So I have been diagnosed with GAD and OCD and my psychiatrist prescribed me with zoloft đ¤ but I dont know im really hesitant to start medication because im scared of the side effects and ik afraid of relying on a medication for a long time. Does anyone else take zoloft? What is it like? Any side effects?
Iâve been taking zoloft and Iâve been doing soooo much better in terms of panic attacks. I have only had 2 panic attacks in my 1 1/2 months of taking it, vs having at least 1 panic attack a day. The bigger side effects was mostly during the first two weeks, but they have subsided. Now the only notable side effect I have is being very sleepy, and having VERY vivid dreams, that I wake up confused sometimes đ . But Iâll take it. Oh and I no longer get images in my head from my ocd.
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@lostinOCD how long have you been on it? Have you seen any major side effects đ
I got on Zoloft before I learned I had OCD for just GAD. It has helped me immensely. It caused nausea for me the first 2 weeks and I couldnât sleep too well for about 5 nights at the very start, but I am so glad I am on it. Once it got in my system and through me - I havenât had any negative symptoms.
I tried Zoloft a couple years back and I had a negative experience with it. Gave me a flood of intrusive thoughts stopped after 7 days.
i just started zoloft a few weeks ago. the first week i felt really drowsy, tired, and sleepy and dissociated. No big changes in emotion. Now, third week and brain is clearer, a bit of numbness and uncomfortable adjustment to the silence in my head but ocd appears a lot less. Still very drowsy after taking it and I have trouble waking up in the morning and i didnât used to.
Itâs different for everyone, you need to make sure they recommend following up with them every 2-4 weeks because they need to check your mental health in reaction to the medications like this. For example, Low-dose Prozac worked really well for me in terms of being less anxious, but after 6 weeks they asked me how I felt and my response was âwell everythingâs fine. I guess if I died tomorrow it wouldnât really change much, but neither happy nor sad, Iâm fine though!â And then they took me off of it because even though I wasnât suicidal they were worried about my indifference toward life. Everyone is different, I think statistically those medications work really well for 30-40% of adults. So trying it out is not a big deal but you do need to give minimum 4 weeks to see if itâs helping and CHECK IN with your prescriber every 2-4 weeks like they recommended for me. When they took me off of it after week 6 I was still on such a low dose we just stopped the medication but depending on your dose they may need to ween you off little by little so go with their recommendations when it comes to that.
@Anamorice Do you know if it works well for teens? Because im 16
@weregonnabeokay I donât know, I went on this when I was 19/20. If youâre hesitant about taking medication I definitely understand. Just remember antidepressants are a way to help get you out of a deep rut but for most users theyâre something you should be able to graduate from and not have to rely on. Some people end up relying on these types of medications for a long time and possibly avoid the other work on their bodies they could be doing (like exercise and therapy) to get better and solve the root issue. Medication doesnât solve the root issue it just can help with the symptoms. Figure out what your goal is and talk about that with your medical provider. Unfortunately I canât give medical advice, just my own lived experience đđ˝â¤ď¸
Let me follow up with what I do to help myself without medication: I try to get 30 minutes of exercise every day (even if itâs just walking outside in the sun). I try to limit caffeine intake or not drink caffeine at all (itâs an addictive substance for me). Sleeping around the same time every night. Avoiding high inflammatory foods, which is mostly carbohydrates/sweets for me. I work best on a lower-carb diet but I donât stress myself out too much counting carbs nor calories. I delete social media off my phone and the news. I watch Netflix on TV instead of my phone (something about getting away from my personal device just feels better). I hope some of this helps you as well! I also take a shower at night before bed because it helps me relax
@Anamorice Thank you for all of your help! I think most of these things align with my life already but i certainly agree that they are beneficial
Hey friends, I hope you all are well. I just wanted to check in and ask people's experiences about being on medication. I have had OCD pretty much my whole life, just got recently diagnosed 4 months ago and my therapist recommended that I get on meds for it so I have a psychiatrist appointment set up. I'm a little apprehensive about getting on them, but I've realized that I do have some sort of chemical imbalance in my brain that plays a part in my OCD and anxiety. I would love to hear anyones experiences or words of encouragement. Thank you, I hope you all are well.
Medication for OCD? Hello all, 19 male here, this seems like a cool community that isnât nearly as triggering as reddit. I have pretty severe bouts of existential thinking or fear of going crazy ( psychosis ) after some pretty heavy mushroom trips a few years ago, I know logically I should be fine but I do know what itâs like to lose it and itâs scary. Currently I deal with relationship focused OCD, itâs all day from before I even open my eyes. I want things to work out with my girlfriend badly. Also I can come close to a panic attack sometimes which perpetuates everything. Anyway, I mention the fear of going crazy because the way my anxiety/derealization makes me feel is that Iâm not mentally stable cause I feel out of it or unreal. I saw that a lot of anxiety and depression medication can cause psychosis and I feel like I could use some help in getting ahead of my OCD because the compulsions are had not to give into when Iâm in such distress/not knowing. Plus overall I just feel like I have no idea how I feel about close to anything. Anyone relate about that ?
I just got diagnosed with ocd and she suggested I think about taking lexapro for it. Has anybody tried that and does it help at all?
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