Zoloft (SSRI antidepressant) longterm effects

[Sarrah]

Hi,

I am 34 and have been taking Zoloft on and off since age 25. Lowest dose 25mgs and highest 100mgs.

It worked well at the beginning, and got me out of my anxiety and depression.

I have read about the permanent and long term side affects of SSRIs recently especially for those taking them long term - I would say 9 years is long term.

The ones people have said that can be long term are:

A) Sexual dysfunction ie inability to orgasm, and low to nil libidio - definately have that,

B) Can get facial tics around mouth or eye and muscle twitches and muscles spasms ie stiff neck (have noticed a tick around my right eye like on the eyeball just recently and my legs sometimes kick out if I am sitting down at desk or something. I haven't asked it to move.

C) Restlessness, agitation, inability to concentrate ie to read a book or watch TV, bored easily. restless legs at night. - I have had that for ages and hate it. ONe of the reasons I don't read much anymore and find it hard to watch a TV show or a damn film.


I also get:

Harder to cry, - its hard for me to cry if not impossible. LIke you want to but cant.
Vivid dreams mostly night mares and realistic. Like they happened.
Brain zaps when going off it and weaning off it.
Funny headache type feeling when going off it - i get anxious and down again.

Has anyone read "Prozac Backlash"?

This has got me worried and I would like to stop Zoloft.
This week have weaned myself down to 25mgs only but so scared off anxiety coming back and not being able to sleep.
I feel like I need to drink wine all the time to relax. My fiance is beginning to think I am a problem drinker and I probably am at this rate. I just don't want to be on the SSRI anymore....

I also tend to get irritable moody and even nasty and bad tempered when I go off Zoloft. This affects my job.

I am begining to think I have a mild form of bipolar say bipolor 2.

I am sure the Zoloft has also caused me to go into a hypomania state at some stages. ie talking a lot, more outgoing, laughing inappropriately... restless, alot of energy.. not able to concentre, feeling like you are highly caffeinated....acting impusively like quitting a job, sending a bad email, spending out of control on things you dont need and can't afford, credit card debt, inappropriate partners (like really bad judgements).


Can anybody share there Zoloft or similar SSRI (prozac, Lexapro etc) stories with me?

I would love to hear from you.

Thank you very much.

p.s I don't know what to do, I want to be off it but can I be off it. If I have Bipoloar 2 - should I be on lithium. A mood stabilizer. That is scary, I have heard that is much more toxic and you need to have your blood levels checked regularly...Gosh I need help. Have made an appointmetn with a pschologist in 2 weeks.

[Bethann]

Hi,
p.s I don't know what to do, I want to be off it but can I be off it. If I have Bipoloar 2 - should I be on lithium. A mood stabilizer. That is scary, I have heard that is much more toxic and you need to have your blood levels checked regularly...Gosh I need help. Have made an appointmetn with a pschologist in 2 weeks.

A lot here, so for now I'll just respond to this. Lithium is a godsend for some people, but there are lots of other good mood stabilizers out there, the majority of which don't require blood tests, and don't seem to cause the long term affects that Lithium can. My psychiatrist said he only uses lithium long term in people who haven't been able to control their bipolar with other drugs.

Also, if you think you might be bipolar, you'd really be better off seeing a psychiatrist than a pyschologist--in my experience they don't tend to have much expertise in bipolar.

[Remie]

I will respond as well since I just came off Paxil. I have been off for 12 days. I took it very very slow. I weaned over a mth time. I got all the way down to 3 mg a day then stopped taking it. All of the feeling you said you had when coming off I have had. If I ever tried to just come off I would freak out. I posted another thread about being prego and on meds. I turned up prego in oct last year well that was when i had a dnc. The first thing that I thought when I found out was holly god what about my meds. At that point I was told to come off cold turkey witch i did and trust me it was not pretty. Then I found out something was wrong with the baby and had to have a dnc. My heart broke and went back on the meds. The last 2 mths i went through why am I still on this stuff. So I read and read about everything I could find. I did what I thought was best for me to come off and try to have a baby now. I am 36 and i have been on them for the last 10 years of my life. During that time I would rather stay on my meds then try and get prego again.

I have my good days and i have my not so good days. But i have not had a really bad day yet. I am on another med still khlopin that I will wean off of. But my dr said one at a time and see how it goes. I blame the paxil for the loss of my baby. Please do not feel like you are alone.

[PBLayzod]

Remie ~ Sorry about your loss. Paxil is a catagory X drug, so definitely not one you want to be on while ttc if you have other options. The birth defect it can cause isn't life threatening however, so don't feel like it's all or nothing.

I've reapeatedly tried doing without my meds and it just doesn't work. I'm resigned to being on them long term. The benefit outweighs the risks for me. I have a family history of mental illness as does DH, so this is part of life for us. If DD ever stars showing signs of depression, I'll encourge treatment for her as well.

[SnowFlower]

I agree with the benefit outweighing the risk as well. I have extremely severe panic disorder. I got to the point where when I wasnt having one I was worrying about when the next one would hit and it brought on another. During my attacks I felt like I was going to die and couldnt function. I tried breathing, therapy, Cong behavior therapy etc.. you name it I have tried it.

Long story short finally ended up on Zoloft and klonopin (they gave me a script for Paxil but then when they knew I was TTC switched it to Zoloft and before Zoloft I took Lexapro for a few days and had terrible reactions to it). With the klonopin I couldnt take it as needed as it took so long to work so I take it daily so its always in my system and then have xanax for emergencies since I got breakthrough attacks.

I never knew if the Zoloft was doing anything and helping the Klonopin. Before I found my new Dr my psychiatrist wanted me to go up to 300mg of Zoloft. I refused since that was way past the "normal high" dose but they wanted to go up anyways. I ended up at 200mg and finally told my Dr I didnt even know if it was working so he said I could slowly wean off and see. I now am down to 150mg and am doing fine. I am going to stay at this for a bit and then try and go down to 100mg. The klonopin has saved my life. I have tried to go off it and I just cant right now so my Dr says if I need it I shouldnt be embarrassed to take it esp with how its helping.

So there is my long story. I have went off klonopin cold turkey which was a bad idea and have went down on Zoloft slowly which is fine. I am just taking these for anxiety though as I dont have depression and am not bipolar.

Anyhow hope that helps some and good luck!

[PBLayzod]

I agree that Klonopin is an amazing drug for anxiety.

[Remie]

Remie ~ Sorry about your loss. Paxil is a catagory X drug, so definitely not one you want to be on while ttc if you have other options. The birth defect it can cause isn't life threatening however, so don't feel like it's all or nothing.

Thank you. See I did not even know what a cat X drug was or is.
Snowflower I have Panic disorder as well. I also take the klonopin witch has given back my life. I am still taking that. I do not want to high jack Sarrah's thread I posted a thread about trying to conceive and being on meds.

[RoaryKennedy]

Well, I couldn't have said it much better than Pam. I was on Zoloft for almost five years, and it worked wonders for me. I felt like a completely different person, and it made me realize how miserable and obsessive-compulsive the old me was. I also have accepted that I will probably be on medication for the rest of my life, and I'm okay with that, because I don't want to go back to being the way I was before.

That being said, after I had my daughter, my Zoloft didn't work as well. I had what I felt was major PPD, so my doctor increased my Zoloft dosage. I still didn't feel better. I was miserable and crying all the time, so finally I had a friend suggest that I make an appointment with a psychiatrist for a med review. I did that, but it took 6 weeks for an appointment--and I couldn't wait that long! I ended up seeing my familiy practice doctor during that time, and she switched me to Effexor. And when I was transitioning off the Zoloft, I did have withdrawal symptoms like you are talking about: brain zaps, a headache that wouldn't go away...it did go away after a few days, but it was a miserable few days.

When I did finally see the psychiatrist (actually just a psychiatry nurse practitioner), she told me that sometimes that can happen--that a med just stops working, or starts causing strange symptoms. I haven't had any problems with the Effexor so far, but I would be in no hurry to go off it for fear of the withdrawal effects, which I can feel if I even miss one dose.

That being said, I do have sex drive issues, too. Whether it's from antidepressants or other factors, I do not know. But I can tell you that it was very, very difficult for me to get someone to take this seriously. Both my family practice and my psychiatrist waived it off, as if there's nothing you can do about it. I finally talked to my OBGYN and he prescribed Wellbutrin. It helps a little, but not totally.

I definitely think you are on the right track with your appointment. Be sure to tell your practitioner all of the things that you have told us, so that person can make a diagnosis that will ease your symptoms and get you feeling normal again!

[Sarahsue]

I took Paxil for 7 years. When I finally decided to go off of it, I had the worst side effects ever. I am not trying to scare you, but just letting you know what you can expect. I read several books on going off SSRI drugs. One I really liked was called Your Drug May Be Your Problem by Peter R. Breggin and David Cohen. The other one was The Anti-Depressant Fact Book: What your doctor won't tell you about Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa and Luvox by Peter R. Breggin. Both of these books really helped if for nothing else but to help me realize what I was going through was normal. I would have these weird brain feelings where I would feel dizzy but not really. My lips would tingle and feel numb. SSRIs don't "know" what emotions they should block, so they block all of them. When you go off of one you feel everything much more intensely than normal. I would go from laughing to crying to being indifferent to being angry all at the drop of a hat. Fortunately, I only had one crying episode at work and it was during lunch time. I was talking to a coworker, and she asked if I was okay and I told her I was fine just felt like crying for some unknown reason. When I finally thought I was done with all of my side effects, my thumb went numb for a month. The side effects to going off of an SSRI are very similar to the side effects of going off Meth. Now that I am off of it, I will say it was very worth it and I will never take an SSRI again.

All that being said, some people really need something to help them function and when I started taking Paxil, I needed it. Since then, I have found other ways to deal with my anxiety. I would recommend going to a psychiatrist or counselor to help you come off it safely, if that is what you need to do. Make sure you find some one who you feel comfortable talking to. In 10 years I found 1 who I didn't think needed psychiatric help more than I did.

[JGD]

Hi Sarrah,
I happened to just stumble on this website and signed up and casually was browsing around and happened to read your post.

Few suggestions for you...

I have also read the book called "Prozac Backlash".

The not being able to orgasm on SSRIs is a common complaint, because this is highly under-reported as most people are not explicit, assertive, and direct in their communication with their physician. I heard it comes back (can take up to a year or more, depending on the drug) after stopping the SSRI. Don't know for men, I've heard they can have "post-ssri sexual dysfunction" (there's such a word and even some physicians don't know about it) and they are delayed erection and delayed ejaculation.

Before you go out and self-diagnose yourself, if you really want to permanently discontinue your SSRI easily and effortlessly, without a lot of pain and hardship on yourself or your body, please go to pointofreturn*com or labelmesane*com and take a look at their protocol. It works. Follow it very strictly. It will be the best thing you will have done and only way to get rid of your SSRI permanently and safely. Taking their product will dramatically reduce the withdrawal effects of SSRI. It's a shame that more physicians don't know about this product to recommend it to their patients.

Also read "The Magnesium Factor" written by Mildred S. Seelig, MD, MPH. (This is a really good book). Another book is "The Magnesium Miracle" by Carolyn Dean, MD, ND. The best bioavailable form of Magnesium is Magnesium Citrate and available in a powder form called Peter Gillham's Natural Calm Magnesium Citrate Powder available at most health food stores and more information is on
naturalcalm*net/pdf/Calm-stress-32908*pdf and naturalcalm*ca

There is no harm in taking Magnesium. It is water soluable, meaning any excess is excreted by the body through urine etc. It helps for the restlessness, agitation, PMS symptoms etc.

Another thing you can do is take MACA750. 3 capsules daily is needed for PCOS. The company with the procures the best ingredient and prepares in certified laboratories and where the product is tested by physicians and recommended by physicians is available from medicine-plants*com and medicine-plants*com/store/maca

MACA750 is an excellent product for stamina, mood, PMS, mental alertness, libido, stress, fertility, and for women's health as it affects the hormone levels in the human body to stabilize and balance it. Best of all, NO Side effects!!!!
For the males, or if you want something extra, try Rhodiola Rosea (Rhosavin Plus) from ameriden*com
The Ameriden brand is a little gentle and I stopped taking it as it can be make you slightly nauseous but goes away as your body gets used to it...or by chewing some crystalline ginger but some people take both MACA and Rhodiola Rosea for even more stamina and strength. I just stick with MACA. I have tried Rosavin Plus in the past but liked MACA better. It's up to you.
If you read the book called "The Rhodiola Revolution" by Richard P. Brown, you will learn all about adaptogens and how they work on the human body.

In addition to MACA750, if you want to regulate menstrual cycles, put progesterone cream made from wild yam (without soy) on your body. Sometimes, the side effect of SSRI withdrawal is menstrual cycle disruption.

When you are more emotional stable, pay the fee and sign up for artofliving*org course and take the Basic Level 1 course, once you take it, you can re-take it for free as many times as you like for life anywhere around the world as a lot of countries offer this course. They teach a very specific breathing technique called Sudarshan Kriya and do it twice a day while tapering the SSRI. For normal people, Sudarshan Kriya is done once a day. This is a breathing technique to enable you to strategically use your breath as a source of energy so that you have all the energy to do the activities in your day without feeling tired. Keep up the daily 20-30 minute practice and you will feel a definite change. The first benefit is a good night sleep, naturally, using your own breath and no side effects....only side benefits like joy, feeling a sense of belongingness to people, getting the feeling of love back in your life, enthusiasm, happiness etc, if this practice is done daily without fail, come what may.

Since this is a PCOS blog, I just remembered one more thing....
get epicare it is one of the best things you can do for removing facial hair. epicarehome*com
I don't know about going to the psychologist, try going to a "reproductive psychiatrist" instead.

Make sure to take a good quality fish oil with both high levels of EPA and DHA, such as the one from pointofreturn*com OR if you can't swallow capsules, or pills, by combining both omegabrite*com, nwhich has a high EPA and a high quality DHA supplement such as the one called Omega Gold herbasante*ca/en/index*php which has a high DHA level, these 2 supplements are liquid and the first thing I noticed was the ability to get rid of benzodiazepines permanently.

Good luck and hope this helps. This website won't let you post URL website address unless 15 posts have been submitted and this is my first post so the reason for the astericks.
JGD

[ilovebailey]

I was on Paxil 20 mg for about 6 years. I had one episode of mild depression and the paxil immediately got me back to normal. I didn't have any of the side effects you mentioned. Different people react differently I guess.

I went of Paxil 2 years ago and got the tingley and numb feelings others described and felt flu-like. They put me back on and weaned me down slowly and actually added prozac, had me d/c the paxil and then d/c the prozac. That made the process much better, something about the half life of paxil, it leaves your body quickly so you get withdrawal symptomoms, but the prozac alleviates that and then leaves your body slowly.

I was off for about a year and then started having anxiety about ttc so I was put on lexapro 10mg. I'm doing fine on it and they say it is easy to discontinue which I plan to do when I get pg.

Good luck!

[bethanykf]

I was on Zoloft several years ago. Coming off of it was horrible. If I would even miss one dose I would get the worst spins. I wasn't to smart back then so I didn't come off it with the assistance of a medical professional. I am sure the withdrawal would have been more tolerable if I had. I still get dizzy spells frequently though...
I have definitely experienced this part:

C) Restlessness, agitation, inability to concentrate ie to read a book or watch TV, bored easily. restless legs at night. - I have had that for ages and hate it. ONe of the reasons I don't read much anymore and find it hard to watch a TV show or a damn film.

I can barely sit through a movie. If I am watching TV or a movie then I have to also be doing something else so I can sit through it.

Now I am on Wellbutrin. It helped a lot in the beginning, but not so much anymore - even with a raised dose. I think most of my things are not something that can be helped with a pill (grief, homesickness, and that kind of thing).

[Sarrah]

I'm starting to feel down today....didn't go to work, well was late for a start, then made myself go then turned right back and caught the train back hoe
.. am I am on 25mgs only now and have been for about a week or 2.... am I going to have to go up again back to 50 then 100mgs???.. and be on this cycle for ever...??? This is what happened last time.. got too down.. negative, aggressive, irritable, not able to handle the slightest stress....

I am going to try and stick it out though.....
Haven't had any brain snaps or dizzyness or things like that yet.. and have been getting to sleep ok but waking at 2 or 3pm ( this might be to do with the alcohol I am drinking - I am going to try and stay of that)....

at 3am I was restless, wanted to get up, had energy.. as soon as I go back to sleep and wake up at the normal time... ie 6 or 630 I am dead tired and drained......

Felt sick, tired and drained this morning.....I hate this.
Wish I never had depression... I wouldn't wish it on anyone.....