Well, I met with the doctor today, and now have prescriptions for 100mg Zoloft (starting at 50 for a week, then up to 100) for depression and Xanax for panic attacks/anxiety as needed. I meet with her again in six weeks to see how I'm adjusting to the meds. I expressed concern about weight gain, and (as I've read here) it seems that it can have a side effect of either a small gain (avg 5 lbs) or loss. She said that the Zoloft treats both depression and anxiety, and seems pretty confident that it should help. I'm glad I went.

So, what are your experiences with these meds?

Personally I have tried neither.But have many patients with much success on both.You will have an adjustment period in the next few weeks.Be patient as they can take several weeks to experience the full effects.I hope you get relief.

I take 50mg of zoloft a day, it is a good medication (for me at least) just make sure to keep hydrated and all that fun stuff. Other than that and takin it on a full stomach, you should be good

I am on 50mgs of zoloft and 1.0 mg of zanax as needed, I did gain a little weight in the beginning, but it tapered off after a few months, but I will tell you becareful with taking the zanax at night, I would take mine of 8pm to relax, and found myself eating everything in my house, it makes you too relaxed and don't care about your diet!!!

I have been on antidepressants for fifteen years. After losing my daughter, I was in a deep depression, and I started taking the medication. For the first few years, they helped some...but my grief was just too overpowering. I think this is just the grieving process that you must go through, but the medication did help. I stay on antidepressants because of how badly I feel when I get off of them. I did gain weight on them, but I wonder if that is because of the depression itself. Some people eat when depressed and some have no appetite. The same goes with sleeping...either you want to sleep all the time or you can't sleep. It all goes with the territory. I have been on Paxil, Prosac and Zoloft. For me, Zoloft seems to work well. It just evens out your mood. I have been on prednisone for over a year. I have temporal arteritis which is inflammation of the arteries in your head. Prednisone is the only drug to treat it. It is a drug that has really bad side effects and I have had them all. Weight gain, moon face, fat distributed mostly in your stomach. It is not pretty. I am now lowering the dosage and hope to be able to lose the weight. Is there anyone out there that has been able to get off of prednisone and lose the weight? I need some inspiration.:

I have also been on 100mg Zoloft for many years.
i feel like myself when I take it, and a crying blob when I don't.
So to recap, medication or blob, medication or blob... not a hard choice!

I neglected to tell you something. If you have been on antidepressants for a while and decide to try and get off of them, please talk with your Doctor first. You can have withdrawal symptoms. Every time I have tried to get off them, after two or three days, I feel anxious, but also have a strange thing happen. I feel a strange sensation in my head...hard to describe...like a wave in my brain....Since I have been on antidepressants for so long, I can imagine it would easier to lower the dosage slowly, rather than stop cold turkey. Just a thought. By the way, I do so much better and have a better, more leveled out mood on them. I will probably take them for the rest of my life.

Brain Zaps.

Exactly......brain zaps sounds better than brain waves ....LOL

I was on Zoloft for years. I'd get really tense sometimes from it, and my leg would start vibrating. It got so that I often accidentally interrupted a teacher with the hyper drumming of my heel against the floor. They never believed me when I said I couldn't control it, either. *sigh*

Only other symptom I remember was severe nausea in the morning if I didn't get something to eat immediately.

H&F, My mother took Prednisone until the doc made her quit, apparently she had reached the max time to be on it. She lost the 25 lbs she put on over a few months. She didn't alter her lifestyle; the weight just dropped off over a period of about 3 months if I remember correctly. She had difficulty adjusting without prednisone. I believe she was prescribed Celebrex next and was on it until she reached the "time limit"... no weight gain with it.

I've taken Zoloft (either name brand or generic form) off and on for several years now. It really works for me - I'm not nearly as anxiety riddled and I can handle the stress at my job a whole lot better. I used to take Celexa, but it made me too sleepy, so my doc switched me to Zoloft.

As for side effects, the two biggest I have are loss of appetite and nausea. To be honest, most of it comes from the medicine directly, but some comes from my extreme difficulty in swallowing pills (if you have never tasted Zoloft, I do not suggest you try it ).

Took~Zoloft With xanax and hated the combination~but I have a brother that takes them both and says they work great together for him.
I am now off the zoloft and on xanax only 3 a day As needed 0.5 ~i normally take one a day. I have never took 3 a day~they make me too tired.
I would try it and see how it goes.

I take Zoloft 25 mg right now - hoping to maybe come off it at some point but NEVER JUST STOP. I moved and was lazy about getting a new doctor and new prescription and had horrible withdrawal after about 3 weeks and ended up in the ER from feeling all funky "brain waves" and weird. It was not good

Funky brain waves, tingling lips and a bit of vertigo, I experienced when I forgot to renew my prescription after a few days. It was very odd. I'm glad I'm not the only one experiencing that.

I am on Effexor for the past two months. I dont' really feel any major changes - in fact I have way more anxious energy and I am convinced that my improved mood relates to the exercise and diet changes that I incorporated in the past three weeks. And losing the weight is really hard for what I am doing.

Has anyone just weaned themselves off of it slowly - did that help reduce the side effects?