# Taking Zoloft



## Presbyrino (Jul 13, 2005)

Has anyone here ever taken zoloft for panic attacks or anxiety disorder? If so, what was your experience with zoloft? Did you find that it helped your condition or worsen your condition?


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## RamistThomist (Jul 13, 2005)

I took them for so-called "depression." I didn't really think I had depression and zoloft in no way helped my condition, but I am not the best to ask on this. I made another comment about it in the men's section


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## Poimen (Jul 14, 2005)

> _Originally posted by sntijerina_
> Has anyone here ever taken zoloft for panic attacks or anxiety disorder? If so, what was your experience with zoloft? Did you find that it helped your condition or worsen your condition?



I just got off Zoloft four days ago. I had been on it for well over a year. My doctor prescribed it for severe panic attacks which I had for many months. 

Initially there was no effect but after about two months it began to work and surpressed my attacks. The benefit was that I was able to cope and come to grips with the attacks: recognizing the symptoms and being able to rationalize what was happening to me. 

However the side effects were just as bad (kicked in about six months after I began taking it): severe short time memory loss and lack of concentration. About three months ago I went to a naturopath who gave me some natural medicine which has helped me wean myself off the drug and has largely restored my memory and concentration. So far so good! 

Overall, I would only recommend the drug if you are having constant, severe anxiety/panic attacks (please note that a wide range of side effects have been reported, so it really depends on how YOUR mind/body reacts to the drug before you will know how it all works). 

http://depression.about.com/cs/sertraline/l/blsidefxsertral.htm

Otherwise there are a wide variety of natural substances that will help you in times of stress and depression. 

Some examples:

Rescue Remedy 
http://www.bachflower.com/rescue_remedy.htm

Valerian
http://stress.about.com/od/alternativetherapies/l/aa101601.htm

If you have any more questions or want to talk about this more in-depth, please U2U me. I can certainly sympathize with you if you are experiencing panic attacks.

[Edited on 7-14-2005 by poimen]

[Edited on 7-14-2005 by poimen]


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## Robin (Jul 14, 2005)

> _Originally posted by sntijerina_
> Has anyone here ever taken zoloft for panic attacks or anxiety disorder? If so, what was your experience with zoloft? Did you find that it helped your condition or worsen your condition?



I took it for 1 1/2 years. Smallest dose. It helped.

Robin


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## Bladestunner316 (Jul 14, 2005)

poimen,
glad you got to see a naturalpath  and got everything straightened out.

blade


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## Athaleyah (Jul 14, 2005)

I took it for years off and on for depression, it helped some with that, but then quit working altogether no matter what the dose. I had it prescribed for me again a few years later for depression and generalized anxiety disorder, again it didn't do anything. It really varies a lot by person.

I don't know why it stopped working for me. It really seems like hit and miss with both diagnoses and medications. You really won't know if it will work for you unless you try it.


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## Puritanhead (Jul 14, 2005)

the stuff turns you into a mindless zombie and depression is numbed by mindless euphoric highs-- and as such it isn't worth fooling with--- plus, withdrawal from the drug is about like getting off heroin or some addictive narcotic... the world got a long much better before the pill-popping fetish with psychotropic drugs came about...


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 14, 2005)

My brother was taking Zoloft. He committed suicide in January. I don't categorically dismiss the potential usefulness of such drugs, but I don't have a high opinion of them either.


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## ABondSlaveofChristJesus (Jul 14, 2005)

> _Originally posted by sntijerina_
> Has anyone here ever taken zoloft for panic attacks or anxiety disorder? If so, what was your experience with zoloft? Did you find that it helped your condition or worsen your condition?



I take them for anxiety, and they work pretty good for me.


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## ABondSlaveofChristJesus (Jul 14, 2005)

or it as opposed to them....


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## alwaysreforming (Jul 14, 2005)

Andrew,
I'm very sorry to hear about your brother. My condolences and sympathies are with you..


To the rest of you:
I took Zoloft for a couple of years. My girlfriend said I had OCD and urged me to go to the Dr. He agreed and prescribed it to me. (I was one of them "handwasher/never touch a door knob" people)
It worked well for me, I guess; but it seemed to numb my spirituality a bit as well. I remember feeling "not so affected" in Church as I used to.
The withdrawl symptoms are terrible coming off of it if you stop cold turkey, so make sure you really taper it off as you end your treatment with it.


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## Robin (Jul 14, 2005)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> My brother was taking Zoloft. He committed suicide in January. I don't categorically dismiss the potential usefulness of such drugs, but I don't have a high opinion of them either.



How sad to hear of this, Andrew.

I'm sure you're right about your conclusions of these drugs...

r.


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## Augusta (Jul 14, 2005)

This is really freaky because I was just talking with a close friend who, like me, has a special needs child. Her son is 6 mine is 7 almost 8. They both have sensory overload conditions. Her son from a brain injury and mine from autism. Both having a neurological root cause. 

She has started her son on it and he is reportedly having more lucidity and speech than previous. This would be the reason I was going to give it to my son. My sons senses are always very acute, all of them. The normal world for him would be pandemonium for us and that is what he gropes through everyday. Even his sense of taste is acute. He has had solid occupational therapy for for 3 years now. It has not help much. If anything he gets a little comfort through the exercises and then back out into the loud overwhelming world. This is why he tends to retreat and is not very social. Human contact is mostly body language and he is overwhelmed just looking you in the eyes. Not to mention touching, sound, sights.

I want to try something that will calm his sensory overload. I don't want him to be a zombie. Zoloft is the one I have been told is working in some autistic kids. Do you guys know of anything else like it that is not dangerous? Do you think it would be as dangerous for a child who is in my son's situation? 

Any comments are welcome. I want to go into this with all sides. I just want to give him some relief. Through therapy he is talking and almost like a regular kid except for the retreating and the unsocial behavior with a few silly compulsions for things.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 14, 2005)

Thanks, Robin and Christopher.


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## Athaleyah (Jul 14, 2005)

Andrew, I'm sad that you lost your brother. Mental illness hurts everyone around the person as well as the person experiencing it.



> _Originally posted by Puritanhead_
> the stuff turns you into a mindless zombie and depression is numbed by mindless euphoric highs-- and as such it isn't worth fooling with--- plus, withdrawal from the drug is about like getting off heroin or some addictive narcotic... the world got a long much better before the pill-popping fetish with psychotropic drugs came about...



I am on the highest prescription dosage of Wellbutrin and have been on the highest of zoloft. I am not a mindless zombie nor do I get any cheap highs off it. I've also quit taking it with no problems in the past.

I don't know if you've ever been so anxious or depressed that you have begged God in tears day after day to help you despairing of facing another day of torture, but I suggest that you not take such a condemnatory tone with those of us who have. Some people really have a biochemical problem, and they should be the only ones who are prescribed medication. I do believe that doctors are way too willing to prescribe drugs for situational problems rather than having the person work on their problems.


I admit this is a sensitive issue to me because I am Bipolar. At my worst I am not merely sad or anxious but a danger to myself. I am truly not in my right mind, and when I recover from it, I cannot imagine how I could have thought the things I thought or did the things I did. I have lost my job, my house, and much of my independence. The medication I take allows me to function and stay out of the hospital, where I have been twice. I would dearly love to be able to go back to not taking any drugs and have gotten my psychiatrist to whittle down what I do take considerably. 

If you met me on the street, you'd never know that I am on medication. And maybe one day by the grace of the Lord I will not need it, but until then 2 pills a day is a small price to pay for my sanity.


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## LadyFlynt (Jul 14, 2005)

I've had panic attacks along with unusual anxiety...but I can connect each of those times with particular circumstances going on at that time. I never went on drugs, I just removed myself from said circumstances or learned to cope.


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## Anton Bruckner (Jul 14, 2005)

Andrew sorry to hear. Atheleyah, I hope that God carries you through and keeps you. But heck, look on the bright side, you literally have to live by faith and be dependent on God. So this is a way to know that God really loves you, because you can see His hang upholding you through all your struggles.


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## Athaleyah (Jul 14, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Slippery_
> Andrew sorry to hear. Atheleyah, I hope that God carries you through and keeps you. But heck, look on the bright side, you literally have to live by faith and be dependent on God. So this is a way to know that God really loves you, because you can see His hang upholding you through all your struggles.



Thank you for your kind words. That is one thing I have to see in my life. He provided enough from selling our house to get us mostly out of debt (we were in bad shape). And I used to pray that if there were any way I'd like not to have to work anymore and to spend time with my grandmother before she passed on. And he did it his way, a very painful and humbling way, and I praise him because I am a better person for what has happened to me. I indeed do not work now, and my husband loves having me at home full time, and I now live within walking distance of my grandmother (before I lived a 15 hour drive away).

God has always been there for me, even in the darkest of times he has pulled me back from the brink when my own strength failed. I have a happier life now even with my limitations than I did before I lost my job. His ways are the best ways.


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## Anton Bruckner (Jul 14, 2005)

Amen Sister. Dats a powerful testimony. Imagine God makes us rich without necessarily increasing our wealth.


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## Poimen (Jul 14, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Bladestunner316_
> poimen,
> glad you got to see a naturalpath  and got everything straightened out.
> 
> blade



Thanks, but I don't know if everything is straightened out. I do know that I want to be off the drugs and deal with this without that kind of assistance. 

As others have noted, God is glorified in these situations especially because we have to lean on Him even more. I think this was a crucible for me since I had it just as I entered into the ordained ministry, which made me focus more on the Lord than on me.


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## turmeric (Jul 14, 2005)

Augusta, I would go ahead and see if Zoloft helps your son. He's not running from something he could cope with if he would try. You should try other medications if this one doesn't help.

I agree that doctors are happy to overprescribe these relatively new anti-depressants. I took the original-Prozac a few years ago. The doctor said I should get counselling along with it, which would be more effective than just taking the drug. I did, and then I was able to quit using it. The doctor reduced the dose gradually to avoid any negative effects.


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## Presbyrino (Jul 15, 2005)

I would like to thank everyone for sharing your experiences with zoloft.
I do struggle with anxiety and panic attacks. They come in waves, sometimes very light and other times very severe (I feel like I am going to come unglued sometimes). I was prescribed zoloft by my Doc, but I haven't taken it yet. Some of the side-effects I would read about often seemed worse then the panic attacks themselves. 

Once again, thank you for sharing about your struggle with anxiety/panic.


Andrew,
I am very sorry to hear about your brother. My sympathies go to you and your family at this tragic loss.


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## Bladestunner316 (Jul 15, 2005)

Andrew,
Same here Im totally sympathetic. I wouldnt encourage you to take any drug unless its compatible with you. Also diet and drinking(including coffee,energy drinks, and caffeine.) habits can factor in alot and cause unwanted side effects. Drugs also may wear off after time. I would look into natural means as an alternative. Omega 3 I hear is usefull. I feel really bad about what happpened with your brother though  

In Christ,
Blade


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 15, 2005)

I am grateful for the many condolences of my PB brethren. Thanks you all.


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## ChristianasJourney (Jul 16, 2005)

When doctor's diagnose depression/anxiety, do they do a blood test to check hormonal levels?


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## Bladestunner316 (Jul 16, 2005)

That's a good question. I cant remember. you also gota be careful about the doctor some are overzealous in prescribing a drug for profit.

blade


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## Scot (Jul 16, 2005)

I highly suggest that anyone suffering from depression, anxiety, etc. look into the possibility spoken of in the book "Brain Allergies: The Psychonutrient Connection" by William H. Phillpot, M.D.


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## Poimen (Oct 12, 2005)

> _Originally posted by poimen_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by sntijerina_
> ...



I thought you all should know that I have been off of Zoloft for many months as well as the natural medication and I feel great. That doesn't mean that it will work the same for you, but my experience has been a blessing. Praise the Lord!


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## Bladestunner316 (Oct 12, 2005)

do you mean you are off of natural medication or are taking it without other meds?

blade


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## Poimen (Oct 12, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Bladestunner316_
> do you mean you are off of natural medication or are taking it without other meds?
> 
> blade



No natural medication and no drugs. The natural medicine was provided to help me cope with the panic attacks (much like the drugs but without the side affects).


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## Bladestunner316 (Oct 12, 2005)

Well Im glad that the Lord is seeing you thorugh


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