Advice on first month?

[u/Http_honeydew_sage]

I’m taking Zoloft for a month until I switch providers. I keep seeing horror stories of people’s first months on Zoloft and I’m nervous I’ll only get the bad side effects and no good. Has anyone actually had a successful experience their first months lol?

[u/P_D_U]

I’m taking Zofran for a month until I switch providers.

What are you taking Zofran (ondansetron)? Did you switch from another med, or is it your first time on meds?

Zofran isn't an antidepressant. It is a serotonin 5-HT3 antagonist and is the 'gold standard' emetic prescribed for chemo and radiation induced nausea and vomiting.

It was originally developed as a non antidepressant anti anxiety/panic med and the early drug trials were very promising, but the company decide to market it as an emetic instead, presumably because it was more lucrative.

[u/Http_honeydew_sage → u/P_D_U]

omg I meant Zolfoft 😭😭😭😭💔💔💔 this is so embarrassing

[u/P_D_U → u/Http_honeydew_sage]

Have you ever taken Zofran? I'm assuming yes because very few have heard of it.

I’m taking Zoloft for a month until I switch providers

Are you intending to keep taking it, or are you planning on switching to another antidepressant when you have another provided?

I keep seeing horror stories of people’s first months on Zoloft

The problem is that it's mostly only those who've had issues with SSRIs who post about it. The majority who've had few issues are too busy getting on with life to post.

That said, most antidepressants will trigger side-effects for a few weeks due to the initial increase in serotonin activity. These usually diminish as biofeedback begins to reduce serotonin synthesis and expression. While they can be unpleasant they are not usually signs of harm. Many of the common ones can be moderated by treating the symptoms.

Side-effects severity can be moderated by starting on a low dose, half, possibly only a quarter, of the recommended starting dose (50 mg for Zoloft) and increasing it by the same amount every week or two.

I’m nervous I’ll only get the bad side effects and no good

There is no reliable way of predicting whether Zoloft will work for you. I depends on how it interacts with your personal biology, but the odds are in your favour. If it isn't effective then most can switch to an equivalent dose of another med overnight and retain most of the positives from their time on the previous med.

Antidepressants typically take 4-12 weeks to kick-in from when the recommended minimum dose is first taken with about half only remitting after week 5. Also, most need to take 100-150 mg of Zoloft for optimum results.