Zoloft side effects and Zoloft side effect stories.

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The stories below are from people that have taken Zoloft. If you are having side effects from Zoloft, you are not alone. Often bizarre side effects come with Zoloft and other SSRI usage.

"Last night I FINALLY was able to find an answer to some severe health problems that I have been having since February of 2003. First of all, I must explain the circumstances. In early February I was having profuse bleeding, pain in the lower abdomen, as well as other symptoms which were diagnosed as an ovarian growth. I was to be leaving on a two week trip to Italy at the end of the month. My internist suggested that with a short course of Depro-Prevera, and a change from Paxil to Zoloft for the PMS which was associated with it, I could go on my trip, and the growth would be checked upon my return in March. So, I went to Italy. I was not there three days when I began having symptoms which seemed unrelated, or perhaps due to hormonal issues....I did not know. I began to itch, broke out with painful acne, had runny diarrhea, terrible sinus and congestion problems, felt like I had the flu. So, upon return, those symptoms continued to wax and wane almost daily. When the skin condition seemed almost like an acne like reaction to something, I went to a dermatologist (an associate of one I had seem before for a skin infection). She looked at me, asked health history, and basically said that she felt this was "JUST MY ACNE FLARING UP".....I do NOT have acne, am 41, and have not had anything remotely like this in my lifetime. I was developing dark areas on my face, a sandpaper like rash, all covered over with an array of fluid filled pustules, small papules, and a greasy film. She suggested that I must get in to see my internist regarding all the other symptoms. I did so, and he ordered an array of tests on Stool samples. They found NO parasite, no infection whatsoever. He then suggested that it may be irritable bowel. I asked BOTH of these physicians if there was any medication I was on that could be causing ANY of these conditions. Both answered emphatically, "No." I was given scripts for some topical acne med., two allergy meds for my congestion, and told to eat bland foods, and take a fiber supplement. So, the weeks continued. All the symptoms continued. I finally called and demanded that I be able to see the dermatologist that had seen me prior to her associate. I was beginning to see scarring, no relief, and felt that her diagnosis of simple acne was NOT to problem. That evening I poured over MANY websites on skin disorders, allergies, side effects from medications. I called my pharmacist the next morning to ask if it were possible that ANY of the meds I was taking could be causing these problems. He said, "Not likely. Those are infrequent side effects from Zoloft, and certainly not from the Zyrtec." I took it upon myself three days before my appointment this morning with the dermatologist to go off of the Zoloft. Guess what I saw happen? I had solid stool for the first time yesterday, the enraged skin problem started to calm down. Even the pimple-like spots and sandpaper areas began to go away. I still had the red areas that marked their eruptions all over my face for the appointment this morning. Anyway, I went in to see her, explained what I felt I had discovered was perhaps the cause, and she agreed completely!
I happened upon your site today and was SHOCKED to see how many people have had SO many horrid experiences with SSRI meds. I think I counted a dozen or so other symptoms that I have had. Not only from this Zoloft, but the Paxil before!!!! No sex drive, a feeling of "I just don't give a damn," a foggy feeling, numbness in my feet and hands, the GI problems, sinus congestion, and I am sure there are more. I've noticed my size 4 clothing getting tighter and my body feeling bloated. I cannot believe that with all of the questioning I did of people who should KNOW that my symptoms could be, and most probably WERE from the Zoloft!!!
I am glad to have found your site. I hope that I do not go thru a bad withdrawal from the Zoloft. And I wanted to point out to people that even highly regarded physicians seem to either be clueless on all of this, or they are duped by the drug reps that push this crap on them. Yes, there was a benefit from the Zoloft with regard to my PMS, and it did seem to take away my anxiety from hormonal fluctuations. But, the HELL I have been going through with all of the side effects from it has been FAR worse than any of that. I will have to deal with healing scars on my face from the outbreak, and the fact that my trip to Italy (a lifetime dream) was made miserable from the symptoms. Not to mention the screwing up of my GI tract. Thank you for your website as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Milwaukee, WI"

"I have been having problems for the past 2 weeks. I felt like I was having a heart attack. I had to leave work December 3rd and go to the emergency room because of chest pain and pain in left arm. The hospital said my ekg was fine but my heart rate had dropped down to 46. They
wanted me to wear a monitor for 24 hours. The monitor showed that at times my heart skipped beats and my pulse dropped to 39. It feels like my heart is fluttering. Well I ask the ER doctor if my medicine, 50mg of ZOLOFT and Premarin 1.25 could be causing this affect and he said no. Well the next day at work I call the Doctors office that prescribe my medicine and asked them and they said no. I then called my family doctor and he called me in his office and said he could definitely hear
an arrhythmia in my chest. I asked him about the medicine and he also told me that it was not the medicine. He ordered a stress test, which I done this past Friday Dec 7th. The doctor at the hospital (a cardiologist assistant) said I aced the stress test and he also said it
was not the medicine. By now I had asked 4 different doctor's and all had said it was not the medicine. I called my family doctor back on Monday December 10th and told them I could not function the way I felt. I am weak, tired, hands swelling, pain in chest and back, pain in left
arm, very shaky, nervous, can't sleep, have anxiety. So my doctor sends me to a cardiologist in another town today Dec 12th and this doctor tells me my heart is great AND IT IS THE MEDICINE (ZOLOFT). The cardiologist I seen today said I should not have been on Zoloft for more
than 2 months and I have been taking it for 6 months. He said to take 1/2 a pill for three days and then stop taking it all together."

"My 7 yr old son was put on Zoloft 25mg for OCD last February 2001. In March he was increased to 50MG, April thru May 75mg a day, May thru August 125mg a day, September thru January 2002 150mg a day. February 1, 2002 he was admitted to the psychiatric ward at Children's Memorial in Chicago. He stayed there 7 days. They said he was at a toxic level of Zoloft (they didn't even recommend an adult take 150mg) considering his age and weight (50lbs). The first day they decreased his dose to 50mg, the next day to 25mg. A 125mg drop in two days!

Prior to Zoloft, my son washed his hands constantly, didn't like the words blood, skin, bones, brain, heart and had unwanted images in his head. Symptoms of OCD.

After he starting taking Zoloft, our main problem was what we called out-of-control behavior, nothing violent, just oppositional. However his OCD improved a little. So the Doctor increased his dosage. Every visit to the Dr. it was the same - his behavior was getting more and more out of control, more oppositional, angry and he was getting very impulsive, so he upped the dosage and started other meds along with the Zoloft (risperdal, pamelor, desipramine, depakote ER). See attached file. During this time, he labeled my son as being OCD and ADD, then said he was OCD and ODD, then finally said he was OCD and bi-polar.

Besides the aforementioned effects, he was hot all the time, wouldn't eat the food he used to like and then just didn't want to eat at all unless it was sweet. He craved carbohydrates. He was difficult to get up in the morning and slept too much on the weekends more than 12 hours usually 14 to 15 hrs., bruised easily, had short term memory loss, showed no emotions (except laughing at inappropriate behavior), unconcerned about the consequences of his actions and displayed grandiose behavior. Also, wrote stories of mutilating animals

In late January all hell broke lose, it was a nightmare. He was having violent, aggressive behavior, violent rages, told us he was going to kill us and our animals, hit, kicked, bit, threw things at us and pulled our hair, he was swearing repeatedly, and showed signs of a dual personality (talked of another person making him do all these things), he was pulling his hair out in chunks on his head and arms, drawing violent pictures of blowing up animals and people urinating on the floor. I was actually afraid of my child.

After doing research on the web, I was horrified to find out that the Zoloft had caused all of this. Unfortunately, I was told I could not take legal action at this time for what my sons Dr. had prescribed unless I could prove he had permanent damage as a result of his Doctors negligence. Well I'm in the process of trying to get a MRI and/or brain scan of brain activity to see if there is any permanent damage.

As of 2/10/02, my son is no longer taking any medication. He is now in major withdrawal from Zoloft. He is still swearing, has a hard time falling asleep, is agitated, hyper, aggressive, violent (although subsiding a bit), he says it feels like there's bugs in his brain (electric shocks?), says he hates us, is going to kill us (although intent seems to be gone). He is slowly showing improvement but at this point the bad days still outweigh the good ones. He told me the other night he didn't mean to do and say the things he's doing, he can't control it.

I'm outraged that Pfizer could allow people to take this drug without knowing the long term effects or the adverse reactions or if they did know, why didn't they have to disclose this information? How many people have to go through hell, die or end up committing suicide before they pull this drug off the market. His Doctor keep assuring us this drug was safe, not so!

"I was prescribed Zoloft for divorce. I took the drug for 3 months. I remember profuse sweating at night, and had extreme acne on my back, breasts and face. After my boss asked me if I drank alcohol and thought there was something wrong with me, I went cold turkey on March 1st 1998. I had no symptoms while going off the stuff, except I felt that I was thinking clearer and the longer I was off the stuff the better - physically - I felt. However it took two years for the acne to go away. During the past 2 years, I did several liver cleanses to get this junk out of my body. I am back to normal now, with no sweats and little or no acne. Zoloft is dangerous and NOT for situational depression like divorce. These doctors dispense the stuff like candy! I just went back to the doctor because I have gained 20 lbs for each of the last 3 years. The first thing the doctor wanted to do was prescribe more anti-depressants because it was supposed to be good for weight loss. I'd rather be fat!"

"My wife was on Zoloft for nearly eight years. At first I thought I was going crazy until I realised recently that part of her memory has gone. Things I told her yesterday she cannot even remember. I am sure she can't even remember yesterday anyway. Zoloft has taken my wife away from me and given therapists and psychiatrists a guaranteed income for many years. When Zoloft was promoted as a way to find herself out of depression it did....into oblivion. I might as well be married to the little box they come in now. Oh by the way did I mention it KILLS the libido?"

"When I miss a dose I get tingling in the fingertips, lips, and toes. Faintness. Nausea. Mood swings. Sensitivity to noise and light."

"I have been taking Zoloft for about eight months. While it has helped my clinical depression, I have gained over 50 pounds. For the first two weeks I walked around with a solid erection. Even my fiancée thought something was wrong with me. I have decided to stop taking Zoloft due to these side effects, I now feel Dizzy all the time, unable to concentrate and weird sleeping schedules. I am sick of this medication, at first it helped me, but now it is hurting me."

"I am 20 years old and have been on Zoloft since I was 18 I have never been to the doctor with my side effects but it is good to see that I am not alone. I have a huge loss of sexual desire and I get extremely agitated over nothing at all. My mood swings have not gotten any better they have only increased. Fatigue and sleepiness have
also increased. Rashes have also came with taking the medication. I use 150 mg per day."

"I have been on Zoloft (or Lustral as it is called in the UK) for 18 months now. I reluctantly took them, as my doctor said they were not addictive and the side effects are minimal. How wrong he is....I have very poor concentration levels, extreme fatigue, no energy, nightmares, I am nauseous daily, I'm also more sensitive to background noises though I feel deaf in other ways, I get sharp shooting pains in my brain, pain in the left side of my stomach, I perspire more than I used to, I am forgetful to the point that I've endangered my life by leaving the gas turned on the cooker...without lighting it. I just feel "foggy" all the time, I am sat completely unaware of my surroundings, It takes me ages to work out simple sums though I am normally very good at math and I have to read words and sentences over and over again till I understand the meaning. I also become extremely suicidal if I miss a pill, I am completely addicted to them and I want to come off them, yet I am terrified !
of the withdrawal symptoms. My doctors answer to this...increase my dose (I did let him, though I've never took the increased amounts.) I wish I would have been told the truth when I was put on these drugs, if Id have owned a computer back then, I would have done my research instead of listening to my doctor and I firmly believe I would never be in this mess. I just exist, I do not live my life!!!"

"Zoloft..... extreme diarrhea that has lasted all day,
everyday since beginning medication."

"Zoloft - In addition to many of the effects already listed , I experienced: ears ringing (tinnitus), extremely dry skin with rash, burning sensation in my feet - especially at night when trying to sleep."

"Zoloft. Kicked out of church, loss of wife, kids and helped send me to jail when my Harvard dr. told me to just quit it cold turkey because I hated the way it made me feel, "awful, sinful, etc...""dr. are being used as sales man for these unproven drugs, free samples etc.. God help us!"

"Hearing sounds that aren't there, hatred towards people, paranoia, confusion, Zoloft."

"I have been taking Zoloft for2 years at one point I could not sleep and even felt really strange almost gloomed so my doctor increased my dosage to 100 mg a day I felt my heart skipping and congestion in my chest after 1 month I felt like that was too much for me. so I went back to 50 mg a day. after 2 months the same gloom is back. I have been working overtime and cannot take my pills at the same time each day. I was put on them for mood swings mild I think my doctor also told me that it would help my libido....I don't think so. I'm not crazy or severely depressed before all this. I have not taken my pills for a week know."

"I have been taking Zoloft for about two years. I have experienced episodes of rapid heart beatings as well as a sensation of "skipped beats", chest pains and muscular pain. I have also developed an occasional problem with my speech--stuttering. In the last year, I have developed a sexual dysfunction and have extreme difficulty achieving orgasm. I have difficulty sleeping and when I do, I have severe "night sweats". I also perspire profusely and after a short period of strenuous activity, look as if I have just stepped out of the shower. My vision is blurred and I get shooting pains in my head. I also feel "foggy" and have difficulty concentrating on normal tasks.

I have been scared to death to go to the doctor's for a checkup because I was sure the symptoms were related to heart problems. What a relief to think they may be "chemically" produced. I will seek medical attention to get another prescription without all of the adverse side affects."

"I am in shock after finding this testimonial. I thought I was going crazy...I was on Zoloft for 4 months and gradually reduced the dosage on my own, and have stopped all together. I now have tingling sensations in my tongue and body, I have what I think are out of body experiences where I go in and out of a haze. I feel dizzy when I exercise and on and on...I have made an appointment to see my primary physician because I was afraid I may have a brain tumor or something else neurological. It's a terrible feeling and hard to explain. I am glad I'm not alone!! What a mess!"

"I slowly took myself off Zoloft, but now have near fainting spells. moments where I have to stop what I'm doing and 'recover."

"I have been on Zoloft for 3 years and I don't feel like the same person. Is this possible? I am also afraid of withdrawals if I wean myself."

"I recently stopped taking Zoloft for the second time. The withdrawals were driving me crazy the first time I tried quitting until I had to start back on the pills to feel better. I was on Paxil for a few months last year and had the same difficulty getting off it. My body would not let go of the drug. I didn't like the side effects of Paxil; sexual side effects, weight gain, decreased energy. Once I was finally weaned off Paxil, I told my doctor I didn't want to take it again or any other similar drug that would cause me the same problems; particularly the withdrawals. He assured me that Zoloft would not do that. He was wrong! I thought I could stop taking the Zoloft after 3 months per his instructions with no difficulties. No such luck. It's taken me 2 months to wean myself off the drug. I still feel nauseous and dizzy. Hopefully I'll start feeling better soon."

"Was on Zoloft & Xanax. My pharmacy was out & I ran out of Zoloft for about 6 days. Could not stop laughing, said crazy things, felt on a high buzz, not able to sleep, heard voices and saw things. I thought I was going crazy!"

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