June 6th
2009
2:31 PM
These are not new side effects but a confirmation of some I've read. Two most disturbing are: the inability to cry which all my life has been a major way to release tension; weight gain and an inability to discipline myself to stop eating; addiction to sugar; lack of motivation; can't stick to anything. when I first started taking it my body "vibrated" but that stopped after a couple of months. However, my head sings all the time. It does cause heartburn so I have to take an antacid (but I also take other blood pressure meds which may add to this). I do generally feel better and now after nearly two years on Zoloft, my motivation to take on projects has increased. I exercise every day and it has helped with depression and anxiety but not with sleep. I'm afraid to go off it because of withdrawal symptoms I may have to suffer; so for now I'm going to continue taking it. It does cause weight gain and does lower motivation but since I'm 74 years old, I don't need to worry about sex drive. Hope this helps.
-- By seniorcitizen | Reply | Private Message me
August 27th
2008
12:54 PM
I started on 50mg just over a month ago for anxiety / panic attacks. I don't feel so anxious any more and haven't had a panic attack since I started :D. At first I kept yawning all the time but I'd expected this and it went away. But recently (for a couple of weeks now) I've had persistant jaw tension. That's the only side effect I notice now. It gets better and worse but it's really bothersome. Does anyone know if that will go away or if I should try lowering my dose?
-- By riggix | Reply | Private Message me
December 11th
2007
10:06 PM
I am currently taking 150mg of Z. I have suffered with depression, anxiety and OCD since 1994. I have been on Celexa, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Effexor XR, Lexapro and Zoloft. The first few months on Z, I thought I felt better. No anger, frustration, suicidal feelings and it was easier to face each new day.
However now it seems that I am chasing that feeling. Even with the increases I feel like all the symptoms are returning. The one difference with Z than any of the others is the decreased/non-existent libido. I am so indifferent to this since I am not interested in anything, but it does cause more tension and guilt for me. My family and friends are understanding but I know it is difficult for them to. Maybe at the lower doses it is the miracle that some people need, but it is not my savior. K
February 20th
2005
8:01 PM
Excessive lethargy, more sweating, vivid dreams, jaw tension, easily bruising.
But I am not depressed, I don't want to kill myself anymore, I have taken control of the situation with my abusive ex, I don't have anxiety... but I am just not motivated to do much.
-- By rachael1214 | Reply | Private Message me
May 1th
2004
11:27 PM
I am a 20 year old male, 150 pounds, and I've been taking Zoloft for about 8 months now. First I started with 50mg daily for anxiety/depression. It helped a little, but I was boosted up to 100mg daily after about a month or two.
My anxiety problems quickly diminished, but I was having crazy mood swings. Happy one moment, depressed the next. Now I get those crazy head zaps and fogginess almost every day I take it. Side effects also include churning/unsettled stomach, disconnected feeling, "pins and needles" every time I move my head (like coming down from acid), zombi effects, jaw tension, restlessness, lack of motivation, severe headaches, grinding teeth, and vivid dreams (not a bad thing). It hasn't effected me sexually though. Haven't had any real problems with weight gain either.
I highly recommend smoking marijuana occasionaly to reduce side effects. Although pot isn't recommended by others, I find that it really helps to even you out while on this medication. It quickly and effectivly relieves jaw tension, restlessnesss, headaches, unsettled stomach, and that crazy-ass fog headzap thing. That is the worst part of Zoloft for me. I can deal with all the other small side effects, but when it feels like you are a zombie coming down from acid, you just wanna punch the doctor who prescribed it to you.
Perhaps I'm taking too much, or not enough. I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow, so I'll see what he has to say.
I'm glad that the drug helps with my anxiety, but I'm not really sure if all the side effects are worth it.
If you haven't experienced the zombie thing yet, just stop taking Zoloft for a day or two and you'll know what I'm talking about. DON'T MISS A DOSE OR YOU'LL START CRAVING BRAINS! BRRRAAAIIINNNSS!!!!
April 27th
2004
6:56 PM
jaw tension and feel tired and i keep thinking that i am getting fat. Dr. said that because i ate a lot i was going to lose weight, it is not happening. Does it take a long time for the appettite to go down? I been taking it for 4 days
-- By drobison2000 | Reply | Private Message me
April 6th
2004
11:25 PM
I've been taking zoloft for 2 months. Started out at 25mg, then uppped it to 50mg. The first couple weeks I experienced shakiness, headaches, muscle twitching and vivid dreams. MOST OF THE SIDE EFFECTS WENT AWAY AFTER 2 WEEKS. The side effects I still feel are the jaw tension. Also I started to have spotting between my periods which I've never had before. Has anyone else experienced spotting?
Overall it has helped eliminate the panic attacks but I still have a overall sense of anxiety.
December 2th
2003
7:53 AM
I was put on Zoloft for treatment of depression and anxiety due to an immense of stress in my personal life. At the beginning I was experiencing headaches, jaw tension, diarrhea and weird dreams. This was 2 months ago. Now I still have intense, vivid dreams, but there not bad dreams, so I don't mind that at all!! I have had NO loss of my sex drive, which a friend said I would, give it time. Thankfully, they were wrong!! I plan on being on Zoloft for 6 months, sbut so far I've seen a big change in both my attitude and emotions. BUT I also am following up with therapy, which is helping a lot too. I don't feel bad or helpless anymore about being on Zoloft or that i have had some personal issues that I needed help with. Now that I'm starting to see I wasn't the bad person in my problems, I realize that the Zoloft helped "clear my head" and helped me to start to become me again.
-- By lingzo | Reply | Private Message me
November 4th
2002
10:01 PM
March 3th
2003
12:27 PM
weight gain; tempomandibular tension; lethargy (but may just be my chronic fatigue??); my headache pattern has gone skyhigh!!! Help! My insurance won't pay for my Prozac; the generic makes me sick to my stomach, and so now my "relief" is Zoloft. I even went off birth control thinking that was making my headaches worse and causing the weight gain; and then I took a pregnancy test...none of the above...
-- By suzyq4jc | Reply | Private Message me
June 7th
2009
2:53 PM
I take a combo of Zoloft and Klonopin for anxiety. The medication helps control my anxiety problems, but now I suffer from severe headaches, upset stomach and weight gain. The biggest problem was my headaches. My Dr. suggested stretching exercises for my headaches and stiff neck. The stretching seemed to relieve my overall headaches, but would a trigger spot for an incredible flash of pain when I turned my head a certain way. I've found that resistant pressure seemed to help tremendously.
For example: If my headache was in a specific place just behind my left ear, I would place the heel of my left over the pain and push my head towards the heel of my hand and hold for ten seconds. If it was general tension in the back of my neck that is causing the pain, I would place the heel of my hand on my forehead and push my head toward my hand and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat as necessary. Hope this helps.
I see there are a lot people suffering from headaches so I thought I would share what kind of works for me. Does anyone else have any "works for me" stories?
-- By eric_thats_me | Reply | Private Message me