![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Adam on April 5, 2000, at 15:46:10
I could have been the poster kid for zoloft early last week. I was back to normal. Appetite was good. No sexual side effects. All was well. I had a bad marijauna experience (I know...pretty stupid of me) that I think gave me a panic attack (really shaky and nervous...I thought I was relapsing). I'm not depressed and I've quit all my bad habits such as drinking and smoking. I actually feel pretty good except that I have anxiety all over again which I believe has made me lose my appetite again and is making me nauseous (it feels just like the week I first started the med). I've been taking zoloft now for a month. Any advice from anyone?
Posted by Janice on April 5, 2000, at 17:27:36
In reply to Zoloft Troubles, posted by Adam on April 5, 2000, at 15:46:10
> I could have been the poster kid for zoloft early last week. I was back to normal. Appetite was good. No sexual side effects. All was well. I had a bad marijauna experience (I know...pretty stupid of me) that I think gave me a panic attack (really shaky and nervous...I thought I was relapsing). I'm not depressed and I've quit all my bad habits such as drinking and smoking. I actually feel pretty good except that I have anxiety all over again which I believe has made me lose my appetite again and is making me nauseous (it feels just like the week I first started the med). I've been taking zoloft now for a month. Any advice from anyone?
Hi Adam,
for nausea, I take gingerroot and it works.
Advice you seem to already know, stay away from self-medicating. It really makes things worse.
Please eat well and regularly, otherwise you may get worse.
good luck, Janice
Posted by bob on April 5, 2000, at 17:38:45
In reply to Re: Zoloft Troubles, posted by Janice on April 5, 2000, at 17:27:36
Oh, c'mon now, Adam! Surely, you had to keep one or two bad habits! Where's the fun in getting rid of ALL of them? ;^)
A month on Z is only halfway from nothing. Many people take six to eight weeks before things stabilize. My first pass at it -- it was the first psychotropic med I was given -- had me on one helluva roller coaster for the first five weeks, and then it settled up into a fairly high baseline for me. There were still some ups and downs (naturally), but not from the meds.
Hang in there, you'll get through it.
bob
Posted by Adam on April 5, 2000, at 18:03:41
In reply to Re: Zoloft Troubles, posted by bob on April 5, 2000, at 17:38:45
Heh,
Thanks bob for the reply (and making me laugh too). I find that the toughest times are in the morning right after waking. I start to gag and I feel anxious (like electricity in my arms). I eat a bowl of whole grain cereal (to help with the brick-laying-constipation associated with Zoloft) along with my little blue wonder pill. I don't have an appetite all day long but I do eat when I feel my stomach growling. I just felt like I was normal after that 1st week. I want that feeling back. Placebo effect maybe?
Posted by Cam W. on April 5, 2000, at 18:51:19
In reply to Re: Zoloft Troubles, posted by Adam on April 5, 2000, at 18:03:41
Adam - Bob may be right about the natural ups and downs of depression, even while taking antidepressant medication. I had a ...er, friend, who went to his 20th high school reunion and smoked a joint while taking Zoloft. Nothing, but a buzz (could have been the beer). He was terribly out of practice with these depressants as well. True cannabis psychosis is rare, but may be more often seen as a trigger to bipolar disorder. I'm not saying to go ahead and smoke your brains out; it is best to keep away from depressants when you are depressed. I believe it just slows recovery.Some of my clients who self medicate with marijuana do end up relapsing sooner, it seems. I see this in people with schizophrenia, but not usually people with depression. It could also be that the ones with schizophrenia are about to relapse anyway and are trying to stop or slow the descent into hell (relapse).
Also, after only a month on Zoloft, you may not have ridded yourself of all the side effects associated with starting the meds just yet. Give it another week or two and see how you feel. Good luck - Cam W.
Posted by bob on April 5, 2000, at 21:18:32
In reply to Re: Zoloft Troubles, posted by Cam W. on April 5, 2000, at 18:51:19
Hey, I'm all *for* placebo effects ... it's the placebo *side* effects I could live without.
knowhutimean?
bob
Posted by Liz on April 5, 2000, at 22:04:00
In reply to Re: Zoloft Troubles, posted by bob on April 5, 2000, at 21:18:32
> Hey, I'm all *for* placebo effects ... it's the placebo *side* effects I could live without.
>
> knowhutimean?
> bob
Bob, are you available for adoption? Liz
Posted by bob on April 5, 2000, at 23:40:13
In reply to Re: Zoloft Troubles, posted by Liz on April 5, 2000, at 22:04:00
> Bob, are you available for adoption? Liz
Well, depends on my potential inheritance ... ;^)
Hey Adam, watch out for the dry mouth, too. That was (and remains) the one that always gets me ... and my dentist chewed me out really bad because, for a time, I was treating my dry mouth symptoms with Werthers toffees.
cheers,
bob
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.