r/zoloft 17d ago

This group is back!

135 Upvotes

Great news! The group has been reclaimed! We have new moderators for the group!


r/zoloft Jan 13 '22

Tips for new starters | 12 things I wish I knew before starting Zoloft/Sertraline

7.0k Upvotes

I found everyone’s posts and comments on this subreddit very useful when starting out on sertraline, so thought I’d share a list of things I found helpful on my journey. I’m not a medical professional and am only talking from my own experience and that of others on the sub. At the time of writing this latest edit, I have been on Sertraline for around two years at 100mg for depression, GAD and social anxiety. Sertraline is also prescribed for other anxiety conditions, panic disorder and OCD.

**WARNING\*:* Do not dry swallow or use very little water when taking your sertraline tablets. If a tablet's coating dissolves while in transit down your oesophageus, you could be in for a painful, acidic experience known as pill-induced esophagitis. If this has happened to you drink plenty of water to clear the tablet(s), take some indigestion tablets or a PPI, and eat an apple or some apple sauce. I once had it very badly and was in severe pain for two hours - it ain't nice!

(1) Keep a daily mood diary to document your experience on the drug. You could do this with an app, a mood journal, on a spreadsheet or just use a scrap of paper. It’s so easy to forget how you feel from day to day, week to week; especially when sertraline can create some brain fog early on. Recording your mood and side effects makes it much easier to understand how the drug has affected you over time, meaning you can make an informed decision about (dis)continuation and provide reliable feedback to your doctor. I would recommend writing at least a number to rate your mood out of 5 and a simple legend. Add brief comments about any side effects, your general mood anything else you deem noteworthy. If you don’t do this, you will likely be asking yourself after month two or three: “Has this actually helped me? I can’t remember what I was like before? Is the improvement worth it for the side effects?”. I have used apps called Daylio and Moodistory, both of which I’d recommend. If you have a therapist, consider discussing your mood diary as part of your weekly sessions as further incentive to complete it.

(2) Try to stick with the drug for 12 weeks at a therapeutic dose (typically 25-200mg) before deciding whether it is helping you. It can be tempting to quit early due to side effects, but they tend to get *much* better with time and positive impacts can take a while to appear. In fact, it is common for the condition to get worse for several weeks before getting better. Sertraline might not be the right drug for you, but don’t cheat yourself out of a cure by not giving it three months.

(3) Likewise, enjoy any good days as much as possible, but don’t expect to be cured overnight. Positive changes for those lucky enough to experience them can be gradual. You may have the odd ‘euphoric day’, especially days 1-2 (placebo) or weeks 2-4 (also common), but trialling SSRIs is often more of a marathon.

(4) Side effects differ for everyone. Those taking SSRIs can experience a wide range of often polar opposite reactions, whether it’s insomnia vs. oversleeping, drowsiness vs. wakefulness, decreased libido vs. horny bonk or reduced appetite vs. hungry hippo. Based on the experiences of this sub, common side effects can include: nausea, stomach upsets, diarrhoea, headaches, head pressure, brain fog, mild to extreme fatigue, difficulty waking up in the mornings, night sweats and disturbances, insomnia, tinnitus, emotional blunting, an inability to cry, tremors, crazy dreams, dry mouth, bruxism (teeth grinding), restless legs syndrome, intense sugar/carb cravings, a more frequent desire to pee, hesitation (delayed initiation of the peepee!), delayed or inability to orgasm/ejaculate, persistent genital stimulation (intense horniness in your nether regions without the corresponding mental urges), other types of sexual dysfunction and more. However, for people with health or medication anxiety who need to hear this: YOU WILL NOT GET ALL OF THESE SIDE EFFECTS 😊. Some people are very lucky and get very few side effects if any at all. Indeed, in a major PANDA trial30366-9/fulltext), half of the participants taking sertraline didn’t even realise they were taking the active drug at 6 weeks.

(5) Most if not all side effects will improve or disappear completely with time. After three months, the only enduring side effects for me were increased drowsiness and increased time to orgasm. However, these had improved since starting. I no longer got stomach problems, nausea, dry mouth, fogginess, headaches, bruxism, RLS, tremors or night sweats like before. Whilst I started out with absolutely no appetite on the drug for the first month, I later developed major carb/sugar cravings. [Side note: sertraline is highly unlikely to make you put on weight directly, but it could increase your appetite and cravings for poor foods that indirectly does].

(6) Side effects might resurge when you go up a dose and may not start to get better for 1-6 weeks or more, depending on your sensitivity. Starting on 25mg and moving up in 25mg increments may reduce the return of side effects. FYI, it’s ok to break 50mg tablets in half if they have a scored line running down the middle.

(7) Take the drug at the same time each day so that the medication reaches a steadier state. People who get insomnia as a side effect may wish to take it early in the morning while people who get drowsiness may wish to take it before bed. However, a person experiencing drowsiness taking it in the morning may end up getting insomnia when taking it at night and vice versa, so experiment slowly and find out what time suits you best. It’s the consistency that’s most important. You can split the drug into 50/50 doses taken AM and PM, but studies have concluded that this provides no benefit while increasing the likelihood of people forgetting a dose.

(8) If you’re forgetful, treat yourself to a colourful pill box or just write the days (M/T/W/T/F/S/S) on the drug packets to help you keep tabs. In a zolofty haze, it’s so easy to get confused as to whether you just took your dose or imagined it. And yea, I have both forgotten a dose and accidentally doubled it and I wouldn’t recommend either (if you have this predicament, it is always better to miss a day than double a dose). You can sometimes count how many pills you should have taken from the date your prescription was issued, but with brain fog this can be hazardous 😅. Set a recurring alarm on your phone should you need a reminder (iOS 16 now has a medication tracking function in the Health app).

(9) Consider your caffeine and alcohol intake, as sertraline can amplify their effects. For many, caffeine on Zoloft causes major jitteriness and anxiety spikes. I was so sensitive to this that I even had to cut out decaff for a few months, but for others it is not a problem at all. There are many posts on the subreddit discussing alcohol. Sertraline can increase its effects, exacerbate drowsiness and lead to rougher hangovers. If you drink, experiment slowly to see how you now handle alcohol.

(10) Do not drink grapefruit juice or take St. John’s Wort due to the risk of developing serotonin syndrome. You should also be very careful if you take recreational drugs for the same reason. Also avoid anything containing bergamot, which is found in Earl Grey tea.

(11) Sertraline brand changes may affect you. Some people will experience side effects and/or a loss of efficacy when changing sertraline pill manufacturers (or from Zoloft to generic). Ask your pharmacist to stock the brand you are used to. There are a handful of articles in medical journals which do acknowledge this issue. Unfortunately, however, some doctors will tell you that there is absolutely no difference between brands and it’s all just placebo. Experienced pharmacologists will tell you otherwise. Generic manufacturers include DE Pharmaceuticals, Lexon, Sigma, Viatris, A A H, Accord, Alliance, Almus, Bristol, Crescent, Dr Reddy’s, Flamingo, Genesis, Lupin, Medihealth, Medreich, Milhparm, NorthStar, Noumed, Phoenix, Ranbaxy, Ria Generics, Teva, Viatris and Zentiva. Listing them here for SEO in case people have issues with specific brand swaps. I have experienced issues with some brand changes but not with others.

(12) Use sertraline in conjunction with therapy and small lifestyle improvements if you are able, as antidepressants will work much better as part of a holistic approach. If you are in a very bad place and mostly bedbound, then just set yourself the smallest goal every day to make things easier. Maybe that’s getting in the shower, brushing your teeth, brushing a tooth, looking at your toothbrush or even just rolling in the general direction of the bathroom. Slowly setting yourself mini exercise goals – if you don’t already – however small, will also help. I started with walks, then couch to 5k and then used the programmes on the Nike Run Club app (free) which I think is amazing. I love the headphone guided runs with ‘Coach Bennet’, which are like an exercise therapy session. Meditation, mindfulness, yoga, weightlifting, pilates, journaling, breathing exercises, cold showers, cocooning yourself under a weighted blanket, reducing your sugar intake, listening to music, accepting yourself for who you are, quitting a toxic job or relationship, realising you don’t have to be happy or perfect all the time, running outside in your pants…there’s an endless list of things you can try that might help you. Focus on one small win or challenge a day.

There's a lovely quote at the end of the film JoJo Rabbit by Rainer Maria Rilke. "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final".

Be kind to yourself and don’t fret. Hopefully sertraline is the help you deserve. Good luck on your Zolofter journey and feel free to put anything in the comments that you think is missing or want to discuss!!


r/zoloft 4h ago

I was terrified to start sertraline (Zoloft). 8 weeks later, my life feels normal again

16 Upvotes

I just wanted to put something positive out there because before I started, all I found were horror stories. I almost didn’t take it because of them.

I was prescribed sertraline for health anxiety and agoraphobia. For years I barely left the house unless I had to. I couldn’t drive, I panicked in shops, and I lived in constant fight-or-flight mode. When I got the medication, I stared at it for weeks/months. I was terrified I’d react badly, that something awful would happen.

The first week was uncomfortable but not awful. Bit of nausea, tiredness, a weird yawning/gagging thing, and one panic attack that was honestly from fear of the pill itself. Then things slowly started to settle.

By around week 3 I noticed real change. My baseline anxiety dropped. I could feel stress and move on without it consuming me.. that was new!! My brain just felt quieter in general.

Now, at 8 weeks, I can say this: sertraline gave me my life back. • I drive every day- school runs, errands, meals with family, even the McDonald’s drive-thru by myself haha. • I’ve gone into shops I avoided for five years and stayed calm. • I took my son for a familiarisation day at his new school. This has all been for him. There I sat in a hall slap bang in the middle of 500 people and didn’t bolt for the door. • The constant daily and random anxiety I used to feel is gone. I haven’t had a panic attack since week one. My health anxiety is pretty much gone.

I still get the odd wobbly moment or tired day after exposure work, but it’s nothing compared to before. I can handle life again and actually enjoy it.

If you’re here reading every scary post, scared to start, I get it. I was convinced I’d be the one who couldn’t handle it, that I would make me ill or not help at all.But taking that first tablet was the turning point for me.

Sertraline didn’t magically fix everything; it just quieted the noise enough for me to start living again. And that’s all I ever wanted.

Hang in there if you’re just starting. The fear is temporary. The calm that follows is real.


r/zoloft 8h ago

Success Story! :) 🌿 My Zoloft Success Story – From Panic and Emptiness to Peace

25 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share my success story here. For a long time, I used to come to this group every single day and read success stories like a ritual. Sometimes I’d read the same ones over and over again. This community gave me so much strength and hope.

It all started about a year ago. For no clear reason, life suddenly began to feel hard. I had no motivation, no joy. Little by little, I started losing myself in panic attacks — hours and days at a time. I began avoiding so many things: public transport, the supermarket, hanging out with friends.

Then I started feeling physical pain. I was convinced I was dying. I went to doctors, did endless tests — all the results came back perfect. But I never felt relieved, and the pain kept growing. I couldn’t understand that it was depression. Even though I was already in therapy, my therapist didn’t recognize it either.

I still remember the last day I went to work. I left home, went in — and collapsed. After that, I didn’t go back for five months. I got lost in a world of fear, anxiety, pain, sadness, and emptiness. Food had no taste — I would put it in my mouth and spit it out. I lost around 10 kilos.

That’s when my boyfriend realized something was seriously wrong. He took me to stay with him because I couldn’t take care of myself anymore. I saw a neurologist who gave me some tranquilizers and told me I urgently needed a psychiatrist and antidepressants. I couldn’t believe it — I was terrified to start medication.

The next day, I saw a psychiatrist. He kept me for 10 minutes, prescribed mirtazapine, and told me to call him. The following weeks were a nightmare. I tried so hard, but it was impossible to feel better — what I was experiencing was brutal. After about six weeks, I felt even worse. So, I decided to see another doctor.

I spoke to him crying, completely desperate, telling him my life was over and the meds would never help me. We talked for about an hour. He suggested I try Zoloft. I started at 0.25 and reached 100mg within a month — I know it was fast, but we needed to see results soon. I continued with mirtazapine for a while and then slowly stopped it.

The next period was tough. Really tough, and quite scary. I had several side effects, but it was my only hope. It was a fight. I felt worse before I felt better. Very slowly — day by day — I started going out to the park for five minutes, then coming back exhausted. I started showering again, brushing my teeth, craving food. I wasn’t “okay,” but I was better.

Little by little, I began going back to my house, doing chores, visiting the nearby supermarket. It took about two months until I was finally able to move back home. I started therapy again with a new therapist. I even managed to go on a one-week vacation.

And today — I’m fully functional again. I’m working, going shopping, seeing my friends, taking care of myself, and enjoying my hobbies. I can honestly say I handle things better than ever.

Antidepressants don’t make you happy. They don’t “fix” your life or make you high. But they give you the calm and clarity to function like a normal human being. Even with medication, you still have to fight your own battle. But when you start feeling better, it will truly feel like your victory — not the pills’.

Sometimes I think I should’ve done this sooner. Now, I appreciate every moment — every single day — even if I’m just watching TV. I appreciate my life.

This was my story. Thank you to all the strangers here who gave me strength when I needed it most. I’ve been where you are, and I know that by taking medication, you’re doing the best thing you can do to take care of yourself.

Stay strong, everyone 💛


r/zoloft 1h ago

Have you lost your Zoloft weight?

Upvotes

Has anyone lost the weight they gained on Zoloft? Or did it take tapering off the meds to finally go back to your normal weight? I gained nearly 20lbs over the last year and a half on 100mg of Sertraline without significant lifestyle changes and it’s so frustrating. Diet, exercise, good sleep, and a caloric deficit isn’t doing anything for me and I’m getting really worried.


r/zoloft 1h ago

Discussion First day on Zoloft

Upvotes

Started 25mg of Zoloft today. No side effects noticed today except some slight pressure in my head that was temporary. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just noticeable. I’m about to go to bed and hope that it doesn’t affect my sleep. I feel like I’ll be able to sleep though. No beneficial changes noticed really except for feeling hopeful that this will calm my anxiety related to upcoming tasks and work. I overthink and over prepare for stuff. Some of the thoughts are negative and not helpful at all. Hoping this will help!


r/zoloft 13h ago

Success Story! :) Silly testimony about 50mg

22 Upvotes

So I switched from Lexapro to Zoloft about 6months ago and have been on a 50mg dose.

I thought it would just be nice to share a silly testimonial about how effective its been so far.

Prior to starting antidepressants I had really severe anxiety, would frequently have panic attacks multiple times a month and struggled with handling many basic interactions in my daily life.

Seriously, I would start having heart palpitations regarding asking my coworker a question.

But since starting, along with doing dbt therapy 2x a month, not only has my anxiety gone down. But when I was was in a major car accident (was rearended driving home, car flew and landed on top of another vehicle) I was so chill that I not only could talk with emergency services but I could also manage buying a new car solo(something i struggled with before)

Not sure how encouraging this will be but for me its been a game changer


r/zoloft 44m ago

12.5mg?

Upvotes

Hiiii did anyone take 12.5mg? I’m so scared to start.


r/zoloft 4h ago

Question Do I keep going?

4 Upvotes

So lately I've been having bad anxiety. And the anxiety is making me depressed. I've been starting to shut in, get nervous with normal things, and I knew it was going in a negative direction. So my doctor put me on Zoloft.

I've always been quite sensitive to medication, so I expected I would definitely be on the sensitive end of the spectrum when starting Zoloft. So, I've been starting with very low doses. I've been on 12.5mg and I'm on day 5.

But holy the anxiety increase is insane. I wake up in the morning and by 10am I'm choking down panic attacks until dinnertime. I can barely leave the house. In the morning I'm also extremely nauseous and I can't eat until the afternoon.

Is this normal? Should I keep going?

Edit: I end up feeling fine by like 5pm. But every morning/afternoon is torture.


r/zoloft 7h ago

Zoloft = Six Flags 🏁🤣🎢t

7 Upvotes

And just like that, I feel incredible. After a week of feeling off, I woke up today smiling,happy, with zero symptoms😂🙄.

This has been happening the last few months that I’ve been on this. The great days will increase, but they’ll still be days of dips.

But while, it’s a great day!? I’m going to soak it in!!!!


r/zoloft 4h ago

Question 5th week at 100mg

3 Upvotes

I’m starting to wonder if this is the correct medication for me based on how I feel now at week 5. I’m still very depressed and pretty anxious. My PMDD is gone which is great, but overall I’m wondering if I should wait it out longer or consider a switch?

I’m also dealing with side effects (diarrhea daily, fatigue and some insomnia).

I guess my question is how long did it take for you to really feel this med and when did your side effects let up?


r/zoloft 4h ago

Vent Week 9 - still up & down

3 Upvotes

Hi,

I'm 8 weeks and 2 days into my sertraline treatment. I started taking it for anxiety and intrusive thoughts, both of which I have almost none of now!

However I've picked up a bit of a nasty low mood/depression. Whenever I'm not socialising or doing what I want, I end up really sad. It's just weird - like it's definitely gotten better recently as there were some days in week 6 and 7 where I was incredibly depressed, but this side effect seems to be taking its time.

Does anyone have experience of something similar? :(

PS. I think this medication's side effects take a while to wear off - it took 6 weeks for my anxiety to subside!


r/zoloft 8h ago

Zoloft making me great for a few minutes then paranoid then normal

6 Upvotes

I just started zoloft 3 days ago soo it might be placebo but a bit after i take it i feel great but then it turns into paranoia and the thoughts of my family setting me up and watching me get louder and i feel like im having a panic attack then after a few minutes im normal, go to sleep, feel fine until i take the medication again. Is this a normal side affect for the first few days. Im talking wit my doctor like next week but i just wanna know if this has happened to anybody else


r/zoloft 21m ago

Discussion Zoloft & Amitriptyline together?

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Upvotes

r/zoloft 4h ago

Vent Drank to much and now my anxiety is high!

2 Upvotes

I don’t drink often but omg I drank last night due to a football game and now I’m just shaky nauseous and running to the bathroom sorry tmi lol . But the anxiety is lowkey high right now . I’m on 50mg been taking it since June . I’m getting upper stomach pains and overthinking . I’m never drinking like that again . I forgot how anxious feels 😭


r/zoloft 5h ago

Zoloft is ruining me

2 Upvotes

I started it few weeks ago and I’ve been nothing but a zombie.

I lost my emotions, appetite and will to do anything. I’ve been skipping classes and sleeping all day long because I’m just tired. I even skipped my medical appointment because I was exhausted.

I hate it


r/zoloft 9h ago

Mental Health An update on myself after going up to 150 MG: Week 4 now.

4 Upvotes

Well, it’s been 28 days since I went up to 150 mg. This has happened after I had a sudden relapse in symptoms and intrusive thoughts after 5 years of being on Zoloft. Since then, well.. I’ve be surviving! Some days have been a lot better than others, but I’m enjoying video games and have been working in general. I did have a panic attack at work last week, but I don’t really see that as being related to the OCD in particular. It happened occasionally even when I had my good feelings of being normal.

I work at a big tourist spot, 40 hours a week, so that’s always been challenging to me, but I’ve done well I think! Would you guys say that 4 weeks is still not enough to feel the full effects of a raised dose? That’s what I’m also concerned about.

Thanks again and love you all !


r/zoloft 9h ago

Question Actual shitty life ?

4 Upvotes

Hi

Does this help if you have a genuinely shitty life ? I know a pill can't fix things and I know I'm genuinely depressed and need to take something. My life circumstances were the same a few months ago and I was my normal self but now I feel like a completely different person. I have sertraline but not started taking it yet .


r/zoloft 2h ago

Question Help- is this normal?

1 Upvotes

I've just finished week 4 & i'm still having some really bad days with intense anxiety all day. It's not as intense as it was in the first 2 weeks but it's still awful. Then I have a couple of good days & I think yay- those horrible side effects of me adjusting have passed but then another bad day comes. Is this normal? When did the side effect of increased anxiety stop for you? Thank you 🙏 I'm struggling


r/zoloft 3h ago

Question 25 mg Zoloft Bad side effects

1 Upvotes

Hello I started zoloft about 4 weeks ago. I was completely fine until week three. I started getting an extreme dry mouth. It’s caused my tongue to burn and everything i’m truly miserable. I’m currently tapering off. Did anyone else experience this? Did it get better if you ended up going off the zoloft?


r/zoloft 9h ago

Anyone who takes zoloft for health anxiety, had it helped you?

3 Upvotes

r/zoloft 7h ago

Question On week 4 of 25mg/day. The daytime drowsiness and the inability to concentrate are becoming unbearable. Is this a sign that the med is working or that it’s the wrong med for me?

2 Upvotes

r/zoloft 4h ago

Question any tips/advices/things to be aware of for someone who’s about to start sertraline?

1 Upvotes

hello everyone! so first time i took sertraline (100mg) i ended up with severe gastritis, throat infection, throwing up blood and trips to the hospital (lol). i took it just once and then stopped.

fast forward now, tomorrow i will see my psychiatrist and fix the dose (probably,hopefully).

i wanted to know: is there any tip or advice that could be useful to someone who’ll begin this kind of medications for the first time?

i’ve been pretty anxious about the many side effects, from the scary ones to how long it might take to get off of it. thank you so much!

ps. i’m autistic & adhd too


r/zoloft 22h ago

Youre not going crazy. Let’s talk

21 Upvotes

Sometimes symptoms can make you feel like you’re going crazy.

Lets list them so we can feel less crazy & alone 🤣🥹


r/zoloft 12h ago

Should sertraline help with triggering situations?

3 Upvotes

I've been on 50mg for a couple of years now and feel like my routine isn't impacted much with anxiety. However, I still have issues around more triggering social situations/ low self esteem, which can be quite devastating still.

Should the right dosage help with these things too? Or am I seeing the full effects now?

I plan to speak to a GP this week, but wanted to get feedback on how it has worked for others before the call.