Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
I am 42 and have had about three to four seasons of bad anxiety. I have over come them in the past but I am having a hard time overcoming this season. It started when i got Covid a month ago. I never had severe symptoms but did lose smell ect. My wife had it as well and we were quaranitined with our 4 kids ages 1-7. It was an intense few weeks.
I started having anxiety attacks again and this time more persistent depression has set in since. I have days where I feel like I am getting back to normal and then a weight of sadness hits. The anxiety had faded but then I wondered if I was anxious about the depressed feelings and they were anxiety masked. Then a couple nights ago I had anxiety attack and had to take hydroxyzine(50mg) to get to sleep. I did not sleep a lot. Last night I had anxiety again. I took the same amount but it took a lot longer to set in and I did not sleep a lot.
My doctor prescribed Zoloft since I asked about it. My wife has been on it for three years and loves it. She plans to stay on it. I am afraid to take something that changes my brain chemistry. Mostly because I dont want to be on it long term. I want to be my best for my family though. I am blessed and have no reason to feel depressed. Anxiety comes with my work sometimes but I usually handle it. I tried Paxil in grad school and I felt numb and quit and that was a scary experience. Thats part of the reason I have reservations about other meds.
My question: Has any one taken Zoloft for a while stopped easily? I am trying to eat healthy and I started excercising again. I am hoping that gets me back to normal but I will take it if needed.
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Years ago, I won a mirrored armoire from my job. It's in my bedroom but I rarely stand in front of it. Yesterday, I had to have a dexascan done so I had to change into a gown. There was a full length mirror in the changing room. I'm aware that I gained 5 to 7 pounds over the last year from cheating on Keto but I didn't know what it looked like. It was a reality check.
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"don't be a hate hole" has been one of my recent mantras which seems to be escaping my mouth more and more often. it emerges when i am faced with the endless list of chores i would rather not deal with. insurance. head lice. bureaucracy. in-laws. the list goes on and on and on and on, ad infinitum.reality checks requested. am i making sense?"ever'thin they is but loving leaves a rust on your...
There are lots of threads on here talking about Zoloft. Here is the most recent one -
https://www.dailystrength.org/group/anxiety/discussion/side-effects-13
If your wife is doing great on it, you could ask your psychiatrist about trying it too. Check with your psychiatrist and do as they tell you to do regarding medications for your particular situation. You can talk to this kind of doctor regarding your concerns about long term use. Paxil and Zoloft are different types of medications, so if one didn't work for you, doesn't mean another won't work either.
You don't have to suffer with anxiety. Medications work for most people. Just a matter of finding the right one for you. When used in conjunction with therapy, you should have good results. Good luck.
You've taken the important first step in writing it out.
I was on zoloft to even out the high anxiety and the chronic depression. After I was able to learn a variety of techniques to find the calm in most situations, I was allowed to wean off zoloft at a slow pace.
Important, stay hydrated consistently with zoloft.
Second, keep a private journal to help you see the changes with the help of zoloft.
Best wishes as you find a better balance and learn how to use anxiety as your helper!
Yes some meds work for others and some don't work.
It's good to ask questions to your doctor.