Posted by Laurie Beth on September 15, 2005, at 16:46:17
In reply to Anyone on dose higher than 200mg of Zoloft?, posted by mogger on September 14, 2005, at 12:40:12
I started Zoloft after I had post-partum depression and anxiety with birth of first child. In the next few years, I stayed on it almost continuously, and pdoc had me on 300 mg at one point, trying, I guess, to stamps out the last vestige of dysthimia before I tried to get pregnant a second time. I definitely don't have classic OCD, but I am a "perfectionist", and I think that being on Zoloft made me more relaxed about my standards, in a mostly good way.
However, long-term use of high dose Zoloft caused some serious problems for me. I eventually became very sleepy most of the time, very unmotivated to get anything done. I also gained 40 pounds. I eventually lowered the dose to 50 mg (and then added Wellbutrin next) and felt some better (and lost 10 pounds).
After birth of second child, pdoc took me from ~ 40 mg effective dose (blood levels decrease during third trimester of pregnancy; that's why I say "effective dose"; I was actually taking 75 at end of pregnancy) to 100 mg. in one day. After a few weeks of mild anxiety, I gradually became, over a couple of weeks, EXTREMELY apathetic, even anhedonic. I was sleeping > 12 hours a day and starting to gain weight again. I don't know for sure that it was the Zoloft, however. I've tapered off slowly, and have been off completely for > 1 week, and am hoping that it's something like "SSRI apathy" or "frontal lobe syndrome" I'm experiencing, and that it will go away after I've been off Zoloft for a month or two. But it's too early to tell (had 2 pretty good days yesterday and today, though!)
Good luck. I don't know what to tell you to do. If you do try it, just be aware that higher doses of these meds for long periods of time can definitely cause apathy, tiredness, and weight gain, so that you can watch to see if that is happening to you.
poster:Laurie Beth
thread:555006
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050914/msgs/555325.html