Zoloft: Why I Take It

I have thought long and hard about whether I wanted to publish this article or not. I've decided that if it will benefit at least one person, then I should go ahead and do it. I know that I may come under srutiny for admitting that I take the medication, Zoloft, but I have dealt with that problem before and feel I can continue to do so. My own mother does not like the fact that I take Zoloft and has tried to talk me into quitting several times. But, with this medication and with others like it, I feel it is a personal decision that should not be influenced by anyone except your doctor.

I want to start with a little of my family history and the road that I have been on for the past 22 or so years. When I was in seventh grade, life began to get really tough. My sister had a horrible reaction to Tylenol (another story for another day) and ended up in the hospital for months. During this time, my dad's mom became very ill and was also hospitalized. Now, I have to admit that I was never close to Zona. When she passed away, I didn't feel anything - no pain, no sadness, no regrets. I watched my dad deal with her death in almost the same way. He was never very close to her, either. I'm sure that had an affect on me and my development as a youth. During the same time period, my cousin, Grandal, along with his fiance and another couple, were killed by a drunk driver. This was a devastating blow to me and my entire family. Grandal was the sunshine in our lives. He was the cousin that I admired and looked up to. He was about 5 years older than me and he just had a lot of influence on me. When we were together, I just wanted to tag along and annoy him! He was usually good at putting up with me, too. Anyway, these events just seemed to start a snowball effect in my life.

When looking back at these events, I feel a lonliness and void. I know that it was very hard for my parents dealing with everything, but I feel that I got pushed to the side. It was as if I was expected to just deal with it. I don't really remember sitting down and talking about any of it. I struggled in school, feeling picked on by my peers and having an overwhelming sensation of being "lost".

During all of this personal strife, my dad's job was being threatened. He worked for Frontier Airlines for over 20 years. He had been transferred several times and the last move we made was to Hot Springs, Arkansas. When Frontier pulled out of Hot Springs, my dad was very upset. He took a transfer to Little Rock and began driving back and forth. It was just about an hours drive, so it wasn't all that bad. We adjusted pretty well to it. Then they pulled out of Little Rock. Now the debate was how to deal with it. My parents decided to not move, my dad really loved it in Hot Springs, so he took a job with Frontier in Houston. He took our camper down and would work ten days straight, then drive home for his four days off. This was very hard on all of us. I can't remember how long this lasted, but it lasted for a long time. Until Dad's diagnosis.

My sophomore year in high school, in January, Dad was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Talk about a slap in the face. It moved very quickly and by October of 1986, my junior year, Dad was gone. Our lives were turned upside down. Mom didn't really know how to handle it all. Her brother, Bob, suggested we go into therapy, but she didn't want to do that. She has this belief that we should all handle our own problems and not air them out to others. I think that was a mistake by Mom. Looking back, if I had had real help in dealing with the situation, I could have started my recovery much sooner. Instead, I turned to friends and alcohol. I started drinking regulary on weekends. I was only sixteen, but at least it numbed the pain I was feeling. Years passed and turmoil just kept going on between my mom and sister and I. We never could get along. Somehow, I managed to find my husband, Travis, and with him, my therapy truly began.

Even with his love and support, I was still having difficulty dealing with situations presented to me in my life. I had completed college, had two beautiful children, and was teaching at a great school. Yet, I felt myself beginning to fall apart more and more. I began losing my temper, which I used to not have one at all. I could tolerate a lot, but as I grew older, I couldn't cope. I'm sure having children affected the chemicals in my body and just made everything fall apart.

I finally realized I needed serious help when I blew up at my daughter's cheerleading coach, who was also a co-worker. It was over a weekend practice that she had scheduled and it conflicted with a camping trip we had planned. It was bad, too. Now I realize how trivial it all was. But that is how severe depression and anxiety work. You can be placed into a simple conflict that could have been easily resolved, but you just can't see how. You blow up.

I went to the doctor pretty soon after that. She asked me how I was and I just fell apart. I told her how things were in my life and that I wasn't able to cope with the stress any longer. She was great at listening to me. She never said that I should be able to handle it and she never made me feel stupid. She sat and listened and comforted me. She decided that Zoloft would work best for my condition. She started me out on 25 mg. After a month, there was a little improvement, but I still had bad bouts of depression and anxiety. She upped me to 50 mg. At my six month check up, I was still having severe problems, so she upped it to 100 mg a day. I've been at that dose for a long time now. Each year when I go in for my checkup, she talks to me and listens to me. Each year we decide that it's best I stay on Zoloft. When I told her I was worried about being on it for so long, she told me that I had a serious chemical imbalance and that it was okay to get treatment for it for as long as I needed it, which could very well be the rest of my life. I've been on it for seven years now. I've tried to lower the dose and ease off of it several times, but each time, my depression and anxiety comes back. I have pretty much accepted the fact that I will need it for the rest of my life, but I will always have that option of getting off of it if I can.

I want to explain Zoloft more in detail now and not so much on a personal account, even though I will inject my thoughts and how it affects me as I go.

What is Zoloft?

Zoloft is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It is used to treat depression, social anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. It is used most commonly for people over the age of 18, but can be used in youths ages 6 to 17 for OCD. Zoloft has been on the market for 15 years and has more FDA approvals for short and long term use than any other brand of its kind. It is produced by Pfizer Incorporated. It comes in 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg. It should not be used if you are on MAOIs or primozide.

How Will It Affect Me in the First Month?

Well, with everyone it can be different because our bodies are all different. But it is expected to begin to take affect within one to two weeks, but can take up to eight weeks. For me, it took a full four weeks before I could feel any benefit at all. It wasn't really much, that's why my doctor upped my dose at the end of those four weeks from 25 mg to 50 mg. Then later, she still had to up it to 100 mg to get the full effect of the treatment. Just remember, each person is different, so dosage will be different.

You may also see side effects as you begin to adjust to the treatment. These can vary from dry mouth, insomnia, sexual problems, diarrhea, nausea to sleepiness during the day. For me, the worst side effect has been the dry mouth. I have to keep water with me at all times to help with this. I have had other problems as well, such as insomnia, but the benefits for me outweigh the problems of the side effects. Most of these side effects will go away after you've been on the medication for a while.

You will not gain weight because of Zoloft. If you gain weight, it is because of over-eating and not exercising - which has been my problem. It does not make you hungry or holds on to excess fat. Zoloft also does not change who you are. You are still yourself, but just in better control of your emotions. I am the same person I have always been, but better. Being on Zoloft, I've been able to laugh again. For a long time, it was very hard to find humor in anything. Now I can. I refer to my "little black cloud" a lot when I talk about taking Zoloft. Every time I've tried to work my way off of it, it comes back. I can feel the sadness and the desperateness come back. My body just cannot function correctly without it.

Things You Should Remember

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) recommends being on Zoloft for six months to a year. I've already told you I've been on it for seven years. It varies so much from person to person that it's hard to say just how long you should take it. That leads into the next reminder: keep the lines of communication open with your doctor. I have been honest with her since day one and she with me. This is so important. I look to her as not only a good doctor, but a trusted friend. If you feel you can't openly talk to your doctor or trust your doctor, find one that you can. And with so many other medications, don't drink alcohol. Sure, over the period of seven years I've had a few drinks and I've not had any bad reactions, but just be careful. You never want to over drink and you never know how your body will react to the combination of Zoloft and alcohol. So be very careful.

You Can Feel Better, Faster

Don't just rely on Zoloft to work like magic. You have to do your fair share. Start with exercise. A short walk each day helps to clear your thoughts and get the blood flowing. It doesn't have to be an extreme workout, I sure don't do it. But walks are great. Getting the fresh air and time to think helps tremendously. Try eating healthier food. I can tell when I haven't eaten well. If I've had too much sugar or fast food, I feel sluggish and down. When I eat fresh fruits and veggies, I feel energized and renewed. Not only is it good for your depression, it's good for your heart.

One problem that I've had to really work on over the years is talking about my problems. I still have issues with it. Most of the time, I try to hold it all in and that's just not good. If I don't communicate well with my husband, my marriage suffers greatly. Sometimes, I have problems that I don't feel like he can understand, so I turn to a good friend to get their advice. It helps greatly to vent. If I'm not talking to someone, then I'm writing it down. Writing has been great therapy for me in dealing with lifes problems and challenges.

Educate yourself. Be open to reading material on depression or whatever problem you have. If you learn about it, you can deal with it better. I've read anything from magazine articles, books to the Bible. You'd be surprised what you can learn about yourself and dealing with problems just from reading. Talking to others with the same problems can help, too. They can share with you how they've dealt with their problems. Sometimes it may work for you and sometimes it may not. All you can do is try.

Changing your lifestyle may also help. If you are doing something purposely hurtful to yourself or others, try to stop. Maybe you need to take a step back and see who your friends really are. If you have friends that encourage you to do hurtful things, you need to lose those friends. Find people that are loving and supportive, ones that understand what you are going through. You can even find local support groups or even online groups to help get you through.

Important Things to Consider

Always follow your doctor's orders. If you have a conflict with something he/she says, talk it out. There are ways to work out any problems that may arise. Be sure that you also tell your doctor of any medications that you are taking that he/she may not know about. Some people have more than one doctor for different reasons. If so, it is your responsibility to tell your doctor what other treatments you are on. I don't have this problem, thank goodness, but I know a lot of people do. For example, those that are on radiation or chemo treatment for cancer will be seeing a specialist. If that person goes to their regular doctor for depression or anxiety, communication must be working! The patient has to be open to telling that doctor what else is going on. Doctors don't have the time to call other doctors to check up on patients. It's just not realistic, so make sure you are honest when asking for Zoloft.

You cannot take Zoloft if you are taking monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOIs) or primozide. The mixture of these medications could be life threatening.

Make sure that you take your medication at the same time every day. I take mine right before going to bed at night. For some people, that may work, others may need to find a different time. Always talk to your doctor and see what he/she suggests. And taking Zoloft with food is an option. You can take it with or without.

Let's Get Technical: How Does Zoloft Work?

Like I said earlier, it is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Serotonin is a chemical messenger used by brain cells and the nervous system to communicate. It helps to control sleep, appetite, body temperature, and blood vessel tone. It is also in charge of releasing certain hormones and how much pain we feel. It effects many bodily functions. Those of us with depression more than likely have an imbalance of serotonin. If it's "off" then our nerve cells can't communicate.

Zoloft has been proven to correct that. If your serotonin is working correctly, then it is moving from nerve a to nerve b. Some of it will go back to nerve a, but most moves to nerve b. When it isn't working correctly, the serotonin leaves nerve a and returns most of it back to nerve a, leaving nerve b on the short end of the stick, so to speak. Not enough serotonin has moved from nerve a to nerve b.

Zoloft is able to block serotonin from returning to nerve a, so it is forced to go to nerve b. This makes the chemical balance back out. Messages between nerves goes back to normal. You can go to zoloft.com and see the diagram of how this works to help get a clearer picture.

It is Important to Take it as Prescribed

I think I've made this pretty clear. Always talk to the doctor but listen to the doctor as well! Sure, I've had days when I've been down and wanted to take 200 mg of Zoloft. But I never have because I know that wouldn't be good for my body. If 100 mg is the max, then who am I to decide on my own to take 200mg? It could have devastating affects on me. Even once you begin to feel better, continue to take it. This medicine maintains the chemical balance your body needs. If you suddenly stop taking it without talking to your doctor, your symptoms will return. Possibly worse than before. So be very careful and do as your doctor tells you to do.

Warning

There is a problem called serotonin syndrome. It can be life-threatening when you are taking SNRIs and SSRIs, including Zoloft. That's why it is important to talk to your doctor! You can get too much serotonin in your body. If you do, you may end up with this syndrome. Symptoms are fever, sweating, muscle stiffness, trouble thinking clearly, change in mental functioning, sleepiness, change in breathing, heartbeat and blood pressure. If you feel the extreme of any of these symptoms, you must stop taking Zoloft and immediately call your doctor.

Suicide has also been a risk with taking Zoloft. This mostly occurs in youths ages 15 to 19 years old. If you have a child taking Zoloft, please watch him/her carefully for any signs of suicide. Speaking for myself, I have never had thoughts of suicide while taking Zoloft or even during the times I've tried to get off of it. That doesn't mean it won't affect someone else.

Final Thoughts

I have shared a lot of my personal life in this piece. I do hope that it helps you to decide whether or not you want to take Zoloft. It's not for everyone, but it has sure worked for me. I can function every day the way I should. I can still get sad and upset, it doesn't create a false sense of happiness. It helps to control my temper and helps me to think things through.

Another aspect as to how it has helped me, is with my anxiety attacks. I have been prone to waking up in the middle of the night with severe stomach cramps. I'll make it to the bathroom only to have diarrhea, then experience a strange tingling and numbing sensation in my hands and feet. This usually is followed with me passing out. I'd have cold sweats along with it. Several times, I've hit my head while passing out. Once I landed right on my nose and ended up with black eyes. It sounds funny now, but it sure isn't while it is going on. I'd have to lay in the bathroom floor for an hour or so before I would be able to get up and return to bed. With Zoloft, I don't have this extreme anxiety attack anymore. I still wake up every once in a while with the stomach cramps, but I can make it to the bathroom without the tingling/numbing sensation in my extremities and I no longer pass out. Just to control that bad spell is enough to keep me on Zoloft!

Please educate yourself before you begin to take any medicine. And keep those lines of communication open with your doctor - I can't stress that enough! This is simply my experience with Zoloft, which has been a good one. You probably should do some research and find someone that has had a bad experience with it. Then weigh it all out before you decide, with your doctor, what is best for you.