Hi all

I (f34) started on this pill 9 weeks ago. I started at 50mg, but decided after about 7 weeks I wanted to come off it as it made me feel rough. I was taking the pill due to a circumstance in my life which is now resolved. I've tapered off to 25mg for 2 weeks now due to doctors advice, I had 2 really bad days of depression and nausea but this has now settled. I am supposed to be started today as one day of taking 25mg, one day of not before stopping completely in 2 weeks, but I have read this method isn't very good.

Would it be better for me to just fully stop today? I think I can ride it out but I'm unsure if its a bad idea?

Hi everyone,
I started sertraline (Zoloft) about 21 days ago. I was on 25mg for the first week and have now been on 50mg for around 14 days.

I’m taking it mainly for OCD and anxiety. I actually feel like I’m starting to feel more like myself again and less constantly on edge, and less angry, so I think there may already be some benefit. However, I’m still having anxiety/OCD symptoms, and my doctor suggested increasing my dose to 75mg because OCD/anxiety often requires higher doses.

I’m wondering whether that would be too soon? Because usually people say to wait 4-6 weeks before deciding on an increase as that is where the full therapeutic effects are felt.

Also another unrelated question:

I’m also noticing that my sleep has changed since starting Zoloft. According to my Apple Watch, I used to get around 1–1 hour 40 minutes of deep sleep, whereas when I first started Zoloft it dropped to around 30 minutes and now I’m getting around 40 minutes. I’m finding it harder to wake up in the morning because I don’t feel as rested. Is this common and will it improve?

Started taking 25-25mg and had a mini panic attack after 1 week. Also noticed ears ringing noticeably like I’m going deaf. The panic subsided but my ears still ring. Spoke to the doc and dropped the dose down to 25mg and I still notice the ringing. Thinking of stopping the med. Any thoughts and advice.

I spent a lot of time reading these when I was getting started, so I wanted to be sure to share my experience.

I started taking zoloft to address a panic response I developed in work settings. It started in larger, high stress presentations and got progressively worse until simple low stake conversations triggered it. I was diagnosed with CPTSD and this is one of the ways it manifested in me.

Anyways, I slowly worked my way up over several monthts with tons of side effects (increased anxiety, jaw clenching, sleep problems, headaches.)

I started seeing improvements about a month ago, and now, only a week into an increase from 75mg to 100mg, something amazing has happened. My panic and anxiety is just... gone. I'm like my old self after 10 years of struggling. I'm shocked. I was hopeful it would help, but it's a massive difference. Even high stress presentations aren't phasing me. I'm just feeling the normal amount of adrenaline. I don't feel disconnected or like a zombie. Just normal!

It's also helping with my other symptoms I've always struggled with, like sleeping with my back to the door, closing my eyes in the shower and just generally living in a state of fight or flight. I'm very happy.

Just a little encouragement for those getting started. Hang in there. Something really wonderful might be on the other side of this.

So I just found out that the recommended maximum dosage of Zoloft was 200mg. Meanwhile I have been taking 300mg for 6 years and my psychiatrist has told me he has patients on 400mg.

I should say that I didn't go from not taking it to 300mg, this was a gradual increase over almost 20 years. I initially started on 70mg at the age of 12. Then after a year it was increased to 100mg which I was on for 5 years. Then it was increased to 200mg which I was on for 8 years, before going up to 300mg. We did try reducing it by 50mg a few years ago but that resulted in me having daily panic attacks. Both my doctor, psychiatrist, and psychologist are happy for me to be on 300mg as they all feel for me to be able to function this is what my body needs.

I have been fortunate that I haven't had many side effects temporary or long term. I did experience some dizziness and headaches going from 100mg to 200mg, and I am a bit more sensitive to heat and don't cope when it's hot and humid (thankfully where I live Summer is very much a dry heat).

I'm just wondering if anyone else is taking higher than the maximum dose of Zoloft?

Tomorrow (hopefully if the pharmacy finally has it ready) will be my first day on 25 mg. And I’m actually kinda nervous to start since I’ve never had to take any medications regularly. And I’m not sure exactly how I’m supposed to feel… anyways, I have a couple questions that I just thought of and haven’t had the chance to ask my psychiatrist about. (I’m aware I can search these things up but would like to hear from people with experience)

I’m bad at drinking a lot of water, in turn I find myself dehydrated often. Is this something that’s really important to keep in check for this medication?

Should I make sure to eat before I take it?

Should I take it first thing in the morning? Or afternoon?

Any vitamins I should pair with it?

Is coffee still alright? 👀

Anything else I should know?

Just started my fourth week on Zoloft (50 mg), and I’ve noticed that I have SO many dreams in one night.
They’re not nightmares at all, and most of them are usually about things I was thinking about before going to sleep.
The whole thing where I dream about whatever I was thinking about before bed NEVER used to happen to me, but now it happens pretty much every day. I’m really curious if anyone else has experienced the same thing?

Specifically, I want to know if I take a dose or a half dose or whatever, will the subsequent withdrawal be even worse?

I know you're not supposed to just stop your meds, but I made the decision on a whim and it's already been a week so...

Should I just thug it out for another week or take a dose?

(Ik the correct answer is to taper, but I'm not gonna die so idc. I just want all of this evil drug out of my body right meow 🫣)

I already tapered from 100 to 50 and was on that for like a month? And then I quit from there.

(Humble post, as a tiny thank you for your contributions to this sub, I just wanted to add my first inpressions and parhaps give others a bit of hope).

I read this sub religiously and was patient, waiting for the medication to take effect on me. It's only been 5 weeks so far (50mg), so I was not expecting big differences so soon.

Due to change in my perscription, I had to miss 2 days before resiming (ie missed 2 doses, 72 hours between them) .

And my boyyyyy, believe it or not I had FORGOTTEN (so fast, I know) about how it was to feel dispair and a knot in my chest, the feeling that I will never be happy and nothing will ever work out for me. It was like meeting an old friend, because I felt this all the time for years, up untill I started taking sertraline.

I think this might work for me and help me with anxiety! I am in awe... I dont even know what to say.

I plan to take better notes of all symptoms and how they evolve so I can share a more comprehensive experience with you guys in 6 months).

Just a question, I havent started zoloft yet but am going to. I'm a nurse and I do shift work, they say you should take it the same time everyday however what am I supposed to do on night shift? Has anybody else had this issue? I also take vyvanse in the morning

I’ve been taking Zoloft for about a week now (50mg) ever since I’ve taking it I’ve had the normal side effects like nausea stomach ache diarrhea. But I’ve been extremely hyper focused on my breathing and it’s starting to get really annoying and uncomfortable. Is this normal? If so how did you manage to get over it?

Hi. Im on day12 currently of 50mg (and first anti depressants ive been on soo idfk). For depression and anxiety. I dont really think ive been having alot of side affects? Bad stomach, headaches, dry mouth, nausea. Thats kinda all? Day11 I kinda started feeling the "it gets worse before it gets better" shit. I drank an energy drink today as well (just 250ml can of redbull) and im normally very used to energy drinks, they do not affect me istg and it also didnt affect me today? At least to where i recognised it at least? Drank a littleee bit as well (I am of legal age, dw lol) and it didnt feel like i *had* to be careful with it? Like, got drunk way faster kinda careful (I also havent fell to sleep yet since, soo I cant say how ill feel in the morning).

I also cannot take medication without food with it, like i just cant. So ive been having it with like a kinder bueno and yk, things like that. (And if anyone has any recommendations on things to try to take it with, i am all ears lol). And have since my first. Im just wondering if that could be making it not work to its full potential? Orrrr? Idfk. Lol. Thanks.

Im 30 days into lowering my dose from 50 to 25 and my anxiety is very bad. I can barely leave the house alone...

I lowered because i could not O and my Libido was becoming non existent

What would you do? I dont have a doctor and im having trouble finding one...

Im starting to wonder if i made the wrong choice tapering off but the lack of libido was becoming very depressing...

Any advice or shared experiences are very very much appreciated...

Thank you all

I’m 18, never been on any medication before but have been struggling with anxiety and adhd for most of my life . i just got put on zoloft today (25mg) and ofc i looked it up immediately and was flooded with videos of people saying how horrible zoloft is. i’m still gonna take it for the first couple weeks like my doctor said but i was wondering what to expect in terms of side effects and overall changes. i appreciate any help you guys may provide

Our 13-year-old daughter who is almost 14 has been suffering from bouts of severe depression since she was 12. She could be fine one minute and then darkness overtakes her and she goes in her room and sits in the dark sometimes she’s angry sometimes she doesn’t wanna talk to anyone. Stop caring about herself and anyone else when she’s like this.

Her dosage has slowly increased to 100 mg and now we are moving her to 125. Praying that this will somehow stop the almost daily dark clouds that roll in.

Does anyone else have a teen who is on Zoloft and at 100+ mg?

Hello, I am switching from Lexapro to Zoloft. I am cross tapering, I was just wondering if anyone has some positive stories they can share I’m really nervous. Lexapro is just not helping me I would say my anxious thoughts and panic attacks are actually worse now than they were so I got switched to Zoloft today. Thanks for any help 🩷

100mg of antidepressants turned me into a whole different person,full of positivity, energy, and zero social anxiety. Sometimes I remember my dark past: 7 to 8 years of no sleep, endless overthinking, zero confidence, and being unable to talk to girls.

My problems started around age 14 due to a very specific issue that I spent 4–5 years trying to fix without success. Spending every waking minute trying to solve it turned me into a zombie. I was working 8 hours a day with only that single thought in my head, faking everything: my smiles, my anger, my confidence. At the end of the day, I would always crash back into my real self, especially at night.

It became a vicious cycle I couldn't break. I was skipping school, spending all my time alone, and constantly searching the internet for answers or discussing the issue with people going through the same thing. That's all my days consisted of. When COVID hit, everyone automatically passed the school year; if it hadn't been for that, I would have had 114 absences by the end of March just because I was terrified to go in for that specific reason.

For 7 long years, my life was full of misery, daily stress, and fake happiness. The worst part was that I didn't share it with anyone,not even my family.Because I convinced myself they would think I was crazy if I tried to explain it.

I finally built up the courage to see a psychiatrist and open up. I don't want to get into the exact details because it ruined my life from ages 13 to 20 and brings back painful flashbacks, but it really felt like an unbreakable cycle with no solution.

After talking to my psychiatrist, he immediately prescribed Zoloft (SSRI treatment). I'm now in my 3rd month and I can actually live life now. Like, man, I finally made it.

People shouldn't be scared to ask for help. After struggling for 8 years with extreme OCD and anxiety, it's all gone now. It's actually mind-blowing to see my true self.I can't believe I'm the same person.

You can ask me any questions and i'll try to answer them all!

hello I’ve been on 100mg Zoloft for 10 years or so and recently had horrible increase in anxiety that wasn’t helped by increasing the dose so my psychiatrist is adding Wellbutrin. I’ve been experiencing depression, anxiety, and just my mind racing and worrying a lot. looking for positive stories with this combo.

Hi all,

After doubting for days, I decided to increase my dosage from 100mg to 150mg daily as I was still struggeling pretty much too often. It did help by taking the edge off, but the anxiety and sadness was still too exhausting to the point of getting no rest and recovery. I always have been succesful on Paroxetine 20mg only, but that didn't help the second time.

The first week I took 125mg in the hope the ride would be smoother. Since last friday I am on the full 150mg (so 5 days on 150mg now).

Today I was at first pretty in a good mood, nothing wrong, maybe first sign of relief? Later that day the day became really really really dark. Really high anxiety, agitation, but also really emotional and feeling really really sad and overwhelmed. It lead me to not finish my work day (was working from home) and cough bound ever since. No appetite, just tearing up on the couch.

I took a prescribed benzo (oxazepam 10mg), but that didn't really did the trick, so I took an extra half. Now I am sort of calm, nevertheless very sad.

Is it normal to be this brutal where the days turn really really gray and dark like there us a thunderstorm inside your house?

I never experienced any installment effects on paroxetine (apart from feeling activated), Zoloft much more on 50 and 100, but not this.

Is this normal? Any experiences?

This was a long time coming. But my last experience with SSRIs wasn’t great - I gained weight, my libido was non-existent, I was sleepy for most of the day. I was on Lexapro.

Now that I’m starting Zoloft soon, I really don’t want to go through the same thing again. So thought I’d try coming here and asking what I can expect for the first few weeks? Has it helped anyone tremendously? Is there something I should be wary of?

Sigh. Wish me luck

I’ve been on Zoloft for about 2 years, and while it has significantly improved my mental health, I’ve gained easily 40 lbs that is so stubborn. I was already slightly overweight, although I wasn’t worried about it really and my weight had been steady. Now I feel like I NEED to lose some weight in order to do the things I love (playing with my kids, riding bikes, etc).

I’m curious what has worked for you all?

hi! I have BPD and I’ve been taking Brintellix (vortioxetine) since February. I’ve been on a 20 mg dose since May and haven’t noticed any side effects other than feeling detached (like being behind a wall) and a blunting of my emotions. However, my anxiety returned two months ago. On the positive side, the medication has quieted my aggression, and my libido returned to normal after I stopped taking birth control.
My doctor recommended tapering off Brintellix while starting Zoloft at the same time. I’m really terrified of Zoloft's potential side effects—especially regarding weight gain and libido—because those could drastically affect my mental well-being. Additionally, I have very important exams this year and need focus, energy, motivation, and calmness, which Brintellix isn't really providing right now.
I’m currently in DBT therapy, which has definitely helped me with many aspects of my disorder. Still, I’m extremely scared of switching medications due to these side effects. I should also mention that I have SIBO and IMO, which I’m currently treating with antibiotics. I know Zoloft affects serotonin, which is largely processed in the gut, so I'm wondering if that might actually help my digestion.

i’ve been prescribed to zoloft for about a month now and have an upcoming doctors appointment to assess how it’s been going for me to see if i need to change my dosage. i’m taking it for depression and mild anxiety, but i don’t know if it’s working. on my days off, i find myself sleeping and unable to get out of bed. the only time i can motivate myself to function is if i smoke weed. it gives me an appetite and helps me do the chores around my apartment. otherwise i’m not eating and not cleaning. i feel like my symptoms may have possibly gotten worse, but i also can’t tell if im making that up. i’m scared to be on a higher dose if i don’t need it.

I was on 50mg Zoloft/sertraline for around a year.
Tapered to 25mg daily for a month, then 25mg every other day for 2 weeks, then every 3–4 days for another 2 weeks before stopping completely. (Instructed by my psychiatrist)

The first week off was actually fine, but during the second week the withdrawal symptoms started hitting me pretty hard.

I’ve been getting:
- Brain zaps and tingling sensations throughout the day
- Vertigo/dizziness
- Nausea, stomachaches and diarrhea
- Body aches
- Really bad irritability/mood swings
- Trouble sleeping and waking up during the night
- Random waves of extreme tiredness where I fall into a really deep sleep and wake up feeling awful

The irritability is especially intense and I feel physically hot when I get really angry.

According to chat, alternate days during a taper can sometimes cause bigger fluctuations in medication levels and potentially make withdrawal symptoms worse…

How long did it take before I will start feeling normal again?😭 I am so tempted to start taking it again just to make all these go away because it’s affecting my work and the people around me.