Zoloft for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• Sly
• October 9, 2011

"I had a traumatic experience with an ex-boyfriend of mine three years back and I've been fine. I am now deployed and doing missions in Iraq and have seen a few explosions and what not and I think that's what triggered my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I was hesitant about trying medicines but they said I could take them and still go out on the road. So far they seem to be helping lighten my mood and actually want to get out of bed in the morning and not worry or get irritated and paranoid at random times like I normally would. I am also taking it with clonazepam, which is helping a lot! No side effects yet, hopefully none to come! "

• MDASS
• October 5, 2014

"I started taking it after my husband passed away; he had a cardiac problem and I tried to unsuccessfully help him. I did call the emergency services, they tried but were unable to help him. After that I could not get thoughts about the incident out of my mind and I lost in excess of 50lbs the next month. I was given Zoloft by my doctor which did interrupt my 'panic', however I only took the medicine for less than one month as I couldn't think properly. I rely on my mind, my thoughts to process how I relate to the 'world' - I decided that being sad about the situation was appropriate and a normal response. In the eighteen years since then I have not needed medication for depression - other things yes, but not mood disorders. Thank you."

• JinMo...
• February 12, 2018

"I am so deeply grateful for Zoloft at this time of my life. Before I started on it, I was having constant intrusive thoughts of sexual assault. I was afraid of going outside. I was afraid of my phone. My anxiety was out of the roof. I was so easily startled, all the time, and would constantly be trying to suppress emotional flashbacks so that I could go to work or be with my partner or do menial tasks like wash the damn dishes. Now, I feel like I have mental space—like I have the choice to take care of myself and to work through my trauma. Memories which were incredibly scary for me to even think about are now memories that I am able to access (in part, sometimes) and confront. Zoloft has given me my brain back. I used to be so afraid of getting on medication because of the stigmas attached to it, but this has really been a lifesaver."

• ari
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 16, 2022

"I have been taking this medication to help with anxiety and flashbacks mostly associated with C-PTSD. Prior to being on this medication I would suffer from daily flash backs for about 5 years. Other SSRI medication did not seem to help. Zoloft gave me my life back. I'm on a high dose of 200mg which works well. I do feel that it affects my memory, not related to my flashbacks. I do not know if that is the mechanism of how it works, but it is a small price to pay in my opinion, to stop the flashbacks/dissasociation/anger/anxiety from C-PTSD. I also have noticed that if I forget to take a dose, I do experience flashbacks on that day, perhaps I am more sensitive than most? Overall very happy with this drug."

• PTSD...
• March 9, 2010

"I starting taking Zoloft 8 weeks ago. I was extremely stressed out and was suffering from PTSD due to a bad car accident. After about 1 1/2 wks I really noticed a difference. Not stressed anymore but I do feel a bit Zombie like. I also have a problem with memory and focusing. Also really tired at night. Overall right now I guess it is worth the trade off. Also have intestinal issues but hope it will go away."

• Deano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2019

"I'm on day 5 of taking Zoloft. I have been sober for 8 months and recently diagnosed with PTSD for trauma that happened in my childhood. 4 months ago, my brother, who I loved deeply, committed suicide and it sent me spiralling into insufferable anxiety and depression. I have not been able to work my social anxiety is so bad and I am constantly afraid I'm going to die, especially at night when its time to go to sleep. Driving gives me panic attacks, my throat closed and my heart beats so hard and fast and I can't speak or breath right. So far, the medicine has not changed anything. In fact, my anxiety is way worse, I constantly have a knot in my chest, elevated heartbeat and tight throat. The nausea is debilitating, I've been in bed most of these 5 days. I am starting to lose all hope, I was really hoping an antidepressant would help me."

• NoName
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 19, 2017

"I've been taking Zoloft for about half a year now on 200mg. I'm not taking it for depression, it's being used in conjunction with other things for rage and anger, hypervigilence, as well as dissociation. I've been pretty lucky with this medication because I experience absolutely zero side effects, in fact I could probably take a higher dose right now although I'd rather stick with the minimum and use coping techniques. I still feel like "me" on Zoloft. In fact I feel more like myself then I have in a long time. I still feel my emotions and everything, although I experience them in a healthy, normal way. I don't experience all of the irrational, exaggerated, awful feelings and sensations I used to, in a good way. I feel normal again."

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2015

"I suffer from PTSD and Panic Disorder. I have given Zoloft a good 3 months. I started at 25mg and worked up to 150mg. Although it did seem like it took the edge off my suffering temporarily, my body seemed to be fighting the medication the whole time. At 50mg I suffered panic attacks that were much more severe than the ones I had prior to the medication. I found some tranquility at 100mg for a week, then my PCP put me at 150mg to see if things improved. They did not improve. I experienced increased agitation, tremors, shaking like my body was in fear, yet I was not, sweating, then hot flashes. My blood pressure skyrocketed. My PCP referred me to a psychiatrist who put me back at 100mg. Symptoms subsided, but after a week it became clear my body was rejecting the medication altogether. Yesterday I was on Zoloft, having hot flashes, sweating, severe panic attacks, racing heartbeat, and high blood pressure. Today, I am on 10mg of Lexapro and my blood pressure is fantastic. I have not had a panic attack all day. Sure, it's only been a day and my body may react differently after taking it for awhile, but it has been a welcome change from the Zoloft. I wished I had asked for a change sooner, but I have never been on antidepressants before."

• Erica
• December 12, 2020

"This is my first time ever with an SSRI. I am a therapist my self and working with severe trauma in my clients so I got burned out. I had about 8 negative side effects: inability to reach orgasm, extreme appetite, permanent jaw clenching and pain on the side of my tongue, diarrhoea, head aches at night, exhaustion to the point of going to bed at 7 pm, muscle twitching, restless legs. I had my birthday and I was having all these symptoms and couldn’t even enjoy! I wish I could just stop them in this second but I know it’s not wise and it could be dangerous. Never again. I just couldn’t believe it took away the most important thing in my life: my orgasms!!! I normally reach one in one minute with porn or my toys and I also experience multiple. The pill took this joy away completely. I see reviews that say decreased libido but I don’t see any story like mine. I would rather suffer all my life than have the best thing in life removed. What a shame!"

• Joe...
• May 30, 2018

"One of the worst drug to give any one. The side effects are out of control. The fact that a medicine that has been approved to treat PTSD that can make you harm yourself is beyond me. Took for 3 months before the active duty navy doctors finally changed the medicine. Not only did it make everything worse (not able to sleep, depression, and feeling of hopelessness among others). On a weekly basis my spouse was concerned for my well being. Requiring her to call the ambulance about 1 to 2 times a month. After being taken off the medicine I was able to get away from the awful feelings. A new up to date study needs to be done because I am not the only one that has had this effects."

• CMan
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 5, 2017

"I've got severe PTSD, OCD and social anxiety. I started taking Zoloft to help manage my PTSD symptoms, mainly anger/rage, flashbacks and dissociation. I'm a small male, I only weigh 125 lbs. I started at 25mg and then jumped to 100mg then 200mg within 2 months because this stuff's like water for me. I've been on 200mg for about 7 months now and it's helped a lot although not enough. I still feel my symptoms when they hit me, although they're slightly toned down. Btw I don't feel like a zombie at all, I still feel like myself, just more calm. It feels as though I'm not taking anything at all most of the time. I've basically also never had any side effects except the first day or two I had a slight sore stomach but nothing close to bad."

• stormy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2020

"Zoloft made me feel completely disconnected from my surroundings - numb. I told my doctor I felt as though someone could commit some awful assault on another person and I would stand there emotionless and then walk away. I wanted to not have the hyper alertness connected with the PTSD but this was way to far to the opposite end of the scale."

• Anony...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 29, 2019

"The worst experience I've ever had Zoloft made me so sick it was unbelievable. I had gastric disturbances, headaches, severe ringing in the ears. I was only one tablet from 25mg to 50mg and I became so sick had weird dreams had to come off the medication. I had hair loss chunks of hair loss, vivid weird extremely strange dreams. With all the other reviews that I've seen on it why was I losing my hair? Wh did I have every adverse effect and my symptoms got worse, there was no benefit to this drug for me only sickness and the worst dream experiences and again why were chunks of hair coming out of my head? I will never take it again do not suggest anyone to take it especially since I'm the size of a child but once again the prescriber only saw my age size needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to this drug just like every other drug "

• This...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2015

"I was on this for 2.5 weeks. I was on a 50mg dosage and I don't know if it was too much for my body (I weigh under 110) but the severity of my panic and anxiety worsened. At first it made have insomnia and then after a week it was the complete opposite - uncontrollably falling asleep immediately about 30 minutes after taking the dose and it became incredibly hard to wake up in the morning. It would feel like lifting 400 lbs to make my legs move in the morning and I would still feel tired after 14 hours of sleep. My fearful thoughts became worse and completely clouded my head, and I had this overwhelming feeling of impending doom resulting in panic attacks. Also loss of appetite from a combination of the extreme dry/cracked mouth and nausea."

• Stres...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 1, 2022

"I have seriously terrible anxiety and depression - though anxiety is the main issue. This medication has changed my life. I still experience anxiety, but its no longer overwhelming and not over the smallest little things. I don't ruminate as much - and it allows me to function. It doesn't make me high in any way. The only side effect was having the Hershey Squirts for about a week when I first went on it, but that cleared up."

• poppy...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2012

"I have been on this medicine for 3 month for my PTSD and I find it has helped somewhat, I can think straight, calm, centered. It's wonderful in combination with Lyrica for my GAD in which I'm in the-4% that gets euphoria from it."

• Packi...
• May 9, 2017

"I'm a combat veteran with PTSD. My dose was 25mg daily for 2 weeks, then 50mg daily. I Started out with severe headaches and diarrhea for the first 2 weeks. After that the headaches went away. However, I started vomiting every night and morning. Not just minor vomiting, but exorcist looking vomiting. Sometimes about a gallon. I would fill up my toilet pretty good. The diarrhea never went away. I was constantly dehydrated. After a few months I couldn't take the side effects. Tapering off made my PTSD 1000% worse. I would have been better off not taking it at all. Before you start SSRIs look up other people's horror stories. These things are worse than hardcore illegal drugs."

• Freaky...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2017

"Only day three but the physical stress symptoms are totally gone. To be honest though the physical tremors the weird yawning are rather unnerving but I am sure they will die down. I will comment each week for four weeks to update."

• Shan
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 27, 2021

"Zoloft did not go well for me. I was taking 25 mg for only two days and couldn't keep going due to side effects. The side effects started with extreme nausea on day one, then diarrhea, heart racing. Day two was horrific I fell asleep and woke up with heart racing, sweating, shaking, and dry heaving. I considered going to the hospital. I took a xanax and a shower and luckily it calmed down. I only had that one episode but continued to have the extreme nausea and heart racing into day three. I stopped taking it after the second dose and the nausea has gone down significantly and I could eat a little. Definitely couldn't brave through the side effects. It truly scared me."

• KMano
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 27, 2019

"I have PTSD and concomitant major depressive disorder from being a paramedic. My Dr. prescribed sertraline, starting off with a 50mg dose. No noticeable difference. My dose was increased to 100mg which worked well enough for a while. Decreased intrusive thoughts/images, almost no olfactory flashbacks, no panic attacks. However, like most other people, my libido was completely wiped out, insomnia hit me hard AND I became incredibly paranoid, believing my husband of 23 years was cheating on me (he wasn't and has never). Unfortunately, it seems that my body has adapted to it and my symptoms are coming back. I would say for me, it's an okay short term drug (6-12 months) but definitely not a long term solution. Other than that, there were no contrainteractions with my other medications (ivaberadine, propranolol, flecanaide, celebrex, aspirin, diazepam, paracetamol SR)."

• Rach
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 28, 2021

"I have been on sertraline/Zoloft for 5 years. It has saved my life. I have experienced a lot of trauma growing up especially through my teens. It wasn’t until my 20s that I was finally diagnosed with PTSD and after being misdiagnosed with depression for years and treated with many other meds which never helped me, sertraline was a saving grace. I no longer go from 0-100 with my mood and episodes. I no longer have panic attacks. I no longer have suicidal ideation or attempts. It saved my relationship and I have been a better mother. I am wanting to see my doctor to slowly decrease from 100mg a day (I started on 200mg), and eventually come off them completely. The only negative I have had is slight weight gain. I’m still healthy but I have gained around 7kg - I exercise and eat well. I’m not overweight but IO do struggle to shift the excess weight I’d rather not have!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2021

"Took 25 mg for PTSD and panic disorder. I'm a 23 year old male, I was put on the lowest dose because I didn’t want any terrible side effects. Even at the lowest dose I suffered almost all of them. No appetite whatsoever. I felt disassociated from reality. My mood was all over the place and I got hot flashes and tremors. They say to stick it out and it all gets better but how is that possible when you can’t even function for three weeks straight? My advice would be to not take Zoloft. It’s just not worth it I would rather have panic attacks and deal with them normally. I was insane on that drug literally crazy."

• turbur
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 19, 2016

"Yo so I was prescribed Zoloft for Depression, Adult Major Depressive Disorder, and PTSD. It has only been a couple months so maybe I'm not one to judge yet. I guess I feel okay. Like I feel less extremely depressed, I'm still a sad girl tho, and honestly I feel like I could stop and feel pretty much the same. Although withdrawals are a bitch. There have been weekends where I have left my pills somewhere or not gotten a re-up from my doc and believe me my boyfriend, friends, and fam can all tell something is up when i'm not on my meds. I'm just quicker to react to shit and not really okay and feel kinda insane. I'm getting off Zoloft now. I wouldn't say it was bad I just need more help. I didn't feel motivated to do anything ever. soo... :/ yah"

• Deano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 2, 2019

"I shared yesterday on here what I've been going through on zoloft. Well, I just flushed them all down the toilet. I woke up with anxiety so bad all I could do was cry. This drug is gone out of my life. I will take the depression over this."

• Eliza...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2022

"I switched to Zoloft after many failed years of Lexapro. Last week I started Zoloft at 50mg, this week I’m on 100mg. I have severe PTSD that has gotten to the point where I literally can’t stop panicking no matter what and I also have extreme mood swings. Even the short amount of time I’ve been on Zoloft I’ve felt a noticeable difference in my mood. My panic is getting better, I’m not swinging from guns blazing to depressed void. I have some side effects right now while I’m adjusting, been sweating and have a fluttery feeling in my chest (anxiety probably). But, I’m really looking forward to next weeks and months on Zoloft!"