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I took 50 mg sertraline (Zoloft) & 100 mg Trazodone to help my anxiety (which was about being able to fall asleep) & insomnia. Three years into this treatment & I'm still taking the Trazodone but only 12 mg of sertraline. My anxiety seems to be under control & my sleep patterns are normal if my neighborhood isn't too noisy. The key for me was to stick to a bedtime routine/schedule. I take my sertraline at lunch. If I'm feeling too restless during my evening wind-down time, I take 3mg melatonin about a half hour before my Trazodone.
Good luck to you. And remember to check with your doctor before adjusting your meds or adding supplements.
Thank you; my sleep is greatly improved. However, no change in the depression or anxiety. I am not liking this, but I will give it more time.
I hate being on meds.
Your dose is very low. It takes time to adjust it. No one likes being on meds, but they can give your life back to you. They can provide a buffer against the worst, give you breathing room, help you help yourself. For whatever reason some chemical is out of whack in your brain. Think of it another way; if you happened to have a bone marrow defect that affected blood clotting, some genetic disorder that interfered with the way you metabolize some nutrient, were severely allergic to something, trying to correct that with a targeted medication would also be a benefit right?
I was on that once. I went through about 6-7 brand name ADs and was not happy with their side effects. They all took away my sex life and some made me tired all day long. I finally tried Wellbutrin, Google it, an old school drug that is not an SSRI. It curbs your appetite, makes you horny and happy. It is unlike the other drugs but long ago some people were having seizures on it but it was later found that they were abusing the drug and taking very high dosages never given by a doctor. Still doctors are influenced by drug salesman or stick to the one AD they know for most patients..
I went through of stuff before I went to a Psychiatrist in our medical center. That guy knew what he was doing and put me on Wellbutrin. It also is used for anti anxiety and for me at least, gives me energy and eliminates fatigue. I am on something else for sleep but almost weaned off of it now. I fall asleep quickly and wake up between 7-9 hours feeling refreshed and not groggy. PDOCs know a lot more about fixing your problem than your regular doctor and you will have better results. My PDOC had me insomnia under control in two days and advised that I stay on my dosage of Wellbutrin (Bupropion generic dirt cheap) since it makes me feel good and has no bad side effects except for the one my wife hates; the horny all the time one.
It can be awful going through drug after drug waiting 6 weeks to see if it works. I remember one morning driving to work after starting a new AD and jumping a curb on a street. Sometimes I could not wake up. Some made me impotent while others made me anorgasmic. I told my doctor that not having sex is making me more depressed. Ask to see a Psychiatrist. It is not like you see on TV. No couch, just a regular doctor's office and all they do is deal with finding the right combination of drugs that works for you. Unlike your regular doctor, they are not afraid to prescribe other drugs and do drug combinations. Good luck and I know what you are going through but once you find the right stuff for you, you will feel much better.
Yes, I do get tired of the "trial and error", and wait time of no less than 6 weeks. I also want to get off sleep meds, but seem unable to while on AD's.
It's been a few weeks on Zoloft (generic). Not sure if I should start increasing or start weaning off. I just feel like I should be feeling better after a few weeks and I am not.
Don't let anyone's NEGATIVE comments affect you. These meds work differently on each of us. A few weeks is not long enough to determine how effective they can be....unless you talk to your MD to see if a change needs to be made...
Don't give up...took me quite a while to find the two that work best for me. But it's worth it.
Yes, I do get tired of the "trial and error", and wait time of no less than 6 weeks. I also want to get off sleep meds, but seem unable to while on AD's.
It's been a few weeks on Zoloft (generic). Not sure if I should start increasing or start weaning off. I just feel like I should be feeling better after a few weeks and I am not.
My PDOC said to just wean off very slowly by chipping off a piece of the pills every few weeks so your body can get used to the lower dose. I too thought that I could not sleep due to my AS but that is not the case at all. He said it if takes a year, it takes a year because what is more important is a good nights sleep. I was suffering from sleep deprivation. I have successfully wean off of everything. I do that every few years when the dosages I am taking do not seem to be enough anymore. I give it 3 months and than start at the lower dosage again.
If you have a good Psychiatrist he will tell you how to wean off and provide guidance throughout the process. I email my PDOC often. My regular doctor just prescribed lower dosage pills and gave me no useful advice about anything. In just one month I have cut my AD by a third and my sell meds by 50%. For sleep I have an drug used for bipolar depression but in a small dosage. The only high dosage I med I have is Valium which is what I have been asking doctors to give me for years because it makes me sleepy unlike Xanax. I am taking 5 mg. of Valium and every few weeks I take a tiny bit less. No hurry because it is not doing my any harm. For deep and long sleep I take Seroquel. I take half of the lowest starter dosages so it comes out to 50 mg. That stuff lets me sleep for 7-10 hours. I have to set my clock now which I have not done in years since I used to wake up very early in the morning all the time.
I usually have to go through 5 doctors to find a good one. It is worth the effort because like in every other profession the skill and knowledge level of the people in it vary from poor to excellent and like every parent thinks their kids are smart, every patient thinks their doctors are the best. My doctor is the boss of all the doctors that work in our very large medical center. He is the one who educates them about new things. He told me more in a half an hour about my problems that my ex doctor told me in 3 years. Keep plugging away and when you find the right doc, life will be good again.
Yes, I do get tired of the "trial and error", and wait time of no less than 6 weeks. I also want to get off sleep meds, but seem unable to while on AD's.
It's been a few weeks on Zoloft (generic). Not sure if I should start increasing or start weaning off. I just feel like I should be feeling better after a few weeks and I am not.
My doctor told me the average dosage of Zoloft is 150 mg. I don't think you will know if this works for you at only 25 mg. I can tell you that it did not work for me, at 50 mg I started feeling relief, and no longer have any panic attacks with my current dose of 100 mg. I'm sticking to 100 mg and I know that I'm still under the average strength dosage.
Recently started sertraline for major depressive disorder and social anxiety. Low dosage - 25 mg. I would say it is more trouble with waking up early rather than getting to sleep.
I can go to bed at 11:00 and wake up at 2:30, and am up for the day. This will not be sustainable when I go back to work full-time.
If you experienced this on Zoloft (or another SSRI), did it ever go away?
Zoloft will make it hard to sleep. Its not possible to lower the dosage because you are already at the very lowest dose that the pharma makes.. I take Trazadone at night to offset side effects and help me sleep.
For now, simply take your Zoloft in the morning instead of at night. Its important to take pills at the exact same a day, every day.
Insomnia is gone. Not really feeling any better, though.
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