Zoloft/Depression

Anyone tried this? I just started a trial pack today from my Doc (depression). How will this drug affect my training? Good? Bad? Anything is better than depression, which has indeed killed my weights. However, the Doc did say it might increase my appetite. So, I need to watch that. Any info/experience would be appreciated.

Zoloft worked great for my depression, however it can make your hair fall out. Hair-loss does not run in my family anywhere, and Zoloft caused my hair to rapidly fall out. It does this thru a process called telogen effluvium. I had to stop using Zoloft because my hair-line looks that of a 40 yr old man. My hair is growing back now that I quit taking it, with the use of Xandrox 12.5% from regrowth. Zoloft reduced my appitite.

IF you truly have a seretonin imbalance it should drastically improve your workouts. You may feel WIERD for about three days, but then that should taper off, you should notice a perceptible change in mood about 14 days after taking it. Loading won’t make it go any faster so don’t bother doubling up. Most people seem to have a drop in appetite after taking it, particularly if eating was a way of dealing with depression. Don’t worry over all you should be better off.

Hair loss? Good God! I have never heard this? Is this typical?

I don’t remember a shift in appetite, but my anxiety problems go MUCH worse when I was on Zoloft. Pay close attention to how you feel over the next month or so - there are many anti-depressives out there and they work very differently for different people. One that I would stay away from is Paxal, if you ever want to have an orgasm.

Thanks Michelle. Others?

First of all - Welcome Back! Second, interesting thing about the Paxil and lack of orgasm comment. I’ve heard that from other people too. However, I had a girlfriend that was on it a couple of years ago and it turned her from a mean, frigid bitch (to her husband) to a non-stop sex machine. She lost a lot of weight and her sexual turnaround saved her marriage. Must be one of those things that’s different for different people.

Hey ~karma~ thanks, it’s good to be back. I had an ex who was on Paxil, and his sexual function was almost nothing. However when he stopped taking it…

Anyway, it is 100% true that 'brain drugs' work differently for everyone. You have to remember that most take 3-4 weeks to work, then you have to give yourself another 2 weeks (at least) to see if you like the results. There are a LOT of different brands so you have a lot of choices and sometimes mixing works very well also. I know someone who is on Zoloft, but like me it increases her anxitey, so she is on something else for anxiety (I think it's Buspar). The drugs work together and she is doing well. She's just tired a lot.

For me the Zoloft made my anxiety go out of control, but handeled the hours of crying and extreme depression. Once I 'got the edge off' I weaned myself off of the Zoloft and just dealt with the anxiety. I also found that Ambien was a WONDERFUL drug. It's a pretty strong sleeping pill that most people do not get a 'hangover' effect from. I found that making my body sleep for 8-10 hours two or three times a week helped the depression a LOT.

Your Dr. can give you enough samples so that you can try things out before you actually ahve to get a perscription. Here's one hint though, get the MAX doseage you can if he or she will perscribe it. A lot of health plans don't cover name brand drugs, so if you need a 5 mg dose get a 10 perscribed and buy a pill cutter. My Dr. was very understanding about the money issue and has perscribed a few drugs for me that way.

I haven’t tried Zoloft but I recently started taking Paxil (three weeks)for depression and anxiety and have definetly noticed a decrease in sex drive. It sucks since this was one area that was functioning perfectly well. In addition, I can’t quite reach orgasm. I have read that a low dose of Wellbutrin in addition to the Paxil or other SSRI’s that cause the same side effects can be very effective for both men and women. I am going to discuss this option at my next appointment.

I feel like it has really helped my anxiety. I feel more calm, less on edge, way less irritable. On the other hand I haven’t noticed that it has done much for my depression yet but it can typically take up to 6 weeks for a noticable change. That’s what I have read anyway. I didn’t work out for a couple of weeks due to feeling extremly tired initially and I ate like a hog and gained 10 lbs. I have started back in the gym and while it takes alot to get me motivated to go, I feel like I get a really great workout once I get into it. I actually feel stronger when I am lifting. I am struggling with the diet because I feel like my appetite is in overdrive. I am hoping that will even out.

Take extreme causion when getting off of Paxil. It put me through more hell than I was in before I was put on the damn thing. When your doc tell you to come off slow, listen to him!!!

Paxil is ruff but it is, hands down, the best treatment for anxiety. The sex thing appears to affect women far worse than men. It did not make my orgasm disappear, just made me last longer. Which I think women enjoy more, because I don’t blow in one minute and turn on Sports Center. Unfortunately for you ladies, this ‘Dick of Death’ is married so I cannot share it with you…I know, I know, go get yourselves a hanky, it will be alright.

PB,


Go to the t-mag search engine and look for Chris Shugart’s article “Microcurrent Revolution”. It talks about a device called an “Alpha-Stim” which helps reduce anxiety/depression and works much faster than paxil and has no side effects (at least for me).


I’ve had anxiety and depression for a number of years and the Stim has really improved my mood and anxiety over the past two months I’ve been using it. I can get into situations that used to up my anxiety level but don’t even faze me now, and my recovery time from depression about something is within 20 min to 1 hr (a big improvement for ruminating on something for days like I used to).


Trust me, this device is a blessing.

Do not expect a magic bullet. If your deppression is purely bio-chemical, medication can help a lot. But if it is due to external circumstances it will not have a great effect.

When I was about 18 or so, I had a total nervous breakdown. I was bedridden for several days and had not been able to sleep for 6 straight days. At that time, I only wished that I had enough energy to kill myself. Before that, I had suffered anxiety attacks for several years along with PTSD. (I grew up in a boy’s detention center, kind of like the one in the movie Sleepers.) Fortuantely, a friend had told someone that I needed help and I was put on Zoloft. After a few weeks, I felt better but it made me tired all of the time. I constantly felt sluggish and numb. Then I had made the comment to one of my friends who were also on Zoloft that somebody close to me could die, I could go bankrupt, could lose my job, everyone could die, or anything else that is terrible that you could possibly concieve of could happen and I wouldn’t care one bit. He completely agreed. It took away all of our pain because it made us numb. I complained to my doc about this and he said, “well, the alternative is that you stop taking it and feel miserable again.” I didn’t want that, so I was switched to Wellbutrin, then shortly after I switched to Effexor. These drugs caused me such extreme anxiety that it persisted even after I had stopped taking them. I felt that permanant damage was done to me in this case, although there really is no way to prove it. Finally I discovered a movement therapy called curative eurythmy. Supposedly, the movements done stimulate certain movements within the body, and really stimulate the metabolism. After several weeks of doing this, I felt like a different person- even better than I was before. I feel full of energy, yet calm. I feel like I have more willpower. My attention span is even longer. I can’t recommend this therapy enough. It has truly changed my life.

Can’t comment on Zoloft, but I can on Paxil. My nine (9) year old son was put on a low dose (2.5 ml - syrup) about three (3) months ago (for a phobia) and he is as big as a house now! No, not really, but he did gain 10 pounds in that time frame. His appetite is voracious. He constantly eats. Prior to this, he was just a skinny little kid and you could see his ribs. The bottom line: I like his chubby cheeks and I thank the good Lord that he can now go ouside and play instead of hiding in the house.

I haven’t taken Zoloft but I am on Celexa for both severe depression and obsessive/compulsive behavior (the smallest indication was that I rubbed a bald spot into the back of my head). What I have noticed is that my sex-drive is as strong as ever but my orgasms are fustrating as hell. I get off but not nearly with the intensity I used to have and am then more horny than before and very unsatisfied. I am definately looking into what Shugart has researched.

TenMan, as a medical professional, let me issue you a strong warning about what your child is taking. New evidence suggests that Paxil is addictive and we do not yet know of the long term side effects of antidepressant use, and we especially don’t know if there are negative effects in children’s growth. With antidepressants, we are in the middle of one giant science experiment and now our children our the guinea pigs. If your child has a phobia, you must get him in to counseling, preferably play therapy. But any form of counseling is better than none. Otherwise, he will be dependent on a drug we don’t know much about for the rest of his life.

I am glad someone else had a nasty experience with Welbutrin. That is the worst thing I have ever done to myself. I do thing the damage from it may be permenent , or at least long lasting…I was one it for a year and my anxiety was so strong that it could bust through 1mg Xanax with no problem. After some research I figured out it must be the Welbutrin causing my very severe, wanting to hide in the closet anxiety. After stopping it my anxeity reduced but never went away and my life wasn’t really all that bad. After a year free of drugs I got back on Paxil which has helped a good deal, but I am still not the calm person I was before the Welbutrin. I only hope that it completely geoes away one day. But I can tell you at this point I am probably on SSRI’s for the rest of my life…unless somebody comes out with something better…Either way I am not ashamed of it…better living through chemistry.

I was once too on anti depressants. Any way I look at it they did more arm than good.

I second what Steiner said. The whores at the drug industry will make anyone take anything in the name of profit. Apparently, high dose fish oils work as good as most anti depressants but still we’ve been all conditioned to search relief from painfull excperiences in drugs. It’s a dangerous logic that is causing a lot more suffering than it’s reliefing.

Thanks for your input. Yes, I had some concerns at first, but I’m not talking about a mild phobia…I’m talking about severe, paralyzing phobic behavior. A fear so severe, that the boy would hide in his room with the covers over his head…on a nice sunny day!!! He is being seen regularly by one of the most prominent Psychiatrists in Detroit and his progress has been remarkable. With anything, there is a little more to the story, like a 9:16 chromosomal translocation, he’s also gifted (mathematics…bordering on genius), usually unhappy, a loaner in the truest sense, etc… So there you have it. Thanks again.