464 posts shown.
Keith Jones76 said:The real magic of an antidepressant is actually happening at a morphological level within the brain — it encourages the formation of new neural connections (which tend to wither away during depression, causing certain brain regions to literally "shrink"). That’s why you have to stay on them for the long haul, sometimes for five years or more... If you stop too soon, those symptoms can come crawling back because those depleted areas haven't fully "rebuilt" themselves yet.
It’s also exactly why it takes about 3 to 4 weeks (on average) to actually feel anything — you’re essentially waiting for those first new neural pathways to establish themselves.
Sure, neurotransmitter levels spike almost immediately after you take the dose, but the real question is whether there's actually a functional infrastructure for them to work with. That’s where neuroplasticity and staying consistent with the treatment come into play.
Does that mean once those new neurons are established after years of treatment, you can just stop taking the medication? Like, the depression won't come back? My psychiatrist told me that if I don't stick to the regimen, I'll likely end up being chronically depressed for the rest of my life—but what does "chronically depressed" actually entail in practice? Also, I notice nobody here is bringing up alcohol... I was told I absolutely cannot drink while on Zoloft.
It seems a bit extreme to say I can't even have a single beer??? Not one beer for an entire year.😲
Patrick Thomas29 said:I've been on Zoloft for a year and a half, but only 50mg a day.
I remember starting out by just taking half a pill for about a week to keep the side effects chill.
Starting straight at 50mg seems like a huge dose right away, hmm, I don't know.
Look, regarding how long you'll need the AD, that depends on you. You really should feel awesome for at least 6 months before you can even think about stopping.
I'm on therapy for another 6 months, and after that, I'm hoping I won't need it anymore, but that's just a hope. We'll see.🤷
It’s actually a relief to hear from someone who has more experience with this medication, because there were moments where I seriously considered throwing in the towel just because of how strange everything felt... it was almost like being an astronaut, if you know what I mean—just feeling totally ungrounded.🙄 Regarding the dosage... I'm not entirely sure myself, but I imagine it comes down to body weight, and since you likely have a smaller build, your response might be different. I was wondering how long it took before you noticed that first real shift in your mood? And more importantly, how long did it take for those initial side effects to finally subside so you could start feeling like yourself again? Also, after a year and a half, do you feel like you've become dependent on it?
quietfalcon2 said:I’ve been on it for maybe two or three months now. I had some digestive issues for about a couple of weeks—though, honestly, I’ve struggled with insomnia practically my whole life, so I’m really not sure if that was actually a side effect or just... me. I suppose I feel a bit better in the sense that those massive, month-long crises don't seem to hit quite as hard anymore. But most of the time, I just feel sort of numb—you know? Like I'm just going through the motions. I’m functional, I can get things done, I'm surviving, I guess.
I never really had trouble sleeping before, but ever since I started taking this, I find it hard to drift off, and I keep having these intense, bizarre dreams that were pretty rare for me in the past.
I completely get what you mean about that numb feeling... I experience the exact same thing... it's almost like being perpetually tipsy, and like you said, I just end up doing things automatically without much of an actual will behind them.
My psychiatrist ended up prescribing me the Hale version (generic sertraline, which is essentially just Zoloft).
I have to admit, I was a bit caught off guard when she mentioned I’d likely need to stay on it for at least a year... as if that's just the baseline. If that's the case, I suppose I might end up taking it for three years or more😕. At that point, I'll probably be hooked, right? It all feels a little unsettling to me, I guess.😢
Is anyone else here on a 100mg daily dose? My plan is to start with 50mg in the morning for the first week, then transition to one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I’m only on my second day of treatment, and I've already noticed some side effects: a slight sense of lightheadedness, dry mouth, difficulty concentrating, some trouble finding my words, and this persistent feeling of tension in my jaw—like my lower mandible is constantly clenched🤷. Has anyone else dealt with any of these specific issues?
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