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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mogger on September 14, 2005, at 12:40:12
Hi there,
I am on 200mg of Zoloft and am tempted to ask my doctor if I can go higher as it helps my ocd. Has anyone had success with doses over 200mg? I have read that higher doses (around 200mg) are used for OCD. Thanks,
mogger
Posted by Laurie Beth on September 15, 2005, at 16:46:17
In reply to Anyone on dose higher than 200mg of Zoloft?, posted by mogger on September 14, 2005, at 12:40:12
I started Zoloft after I had post-partum depression and anxiety with birth of first child. In the next few years, I stayed on it almost continuously, and pdoc had me on 300 mg at one point, trying, I guess, to stamps out the last vestige of dysthimia before I tried to get pregnant a second time. I definitely don't have classic OCD, but I am a "perfectionist", and I think that being on Zoloft made me more relaxed about my standards, in a mostly good way.
However, long-term use of high dose Zoloft caused some serious problems for me. I eventually became very sleepy most of the time, very unmotivated to get anything done. I also gained 40 pounds. I eventually lowered the dose to 50 mg (and then added Wellbutrin next) and felt some better (and lost 10 pounds).
After birth of second child, pdoc took me from ~ 40 mg effective dose (blood levels decrease during third trimester of pregnancy; that's why I say "effective dose"; I was actually taking 75 at end of pregnancy) to 100 mg. in one day. After a few weeks of mild anxiety, I gradually became, over a couple of weeks, EXTREMELY apathetic, even anhedonic. I was sleeping > 12 hours a day and starting to gain weight again. I don't know for sure that it was the Zoloft, however. I've tapered off slowly, and have been off completely for > 1 week, and am hoping that it's something like "SSRI apathy" or "frontal lobe syndrome" I'm experiencing, and that it will go away after I've been off Zoloft for a month or two. But it's too early to tell (had 2 pretty good days yesterday and today, though!)
Good luck. I don't know what to tell you to do. If you do try it, just be aware that higher doses of these meds for long periods of time can definitely cause apathy, tiredness, and weight gain, so that you can watch to see if that is happening to you.
Posted by mogger on September 16, 2005, at 0:07:39
In reply to Re: Anyone on dose higher than 200mg of Zoloft?, posted by Laurie Beth on September 15, 2005, at 16:46:17
Thanks for sharing that with me!
mogger
Posted by Laurie Beth on September 16, 2005, at 12:53:59
In reply to Re: Anyone on dose higher than 200mg of Zoloft?, posted by mogger on September 16, 2005, at 0:07:39
Sure. Come to think of it, a few months ago (after reading a book about "shadow syndromes" and realizing that people were theorizing about how all kinds of things, from perfectionism to nail biting, were a mild form of OCD), I asked my pdoc what the difference between anxiety and OCD was. He said, "from where I sit, the dose of [SSRI like Zoloft] you need." The first time I read your post, I misunderstood that your pdoc was recommending an increase; now I realize that you are the one wondering if a higher dose would help with OCD. So maybe the answer is probably. I know that my pdoc had, in 1999, treated people with doses of Zoloft of up to 450 mg., and I think he *may* have gone higher since.
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