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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Preston on July 18, 2002, at 18:07:51
I have been taking Zoloft for a week and a half now and I just switched from 50mg to 100mg. My doctor told me to switch to 100mg after only five days, but I told her that the 50mg was making me feel a little better and I wanted to wait a little longer. However, yesterday I started feeling like it wasn't working anymore so today I went ahead and took the 100mg. It is the evening now and all day I have felt just like I did before I starting taking anything. What is the longest time that it has taken for 50mg to completely work on anyone? I have just been reading that 100mg seems to work often when 50mg does hardly more than make you drowsy. That is the main reason why I have upped to 100mg, but I am sort of afraid that I may just be wasting the Zoloft by upping to 100mg because I just did not wait long enough for the 50mg to work. If anyone has any advice or related problems, I would be glad to read it/them. Thanks.
Posted by Rach on July 19, 2002, at 13:38:36
In reply to Zoloft 50mg to 100mg, posted by Preston on July 18, 2002, at 18:07:51
Hi Preston,
I originally started on 50mg zoloft, went up to 100mg, back down to 50, then cold turkey off zoloft. I am now back on 50mg.
If you read the info given in the packet, I think it says four weeks until you notice a difference, and two months for the full effects to start. Personally, I noticed a difference in about 2 weeks. I have what I would term very low grade depression that has been caught early (I'm only 21). In fact, most doctors will start a patient on 100mg; they don't even bother with 50mg because it is such a tiny dose. I know some people who take 250mg/day.
Initially, I noticed a difference at 50mg, but still felt like I was only just coping; that any major blunder would instantly send me back under my blankets. So we upped it to 100mg.
Now that I am feeling significantly better, though, I am only on 50mg. I find its enough to keep me going when things get really tough, and little enough to prevent any side effects (and I have already proven to myself that I do need the med to function).
I think you should follow what your doc has recommended. If you don't agree, or find that its not working, then discuss it with them. One major problem with this disease is that sometimes we are not the greatest judge at what would be most beneficial for us.
Best of luck, hope this has helped somewhat.
Rachael
Posted by Preston on July 19, 2002, at 15:27:01
In reply to Re: Zoloft 50mg to 100mg » Preston, posted by Rach on July 19, 2002, at 13:38:36
> Hi Preston,
>
> I originally started on 50mg zoloft, went up to 100mg, back down to 50, then cold turkey off zoloft. I am now back on 50mg.
>
> If you read the info given in the packet, I think it says four weeks until you notice a difference, and two months for the full effects to start. Personally, I noticed a difference in about 2 weeks. I have what I would term very low grade depression that has been caught early (I'm only 21). In fact, most doctors will start a patient on 100mg; they don't even bother with 50mg because it is such a tiny dose. I know some people who take 250mg/day.
>
> Initially, I noticed a difference at 50mg, but still felt like I was only just coping; that any major blunder would instantly send me back under my blankets. So we upped it to 100mg.
>
> Now that I am feeling significantly better, though, I am only on 50mg. I find its enough to keep me going when things get really tough, and little enough to prevent any side effects (and I have already proven to myself that I do need the med to function).
>
> I think you should follow what your doc has recommended. If you don't agree, or find that its not working, then discuss it with them. One major problem with this disease is that sometimes we are not the greatest judge at what would be most beneficial for us.
>
> Best of luck, hope this has helped somewhat.
> RachaelHey Rachael, thanks for the help. How did you feel when you were on the 100mg and how long did you do it for? Yesterday was the first day that I took the 100mg and last night I felt really wierd and could not get to sleep very easily. So, this morning I just took 50mg at first but then I took another 50 a little later because I started feeling really shitty and took it sort of impulsively just because I felt so bad. I am 21 as well and the main reason I have decided to take Zoloft is because I get depressed and have trouble concentrating on anything important. So far I have noticed that the Zoloft is causing me not to worry or get upset at little things as much, but that is just because it seems to just be deadening all of my emotions in general, which is tolerable but I don't know for how long it will be tolerable. Anyways, if you could write me back and tell me how long you were on 100mg for and why you went back down to 50 and then stopped I would really appreciate it. If you don't want to explain it, I understand, but if you do, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks again for responding.
-Preston
Posted by Rach on July 19, 2002, at 22:41:17
In reply to Re: Zoloft 50mg to 100mg » Rach, posted by Preston on July 19, 2002, at 15:27:01
On 100mg, after a settling in period of maybe a month, I felt normal. Actually, now that I think properly about it, thats not at all true.
I was on 100mg for about 6 months. I spent most of that time in my parent's home, doing nothing. I didn't work, I didn't go to uni, I spent most of my time playing freecell on the computer. I guess at the time I was just happy to be getting up in the morning, and not wanting to sleep my life away. But now that I really think back on it, I was barely functioning in any 'normal' sense. But I needed that to turn my life around and start doing those 'normal' things like getting up before 2pm, sleeping before 6am, eating proper meals. I was having weekly counselling at this time.
Once I realised I was functioning in those respects, with my doc we made the decision to cut back so I could feel my emotions and start to try to have a natural life. I then made a very bad decision that I was feeling so much better and didn't need the meds anymore, so I went off cold turkey, without my doc, and proceeded to very slowly and insidiously sink back into depression worse than I ever had before. This took about 5 months to eventuate, and symptoms I'd never had before began, like agoraphobia and anxiety. I ended up dropping everything again and returning home to live with my parents while I started back on zoloft 50mg. After two months I started working full time, and now I am back at Uni. It's been about a year since I went back onto the 50mg, and I'm not going off it for at least another 6 months I think. Because I still do get down. I still have bad times. But I much more likely not to fall into depression so severely, and usually I get up within a few days, instead of a few months. My coping skills are increasing, and I hope that one day I won't need the med.
But I'm not going off until I know for sure. Because the last thing I want is to undo all the bullshit I've gone through in the past few years.
Posted by DsevenO on July 19, 2002, at 23:52:16
In reply to Re: Zoloft 50mg to 100mg, posted by Rach on July 19, 2002, at 22:41:17
That's an amazing post Rach; it describes my experiences at 100 mg of zoloft exactly. Emotionless, physically listless, unable to work or maintain friendships. Lying awake until 5-6 am, waking up at 3 pm. Been there done that.
After over 10 years of severe organic depression, zoloft was the first and only drug to bring me out of the depths of hell. The drugs I had tried previously are too many to mention. After starting marvelously at 50mg (high mood, high energy, intense libido), the effects of the drug began to wane, and I went up to 100mg. This was effective for my depression, but destroyed my ability to function for 2 years. I am now on a combination regimen of 2.5mg prozac with 75mg zoloft, and I'm finally starting to regain my personality and functionality.
Think long and hard before committing yourself to 100mg of Zoloft over the long term.
Posted by Preston on July 20, 2002, at 14:42:16
In reply to Re: Zoloft 50mg to 100mg, posted by Rach on July 19, 2002, at 22:41:17
Hi again Rachael. I am definately going to just stay on the 50mg and not go up to 100. I think what happened to you is probably what would happen to me. I am already noticing that I don't really feel like doing much at all besides watching television, which is not good because I am attending a music school in Boston and I seem to be even less motivated to do my homework and practice piano than I was before I started Zoloft. Before I took the med I felt like I wanted to do stuff but I just wasn't able to. Now I just don't really feel like doing anything. Hopefully this will go away after a little more time on the med and I will feel more motivated since I have only been on it for 2 weeks now. If I still feel the same way in a couple more weeks, however, I'm not sure whether I should up the dose to 100mg or if I should try something else. When you said you are back at "Uni", I am guessing you mean college, I have just never heard anyone call a university "Uni" for short. Do you feel more motivated to do your schoolwork because of the med, or does it not make a difference?
Thanks again for helping, Rachael.
-Preston
Posted by Rach on July 22, 2002, at 20:05:23
In reply to Re: Zoloft 50mg to 100mg » Rach, posted by Preston on July 20, 2002, at 14:42:16
Sorry bout the Uni thing; yep, it means university. I'm Australian, and we always tend to shorten our words over here!
The meds do make a difference. Mostly, for me, it enables me to get motivated to get out of bed. I love sleep, and when I get down I love using sleep as a method of escape. So the meds help me get out of bed in the morning. I'm not sure that it helps so much with the motivation for doing school work; I think once I get out of bed and make the decision to face the day everything just flows from there.
Again, best of luck Preston.
Rachael
Posted by Rach on July 22, 2002, at 20:10:04
In reply to Re: Zoloft 50mg to 100mg, posted by DsevenO on July 19, 2002, at 23:52:16
To be honest, even though I wasn't functioning at a high level, I think it was vital for me to go onto the 100mg. That is what really pulled me up and enable me to be as functioning as I am now.
I think being non-functional for 6 months is a small price to pay for now being completely functional and experiencing a significant amount of happiness in the past year.
But of course, that's only my experience, and I was allowed to go through that time easily with the help and support of my family. And it wasn't for two years. So I agree, think hard over whether to go up to 100mg.
It's good to hear that you have now found something that works.
Posted by McPac on July 23, 2002, at 19:10:40
In reply to Re: Zoloft 50mg to 100mg » Rach, posted by Preston on July 20, 2002, at 14:42:16
Preston,
I have been taking 100mg. of Zoloft for about 10 years now.
YOU have to find the right dose for YOU.
And, when you ever do go off of it (if you do), you need to slowly wean yourself off of it---don't do it half-a$$ed or all at once.
Take care
This is the end of the thread.
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