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Girlfriend's about to start Zoloft, what to expect?
YaYa
Decent.Registered User regular
Decent.Registered User regular
hey all
so, as above, my girlfriend has been diagnosed with dysthymia, essentially a milder form of clinical depression, and has finally requested anti-depressants, specifically Zoloft
I've heard that Zoloft can have a lot of common side effects, sex drive reduction, etc
is there anything I should be preparing myself for in the next few weeks, or any pre-emptive measures I should take to make sure the adjustment period goes smoothly? any tips will be appreciated, this is new ground for both of us
so, as above, my girlfriend has been diagnosed with dysthymia, essentially a milder form of clinical depression, and has finally requested anti-depressants, specifically Zoloft
I've heard that Zoloft can have a lot of common side effects, sex drive reduction, etc
is there anything I should be preparing myself for in the next few weeks, or any pre-emptive measures I should take to make sure the adjustment period goes smoothly? any tips will be appreciated, this is new ground for both of us
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1) It takes a few weeks for a person's body to acclimate to the drug dose. So her reaction to the drug the first week is not going to be what the long term situation is going to be like. Give her time to adjust to the dosage.
2) Doctors sometimes have a bad habit of adjusting the dosage too fast, or wanting to add other drugs (like benzos) to the mix too fast. As noted in (1) she will need time to adjust to the dosage. She should stay on whatever the initial dosage is for a few weeks at least to see how her body reacts.
3) Everybody's body and reaction to the drug is different. She may be a person (like my friend) who only needs a very low dose to have a big impact, or she may need a high dose. It just depends.
4) Make sure she takes the drug on a regular schedule and does not run out of the drug. If she runs out and misses a dose, she can go into SSRI withdrawal, which basically means she turns into a monster rage machine. If she is reducing her dosage or getting off the drug entirely, she should do it gradually over the course of a few days. Going cold turkey is a very bad idea.
5) There are a number of different SSRI drugs, and if she doesn't react well to Zoloft, her doctor can switch her to another one. Many people react well to Celexa (citalopram).
6) There is also the possibility of serotonin syndrome, where either by taking too much of the SSRI or a bad interaction of another drug with the SSRI, she has too much serotonin (sort of the opposite of SSRI withdrawal mentioned in (4)). So she needs to be careful that other medications she's taking or other stuff she is doing (e.g., recreational drugs) don't have a bad reaction with the Zoloft.
7) Finally, be aware that some psychiatrists have become nothing but glorified drug pushers, and their patients end up taking too high doses of too many drugs. If she starts turning into a zombie, she needs to reduce her dosages and maybe cut out some of drugs. As an example, my friend was also prescribed benzos, but reacted very badly to them (zombie state) and had to stop taking them.
Final thought: good on you for being a supportive caring boyfriend. Don't know how old you are or what stage you are in your relationship, but she should be thankful to have a boyfriend who is looking out for her best interests. It can be tough to be dating someone with depression or other mental health issues.
The side effects are well known, there may be nightmares, there may be sex issues, there may be digestive issues (nausia, diaharia,etc), but they are well known.
And I want to echo foodle on the dossage thing. A friend of mine they started on 25mg of zoloft, then bumped him to 150mg after a month. That was way too much, he zombied out, and quit after a year, now he's on 50mg which is where he should have been all along. Just enough to reign in the extreme emotions, but not enough to stamp them out.
Weed- doesn't mix too well with SSRIs, can slow or block their full helpfulness, best to stay away from the plant for at least the first month or two while your body is figuring out the SSRI and you are finding the right dosage (you being your GF here)
Coke- do-able on SSRIs but not advisable with any great frequency or intensity cause yo-yo'ing your dopamine levels while already messing with your seratonin usually doesn't end well. Tends to increase erratic behavior in my experience.
Molly- does not work mixed with SSRIs, don't bother.
Again, not advocating usage here, just sharing some knowledge based on my experiences cause I figure there's a good chance you and your GF are in the age range where some of this stuff might be available and interesting. Key things for her regarding her new medication are to be patient, make sure you find the right dosage, and make sure your doc is worth a damn. Good luck and godspeed.