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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Jennifer on January 17, 2000, at 10:41:33
I have been taking Zoloft for almost three weeks now. 25mg
first week, now 50mg. I'm taking it for anxiety disorder,
and the past week or so I've been feeling more anxiety
on a lot of days. It's like there's more tension in my
neck and head and I just feel nervous. Is this a temporary
side effect or an indication that it's not the right
medicine for me? By the way, I haven't really felt any
"good" effects yet, is it too soon? I go to the Dr. tomorrow
a.m. and I'm not sure whether I should continue this or
not. Someone please give me some advice! Thanks so much.
Posted by anna on January 17, 2000, at 17:14:18
In reply to Zoloft causing more anxiety?? Is this temporary?, posted by Jennifer on January 17, 2000, at 10:41:33
> I have been taking Zoloft for almost three weeks now. 25mg
> first week, now 50mg. I'm taking it for anxiety disorder,
> and the past week or so I've been feeling more anxiety
> on a lot of days. It's like there's more tension in my
> neck and head and I just feel nervous. Is this a temporary
> side effect or an indication that it's not the right
> medicine for me? By the way, I haven't really felt any
> "good" effects yet, is it too soon? I go to the Dr. tomorrow
> a.m. and I'm not sure whether I should continue this or
> not. Someone please give me some advice! Thanks so much.
I've taken Zoloft for years, for panic and anxiety. I do recall that initially I did feel the jitters (also at too high a dose). I don't think, however, I got any help from the Zoloft initially until I was at 100-125 mg. Also, ask your doc if taking another ad along with the zoloft may help--I take a low dose of desyrl (and at one time, a tricyclic) at night, since Zoloft gives me insomnia--that brings me down, so to speak. don't give up yet.
Posted by jd on January 17, 2000, at 18:40:34
In reply to Zoloft causing more anxiety?? Is this temporary?, posted by Jennifer on January 17, 2000, at 10:41:33
Hi Jennifer,
I'd definitely give it some time, though I'd be cautious about raising your dose to quickly. It's often been noted that SSRIs can seem to increase tension/anxiety before starting to help it--the assumed reason being that the improvement occurs only as your starved, hypersensitive serotonin receptors get "downregulated" in response to the increased availability of serotonin. In the interim, it's not uncommon for things to seem a bit overly "intense"--the fact that you're having this reaction may actually be a sign of better things to come... In any event, I wouldn't make up my mind until at least 4-8 weeks unless there's a pressing reason to discontinue--many people don't have a positive response until the second month. Definitely discuss these concerns with your doctor though.
Good luck!
-jd> I have been taking Zoloft for almost three weeks now. 25mg
> first week, now 50mg. I'm taking it for anxiety disorder,
> and the past week or so I've been feeling more anxiety
> on a lot of days. It's like there's more tension in my
> neck and head and I just feel nervous. Is this a temporary
> side effect or an indication that it's not the right
> medicine for me? By the way, I haven't really felt any
> "good" effects yet, is it too soon? I go to the Dr. tomorrow
> a.m. and I'm not sure whether I should continue this or
> not. Someone please give me some advice! Thanks so much.
Posted by Cam on January 22, 2000, at 1:46:00
In reply to Re: Zoloft causing more anxiety?? Is this temporary?, posted by jd on January 17, 2000, at 18:40:34
> Hi Jennifer,
> I'd definitely give it some time, though I'd be cautious about raising your dose to quickly. It's often been noted that SSRIs can seem to increase tension/anxiety before starting to help it--the assumed reason being that the improvement occurs only as your starved, hypersensitive serotonin receptors get "downregulated" in response to the increased availability of serotonin. In the interim, it's not uncommon for things to seem a bit overly "intense"--the fact that you're having this reaction may actually be a sign of better things to come... In any event, I wouldn't make up my mind until at least 4-8 weeks unless there's a pressing reason to discontinue--many people don't have a positive response until the second month. Definitely discuss these concerns with your doctor though.
> Good luck!
> -jd
>
>
>
> > I have been taking Zoloft for almost three weeks now. 25mg
> > first week, now 50mg. I'm taking it for anxiety disorder,
> > and the past week or so I've been feeling more anxiety
> > on a lot of days. It's like there's more tension in my
> > neck and head and I just feel nervous. Is this a temporary
> > side effect or an indication that it's not the right
> > medicine for me? By the way, I haven't really felt any
> > "good" effects yet, is it too soon? I go to the Dr. tomorrow
> > a.m. and I'm not sure whether I should continue this or
> > not. Someone please give me some advice! Thanks so much.To the person just above. I am a pharmaist woking with mental health, specializing in depression.
Continue with your Zoloft. I always tell my clients that in 2 to 4 weeks people around you will notice a change and in 4 to 8 weeks you will notice a change. If you haven't noticed anything at all by week 6, you may need an increase in dose again. The
drug takes time to work. You didn't become depressed overnight, so you can't expect your body to readjust for at least a month or 2, and you must
take Zoloft for at least 9 months to minimize the risk of a relapse into depression. - Cam
Posted by JohnB on January 23, 2000, at 3:45:00
In reply to Re: Zoloft causing more anxiety?? Is this temporary?, posted by anna on January 17, 2000, at 17:14:18
I had similar experience with Zoloft. I was so jittery I had to cut out all coffee drinking. But it went away after a while. I second what Anna said.
This is the end of the thread.
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