JBird2001 - I've been depressed for 3 weeks and just was prescribed Zoloft

[JBird2001]

Last Friday afternoon I took my first dose of Zoloft 50 mg, then again on Saturday morning.  On Friday night I also took my first dose of Trazadone 50 mg.  I stopped after that because I felt an immediate negative reaction, most notably a complete lack of sex drive.  My fiancee and I had sex last Wed or Thurs, but since then I cannot perform.

 

I know SSRIs tend to decrease sex drive, even more so than being depressed alone, so I would rather not take the meds and deal with the issues more naturally (e.g. more exercise, better diet).

 

I also feel tremendous headaches, and dull pain in my groin.  Difficulty urinating, too, have to force it out.  

 

Can somebody please tell me if these are effects of the drugs themselves, especially the combination of Zoloft and Trazadone.  I am praying that what I'm feeling is the bad side effects of the drugs, even though I've taken only three doses.  Also wondering how long they stay in the body?  Thanks so much for your responses!

[dalsaan]

Hi JBird2001,

 

You can look up both of these medications here http://www.drugs.com/

 

This will give you info about side effects, drug interactions etc.

 

This is a website for people who are coming off antidepressants and suffering withdrawal.  Given what we have seen in terms of 

peoples experiences of this kind of medication I wholeheartedly support your decision to deal with your issues naturally.  Exercise is very important, as is a good diet.  We also recommend fish oil.  If you have personal issues that are troubling you it might be useful to find some face to face support to work through those.

 

all the best

 

Dalsaan

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Jbird.

 

Having "depression" for a few weeks does not justify years or a lifetime on an antidepressant. These are very powerful drugs with lots of side effects, originally intended for those who had Major Depressive Disorder that was completely disabling for a long time.

 

Have you tried non-drug treatments, such as psychotherapy, for your distress?

 

It sounds to me like you have had a bad initial reaction to an SSRI. Some people's nervous systems do not get along well with these drugs. About a third dropped out of the initial clinical trials due to unbearable side effects.

 

Antidepressants are notorious for the sexual side effects. It may take a while for these adverse effects to wear off even if you stop taking the drug now.

 

While your doctor may try to persuade you to stay on this drug for months to let it "work" or try another drug, if I were you, I'd look into non-drug alternatives.

 

Many primary care practitioners lack the knowledge to prescribe these drugs safely and are not sufficiently informed about adverse effects. There is no reason to start with an SSRI plus trazodone, they are both antidepressants. In fact, they may conflict in dangerous ways, see http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/trazodone-with-zoloft-2228-0-2057-1348.html

 

 

Interactions between your selected drugs

trazodone ↔ sertraline

Applies to:trazodone and Zoloft (sertraline)

Talk to your doctor before using traZODone together with sertraline. Combining these medications can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

 

Also see

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2883-tips-for-tapering-off-trazodone-desyrel/

http://www.drugs.com/pro/trazodone.html

 

Trazodone's metabolite, mCPP, can indeed be responsible for serious headaches.

[BeatAnxiety]

As a society we have become way overmedicated.  For some of us, we need something to cope while we work on cognitive strategies.   Meds should be a last resort.  The other problem is that no two of us have the same body chemistry so while the Internet contains lots of useful information, one person's horror drug may another person's saving grace.    

 

I agree with the other poster that 3 weeks of depression just not justify starting an AD.  If you choose to go this route I highly recommend genetic testing for anti-depressant response.  In fact, it should almost be malpractice not to do this advance testing.  It is not a magic predictor of results but will ID which meds you may have a problem metabolizing and which ones are more likely to be effective.  Since ADs can take weeks to reach a particular effectiveness, getting some data beforehand can save you weeks or months of pain.  I spent 12 weeks on an AD that my body could not metabolize and suffered immensely.  Also, see a psychiatrist that is expertly trained in these meds vs a general practitioner.   Zoloft is generally not a good first line choice as it's one of the most activating SSRIs IMHO.  That is probably why it was paired with Trazodone which is sedating.

[Altostrata]

Genetic testing does NOT show which drugs may be effective. It only indicates which drugs might cause certain types of adverse reactions.

 

Another heavily hyped psychiatric tool.

[Rhiannon]

Before making the serious decision to go on even one psych med let alone two, I always recommend that people read the book Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker, and also give nondrug methods a try for six to eight weeks.

 

Nondrug methods: Face to face talk therapy twice a week; exercise daily; eat well; get exposure to light daily, preferably sunshine, or those therapeutic light boxes if not.

 

As Alto says, the drugs have only been shown to really be more effective than placebo in severe major depression. I'm not opposed to them, I think they can be lifesaving in severe depression, but all too often they're prescribed as if they were safe innocent "happy pills" for people who are going through normal ups and downs of life.

 

Given how hard they can be to get off of safely, and all the health effects and potential side effects they cause, and the fact that statistically in cases of mild depression they don't perform better than placebo, I think it makes sense to try nondrug methods first if it's not a matter of immediate life or death.

 

However, this is a forum to help people get off the meds, not for making the decision whether to take them or not. Feel free to read some of our stories, check out the Whitaker book, check out the website "cepuk.org", check out the Cochrane Center's info--this is information your doctor doesn't have and won't be able to give you. Then, it's up to you to decide.