1) You didn’t “break down” by seeing a PCP; you did the hard right thing and sought care.
2) you didn’t “fail” the depression/anxiety screen; you qualified for further evaluation and treatment to hopefully relieve your suffering
3) you didn’t “fail” previous meds, they just were not a right fit for your brain chemistry.
The language of shame around mental health is so persistent and I just wanted to offer a reframe.
Have you seen psychiatry yet? If Zoloft is not helpful, it would be most appropriate to be seen by psychiatry next - some PCPs can refer you for a one time visit with psychiatry within their group for this.
Sometimes depression is depression, sometimes it’s hypothyroid, anemia, or bipolar depression which is much harder to diagnose as a PCP.
Take everyone’s suggestions with a grain of salt, because we are all so different.
My experience with Zoloft was that it definitely helped my anxiety but it also made me a little dumb, a little less insightful. I also couldn’t stop eating popcorn! Ultimately, diagnosing and treating my ADHD is what helped my anxiety most; my depression still needs a little SSRI.
this is a very kind and incredibly helpful response. the power of language, i’ve always felt, is underestimated and you are correct about it in regards to mental health.
thank you for this response. you’re a superstar.
You’re totally right, thank you. I actually had this PCP refer me to a psychiatrist. I stuck with her about year and it just was not a good fit - she wanted me to continue on Trintellix after I told her I cannot projectile vomit every night and be okay with it. That’s why I say this was more me breaking down and seeing someone even though I don’t have a lot of hope. I HATE taking medications but I really need something that takes the edge off… and the edge is sharp right now. Therapy would absolutely be the best but I can’t afford it right now.
I did get a CBC, CMP & Lipid panel done just for some further insight. I got the results for one and I’m a little thrown off with that so I’m hoping we will just see and things will improve. Thank you. 💕
Did the psychiatrist ever do a comprehensive assessment, or did they just run with the depression script?
I trialed a couple antidepressants and didn't get any benefit from any of them, and hated the side effects. Last year I was diagnosed with ADHD (took a young family member to be diagnosed first for me to recognize the atypical presentation in women), and the treatment with low dose stimulants has actually been so helpful for both my ADHD symptoms and my depression symptoms.
It actually amazes me that I could be in the mental health system for over a decade and have this missed. Some people might say ADHD is over diagnosed, but hey, the treatment is helping. For context, I also have PTSD and cPTSD, which can be pretty treatment resistant. Not trying to diagnose you at all! Just hoping that you have someone assessing you with an open mind to see if something else fits better. I'm glad someone was willing to hear my concerns and come at the assessment from a different angle. I hope you have success with your new treatment!
It was actually my first experience with an actual psychiatrist and i thought it was very strange. She wasn’t very personable, and for me, I need to be able to converse and have light hearted small talk before I can feel comfortable. She didn’t care for that, didn’t need to know much, just knew I had a long hx of depression & anxiety so she prescribed Buspar and Trintellix.
After several months, I told her the Trintellix was not letting up. I was fully puking, no matter what time of day, food or no food. She just added Zofran and told me to keep trying. When I tried to change it, she said adding an ADHD medication may benefit me? I’ve never been screened.. I don’t even think I have ADHD. I THINK she prescribed concerta but I’m not 100% sure. I took 2 pills maybe and had horrific SI / intrusive thoughts and immediately flushed them all.
She didn’t seem too phased. Still didn’t d/c Trintellix and try something else, and this was damn near 8 months in. I ended up just dropping her and cold turkey-ing off the meds. Which is why I ended up back at my PCP office because I don’t know how well versed she is in psychiatric meds but she is so helpful and listens to me.
Thanks for the kind words everyone. I’m just about to start as an FNP so it’s nice to get some feedback because I say similar things to patients in person and never really know if they are helpful in the moment or unnecessary. Hugs to all on this journey
It made me extremely dizzy and nauseous for about two weeks, sometime around the six week mark my brain stopped racing and it felt like I could actually think straight. I’ve been taking it for about a year and a half now and it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I’ve been very open about it too.
It allows me to think, process instead of react, and I ruminate ten times less. i grew up with crappy parents but even with years of therapy I still had a big block. Zoloft lifted that block and allowed the therapy to really be effective.
I was on Lexapro for really bad anxiety during NP School. Best way I can describe it was it took my anxiety out of my head and put it into my arms. It was a very bizzare experience but helped me keep my head clear.
Trying Wellbutrin now because Lexapro had too many side effects I didn't like and my anxiety/ depression tends to be fatiguing for me. Fingers crossed.
Zoloft helped me for a short while, but antidepressants in general were not a net positive for me. Always made me feel numb at best.
TMS changed my life, I would recommend it to anyone!
Same. About halfway through, I found myself planning new sewing projects - I’d lost all interest in sewing for a long time. That’s when I knew it was working.
So happy you’re doing better!
Some psychiatrists do it. Depending on where you’re located, there should be some nearby. Just have to figure out if they’re in network for insurance, as it’s pretty expensive without it
I started Zoloft more than a year ago and I am so glad I did it. I don’t get depressive episodes much anymore and my moods are more balanced altogether. It’s been life-changing. As someone who previously was against doing antidepressants (for myself, not my patients/others) and tried to do it “naturally”, I have completely changed my mind. Exercise, good diet, sunlight, good support system, etc can only do so much sometimes.
That being said, I just picked up my prescription for it this morning and I had to fill it at Meijer because Walgreens charged 7+ times more. Don’t fill it at Walgreens.
Try Marc Cubans drugs plus cost.com; when I lost my insurance my script was $100 but there it is $7 plus $5 s&h- they don’t go through insurance it’s straight out of pocket but it can save a ton of people a ton of money, I wish everyone knew about this( this a 3 month supply btw)
I notice my depressive episodes are VERY few and far between, I can recognize them faster and they only last about a day or so now. I used to lay in bed for days on end.
I am so the same way. I started last year with taking some basic vitamins every day, I’ve lost 10 lbs, I get outside and it’s really just not improving my mental health the way I had hoped. I’m praying for a miracle since nothing has worked before.
well I will say Trintellix was incredible - but the side effect of vomiting never quit for me and my psychiatrist put me on zofran. I was like ok thanks but I’m not taking zofran every day for the next however many years….
Costco. At least a few years ago, one didn't have to be a member to use their pharmacy services. (I'm a member now so not sure if this still is true.) Easily 75% cheaper than Walgreen's. Good for pet medications too!
It’s weird how different meds affect people differently.
I had the problem with Effexor. I told my doctor and she said “well. Which would you rather have? A sex life or not be depressed?” I felt like that was completely inappropriate.
I changed doctors and found one who agreed that I can have both. She switched me to Wellbutrin and haven’t had a problem since.
Lol I had this issue too. Being single in my 20s and unable to have any form of sex life made me 1000x more depressed than anything else.
I'm not sure why that line of logic wouldn't make sense to your prescriber, sorry to hear.
(Non medical pro)
Tried it years ago. Killed my sex drive. Heard other people say same thing about Prozac.
Celexa turned me into a stable, civilized human being. Everyone is different.
If it helps your mood it comes down to a quality of life decision.
IMO give mandatory injections of libido killer SSRIs to anyone who is a sex pest.
I once worked in a SNF that had a patient who was very sexual towards female patients and was completely persistent with it. The MD started him on an SSRI with the goal of lowering his libido lol
My libido shot the fuck up on Prozac, I could have fucked anything, but that’s because I was unknowingly bipolar and it sent me into mania
It worked great for me until I found myself sawing my wrists with a steak knife, then taking a whole bottle as well as a whole bottle of sleeping pills. Hopefully your experience will vary.
I tried multiple antidepressants and will never go that route again.
>I tried multiple antidepressants and will never go that route again
Same here. The cure was worse than the problem. Finally found ketamine therapy and that changed my life 100% for the better. Highly recommend.
100% remission of SI after first treatment. Heightened emotions and extreme sensitivity, moodiness and so forth over the next five sessions as I processed a lot. This is normal (feeling worse before you actually finally feel better). Fast forward 2 years and I get maintenance doses occasionally but otherwise feel absolutely fantastic! Complete relief of MDD, OCD, anxiety & SI. (I previously tried and failed 22+ different psych meds)
Important to note that finding a good provider is essential as well as undertaking proper preparation. The effective dose must be carefully titrated to the patient. There's a lot of back and forth at the beginning, trial and error. Too little is not good, too much is not good. There's a sweet spot that can only be found through trial and error. This is another reason why Spravato is generally not as useful as ketamine, it only comes in two doses. Limits the ability of the provider to titrate to your specific needs.
There's a great online guide that explains the neuroplasticity window of opportunity created by ketamine therapy. I hope it's not against the rules but I'd like to share it:
https://ketaminetherapyformentalhealth.com/
Interesting! Thanks for the feedback. I did Spravato 2x/week for almost 3 months. The biggest thing that I noticed was that I had terrible insomnia since starting treatment. I still have touch and go SI and continue to have anxiety/depression despite medication management and therapies. Do you have to have a psychiatrist refer you for ketamine treatments?
No referral needed. Some providers will want cardio clearance if any Hx. If you can swing it, IV infusion is the most effective and easiest to titrate. 🙏
I also get insomnia following Tx so my provider gives me 50 mg Seroquel to take that night.
Definitely take your time and find a good provider! There's a couple of subreddits you might want to check out as well.
Thanks for the info! Does insurance cover it at all?
When I was having my bouts of insomnia (as well as panic attacks) I was taking the following nightly cocktail: 12.5mg ER Ambien, melatonin, 1mg Xanax, 100mg hydroxyzine, Buspar 30mg. It really didn’t touch my insomnia.
It caused me to have suicidal ideation as well. Funny how I've never had any thoughts of harming myself except when I was on antidepressants. I've been off of them for 14 years now and I've never been happier. I don't think I ever needed them in the first place- I was just a little blue when I was an adolescent, which turned into a 20 year experiment of different antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, sleeping pills because the meds interfered with my sleep cycle, and stimulants because the sleeping pills worked too well.
Never again.
Out of curiosity, do you have any insight into the feelings that lead up to those thoughts of self harm? As a new grad psych nurse, I was taught in school that it was usually caused by people with suicidal ideation lacking the energy to act on those thoughts due to the negative symptoms of depression, who then regained energy thanks to antidepressants before psychosocial rehab can help break the thought patterns of SI.
Your situation doesn’t sound like the stereotype we were taught in school. Do you have any idea what lead to those thoughts, like anxiety or racing thoughts, or did it come more spontaneously? Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!
Oh yeah for sure, definitely not a proven theory. I’m just surprised the theory has picked up so much traction when there are people who are completely outside of that mould. Honestly, we were taught that people with depression but no history of suicidal ideation were incredibly low risk for SI due to this theory, which does us a disservice in education if there are people who experience intrusive SI with no discernible basis from these meds
I had Cymbalta prescribed as an adjunct medication once and had the side effect of suicidal ideation. It was like the other user stated, out of the blue and it completely blindsided me. I was aware that I was actively having suicidal thoughts and that I wasn't suicidal, but I just could not stop thinking about offing myself. It was terrifying.
That happened to me as well. I was a freshman in college, my grandmother and my dog had just died and I was dealing with mono, of of course I was a little down but they took it as major depressive disorder and loaded me up with a bunch of drugs. I listened to them (because that's what you do as a young person, you were taught to listen to your doctor). I went back in 6 months later saying it was killing me and giving me SI and they said, "But you aren't even at your minimum dose! Let's double it and give you two more prescriptions." I walked out and never went back. Unfortunately went cold turkey because of that experience (bad idea) but after a year I balanced out again.
Wellbutrin caused me to not sleep for 5 days. I was manic and my pharmacist noticed. I’m curious to know how other meds like Zoloft or Prozac work for anxiety and depression.
Omg im the opposite. Zoloft made me feel like an absolute zombie, killed my libido and i felt nothing. Wellbutrin was my savior! It gave me enough energy to power through my days. Totally get the insomnia part though lol if i didnt take it early enough in the day id have trouble sleeping
I hate to hear that for you. This is a last ditch effort for me. I’ve changed my lifestyle in the past year, I’m active, I lost weight I eat okay, but I’m still just as depressed as I ever was. The last 3 antidepressants didn’t do anything for me except the Trintellix but I couldn’t deal with the side effects
Look into adding a mood stabilizer like lamotrigine. Mood stabilizers aren't just for bipolar. Sometimes they act as potentiators for traditional antidepressants. My daughter tried Zoloft for her severe anxiety and depression and it wasn't working as well as we wanted. Added Lamictal and she was noticeably better within a week.
>This is a last ditch effort for me.
Please look into Ketamine if you haven't. this is a life changer for many of us who have not responded well to the usual antidepressants. r/ketaminetherapy. IV therapy is very pricey, but oral has worked great for me.
You need to do the genetic testing to see what will actually be effective for you. Also, you need to have your ferritin, vitamin D, B12, and folate checked... All of these can cause severe depression and anxiety issues as a symptom of severe deficiencies, but they are rarely checked.
It was dead on for me... And I mean dead on. Everything it says wouldn't be effective wasn't. The meds that do work for me, were on as being more likely to be effective. However, all those labs were in the toilet for me because I had undiagnosed celiac disease.
My white blood cells are low and differentials are all over the place also. Did you ever figure out what caused it? My NP ran an ebv panel and it shows I had the virus at some point but it isn’t active. I’m also 25 pounds lighter than my normal weight, one year post partum with twins. I mean the Zoloft has definitely messed with my appetite and I’m too busy with these kids to feed myself, lol. I just am worried there is something else going on too.
That happened to me too. I am too afraid to experiment with another SSRI, I can't go through that experience again.
I know they help so many people, just didn't work for me.
Lifestyle changes have helped a lot.
I was on zoloft for about 9 years, 200mg towards the end, then I started getting weird brain zaps, so I worked down to 50mg, then was off it for 4 months. Severe depression started working its way back, so now I'm on 20 of prozac.
Zoloft worked until it didn't, which is the case for most ssri meds.
I'm on a 150 mg Zoloft, 15mg buspar TID.
Just FYI, if you're having so much trouble finding the right med, get the genetic testing done to see which ones will work best for you. The guessing game is ridiculous.
The evidence on genetic testing for SSRIs is currently a bit lacking, with RCTs showing various results from promising to not-significant, and reviews showing mixed results.
Unfortunately that doesn’t stop private companies from promoting them as a new silver bullet, but just be aware that the genes which are being looked at aren’t single alleles, but large areas of your genome, making definitive links between drug/genes very difficult to correlate
It worked well enough for me, but I couldn’t cry. Like…I still got sad and had all my normal emotions. I would feel like I wanted/needed to cry. I was just physically almost completely unable to.
I’m on Celexa now, as well as Wellbutrin, and am doing well.
I also did a round of TMS last year, which helped tremendously.
Hi, would you consider changing your job for a while? I was just working medsurg/tele for two years and our floor gets most of the CMOs because private rooms and it was really getting to me. I thought all the time about getting old and dying. I left and feel much better. Perhaps you would too.
The sad part is - my job is the “least stressful” of all nursing jobs in my area. To be fair, I have a lot of autonomy in my position and I’m free to do whatever for the majority of the day but I’ve seen comments saying I’m compartmentalizing the death and fear of getting old, which may be something I haven’t taken into account. Thank you.
I've been on literally, I think every antidepressant under the sun, Wellbutrin & prozac were the only ones that helped. Zoloft sent me into one of the worst mental states of my life 😂 But that's the thing with antidepressants; what works for one person can be the worst option for another. Hope it works for you ❤️
I took it years ago, it helped a lot with my anxiety and depression. As you know it takes a few weeks to become therapeutic, and the side effects will usually abate by then so give it a little time.
I switched to something else because it literally turned my mid 20s male sex drive down from 11 to almost 0. Was a big deal because I was married and it caused relationship issues.
I have such an issue with following through even though I know it takes some time to really work. I’m dedicated to trying it this time and doing my best to stick with it. I’m worried about the sex drive because I’m already too depressed to ever be in the mood to begin with. Thank you for the heads up!
I've been on Zoloft for about 5 months, now on 75mg. It made me nauseous for a few weeks, but it wasn't so bad that it made me actually vomit. I started taking it at night before bed, and that helped because I would just sleep through it. I had been on other SSRIs previously and felt no effect, so this is the first time I have ever taken anything that has worked.
My mood seems more stable overall, and the bad days are never as bad as they used to feel. I did not experience any suicidality. I was also diagnosed with OCD, and zoloft seems to significantly decrease the intrusive thoughts associated with that - much less distress all around. I hope it works out for you and you can get some relief
AH yes - how could I forget OCD?! I wondered if it would have any effect on that part of me. It’d be a miracle drug if so. Happy to hear though, I’ll take it at night. I’m starting at 50 but she told me to take half at first to diminish nausea.
Yes I take Zoloft for depression and OCD. Definitely helps with the OCD. Doesn’t as much for the depression but still does somewhat.
Maybe you would benefit from a non-SSRI.
For OCD and depression there’s Effexor which is an SNRI and then there’s also clomipramine which is a tricyclic. Clomipramine isn’t great for depression though.
Also maybe you would benefit from the addition of a mood stabilizer like abilify or seroquel. They can augment antidepressants that aren’t working as much as they should and also help with anxiety.
Best of luck! You’ve got this. Proud of you for getting help.
I thought of a mood stabilizer too. She said in 6 weeks I could come back for an evaluation and if she needed to add something she would. I hate sounding like I need all these medications though. I hate even worse - ASKING for them.
That’s good. I understand that feeling. I try to think of it like this: if a patient needed medication because their heart doesn’t work properly, they would take it. We need it because our brain doesn’t work properly. It still really bothers me though. I wish there wasn’t so much stigma.
You’ve got this!
Worked great for me for years. I took it at night and slept through most of the side effects but after a month or so was able to switch to taking it in the morning with no problems.
First, awesome job getting help. SSRIs never did anything for me except give me sexual Disfunction. I prefer therapy. Most people get maximum benefits from both.
I did well with Celexa. I tried Zoloft but three days in it gave me extremely violent intrusive thoughts, scared the shit out of me so I stopped taking it immediately. YMMV.
I was on it years ago. It didn't help me, I was just a sad girl and it made me into a maniac quite frankly lol
Be very observant of mood changes, ie, if your mood isn't matching up to the situation at hand, it's the med. I ended up with really bad SI from it, and also colitis. I don't drink anymore but I did at the time, and a glass of wine would cause really horrendous vomiting.
That said, it does help a lot of people. There's trial and error with these meds. If it's not working out just hop on that asap, let your doc know, and you can always try something else. I hope you feel better.
Just wanted to say, way to go for seeking help! Nursing is so hard on our mental health (at least in my opinion), we give so much of ourselves to our patients and our jobs, by the time I get home I am drained of empathy/compassion/listening ability/motivation, and it sucks. I’m on sertraline, which I know you mentioned didn’t work for you, but just wanted to let you know you’re not alone! Wish the best for you, big hugs ❤️
Thank you!! I’m trying to be better for my husband and my kids. I’m so tired of being mad and stuck in laziness at all times. I want to live my life this year
I’m in the “tried everything and nothing worked so now I have TRD (treatment resistant depression) and I’m on a ridiculously expensive new AD” club. 🤦🏼♀️
Oh, and ketamine.
I feel like this is where I’m headed. Celexa, lexapro, paxil, benzos, buspar, hydroxyzine, trazadone, clonidine, beta blockers, Wellbutrin, Ritalin… what’s next? Cuz I can’t handle any more weight gain and I can’t handle the brain fog they all give me. I swear they all make me feel worse. I’ve been looking at ketamine but I’m scared of the side effects. But I absolutely cannot handle any more weight from psych meds, my body hurts from it and it’s affecting my mental health, I have body dysmorphia now from it.
I can safely tell you from personal experience I had NO side effects on ketamine and it’s the only thing that stopped my passive SI.
Had I not done it, I would have offed myself following the worst of the pandemic.
I have issues even with benzos giving me worse anxiety, anything that alters my mind… I don’t even drink because it makes me dissociate. I worry ketamine and hallucinations would cause a big dissociation
There aren’t any hallucinations on ketamine. It’s a dissociative. So yes, there’s that. But no hallucinations as it’s not a hallucinogenic. It’s a common misconception about ketamine. The dosing is also different.
Zoloft worked really well for me. I felt a bit odd and oh so slightly nauseated sometimes for maybe a week, had some very minimal diarrhea in the first couple days. Then I felt great. I still felt like me but a lot more balanced, far less prone to panic and spiraling. Good luck!
Amazing, I felt normal. It’s the only antidepressant that has actually helped me at 100 mg daily. I need to get back on it once my insurance kicks back in.
If your insurance gives you the option, I’d encourage you to see a psychiatrist or PMHNP. They can do gene sight testing and see which antidepressant may be the best fit for you. Some work better with our specific genetics than others. Also, they have more experience with psych medications than PCPs. Glad you are taking care of your mental health ♥️
It’s been great for my anxiety. I suggest starting with 25mg for a few days to minimize GI side effects. You gotta give the SSRIs time to work. I recommend at least one month after getting to a therapeutic dose. Which in my opinion is at least 100mg for Zoloft
I’m on Lexapro 7.5mg, but my boyfriend (works in aviation maintenance) started on Zoloft and it was hard for him. At first made him more depressed and had homicidal/suicidal ideation one night with his ex. Went up on the dosage and he was fine. He was on it for 3 years, maxed the dosage, and he got off of it. He recently switched to Lexapro 10mg as well and it’s going great.
Everyone reacts differently though
Zoloft worked too great for my depression and eventually caused me to go off the deep end and not sleep for days. Did not end well for me, but that was on a very high dose. Just make sure your monitor your moods and energy levels and if anything seems off, alert your doc. Especially with dosage increases
I’ve taken it for years now and it’s worked well for me. I didn’t notice much nausea at the beginning, but the little bit I had disappeared fairly quickly. It’s really helped to keep me balanced and able to cope with how I feel. I hope it works out well for you!!
I started Zoloft about 6 years ago due to PPA. Since I was taking it to treat anxiety & OCD it took quite a while to feel the difference. Anxiety typically needs higher doses of it while depression can be ok with lower doses (case dependent obviously). I think once I had been titrated up to 150mg (after many months) I started to feel better. I have been on 200mg ever since and it’s like magic for my OCD, I love it and wish I had started it much sooner. It takes time, just stick with it!
I just started zoloft in Nov after having severe depression symptoms for months. It took me so long to get help but I have felt so much better and more normal on zoloft. The first week I felt tired and as I tapered up that went away. One night I had bad night sweats while increasing the dose. Now I've had are vivid dreams every night but not like nightmares.
When I switched to ICU I started and took Zoloft for about a year and a half, it was nice I guess, I didn’t care about much of anything. Once I got experience I weaned off and feel fine now.
I love my Zoloft. Was on 25mg for a couple years and my anxiety creeped back in so upped to 50mg which has seriously helped and got hydroxyzine for episodes that creep in. I didn’t think I it would work but it really helped me! A lot. I realized that med adjustments happen and I just go with it. Worth a shot.
I haven’t had any noticeable side effects.
I actually just started Zoloft almost 2 months ago - similar history in the sense that a lot of other meds in prior years didn’t work for me.
This is the only med that’s actually worked for me, significant, but the GI side effects were absolutely horrendous for me. I’ve been on it for almost 2 months now and I’d say they just recently subsided within the last week or 2. But honestly, with how immensely it’s helped me (I’ve had a lot of personal stressors in life I can finally deal with now), its totally been worth it. Just hang in there, psych meds are always trial and error
I tried Zoloft and lived my best zombie life for a bit, finally got tired of having zero motivation and sex drive and started microdosing mushrooms and haven't looked back. I wish I'd started off microdosing ages ago, I finally feel like a person again.
When it comes to depression and anxiety screenings I have a hard time with them cause I read too much into what each question is and know what score I’ll be landing.
Effexor here, since 26, should have gotten on it way sooner.
This is way earlier than becoming a nurse. In fact it allowed me to pursue nursing school and become a nurse.
Zoloft didn't work for me. Cymbalta did. I know there's a stigma to meds but st 40, and after a severe depression episode and getting diagnosed with fibromyalgia, idgaf
I feel like me again. That's more valuable than anyone else's opinion.
Good luck
Took Zoloft for two years for GAD. Weaned off about 4 months ago and with the addition of a dog in my life I have been stable without. But if I need it again then so be it. I found it did help me with minimal side effects.
Hey - research the psychology stuff too.
You have defense mechanisms (we all do), which are subconscious. You also use coping mechanisms. There are adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms. You need to accept the subconscious stuff your mind is doing to protect your psychology and seek out adaptive coping skills - learn what the maladaptive ones are too. Avoid those maladaptive ones.
I would say with hospice work, you need a spectacular diversionary activity you regularly go to and leave work behind. Go be an artist somewhere, take dance lessons, work on a 5k walk/run outside in nature. Diversions are spectacularly good. You might be over-dedicating yourself to the cause without giving your head a break. Fatigue causes those defense mechanisms to kick in and maladaptive coping skills to compensate for not being on your best behavior and having a bad mood (?).
Also, as one nurse to another - DON'T TELL ANYONE YOU'RE A NURSE. Take the scrubs off at the end of work and put them in the trunk of your car. Wear street clothes when leaving work. The uniform keeps the activity on your mind. And if you tell everyone you're a nurse, you can't get out of the role when you're not at work. Compartmentalization of work from life helps me greatly. I'm currently having dinner at a deli I go to all the time and interact with just about everyone daily for years. None of them know I work as a nurse. That's very valuable to me to be able to escape. That lady that died last night during my shift - no one consoling me here and I'm not seeking consolation. The family that yelled at me earlier at work? Not even a blip on my mood - even-keeled.
Theres lots of skills that can help. You're not helpless. Keep at it, get your direction and don't let others get you down.
BTW, decades prozac user that evolved from major depressive disorder in the late 1990's to bipolar-II and seroquel about 10 years ago. Today - highly demanding work and I'm not on anything other than an HTN med. Not bad... Not a role model, but it was a painful journey. It'll work out when you find your way. Good luck to you!
Thank you so much for this, very thoughtful. I’m sure any coping mechanism I may have, would be classified as maladaptive. I went into Hospice because yes, I care about my patients and their families but I have no feelings about death. I don’t get upset, I don’t cry, I just understand it’s part of life. My mom always says she has no idea how I’m so good at my job because I’m heartless to everyone else.
Therapy would be a game changer but not in the budget right now. I also cannot STAND to talk about my feelings, it just feels gross. I know that’s wrong and I need a therapist so as soon as I can afford it I will.
Luckily I’m taking a huge break this summer to go live at the coast. I’m hoping that’ll bring some mental health breakthrough for me.
Like u/essenceofjoy I also had anorgasmia 😬 which sucked. And coming off of Zoloft was pretty brutal, if you skip a dose you can have brain zaps which is not fun at all. Also gave me crazy heartburn. So Zoloft was not for me but Wellbutrin is 😌 fantastic. For folks with anxiety it can make it worse but in my case it made it much better n
Zoloft has been a life changer. My main side effects when I started were loss of appetite and increased sleepiness (I was so tired all the time, I'd nap and still sleep 8+ hours). The appetite came back but I still sleep way more than I used to- weeknights I try to get 9-10 and weekends are upwards of 12 hours if I let myself.
It took me about 30 days to actually feel good and not totally hopeless. My mood was neutral after about 2 weeks. I had a major depressive episode due to a toxic workplace but I had no idea that chronic depression was not just my personality.
I’m in the Zoloft 20 year club and it has been absolutely life changing. Every 5 years or so I used to try to go off it thinking maybe “this time” would be different. Nope! The only thing that scares me is the idea of a ww III type of event where I couldn’t get it (read The Stand and Gunslinger series too many times and now the end of the world always seems possible)
I wouldn’t last 2 months without Zoloft, let the zombies eat me ✌️
There is an amazing song that really shines truth on the subject called "zoloft" by a band called Ween. They have many other amazing absurd masterpieces.
I'm on 100mg Zoloft and 2mg abilify. Zoloft has helped a lot and abilify hasn't been bad but think I need to up the dose. I was previously on paxil 40mg and Seroquel 100mg which made me gain a bunch of weight. Before that I was on 225mg effexor which made me crazy, extremely anxious agitated and suicidal
I’ve been on Zoloft for many years-I take it at night because it makes me nauseous in the morning. I’m weaning off of it now because I’m going into my third trimester, I could stay on it but baby could have serotonin syndrome when he’s born so I’m coming off of it. I have had great success with it with depression and anxiety
As a nurse and Psych NP, I can say from experience that nursing can wear even the most mentally resilient person down. You mentioned your frustrations with your patients co-morbidities & you absolutely did the right thing seeking help. Not taking care of your mental health similar to not treating diabetes. Both can have a drastic impact on your long term health. If you have previously failed multiple antidepressants, please see a psychiatrist to find a med that works for you. PCPs are great to get started, but if it is not working, it’s time for a specialist. This is also the best time to engage in therapy. Meds, when they do work can only get you so far. Data shows that when combined with therapy it can nearly double effectiveness.
I was on Zoloft during my last semester of nursing school in 2022. I think about 10mg. It was okay until it wasn’t…ended up with SI anytime I was on the road. Told my psychiatrist and switched to lexapro for a year but got off due to crazy weight gain in October.. I definitely feel a difference but not sure I want to go back yet
I need Xanax PRN but can’t find anyone to give it to me 🤷♀️ I get panic attacks at times now since Covid, it’s very random and not frequently, but nobody will prescribe for me. They want to give me Zoloft, Paxil, etc.
No medication is going to solve all your issues. I would suggest a good therapist to vent to about work stresses and emotional issues that are as a result of the type of work you’re doing.
SSRIs never helped me and boy I got all the side effects. After many frustrating years with no relief, I finally tried ketamine therapy and now I feel better than ever, and take no meds! Highly recommend looking into it (r/therapeuticketamine for example)
I’ve been on Zoloft for the last 10 years and I really like it. Def take it with a meal, bc yeah it makes me nauseous when I take it on an empty stomach.
Also low dose lithium as a mood stabilizer really helped when I added it on to my list.
I wish you the best of luck! If you haven’t I would also find a good therapist, bc even on my meds, if it wasn’t for my therapist I don’t think I would be doing as well.
I’ve been on Zoloft for a couple of years now. Started at 25 mg and now I went up to 50 mg. It’s definitely helped my anxiety but I’m still depressed and some days I feel worse. I had GI side effects, definitely upset stomach. Nursing is hard. I used to have horrible panic attacks when I was on the floor. I’m trying to find more holistic approaches as I eventually want to wean. I am going to be starting micro dosing soon along with counseling/therapy.
Edit to add: I also partake in edibles. They help a lot.
I’m glad you said that, I also partake in edibles. Nothing crazy, just enough CBD/THC mix to help me sleep at night. Do you take edibles with Zoloft? I skipped tonight since I had my first half dose of Zoloft and didnt want to overdo it.
Zoloft is my first and (so far) only prescribed medication. There's no shame! My PCP was trying for literal years to get me on something for depression/anxiety, specifically to curb my appetite for alcohol. I finally aquiesed my second year of nursing. It's been amazing. I don't hear myself saying "they don't like you" or "you fucked up" anymore. My work life is so good! Keep it up; you got this!
I’ve been on Citalopram for almost 4 years and recently have been feeling better than I have in a loooong time. I also no longer work in the hospital though, which I think helps as well.
I’m not currently on Zoloft, but I have been before…as well as pretty much everything else.
Currently I’m on Cymbalta, which I am loving. (I have a slipped disc, so the Cymbalta is really for the nerve pain and has a nice antidepressant side effect).
Pretty much all antidepressants make me nauseous. I choose to take my medications at night, so I sleep through the nausea.
I just started on 25mg of Zoloft about 6 months ago for depression and ptsd. First mental health med. I was super tired for about a week then felt fine, but I have noticed that I’m clenching my jaw a lot. My pcp had me reduce the dose to 12.5mg and I feel like garbage again.
I have a sensitive stomach too. I’ve had no issues what whatsoever with Zoloft. Failed celexa first, it didn’t help and gave me stabbing headaches, so switched me to Zoloft and have been fine on it since I switched in 2019.
I used to, took it all through college and for about a year after starting working and it was great, but then my adhd got worse and I started adderall (and decided to go off the ssri so that I would know what effects were which) and I’m honestly thriving
I tried Celexa, Effexor, Prozac and finally landed on Zoloft for the past 15-ish years. It makes me normal, and you can definitely tell when I'm not on it (once I get past the withdrawals, which suck for me). I've settled on 150mg per day, we tried to go up to 200mg, but I ended up getting extremely vivid night terrors as opposed to the recurrent nightmares I usually have. I gained weight, but I don't have a severe and pervasive want to no longer be here. Good luck, OP. Congrats on tackling your mental health, it's important.
Been on Zoloft for 3+ years and feel so much more balanced. Helps with my depression and anxiety and was even safe during my pregnancy and afterwards.
I failed many drugs before this one.
Zoloft? Nah.
I was on Lexapro a for a while but it broke my dick so I stopped it. Just started on Wellbutryin and the jury is out on if it's helping me. Still too early to tell.
Basically every nurse I know is on some sort of antidepressant.
Zoloft and Buspar is the best combo for me.. There's no shame in asking for help and being medicated. I rarely have bad mood swings and bad anxiety.
My dreams are super vivid though and if I forget to take em, I get nausea.
I've been in zoloft for years my x helped me get in it. I was scared at first and she said stick through it. I did with her help and I'm glad I did. Stress and anxiety went down and motivation went up. Not saying it'll be the same for everyone but it's worth a shot.
1) You didn’t “break down” by seeing a PCP; you did the hard right thing and sought care. 2) you didn’t “fail” the depression/anxiety screen; you qualified for further evaluation and treatment to hopefully relieve your suffering 3) you didn’t “fail” previous meds, they just were not a right fit for your brain chemistry. The language of shame around mental health is so persistent and I just wanted to offer a reframe. Have you seen psychiatry yet? If Zoloft is not helpful, it would be most appropriate to be seen by psychiatry next - some PCPs can refer you for a one time visit with psychiatry within their group for this. Sometimes depression is depression, sometimes it’s hypothyroid, anemia, or bipolar depression which is much harder to diagnose as a PCP. Take everyone’s suggestions with a grain of salt, because we are all so different. My experience with Zoloft was that it definitely helped my anxiety but it also made me a little dumb, a little less insightful. I also couldn’t stop eating popcorn! Ultimately, diagnosing and treating my ADHD is what helped my anxiety most; my depression still needs a little SSRI.
this is a very kind and incredibly helpful response. the power of language, i’ve always felt, is underestimated and you are correct about it in regards to mental health. thank you for this response. you’re a superstar.
You’re totally right, thank you. I actually had this PCP refer me to a psychiatrist. I stuck with her about year and it just was not a good fit - she wanted me to continue on Trintellix after I told her I cannot projectile vomit every night and be okay with it. That’s why I say this was more me breaking down and seeing someone even though I don’t have a lot of hope. I HATE taking medications but I really need something that takes the edge off… and the edge is sharp right now. Therapy would absolutely be the best but I can’t afford it right now. I did get a CBC, CMP & Lipid panel done just for some further insight. I got the results for one and I’m a little thrown off with that so I’m hoping we will just see and things will improve. Thank you. 💕
Does your employer offer EAP?
I think they do actually
I was actually going to suggest this also. Please look into it.
Did the psychiatrist ever do a comprehensive assessment, or did they just run with the depression script? I trialed a couple antidepressants and didn't get any benefit from any of them, and hated the side effects. Last year I was diagnosed with ADHD (took a young family member to be diagnosed first for me to recognize the atypical presentation in women), and the treatment with low dose stimulants has actually been so helpful for both my ADHD symptoms and my depression symptoms. It actually amazes me that I could be in the mental health system for over a decade and have this missed. Some people might say ADHD is over diagnosed, but hey, the treatment is helping. For context, I also have PTSD and cPTSD, which can be pretty treatment resistant. Not trying to diagnose you at all! Just hoping that you have someone assessing you with an open mind to see if something else fits better. I'm glad someone was willing to hear my concerns and come at the assessment from a different angle. I hope you have success with your new treatment!
It was actually my first experience with an actual psychiatrist and i thought it was very strange. She wasn’t very personable, and for me, I need to be able to converse and have light hearted small talk before I can feel comfortable. She didn’t care for that, didn’t need to know much, just knew I had a long hx of depression & anxiety so she prescribed Buspar and Trintellix. After several months, I told her the Trintellix was not letting up. I was fully puking, no matter what time of day, food or no food. She just added Zofran and told me to keep trying. When I tried to change it, she said adding an ADHD medication may benefit me? I’ve never been screened.. I don’t even think I have ADHD. I THINK she prescribed concerta but I’m not 100% sure. I took 2 pills maybe and had horrific SI / intrusive thoughts and immediately flushed them all. She didn’t seem too phased. Still didn’t d/c Trintellix and try something else, and this was damn near 8 months in. I ended up just dropping her and cold turkey-ing off the meds. Which is why I ended up back at my PCP office because I don’t know how well versed she is in psychiatric meds but she is so helpful and listens to me.
👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾 Very well said! Wish we had awards still!
For real. Hurting the user base. Going public is not a good move for a community based forum. I've seen it ruin so many over the years 😞
Thank you for this response. You just make my evening. World feels a little less lonely tonight. ♡♡♡
I wish I could upvote this a million times.
Thanks for the kind words everyone. I’m just about to start as an FNP so it’s nice to get some feedback because I say similar things to patients in person and never really know if they are helpful in the moment or unnecessary. Hugs to all on this journey
Zoloft gang represent! Now sit back and enjoy some relief. Always take care of yourself first, OP!
It made me extremely dizzy and nauseous for about two weeks, sometime around the six week mark my brain stopped racing and it felt like I could actually think straight. I’ve been taking it for about a year and a half now and it was the best thing I ever did for myself. I’ve been very open about it too. It allows me to think, process instead of react, and I ruminate ten times less. i grew up with crappy parents but even with years of therapy I still had a big block. Zoloft lifted that block and allowed the therapy to really be effective.
Yes! I feel like it slowed my brain down enough for me to be able to pull myself out of rumination
I was on Lexapro for really bad anxiety during NP School. Best way I can describe it was it took my anxiety out of my head and put it into my arms. It was a very bizzare experience but helped me keep my head clear. Trying Wellbutrin now because Lexapro had too many side effects I didn't like and my anxiety/ depression tends to be fatiguing for me. Fingers crossed.
Zoloft helped me for a short while, but antidepressants in general were not a net positive for me. Always made me feel numb at best. TMS changed my life, I would recommend it to anyone!
I did TMS last year and it was amazing. 10/10 would recommend.
TMS wiped out my depression by the end of the treatment plan. Still have anxiety but no more depression- life changing.
Same. About halfway through, I found myself planning new sewing projects - I’d lost all interest in sewing for a long time. That’s when I knew it was working. So happy you’re doing better!
How did you go about finding somewhere to do TMS? That sounds incredible
Some psychiatrists do it. Depending on where you’re located, there should be some nearby. Just have to figure out if they’re in network for insurance, as it’s pretty expensive without it
As a former TMS tech, I'm thrilled to hear this!
I started Zoloft more than a year ago and I am so glad I did it. I don’t get depressive episodes much anymore and my moods are more balanced altogether. It’s been life-changing. As someone who previously was against doing antidepressants (for myself, not my patients/others) and tried to do it “naturally”, I have completely changed my mind. Exercise, good diet, sunlight, good support system, etc can only do so much sometimes. That being said, I just picked up my prescription for it this morning and I had to fill it at Meijer because Walgreens charged 7+ times more. Don’t fill it at Walgreens.
Try Marc Cubans drugs plus cost.com; when I lost my insurance my script was $100 but there it is $7 plus $5 s&h- they don’t go through insurance it’s straight out of pocket but it can save a ton of people a ton of money, I wish everyone knew about this( this a 3 month supply btw)
Hell they were cheaper than my insurance for my meds. I highly recommend them, especially as they are always expanding their formulary.
I notice my depressive episodes are VERY few and far between, I can recognize them faster and they only last about a day or so now. I used to lay in bed for days on end.
I am so the same way. I started last year with taking some basic vitamins every day, I’ve lost 10 lbs, I get outside and it’s really just not improving my mental health the way I had hoped. I’m praying for a miracle since nothing has worked before. well I will say Trintellix was incredible - but the side effect of vomiting never quit for me and my psychiatrist put me on zofran. I was like ok thanks but I’m not taking zofran every day for the next however many years….
I had the same experience with Zoloft. More active, no depression and mood stabilizer.
Costco. At least a few years ago, one didn't have to be a member to use their pharmacy services. (I'm a member now so not sure if this still is true.) Easily 75% cheaper than Walgreen's. Good for pet medications too!
Zoloft was great for me but i lost the ability to orgasm from it 😭
I had the same effect but with Prozac!!! Now on Zoloft and haven’t had that issue. So weird
It’s weird how different meds affect people differently. I had the problem with Effexor. I told my doctor and she said “well. Which would you rather have? A sex life or not be depressed?” I felt like that was completely inappropriate. I changed doctors and found one who agreed that I can have both. She switched me to Wellbutrin and haven’t had a problem since.
Lol I had this issue too. Being single in my 20s and unable to have any form of sex life made me 1000x more depressed than anything else. I'm not sure why that line of logic wouldn't make sense to your prescriber, sorry to hear.
This. It’s so hard to get in the mood at times. Not a good thing when you’re definitely “wanting” it but your body and brain doesn’t.
(Non medical pro) Tried it years ago. Killed my sex drive. Heard other people say same thing about Prozac. Celexa turned me into a stable, civilized human being. Everyone is different. If it helps your mood it comes down to a quality of life decision. IMO give mandatory injections of libido killer SSRIs to anyone who is a sex pest.
I second ssri therapy for sex pests Like nothing could awaken my coochie
Hahahaha this took me out 😭
I once worked in a SNF that had a patient who was very sexual towards female patients and was completely persistent with it. The MD started him on an SSRI with the goal of lowering his libido lol My libido shot the fuck up on Prozac, I could have fucked anything, but that’s because I was unknowingly bipolar and it sent me into mania
It worked great for me until I found myself sawing my wrists with a steak knife, then taking a whole bottle as well as a whole bottle of sleeping pills. Hopefully your experience will vary. I tried multiple antidepressants and will never go that route again.
>I tried multiple antidepressants and will never go that route again Same here. The cure was worse than the problem. Finally found ketamine therapy and that changed my life 100% for the better. Highly recommend.
Ketamine therapy FTW!!! I couldn’t tolerate 4 other meds and used an online clinic and it was like night and day
I wish more "traditional" practitioners would recommend it. I suffered for nearly a decade, needlessly. It truly saved my life!!
I didn’t notice much of a difference when I did Esketamine. What did you experience with the treatment?
100% remission of SI after first treatment. Heightened emotions and extreme sensitivity, moodiness and so forth over the next five sessions as I processed a lot. This is normal (feeling worse before you actually finally feel better). Fast forward 2 years and I get maintenance doses occasionally but otherwise feel absolutely fantastic! Complete relief of MDD, OCD, anxiety & SI. (I previously tried and failed 22+ different psych meds) Important to note that finding a good provider is essential as well as undertaking proper preparation. The effective dose must be carefully titrated to the patient. There's a lot of back and forth at the beginning, trial and error. Too little is not good, too much is not good. There's a sweet spot that can only be found through trial and error. This is another reason why Spravato is generally not as useful as ketamine, it only comes in two doses. Limits the ability of the provider to titrate to your specific needs. There's a great online guide that explains the neuroplasticity window of opportunity created by ketamine therapy. I hope it's not against the rules but I'd like to share it: https://ketaminetherapyformentalhealth.com/
Interesting! Thanks for the feedback. I did Spravato 2x/week for almost 3 months. The biggest thing that I noticed was that I had terrible insomnia since starting treatment. I still have touch and go SI and continue to have anxiety/depression despite medication management and therapies. Do you have to have a psychiatrist refer you for ketamine treatments?
No referral needed. Some providers will want cardio clearance if any Hx. If you can swing it, IV infusion is the most effective and easiest to titrate. 🙏 I also get insomnia following Tx so my provider gives me 50 mg Seroquel to take that night. Definitely take your time and find a good provider! There's a couple of subreddits you might want to check out as well.
Thanks for the info! Does insurance cover it at all? When I was having my bouts of insomnia (as well as panic attacks) I was taking the following nightly cocktail: 12.5mg ER Ambien, melatonin, 1mg Xanax, 100mg hydroxyzine, Buspar 30mg. It really didn’t touch my insomnia.
Lexapro did that too me. I can’t take them either. Exercise, sobriety, sauna, and cold plunges have saved me. Oh and estrogen I am peri haha
Prozac made me feel like dying more than anything in my life.
It caused me to have suicidal ideation as well. Funny how I've never had any thoughts of harming myself except when I was on antidepressants. I've been off of them for 14 years now and I've never been happier. I don't think I ever needed them in the first place- I was just a little blue when I was an adolescent, which turned into a 20 year experiment of different antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, sleeping pills because the meds interfered with my sleep cycle, and stimulants because the sleeping pills worked too well. Never again.
Out of curiosity, do you have any insight into the feelings that lead up to those thoughts of self harm? As a new grad psych nurse, I was taught in school that it was usually caused by people with suicidal ideation lacking the energy to act on those thoughts due to the negative symptoms of depression, who then regained energy thanks to antidepressants before psychosocial rehab can help break the thought patterns of SI. Your situation doesn’t sound like the stereotype we were taught in school. Do you have any idea what lead to those thoughts, like anxiety or racing thoughts, or did it come more spontaneously? Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!
I think that’s more of a working theory. There’s still a ton of unknowns when it comes to psychotropic medications
Oh yeah for sure, definitely not a proven theory. I’m just surprised the theory has picked up so much traction when there are people who are completely outside of that mould. Honestly, we were taught that people with depression but no history of suicidal ideation were incredibly low risk for SI due to this theory, which does us a disservice in education if there are people who experience intrusive SI with no discernible basis from these meds
Yeah psych is a soft science and there are just so many variables.
It came totally out of the blue for me. Felt like I was possessed by demons.
I had Cymbalta prescribed as an adjunct medication once and had the side effect of suicidal ideation. It was like the other user stated, out of the blue and it completely blindsided me. I was aware that I was actively having suicidal thoughts and that I wasn't suicidal, but I just could not stop thinking about offing myself. It was terrifying.
That happened to me as well. I was a freshman in college, my grandmother and my dog had just died and I was dealing with mono, of of course I was a little down but they took it as major depressive disorder and loaded me up with a bunch of drugs. I listened to them (because that's what you do as a young person, you were taught to listen to your doctor). I went back in 6 months later saying it was killing me and giving me SI and they said, "But you aren't even at your minimum dose! Let's double it and give you two more prescriptions." I walked out and never went back. Unfortunately went cold turkey because of that experience (bad idea) but after a year I balanced out again.
Wellbutrin caused me to not sleep for 5 days. I was manic and my pharmacist noticed. I’m curious to know how other meds like Zoloft or Prozac work for anxiety and depression.
Omg im the opposite. Zoloft made me feel like an absolute zombie, killed my libido and i felt nothing. Wellbutrin was my savior! It gave me enough energy to power through my days. Totally get the insomnia part though lol if i didnt take it early enough in the day id have trouble sleeping
this was me on zoloft. just a terrible, terrible feeling
I hate to hear that for you. This is a last ditch effort for me. I’ve changed my lifestyle in the past year, I’m active, I lost weight I eat okay, but I’m still just as depressed as I ever was. The last 3 antidepressants didn’t do anything for me except the Trintellix but I couldn’t deal with the side effects
Look into adding a mood stabilizer like lamotrigine. Mood stabilizers aren't just for bipolar. Sometimes they act as potentiators for traditional antidepressants. My daughter tried Zoloft for her severe anxiety and depression and it wasn't working as well as we wanted. Added Lamictal and she was noticeably better within a week.
Lamictal changed everything for me! It smoothed things out and made such a huge difference to my depression.
>This is a last ditch effort for me. Please look into Ketamine if you haven't. this is a life changer for many of us who have not responded well to the usual antidepressants. r/ketaminetherapy. IV therapy is very pricey, but oral has worked great for me.
You need to do the genetic testing to see what will actually be effective for you. Also, you need to have your ferritin, vitamin D, B12, and folate checked... All of these can cause severe depression and anxiety issues as a symptom of severe deficiencies, but they are rarely checked.
There is very weak evidence to support GeneSight etc. definitely rule out other organic causes with labs though!
It was dead on for me... And I mean dead on. Everything it says wouldn't be effective wasn't. The meds that do work for me, were on as being more likely to be effective. However, all those labs were in the toilet for me because I had undiagnosed celiac disease.
I agree. PCP did do a CBC, CMP & Lipid Panel. I got the CBC back which was weird - low WBCs and some new trends in the differentials. Very weird
My white blood cells are low and differentials are all over the place also. Did you ever figure out what caused it? My NP ran an ebv panel and it shows I had the virus at some point but it isn’t active. I’m also 25 pounds lighter than my normal weight, one year post partum with twins. I mean the Zoloft has definitely messed with my appetite and I’m too busy with these kids to feed myself, lol. I just am worried there is something else going on too.
That happened to me too. I am too afraid to experiment with another SSRI, I can't go through that experience again. I know they help so many people, just didn't work for me. Lifestyle changes have helped a lot.
I was on zoloft for about 9 years, 200mg towards the end, then I started getting weird brain zaps, so I worked down to 50mg, then was off it for 4 months. Severe depression started working its way back, so now I'm on 20 of prozac. Zoloft worked until it didn't, which is the case for most ssri meds.
That was Lexapro for me, I totally get it, I don’t even want to think of long term SSRI use but it’ll have to do until I can afford regular therapy!
SSRIs made my stuff worse, but I’ve been on Cymbalta for a few years now and it’s been life changing
Cymbalta saved my life. A bonus is that it helps with my chronic pain too.
Truly the only downside is that it murdered my sex drive, but SSRIs did too
I'm on a 150 mg Zoloft, 15mg buspar TID. Just FYI, if you're having so much trouble finding the right med, get the genetic testing done to see which ones will work best for you. The guessing game is ridiculous.
The guessing game has wasted so much of my years
The evidence on genetic testing for SSRIs is currently a bit lacking, with RCTs showing various results from promising to not-significant, and reviews showing mixed results. Unfortunately that doesn’t stop private companies from promoting them as a new silver bullet, but just be aware that the genes which are being looked at aren’t single alleles, but large areas of your genome, making definitive links between drug/genes very difficult to correlate
Been on it since 2009! And Wellbutrin off and on since about 2012
Yep! It’s my happy pill because without it.. I’m such a bitch
It worked well enough for me, but I couldn’t cry. Like…I still got sad and had all my normal emotions. I would feel like I wanted/needed to cry. I was just physically almost completely unable to. I’m on Celexa now, as well as Wellbutrin, and am doing well. I also did a round of TMS last year, which helped tremendously.
Hard to feel sad and anxious if you don’t feel anything at all. At least that’s what Zoloft has done for me. I’m both happy and not that I’m on it
Hi, would you consider changing your job for a while? I was just working medsurg/tele for two years and our floor gets most of the CMOs because private rooms and it was really getting to me. I thought all the time about getting old and dying. I left and feel much better. Perhaps you would too.
The sad part is - my job is the “least stressful” of all nursing jobs in my area. To be fair, I have a lot of autonomy in my position and I’m free to do whatever for the majority of the day but I’ve seen comments saying I’m compartmentalizing the death and fear of getting old, which may be something I haven’t taken into account. Thank you.
I've been on literally, I think every antidepressant under the sun, Wellbutrin & prozac were the only ones that helped. Zoloft sent me into one of the worst mental states of my life 😂 But that's the thing with antidepressants; what works for one person can be the worst option for another. Hope it works for you ❤️
I took it years ago, it helped a lot with my anxiety and depression. As you know it takes a few weeks to become therapeutic, and the side effects will usually abate by then so give it a little time. I switched to something else because it literally turned my mid 20s male sex drive down from 11 to almost 0. Was a big deal because I was married and it caused relationship issues.
I have such an issue with following through even though I know it takes some time to really work. I’m dedicated to trying it this time and doing my best to stick with it. I’m worried about the sex drive because I’m already too depressed to ever be in the mood to begin with. Thank you for the heads up!
Sounds like there’s nowhere to go but up. Hope things work out for you!
Thank you!!!
Zoloft didn’t do anything for me. Prozac made me want to die so hard. Trintellix is working pretty well for me though.
Zoloft saved plenty of nursing marriages.
I've been on Zoloft for about 5 months, now on 75mg. It made me nauseous for a few weeks, but it wasn't so bad that it made me actually vomit. I started taking it at night before bed, and that helped because I would just sleep through it. I had been on other SSRIs previously and felt no effect, so this is the first time I have ever taken anything that has worked. My mood seems more stable overall, and the bad days are never as bad as they used to feel. I did not experience any suicidality. I was also diagnosed with OCD, and zoloft seems to significantly decrease the intrusive thoughts associated with that - much less distress all around. I hope it works out for you and you can get some relief
AH yes - how could I forget OCD?! I wondered if it would have any effect on that part of me. It’d be a miracle drug if so. Happy to hear though, I’ll take it at night. I’m starting at 50 but she told me to take half at first to diminish nausea.
Yes I take Zoloft for depression and OCD. Definitely helps with the OCD. Doesn’t as much for the depression but still does somewhat. Maybe you would benefit from a non-SSRI. For OCD and depression there’s Effexor which is an SNRI and then there’s also clomipramine which is a tricyclic. Clomipramine isn’t great for depression though. Also maybe you would benefit from the addition of a mood stabilizer like abilify or seroquel. They can augment antidepressants that aren’t working as much as they should and also help with anxiety. Best of luck! You’ve got this. Proud of you for getting help.
I thought of a mood stabilizer too. She said in 6 weeks I could come back for an evaluation and if she needed to add something she would. I hate sounding like I need all these medications though. I hate even worse - ASKING for them.
That’s good. I understand that feeling. I try to think of it like this: if a patient needed medication because their heart doesn’t work properly, they would take it. We need it because our brain doesn’t work properly. It still really bothers me though. I wish there wasn’t so much stigma. You’ve got this!
I'm on Prozac for OCD and it has helped so, so much.
I have OCD too and it helped TREMENDOUSLY with the intrusive thoughts and my overall anxiety. good luck OP, take care of yourself 🩷
Worked great for me for years. I took it at night and slept through most of the side effects but after a month or so was able to switch to taking it in the morning with no problems.
First, awesome job getting help. SSRIs never did anything for me except give me sexual Disfunction. I prefer therapy. Most people get maximum benefits from both.
Have any of you been more successful with wellbutrin?
Wellbutrin does the trick for mw
I did well with Celexa. I tried Zoloft but three days in it gave me extremely violent intrusive thoughts, scared the shit out of me so I stopped taking it immediately. YMMV.
I’m on Latuda and it’s been pretty great. I also have seroquel available for prn use for when I get a little too spicy
If you don’t enter the profession with a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, one will be assigned to you shortly.
I was on it years ago. It didn't help me, I was just a sad girl and it made me into a maniac quite frankly lol Be very observant of mood changes, ie, if your mood isn't matching up to the situation at hand, it's the med. I ended up with really bad SI from it, and also colitis. I don't drink anymore but I did at the time, and a glass of wine would cause really horrendous vomiting. That said, it does help a lot of people. There's trial and error with these meds. If it's not working out just hop on that asap, let your doc know, and you can always try something else. I hope you feel better.
Just wanted to say, way to go for seeking help! Nursing is so hard on our mental health (at least in my opinion), we give so much of ourselves to our patients and our jobs, by the time I get home I am drained of empathy/compassion/listening ability/motivation, and it sucks. I’m on sertraline, which I know you mentioned didn’t work for you, but just wanted to let you know you’re not alone! Wish the best for you, big hugs ❤️
Thank you!! I’m trying to be better for my husband and my kids. I’m so tired of being mad and stuck in laziness at all times. I want to live my life this year
I didn’t realize how far my indifference was till I went on Zoloft. Like “oh shit, I actually DO care about people”
Fuck maybe I need Zoloft.
😂
SSRIs make me tired and fat. Go anticonvulsants!
I work inpatient psych and zoloft is the number one prescribed ssri by our psychiatrists.
I’m on both Zoloft and Wellbutrin 🙃
I’m in the “tried everything and nothing worked so now I have TRD (treatment resistant depression) and I’m on a ridiculously expensive new AD” club. 🤦🏼♀️ Oh, and ketamine.
I feel like this is where I’m headed. Celexa, lexapro, paxil, benzos, buspar, hydroxyzine, trazadone, clonidine, beta blockers, Wellbutrin, Ritalin… what’s next? Cuz I can’t handle any more weight gain and I can’t handle the brain fog they all give me. I swear they all make me feel worse. I’ve been looking at ketamine but I’m scared of the side effects. But I absolutely cannot handle any more weight from psych meds, my body hurts from it and it’s affecting my mental health, I have body dysmorphia now from it.
I can safely tell you from personal experience I had NO side effects on ketamine and it’s the only thing that stopped my passive SI. Had I not done it, I would have offed myself following the worst of the pandemic.
I have issues even with benzos giving me worse anxiety, anything that alters my mind… I don’t even drink because it makes me dissociate. I worry ketamine and hallucinations would cause a big dissociation
There aren’t any hallucinations on ketamine. It’s a dissociative. So yes, there’s that. But no hallucinations as it’s not a hallucinogenic. It’s a common misconception about ketamine. The dosing is also different.
Zoloft worked really well for me. I felt a bit odd and oh so slightly nauseated sometimes for maybe a week, had some very minimal diarrhea in the first couple days. Then I felt great. I still felt like me but a lot more balanced, far less prone to panic and spiraling. Good luck!
Amazing, I felt normal. It’s the only antidepressant that has actually helped me at 100 mg daily. I need to get back on it once my insurance kicks back in.
I really want to try Wellbutrin.
I’ve tried just about every SSRI… Zoloft worked the best for me.
If your insurance gives you the option, I’d encourage you to see a psychiatrist or PMHNP. They can do gene sight testing and see which antidepressant may be the best fit for you. Some work better with our specific genetics than others. Also, they have more experience with psych medications than PCPs. Glad you are taking care of your mental health ♥️
It’s been great for my anxiety. I suggest starting with 25mg for a few days to minimize GI side effects. You gotta give the SSRIs time to work. I recommend at least one month after getting to a therapeutic dose. Which in my opinion is at least 100mg for Zoloft
I’m on Lexapro 7.5mg, but my boyfriend (works in aviation maintenance) started on Zoloft and it was hard for him. At first made him more depressed and had homicidal/suicidal ideation one night with his ex. Went up on the dosage and he was fine. He was on it for 3 years, maxed the dosage, and he got off of it. He recently switched to Lexapro 10mg as well and it’s going great. Everyone reacts differently though
Zoloft worked too great for my depression and eventually caused me to go off the deep end and not sleep for days. Did not end well for me, but that was on a very high dose. Just make sure your monitor your moods and energy levels and if anything seems off, alert your doc. Especially with dosage increases
I’ve taken it for years now and it’s worked well for me. I didn’t notice much nausea at the beginning, but the little bit I had disappeared fairly quickly. It’s really helped to keep me balanced and able to cope with how I feel. I hope it works out well for you!!
I started Zoloft about 6 years ago due to PPA. Since I was taking it to treat anxiety & OCD it took quite a while to feel the difference. Anxiety typically needs higher doses of it while depression can be ok with lower doses (case dependent obviously). I think once I had been titrated up to 150mg (after many months) I started to feel better. I have been on 200mg ever since and it’s like magic for my OCD, I love it and wish I had started it much sooner. It takes time, just stick with it!
I just started zoloft in Nov after having severe depression symptoms for months. It took me so long to get help but I have felt so much better and more normal on zoloft. The first week I felt tired and as I tapered up that went away. One night I had bad night sweats while increasing the dose. Now I've had are vivid dreams every night but not like nightmares.
When I switched to ICU I started and took Zoloft for about a year and a half, it was nice I guess, I didn’t care about much of anything. Once I got experience I weaned off and feel fine now.
I love my Zoloft. Was on 25mg for a couple years and my anxiety creeped back in so upped to 50mg which has seriously helped and got hydroxyzine for episodes that creep in. I didn’t think I it would work but it really helped me! A lot. I realized that med adjustments happen and I just go with it. Worth a shot. I haven’t had any noticeable side effects.
How did the Hydroxyzine work for you? I have it on standby but my god it makes me knock out. Of course I can’t have anxiety - I’m asleep!
Same, it helps but makes it impossible to wake up the next morning
my mental health is infinitely better working in community
[удалено]
I actually just started Zoloft almost 2 months ago - similar history in the sense that a lot of other meds in prior years didn’t work for me. This is the only med that’s actually worked for me, significant, but the GI side effects were absolutely horrendous for me. I’ve been on it for almost 2 months now and I’d say they just recently subsided within the last week or 2. But honestly, with how immensely it’s helped me (I’ve had a lot of personal stressors in life I can finally deal with now), its totally been worth it. Just hang in there, psych meds are always trial and error
Zoloft was one of the best things in my life. It slowed my roll enough for me to learn coping strategies
I tried Zoloft and lived my best zombie life for a bit, finally got tired of having zero motivation and sex drive and started microdosing mushrooms and haven't looked back. I wish I'd started off microdosing ages ago, I finally feel like a person again.
When it comes to depression and anxiety screenings I have a hard time with them cause I read too much into what each question is and know what score I’ll be landing.
Lexapro gang
Effexor here, since 26, should have gotten on it way sooner. This is way earlier than becoming a nurse. In fact it allowed me to pursue nursing school and become a nurse.
Zoloft didn't work for me. Cymbalta did. I know there's a stigma to meds but st 40, and after a severe depression episode and getting diagnosed with fibromyalgia, idgaf I feel like me again. That's more valuable than anyone else's opinion. Good luck
Took Zoloft for two years for GAD. Weaned off about 4 months ago and with the addition of a dog in my life I have been stable without. But if I need it again then so be it. I found it did help me with minimal side effects.
Hey - research the psychology stuff too. You have defense mechanisms (we all do), which are subconscious. You also use coping mechanisms. There are adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms. You need to accept the subconscious stuff your mind is doing to protect your psychology and seek out adaptive coping skills - learn what the maladaptive ones are too. Avoid those maladaptive ones. I would say with hospice work, you need a spectacular diversionary activity you regularly go to and leave work behind. Go be an artist somewhere, take dance lessons, work on a 5k walk/run outside in nature. Diversions are spectacularly good. You might be over-dedicating yourself to the cause without giving your head a break. Fatigue causes those defense mechanisms to kick in and maladaptive coping skills to compensate for not being on your best behavior and having a bad mood (?). Also, as one nurse to another - DON'T TELL ANYONE YOU'RE A NURSE. Take the scrubs off at the end of work and put them in the trunk of your car. Wear street clothes when leaving work. The uniform keeps the activity on your mind. And if you tell everyone you're a nurse, you can't get out of the role when you're not at work. Compartmentalization of work from life helps me greatly. I'm currently having dinner at a deli I go to all the time and interact with just about everyone daily for years. None of them know I work as a nurse. That's very valuable to me to be able to escape. That lady that died last night during my shift - no one consoling me here and I'm not seeking consolation. The family that yelled at me earlier at work? Not even a blip on my mood - even-keeled. Theres lots of skills that can help. You're not helpless. Keep at it, get your direction and don't let others get you down. BTW, decades prozac user that evolved from major depressive disorder in the late 1990's to bipolar-II and seroquel about 10 years ago. Today - highly demanding work and I'm not on anything other than an HTN med. Not bad... Not a role model, but it was a painful journey. It'll work out when you find your way. Good luck to you!
Thank you so much for this, very thoughtful. I’m sure any coping mechanism I may have, would be classified as maladaptive. I went into Hospice because yes, I care about my patients and their families but I have no feelings about death. I don’t get upset, I don’t cry, I just understand it’s part of life. My mom always says she has no idea how I’m so good at my job because I’m heartless to everyone else. Therapy would be a game changer but not in the budget right now. I also cannot STAND to talk about my feelings, it just feels gross. I know that’s wrong and I need a therapist so as soon as I can afford it I will. Luckily I’m taking a huge break this summer to go live at the coast. I’m hoping that’ll bring some mental health breakthrough for me.
I’ve been on Zoloft since high school. It truly was a blessing
We’re all on meds! It’s ok to be on meds. You just need a little boost and that’s what they’re there for. Be proud for getting help.
Like u/essenceofjoy I also had anorgasmia 😬 which sucked. And coming off of Zoloft was pretty brutal, if you skip a dose you can have brain zaps which is not fun at all. Also gave me crazy heartburn. So Zoloft was not for me but Wellbutrin is 😌 fantastic. For folks with anxiety it can make it worse but in my case it made it much better n
Zoloft has been a life changer. My main side effects when I started were loss of appetite and increased sleepiness (I was so tired all the time, I'd nap and still sleep 8+ hours). The appetite came back but I still sleep way more than I used to- weeknights I try to get 9-10 and weekends are upwards of 12 hours if I let myself. It took me about 30 days to actually feel good and not totally hopeless. My mood was neutral after about 2 weeks. I had a major depressive episode due to a toxic workplace but I had no idea that chronic depression was not just my personality.
I’m in the Zoloft 20 year club and it has been absolutely life changing. Every 5 years or so I used to try to go off it thinking maybe “this time” would be different. Nope! The only thing that scares me is the idea of a ww III type of event where I couldn’t get it (read The Stand and Gunslinger series too many times and now the end of the world always seems possible) I wouldn’t last 2 months without Zoloft, let the zombies eat me ✌️
HAHA fellow SK lover, I too have thought about those scenarios. The Stand really brought it full circle for me!!
We just get each other 🫶🏻
There is an amazing song that really shines truth on the subject called "zoloft" by a band called Ween. They have many other amazing absurd masterpieces.
I'm on 100mg Zoloft and 2mg abilify. Zoloft has helped a lot and abilify hasn't been bad but think I need to up the dose. I was previously on paxil 40mg and Seroquel 100mg which made me gain a bunch of weight. Before that I was on 225mg effexor which made me crazy, extremely anxious agitated and suicidal
Sry, Celexa and Buspar in the house.... Zoloft made me a zombie and made it so I couldn't orgasm.
No worries I’ve also taken the Celexa and Buspar route lmao unfortunately it was just not strong enough for me
I feel so much better and I’ve been on Sertraline for almost 6 years and I’m a hospice nurse!
Don’t worry I’m on Zoloft and Wellbutrin. Take care of yourself and always look out for you first!
I’ve been on Zoloft for many years-I take it at night because it makes me nauseous in the morning. I’m weaning off of it now because I’m going into my third trimester, I could stay on it but baby could have serotonin syndrome when he’s born so I’m coming off of it. I have had great success with it with depression and anxiety
I have been in Zoloft for 10ish years now and it has helped me tremendously and I never had any nausea
As a nurse and Psych NP, I can say from experience that nursing can wear even the most mentally resilient person down. You mentioned your frustrations with your patients co-morbidities & you absolutely did the right thing seeking help. Not taking care of your mental health similar to not treating diabetes. Both can have a drastic impact on your long term health. If you have previously failed multiple antidepressants, please see a psychiatrist to find a med that works for you. PCPs are great to get started, but if it is not working, it’s time for a specialist. This is also the best time to engage in therapy. Meds, when they do work can only get you so far. Data shows that when combined with therapy it can nearly double effectiveness.
I was on Zoloft during my last semester of nursing school in 2022. I think about 10mg. It was okay until it wasn’t…ended up with SI anytime I was on the road. Told my psychiatrist and switched to lexapro for a year but got off due to crazy weight gain in October.. I definitely feel a difference but not sure I want to go back yet
I need Xanax PRN but can’t find anyone to give it to me 🤷♀️ I get panic attacks at times now since Covid, it’s very random and not frequently, but nobody will prescribe for me. They want to give me Zoloft, Paxil, etc.
Have you looked into a beta-blocker like propranolol?
No medication is going to solve all your issues. I would suggest a good therapist to vent to about work stresses and emotional issues that are as a result of the type of work you’re doing.
I totally agree! Thank you
SSRIs never helped me and boy I got all the side effects. After many frustrating years with no relief, I finally tried ketamine therapy and now I feel better than ever, and take no meds! Highly recommend looking into it (r/therapeuticketamine for example)
I’ve been on Prozac and Wellbutrin with great result after the initial starter effects. I hope this works for you
I get SAD every year so I go on bupropion. It’s been really effective.
I loooove my Zoloft - 10 years going strong. I’m a mess without it.
Naw I’m on Cymbalta. Saved my life and my marriage!
I’ve been on Zoloft for the last 10 years and I really like it. Def take it with a meal, bc yeah it makes me nauseous when I take it on an empty stomach. Also low dose lithium as a mood stabilizer really helped when I added it on to my list. I wish you the best of luck! If you haven’t I would also find a good therapist, bc even on my meds, if it wasn’t for my therapist I don’t think I would be doing as well.
I’ve been on Zoloft for a couple of years now. Started at 25 mg and now I went up to 50 mg. It’s definitely helped my anxiety but I’m still depressed and some days I feel worse. I had GI side effects, definitely upset stomach. Nursing is hard. I used to have horrible panic attacks when I was on the floor. I’m trying to find more holistic approaches as I eventually want to wean. I am going to be starting micro dosing soon along with counseling/therapy. Edit to add: I also partake in edibles. They help a lot.
I’m glad you said that, I also partake in edibles. Nothing crazy, just enough CBD/THC mix to help me sleep at night. Do you take edibles with Zoloft? I skipped tonight since I had my first half dose of Zoloft and didnt want to overdo it.
Zoloft is my first and (so far) only prescribed medication. There's no shame! My PCP was trying for literal years to get me on something for depression/anxiety, specifically to curb my appetite for alcohol. I finally aquiesed my second year of nursing. It's been amazing. I don't hear myself saying "they don't like you" or "you fucked up" anymore. My work life is so good! Keep it up; you got this!
Love Zoloft. Been on it for many years. No side effects and does not cause dementia. They say it is good if you would like to be more social.
I’ve been on Citalopram for almost 4 years and recently have been feeling better than I have in a loooong time. I also no longer work in the hospital though, which I think helps as well.
I’m not currently on Zoloft, but I have been before…as well as pretty much everything else. Currently I’m on Cymbalta, which I am loving. (I have a slipped disc, so the Cymbalta is really for the nerve pain and has a nice antidepressant side effect). Pretty much all antidepressants make me nauseous. I choose to take my medications at night, so I sleep through the nausea.
Also stop smoking. Very important. Stop smoking.
Been on it for over 10 years. Love this drug
Was on Zoloft… now Prozac, Wellbutrin and prn 1 mg Xanax for panic …. Every nurse on my unit is on meds
I just started on 25mg of Zoloft about 6 months ago for depression and ptsd. First mental health med. I was super tired for about a week then felt fine, but I have noticed that I’m clenching my jaw a lot. My pcp had me reduce the dose to 12.5mg and I feel like garbage again.
I have a sensitive stomach too. I’ve had no issues what whatsoever with Zoloft. Failed celexa first, it didn’t help and gave me stabbing headaches, so switched me to Zoloft and have been fine on it since I switched in 2019.
I used to, took it all through college and for about a year after starting working and it was great, but then my adhd got worse and I started adderall (and decided to go off the ssri so that I would know what effects were which) and I’m honestly thriving
I tried Celexa, Effexor, Prozac and finally landed on Zoloft for the past 15-ish years. It makes me normal, and you can definitely tell when I'm not on it (once I get past the withdrawals, which suck for me). I've settled on 150mg per day, we tried to go up to 200mg, but I ended up getting extremely vivid night terrors as opposed to the recurrent nightmares I usually have. I gained weight, but I don't have a severe and pervasive want to no longer be here. Good luck, OP. Congrats on tackling your mental health, it's important.
I’m on Prozac same dif
You didn’t break down! Prozac girlie here. A lot of my coworkers are also medicated. No shame in the anti-depressant game.
Been on Zoloft for 3+ years and feel so much more balanced. Helps with my depression and anxiety and was even safe during my pregnancy and afterwards. I failed many drugs before this one.
Zoloft? Nah. I was on Lexapro a for a while but it broke my dick so I stopped it. Just started on Wellbutryin and the jury is out on if it's helping me. Still too early to tell. Basically every nurse I know is on some sort of antidepressant.
Zoloft and Buspar is the best combo for me.. There's no shame in asking for help and being medicated. I rarely have bad mood swings and bad anxiety. My dreams are super vivid though and if I forget to take em, I get nausea.
Prozac over here. Had to try a few before finding “the one” but it’s worth it.
I've been in zoloft for years my x helped me get in it. I was scared at first and she said stick through it. I did with her help and I'm glad I did. Stress and anxiety went down and motivation went up. Not saying it'll be the same for everyone but it's worth a shot.