Zoloft seems to be my enemy.

My therapist and doctor recently teamed up and suggested I start on antidepressants. My doc decided on Zoloft, and I've been taking it for two days, and I'm miserable. I have horrible dry mouth and no matter how much water I drank I couldn't quench my thirst it seemed like. I have heart burn. I'm 20 years old and can count on one hand the number of times I've had heartburn in the past. And I've had this weird pressure fade in and out of my right ear all day. It's there for awhile, but then it's gone.. Any my ear feels kind of tingly and unusually warm.. and it seems to melt down toward my neck, causing that pain there too.

It just doesn't feel right.

Anyway, I've been googling like crazy.. I can't find anyone saying anything nice about their time spent with Zoloft. All I read about is it not working or about the side affects being atrocious..

I'm going to call my doctor tomorrow obviously. I guess I was just wondering if zoloft has worked for any of you guys?

Any antidepressant you google is going to mostly have bad stuff said about. People don't post about nuetral experiences, and most people who are helped by antidepressants don't think they were (they think they magically got better while just happening to be taking antidepressants).

Zoloft gave me noodle-legs : )

The reason there are so many anti-depressants is because everyone reacts to them differently, so they continually introduce new ones that work in fundamentally the same ways, but have different side effects, or ones that affect different people. If your doc is planning on having you on them for a while, or on a high dosage, it may be necessary to try a few before you find one that doesn't give you bad side effects.

Your doctor should be gradually starting you on Zoloft, and slowly increasing your dosage, this is to lessen side effects. Side effects are worse when you first start, so don't be surprised if your doc wants you to wait a week before taking you back off Zoloft.

I'm sorry you are having such a bad time. I have been on zoloft in the past and it work wonderfully for me. The first few weeks or so, I was extremely tired but once my body was used to the medicine it begin to work well. I suggest sharing your concerns with your doctor.

If you're having side effects that you can't live with, call your doctor and make an appointment.  When you get to the office, tell your doctor about the problems you're having and (s)he will give you something else.  There are tons out there with many different possible side effects.  You may be able to find one that has no side effects for you or you may not.  SSRI's are generally considered "stronger" anti-depressants.  You could ask your doctor to let you try some others.  Some of the better known are prozac, lexapro, and celexa.  Watch your weight carefuly on all of them since weight gain can be a side effect in some people and if you start to bloat up, ask your doctor to change again until you find a good one for yourself.

Several months after my husband died, I was still suffering from severe depression.  My family doctor gave me a good physical, then suggested Zoloft.  I said I wasn't someone who liked to take drugs.  He said the chemical imbalance in my brain, due to the depression, would be normalized and not be like taking speed or anything like that.  So, I agreed.  Within a few short days I was feeling like my old self, with no side effects at all.  I took it for about three months, then quit taking it on my own.  It was literally a lifesaver for me.  But, I also know what works for one person will not necessarily work for another, and some people do suffer from side effects.  I was one of the lucky ones.

Unless you are working through a recent severe trauma, get off the Zoloft!!!  If you are working through anxiety or events that occurred in your past, there is no need to medicate yourself.  You'll come out stronger in the end for it.

Believe me, b/c I've been there.  Zoloft gave me zero personality (I took it for a year).  Then when I stopped taking it I cried for a straight week.  I eventually overcame my problems by dealing with them head on and adjusting my own viewpoints and attitudes.  You chose your own emotions.

Also, I have some girlfriends whose doctors just give them pills for everything!  Adderol for their ADD and Xanex for their anxiety, etc.  Next thing you know they're eating 1 to get up and 1 to go to sleep and who knows what else in between.  They have no unordinary stress in their lives compared to most folks, if anything their lives are far better than most people's.  It's just too easy for a doctor to hand you a pill to "solve" your problems.

I would hesitate to follow advice to stop all medication without speaking to your doctor first.  If the medication helps you feel better with side effects then you should find some without side effects.  If you have a family history of depression and a lifetime of suicidal thoughts then you should definitely not follow the advice of valoria44.  Many with chronic depression have considered killing themselves (or even attempted it) as young as 6 to 8 years old.  It's easy to say that someone will just "overcome" things quickly but someone that can do this probably never needed the medication in the first place.

Original Post by typical_guy:

I would hesitate to follow advice to stop all medication without speaking to your doctor first.  If the medication helps you feel better with side effects then you should find some without side effects.  If you have a family history of depression and a lifetime of suicidal thoughts then you should definitely not follow the advice of valoria44.  Many with chronic depression have considered killing themselves (or even attempted it) as young as 6 to 8 years old.  It's easy to say that someone will just "overcome" things quickly but someone that can do this probably never needed the medication in the first place.

Very true, typical guy!  If someone taking Zoloft (or any other medication) suffers severe side effects, they need to tell their doctor.  There are any number of meds that could help.  I would have lost my job had I not listened to my doctor when he suggested I try Zoloft.  My employer was VERY understanding, but I was making so many mistakes in my work due to my depression, and they would not have put up with me forever.  It worked wonderfully for me and it's worked for many others.  But, as I said before, what works for one may not work for another.

Original Post by valoria44:

Unless you are working through a recent severe trauma, get off the Zoloft!!!  If you are working through anxiety or events that occurred in your past, there is no need to medicate yourself.  You'll come out stronger in the end for it.

 It's just too easy for a doctor to hand you a pill to "solve" your problems.

 The OP states that her therapist and doctor are recommending antidepressants, this would hopefully imply that this isn't a medicine happy general practitioner who likes their prescription pad too much. Antidepressants alone are best for short-term depression, otherwise they carry a high risk of relapse. Antidepressants AND therapy in combination is often recommended for more general forms of depression. Once you find an antidepressant that works for you, it will help you sleep better and improve your mood, which will make you much more able to 'adjust your viewpoints and attitudes."

I'm not saying they're for everyone, I'm just saying that pushing through on your own isn't the always the best option either. And I don't think it makes anyone come out weaker in the end to have taken them : )

Hey, I'm currently on Zoloft (though I'm in the process of weaning myself off) and I never experienced ANY of those symptoms. You need to talk to your doctor and get a different SSRI. 

Also, did he start you on a low dosage at first? I started with 25mg/day, then upped to 50mg after maybe a week or two. 

Good luck!