeling much better. I really think that zoloft made me more depressed. It was terrible :(
Hi
I hope the lexapro works for you. I have had anxiety issues also in my adult life though not so much the last 10 years. I was at my worst around the age of 30, I'm 48 now and back then doctors wouldn't prescribe you anything unless you went to a psychiatrist and even then the psychiatrist I saw said I didn't need it and wouldn't prescribe it for me.
Its funny how now GP's will do all the prescribing now and actually I think thats great and how it should be. I see some slight anxiety issues in my 11 year old daughter, (sigh)!!! But only a few times a year do I see it pop up and I just let her talk alot about it and then she feels better. It always worked for me to talk it out too, I hope your outpatient group is helping you also.
Let us know how it goes. It might take a few different med changes before you find the right one. Hopefully this one will be right for you.
Cindi
Well today is day 7 on lexapro, and man, what a difference!
My mouth isn't as dry as it was on Zoloft. I had a headache for the first 5 days on it (more like pressure behind my eyebrows) but that's gotten much better. A friend of mine told me she had the same reaction when she first started lexapro.
I have new found energy (in my head... although my body isn't always able to keep up). The first few days the new energy was overpowering - I didn't know what to do with it so I worked out at the gym for awhile to try and drain myself. But my mind is ready to start the day when the alarm goes off.
I'm still dealing with brain fog (only been on Plaquenil for a month now... so we'll see if that helps down the road) but I have been able to think about more complicated topics better now. I feel like I got my critical thinking skills back.
I don't have anxiety over getting to work or appointments on time like I used to. I'm not sweating the small stuff like I used to.
But most importantly, there IS a light at the end of the tunnel now. I am ready to face the world with my disease, knowing that I am still me in heart and mind, no matter what my body tries to throw at me. Just because I have lupus and SjS doesn't mean that they run my life. Life is in balance again, even with my new diagnoses.
I am so thankful that this medication is working for me. I know I need to give it another few weeks to get the full effect, but I am already feeling a MAJOR difference. Only thing is that I have to watch my caffeine intake since I had two cups of tea a few days ago and my heart rate slightly elevated - but I didn't have a panic attack like I would have in the past over my heart rate so that was amazing.
This has been an interesting thread. If a person is feeling lousy on an antidepressant even after a few days the doctor should be called and informed. I take Zoloft and have for many years. I have tried just about all the meds and then we just quit and left me on the zoloft as it works the best.
Paxil gave me energy beyond belief the first couple of days and then I progressed into a low grade manic phase and called the doc and I quit it. Didn't take it a week. Prozac did pretty much the same thing. I tried the lexaproo and started out on yhr 5 mgm and got so stoned I almost had a car accident.
Every antidepressant acts on a different chemical in the brain, or maybe a group of chemicals. We are all different and react differently to the chemicals. When they get to the point where they can do some kind of test to see what chemical we need things will be better. For now we all just have to try one drug at a time til we find the right one.Irish ;D
I agree with you Irish. It is quite interesting how one person's reaction to an anti-depressant will vary considerably from another's. Almost makes you wish there was a chemical make-up test they could do to determine which drug would work best for you so that you didn't have to play the trial and error game!
With regards to that 3-4 week lag time and anti-depressants...
For many of the anti-depressant and anxiety meds, it can take a month or more to reach the levels necessary to relieve symptoms. That guideline is for the 'this pill isn't working' response. The doctors want to make sure the drug is even reaching therapeutic levels before giving up on it or altering the dose.
Often, after the first month or so, the dose will be adjusted based on how the patient feels his or her response has been. Obviously, with a month in between, finding the therapeutic dose for many of this medications is a long and arduous process.
If the patient is complaining about adverse side effects, however, that doesn't require you to be at any effective dose. The doctor will act more quickly in dose or brand adjustments.
It is also the doctor's job to know the financial/insurance status of the patient. It is the doctor's job to find a treatment that the patient can comply with and so yes, they use the drug rep samples often enough. When I was a teenager, I know my doctor back then tried her best to get me samples for free of any meds I needed since I had no health insurance. If she didn't have samples, she'd always try to write me a prescription that I could fill cheaply without compromising my care.
Anyway, I'm no fan of big mega-pharma or doctors that treat patients like cattle. I originally went to college as pre-med and I found it very disheartening how many students seemed to be there for the power trip instead of for the knowledge to truly heal people. I know there's a lot of doctors out there who don't offer true care to patients.
Best of luck with your meds, whatever they end up being in the end.
Kinda like Doctor heal thyself before trying to heal us,,
I don't want to hijack this thread but I do agree, navydad.
Some doctors just have a bad attitude and forget that they are supposed to be healers.
More doctors, I've found, practice "scared" medicine. Malpractice is out of control. Their hands are tied by insurance companies making medical decisions without actually having medical degrees. They are part of group practices with expected turn-arounds in patient appointments.
The entire health care system in the US is diseased. Years upon years of bad choices all around have put us in a position where the price of care is ridiculously inflated, CEO's cash in when your average person suffers, doctors' hands are tied and the 'health-care system' looks like a gigantic bloated political parasite. It will take a great deal of thought and courage to make things right.
But! I'm glad the Lexapro is working, tangowhiskie! ;)
I have a friend who was put on anti-anxiety and relaxation drugs in Jan. Now these drugs don't work for her anymore. She is having a terrible time trying to get off of them. Sides effects galore. Sides effects make her anxious, more stress, more side effects, it just go around in circles. After 2 months, she is back to where she started- have not managed to decrease any of it.
Put fears into my heart.
That's why I opt for natural therapy- work out like crazy trying to avoid those drugs.
We all opt of different options - it is good to know the options do exist.
Pegasus
Tango---I am so happy you have found relief with this medicine. I know it's different for all of us, but to hear of one person getting a med that helps makes me feel good. Lucy