So I have been diagnosed with GAD and OCD and my psychiatrist prescribed me with zoloft 🤔 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?
I’ve been taking zoloft and I’ve 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 😅. But I’ll 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 😭
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 couldn’t 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 haven’t 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 didn’t used to.
It’s 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 “well everything’s fine. I guess if I died tomorrow it wouldn’t really change much, but neither happy nor sad, I’m fine though!” And then they took me off of it because even though I wasn’t 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 it’s 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 don’t know, I went on this when I was 19/20. If you’re 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 they’re 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 doesn’t 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 can’t give medical advice, just my own lived experience 🙏🏽❤️
@Anamorice Thank you for your help
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 it’s just walking outside in the sun). I try to limit caffeine intake or not drink caffeine at all (it’s 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 don’t 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.
For starters I was on this medicine before i remember the first few weeks were very scary and debilitating. I don’t remember why I stopped taking it , it was about 7 months ago. but I just recently started back because my ocd and anxiety has been off the chain. I keep having bad thoughts about the side affects and I’m terrified like “ what if I have a seizure” can anybody share an experience? Anyone on Zoloft here. Thanks !
Hi everyone, I’m new to the community. I was diagnosed with OCD just a couple of months ago and have been doing some reading and other research to try and understand the disorder. With this, I have been actively seeing a great therapist who has been helpful to build tools to deal with my intrusive thoughts ( contamination OCD is my worst theme). Do help learn to deal with the compulsions, I start on Sertraline or “Zoloft” I believe since November 2024. Currently I’m on 50mg and have been doing this for just over a month. My question for those who are also taking Sertraline and it has been successful, how do you know it has really provided a benefit and how long did it take to get there? I sometimes feel the medication works, and sometimes I feel it doesn’t (maybe that’s my OCD trying to mess with things). Thanks!
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