Has anyone ever taken Zoloft and a week into taking it just started to feel totally spaced out? I have no personality and idk if it’s normal and temporary or if this will stay and I’ll Need to switch back to Lexapro
Hi! I am going to graduate with my Doctorate of Pharmacy in a few weeks and am more than happy to shed some light (as well as being on sertraline myself). Starting a new SSRI (like Lexapro or Zoloft) can cause this "brain fog" for the first couple of weeks as your body adjusts to the new medication. As you take this medication, your body will adjust, and most people do not feel that brain fog after the first few weeks. I do not know what dose you were started on (but similarly to some other comments); it is important to start low and slowly increase your dose. There is a chance for the brain fog to happen with each increase in dose. If you need to slow down how quickly you're increasing the dose or feel like the brain fog does not go away after giving your body time to adjust to the medication, talk to your provider about tapering off the medication and starting a different medication that may work better for you.
I would like to ask you sth if you are able to answer. I am currently on 375mg of Asentra= Zoloft. It really takes a loooong time and a lot of patience to notice subtle improvements with each dose. It took me almost 4 years to get from 25mg to 375mg. From 25mg to 200mg, anxiety calmed down, but ocd was still raving. And the side effect were a nightmare. Fatigue, brain fog and apathy and depression were strong, but nothing in comparison to other effects. I gained a lot of weight. I could not stop thinking about food, especially sugar, sweets, chocolate,...which made me feel like a spineless loser. I had extreme trouble with getting myself ready to go to sleep, falling asleep and staying asleep. I went about 6 months on basically no sleep, just an hour or two's nap in the mornings because of utter deplition of energy. I ended up hospitalized urgently because my blood preassure was through the ceiling 210/117. Of course diabetes came very quickly. I could go on and on and on. It happened once before years ago. As soon as I get off of it, everything physical goes back to normal gradually, but I also detetiorate to being almost a plant psychologically. In a year or two, I don't exist anymore, I get eaten by OCD. That is why I endured all the side effects. No meds no life for me. At 200mg I signed a statement that I take the responsibility for and am aware of all possible dangerous problems that might occur higher than 200mg. From 200mg on, I have experienced not only no new but also not any side effects from before. I stay on each dose for up to 4 to 6 months and then we go up 25mg at a time. Now, after 300mg I can say that Zoloft started working on OCD. Before it was just calming and relaxing anxiety. I wish to go up to 400mg or more, but all in due time and if still need to. I am being reintroduced to myself again after 40 years. I slowly recognize me as me before OCD. ERP does not work for me. Makes everything worse. I have been noticing incidents of short time memory loss ever since I started taking Zoloft, and probably even before. But lately I often catch myself wondering like "have I taken my pills or not, have I done sth or not yet. I have poor memory. I read something and have problems remembering. I feel like I am getting stupid. Ever since my OCD first happened the concentration problems and renembering the read information have been present. I am getting quite a bit worried about that. Dementia or sertraline? It couldn't have been dementia when I was 12, right? And sleeping is still not ok. I occasionally take another anti-depressant to help me sleep. I can't sleep without it. I take just 1 third of a pill and only after being exhausted after nights of not sleeping. And it is not addictive. But I feel sleepy the whole next day. In your experience, could Zoloft be the cause of lack of sleep and memory problems? I have had both even before Zoloft. In your opinion am I wrong for going over 200mg? 200mg did nothing for my ocd. 375mg does what I could have never imagined. I apologize for the essey length of my reply. I would like to get an opinion from you because you know about meds. I wish you and all who are trying meds and ERP all the luck and success. For me it was Zoloft + life or no Zoloft + no life.😔👋🙂
@NODA💕 - **I would like to start by saying these are my personal opinions on your situation and should be taken with a grain of salt. Please seek local medical care for official medical advice** Disclaimer out of the way. First, you did not do anything wrong by working with a provider to increase your sertraline dose over the "200 mg maximum" as that is technically indicated for depression/anxiety and not OCD. Here is a link to a study that goes over different OCD pharmacotherapy management options (including sertraline): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2877605/#b39-ndt-6-233 While this dose is thought to be clinically impactful for those with OCD, we do not have a lot of information on potential side effects or other concerns while taking this medication. Taking medications always come with risk, and a in-depth discussion with your provider should be had to weigh the pros and cons for your specific clinical concerns. In regards to the memory loss and inability to sleep- sertraline can cause difficulty sleeping and the brain fog. However, you stated that these were already present before starting the medication. Perhaps, sertraline did not directly cause these issues for you, but exacerbated underlying causes. I would be sure to bring this up to your provider. At the end of the day, you are in the driver's seat of your medical care. If the memory loss and insomnia are unbearable for you, it may be worth starting the journey to titrate off of sertraline and onto a different medication like escitalopram or fluoxetine. The difficulty with mental health medications is that it is nearly impossible to predict what will be the best fit for you without trying them out. However, if you feel like these potential side effects are more tolerable than titrating off sertraline, that is also perfectly fine and your choice. I know this was not a cut-and-dry answer that I wish I could have given you. I truly hope things get better for you and that you find a solution that works! Feel free to ask any other questions; I am more than happy to help!
I genuinely couldn’t tolerate how feeling-less Prozac and Zoloft made me feel. I had to ask to be taken off of both and I have yet to find the courage to go on SSRIs again. They say you should wait for four weeks before the side effects subside and the real effect takes place, so you might want to do that first. But in case you find yourself unable to cope, I hope your doctor helps you find the right meds for you!
Hi! I would recommend starting with a low dose like 25-50 mg to begin with!
honestly i had such a bad experience with zoloft it made me feel so much worse and my ocd thoughts so much louder i hated it ive heard good things about it from some and bad things from others it’s honestly a hit or miss meditation
I definitely had a similar experience my first week or two of taking Zoloft (it's been a couple of months now), but it has faded over time! Another thing to consider is that brain fog is a super common discontinuation symptom with Lexapro. I reduced my dosage at one point and I felt like I couldn't string together a single thought. Hope this was helpful, hang in there <3
Ohhh yes good ol’ Zoloft! I was on it for 3 years! It did make me feel spaced out for a good bit of time I was on it. I will say, I have trouble remember many conversations I had while on it unfortunately due to feeling out of it for most of the time.
I'm on Zoloft/Sertraline. No issues with feeling spaced out, but I do have like... zero energy
Hi! This is the NOCD Community AI assistant. I'm here to help point you toward some useful resources — and I'd love to hear a bit more about where you're at. I'm currently in Beta and am being trained not to give reassurance. Medication side effects can feel really unsettling, especially when they affect how you feel day-to-day. It's worth knowing that SSRIs like Zoloft can take 4-6 weeks to stabilize, and some early side effects do improve over time — but everyone's experience is different. Here are some resources that you may find helpful: • What You Should Know About Using Zoloft (Sertraline) for OCD — An overview of how Zoloft works for OCD, what to expect, and common side effects https://www.treatmyocd.com/medication/posts/is-zoloft-sertraline-an-effective-treatment-for-ocd • What to Know About Using Lexapro (Escitalopram) for OCD — Information on Lexapro since you mentioned switching back https://www.treatmyocd.com/medication/posts/what-to-know-about-using-lexapro-escitalopram-for-ocd • Can OCD Be Treated Without Medication? — Context on treatment options beyond medication https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/can-ocd-be-treated-without-medication Are you currently working with anyone — a doctor or psychiatrist — on the medication side of things?
hi!! i’ve been on zoloft for a few years now. my dosage is currently at 100mg, but they started me with 25mg. it can definitely make you feel foggy and distant, though for me, it helped a lot the longer i stuck with it. i hope the side effects fade soon and it becomes more helpful than harmful for you🫶
I tried it a couple of times and can’t take it.
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