Looking for someone that can relate

Hello. I am new here. I am 44. I have had pure ocd and secondary depression since I was 23. I had a very tough year with back surgery and some other issues. In October I had a major depressive episode and it was decided that my Paxil was no longer working. I have since transitioned to Zoloft. I had to take work off because the side effects were really affecting me. I am now on week 10 of Zoloft and I had in increase to 125 10 days ago. The issue I am having is, whenever there is an increase, the side effects come back. In particular sleep disturbances and early morning anxiety. When I have a night of bad sleep, my OCD gets out of control. “You won’t ever sleep again,” Etc. I know it is early in my recovery and I have seen some positives. Tomorrow I start 2mg of Abilify to help. I also have a clinical psychologist. I guess I’m just wondering if anyone has experiences the same things/intrusive thoughts that I am having now. I just want to get back to work and feel I am so close. Thanks for reading. Paul

oatmilklatte

Date posted: Yesterday

Hi, I’m on Zoloft too! This is my first SSRI. I’m only on 50mg right now, but when I first started it, I had a really intense ocd episode that included a lot of what you mentioned. I had many nights where I don’t think I slept and I “woke up” with really severe morning anxiety and stomach issues. Then after the adjustment period, I’ve noticed an uptick in nightmares and restlessness. I’ve definitely had the “I’m never going to sleep again, I’m going to go insane because of sleep deprivation, my body is going to shut down” spiral before. I must say, it’s gotten better though. I still notice the nightmares, but I can sleep. I’ve been on 50mg for 4 months now. My psychiatrist wants me to increase to 100 but I’m very, very scared to due to how my first adjustment was. I also had to take time off of work because of how bad it was and I’m scared that I might have to do that again. You’re not alone!

Dee C

Date posted: Yesterday

Sorry you’re going through this. I can relate about going without sleep. I have enough brain chatter going on so I listen to The OCD Stories Podcast or repeat of The NOCD Wednesday Night Webinars on YouTube to be relaxing. In so doing, I’m choosing to disregard all the brain chatter my OCD gives me (what if I don’t sleep?, what if I die?, what if I go crazy from lack of sleep?, etc.). I choose this, not to seek reassurance, but rather to obtain additional tips & re-inforce what I’ve gained through ERP. Hope this helps you too!!

OCDisHell

Date posted: 18h

Paul sorry to hear you're struggling. I'm 42 and have had ocd 30+ years so I can relate. As far as the SSRIs, im on zoloft as well 200mg. Whenever there was an increase for me there were side effects such as insomnia. For me they eventually got better and then went away after 2 weeks but everyone is different. I hope this helps. God bless

Donnie_Brasco_9

Date posted: 15h

@OCDisHell So do you think things will stabilize for me eventually at 125?

OCDisHell

Date posted: 14h

@Donnie_Brasco_9 Im not a doctor and everyone is different but in regards to side effects personally the severity of them diminishes as the body gets used to the dosage. In regards to impact of the meds on your OCD, that depends too. For some people, 100mg may be enough for others 200mg may be best. Its always best to work with your doctor to get the right med and the right dose. Unfortunately this tends to be a trial and error period for some. I would just try to be patient and trust the process because finding the right med and dose can take time to get the "relief".

Donnie_Brasco_9

Date posted: 14h

I guess what I’m asking is if 10 weeks is still too early to judge if Zoloft is working.

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