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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 jan on March 8, 2000, at 18:37:46
just started (3 days now) on Zoloft. I have always worried
about taking antidepressants. The first day on Zoloft, after about 5 hours I got really nauseous and threw up. The second day I still feel nauseous and the thought of food make me still feel sick. When can I expect to feel the benefits??? I also have a headache and feel gittery but not better. When will I know whether or not this is working feelings are experienced
Posted by Veronica on March 8, 2000, at 22:05:31
In reply to zoloft, posted by jan on March 8, 2000, at 18:37:46
> just started (3 days now) on Zoloft. I have always worried
> about taking antidepressants. The first day on Zoloft, after about 5 hours I got really nauseous and threw up. The second day I still feel nauseous and the thought of food make me still feel sick. When can I expect to feel the benefits??? I also have a headache and feel gittery but not better. When will I know whether or not this is working feelings are experiencedMy experience with Zoloft is that it can take up to 4 to 6 weeks to be effective. An average dose, I've heard, is about 150 mg. Most docs will start lower and work the dose up. I also experienced jitteriness. It didn't last for me. Hopefully your doc started you low and is working up the dose to alleviate side effects. I also experienced itchy skin, which I took a little Benadryl to counteract. Try to hang in a while if you can, to see if the med will work for you.
Posted by JohnL on March 10, 2000, at 4:47:15
In reply to zoloft, posted by jan on March 8, 2000, at 18:37:46
> just started (3 days now) on Zoloft. I have always worried
> about taking antidepressants. The first day on Zoloft, after about 5 hours I got really nauseous and threw up. The second day I still feel nauseous and the thought of food make me still feel sick. When can I expect to feel the benefits??? I also have a headache and feel gittery but not better. When will I know whether or not this is working feelings are experiencedJan, nausea is not uncommon. It does go away as the body adjusts. In the meantime, there are some things you can do to make it easier.
First, were you started at 50mg? If so, that is sometimes too much. Reducing to 25mg for a week or two will allow a smoother adjustment.
Another trick is to take 25mg every other day for a week before going to daily dosing. It allows the body to adjust smoother.
Another trick is to break the 25mg into two or three smaller chunks with a knife. They don't have to be exact. Take a small chunk twice or three times a day instead of the full 25mg all at once. Spread it out.
Something else I've noticed in my own trials. If I take a drug for a day or two and have a hard time with it, I stop. But then after a several drug-free days I get up the courage to give it another try. I ALWAYS notice that the second time around is much easier. It's almost as if the body recognizes the drug and accepts it, where the first time around it was some unknown foreign intruder that the body wanted to reject. But on the second approach it's almost as if my body says, "Oh, I recognize this drug. It's not a foreign intruder. Welcome back. Sorry we were so rude to you the first time, but we didn't know who you were. You barged in so unexpectedly and rudely with no warning. Our apologies. Welcome back. We'll be nicer this time." Does that sound weird? I swear I've seen it happen several times. But anyway, try some of the tricks mentioned here to get over the hump. You shouldn't have to suffer. There are ways to manage those pesky side effects, rather than them managing you. JohnL
Posted by Cam W. on March 11, 2000, at 22:19:01
In reply to Re: zoloft dosage tricks to help nausea, posted by JohnL on March 10, 2000, at 4:47:15
Jan - Zoloft should be taken with meals and not only for the nausea (but it helps for that as well). When you eat your blood circulation increases and thus, blood circulation through the liver increases. This increased circulation allows more of the Zoloft to travel through the liver unmetabolized. When the Zoloft is absorbed (or any drug for that matter) it first goes through the liver and then to the rest of the body (incl. the brain). This is called the 'first pass effect'. First pass effect is one way the body helps keep ingested toxins from reaching the brain. More unmetabolized Zoloft presumably leads to more effect in the brain. I would think that this would hold for any drug (unless food deactivates or binds to it - eg. tetracycline and divalent cations). I have only heard this recommendation for Zoloft. I believe it can from a company (Pfizer) shill. It may have been said to take our mind off the fact that Zoloft can cause a lot of stomach irritation. Maybe someone else has seen this in the literature, as it was a few years ago that I heard it and haven't heard it again. - Cam W.
Posted by bob on March 11, 2000, at 22:35:09
In reply to Re: A little Zoloft info, posted by Cam W. on March 11, 2000, at 22:19:01
Seems to me that most of the psychmeds I've been on have had that "Take with meals" stickers applied by my pharmacist on the bottle ... with the notable exception of Ritalin.
bob
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