I am 26 years old and was on Zoloft from 20-24 years old and it worked before i got off it and was fine. I recently came down with Covid AND got my first dose if the vaccine and my anxiety came flooding back. Started taking Zoloft 6 days ago. Started off at 25mg for the first 4 days then upped it to 50 the next 2 and have been suffering from no appetite, severe anxiety and constantly thinking something is wrong with me and go the ER almost every other day either for my thoughts or my heart palpitations and I’m just constantly worrying. Was just wondering if other people check every symptom on google and assume you have it. Do I ride out this nightmare? I haven’t been able to sleep at all and is making my anxiety even worse. I feel lost/scared all the time and now tired because I go days without sleeping. Any stories or advice are welcomed and appreciated!! Thank you!!
Zoloft 25 mg in first week has made my anxiety worse. Do I stay with it?
Question posted by Ryan_O on 1 Feb 2022
Last updated on 2 February 2022 by Catholicmom
3 Answers
Everything that you are experiencing is completely normal in the first few weeks of starting an antidepressant.
It will pass! I remember feeling so frightened that I was never going to get better. That seems like a distant memory now and I’m only on week 7. I also started at 25mg then on day 7 switched over to 50mg. On days 12,13 and 14 I experienced heightened anxiety but day 15 woke up and it had completely lifted. I was expecting those symptoms as I had read about them here so it made it slightly easier to handle. Apart from a little bit of a funny stomach I never really had any other side effects.
I also have health anxiety but I can honestly say that the medication has helped me stay on top of it. I haven’t felt the need to google symptoms. I don’t have the same fear that I had before. I am much better at dealing with life issues.
Good luck on your journey.
I agree with wildcatvet. You may be upping the dose too quickly. Anxiety and panic is my life. Zoloft is a good drug.
Hi, Ryan!
I'm sorry that you're in such a tough place but you're not alone. Everything you describe are common side effects when starting most antidepressant/anxiolytics. The good news is that side effects generally subside after a week or two.
I'm not a doctor but from personal experience I think you may be increasing your dosage too quickly. Your metabolism may need more time to adjust to the medication.
Here's some info that shows you're not experiencing anything weird or dangerous:
Very common (10% or more of users): Insomnia (up to 21%)
Common (1% to 10% of users): Palpitations
Common (1% to 10% of users): Anxiety
Very common (10% or more of users): Decreased appetite
I deliberately left out other side effects for just the reason that you said... people overthink and let their anxiety make them believe that they're going to have them all or at least most of them. The power of the mind is such that this has actually happened in some cases.
Let your doctor know that you're kind of overwhelmed right now and get their professional advice.
It's really going to get better and you'll start seeing the improvements very soon. Hang in there!
Thank you so much for the response! I think you’re right about upping the dose too early because today (day 2) of 50 mg I feel my face being numb and severe anxiety attack and feel very weird in my head. I had to take a hydroxyzine to calm down a little but I feel nauseous and will definitely be going back down to 25 mg tomorrow. Thank you for your feedback and hope you are feeling well
Related topics
zoloft, depression, anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, dosage, vaccine
Further information
- Zoloft uses and safety info
- Zoloft prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Zoloft (detailed)
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