How do you know Zoloft is starting to work?

It takes about 6 to 8 weeks to work properly im on 5 and half werks and 200mg a day and still getting anxiety but yestsrday afternoon felt better and this morning was better tonight got anxiety so its starting to work just takes time if you can hang in there remember nothing happens over night

I've taken it twice and in both cases, it got worse before it gets better:

1. The first time, it increased anxiety and intrusive thoughts for about a week, peaking on day 7 when I increased from 25 to 50 mg. Over the week that followed, it was a very noticeable improvement for me. Insomnia, no appetite, and anxiety were the side effects for me.

2. The second time, it increased anxiety in the mornings until the early afternoon. Days 2-6 were rough but I felt like it was a more gradual improvement this time around. I'm only on day 13 so I'm still holding out for improvements to come.

For reference, I was in a much lower mental state the first time - a tiny improvement then probably had a much bigger impact on my outlook at the time. What I'm going through now is more like a series of stresses around the holidays that just wore me down. I've missed a few days of work and I'm having some difficulty with anxiety in the mornings and getting out of bed.

I've been taking 50mg for almost 4 weeks and have began to feel like doing more than sit around all day. I seem to enjoy things more and not sweat the small stuff. It has been gradual so far for me.

How do you know it's working

Simple answer: You start feeling better.

Personally I always notice the side effects first. With sertraline it was insomnia and inability to reach a sexual climax. And I was aroused as hell so it was very frustrating. Side effects used to scare me. Now I see them as a sign that the meds are kicking in. BTW, rhe side effects I mentioned were gone within a week.

With me it was big things like wanting to get out of bed. Then little stuff like actually wanting to clean house. My mind set was better. I wanted to call family and just talk. Even taking a walk. I no longer wanted to stay in bed. I wanted to start living again. I have my ups and downs as we all do. It took the zoloft about a good month to fully set in for me. Within that first month I felt more anxiety and depression but that's part of the side effects. I hope this info helps you some and hope you feel better.