Side effects zoloft - what happens in the body?

[toxique]

Hello. I have OCD and on zoloft for ten years.

Did anybody have a similar side effect ?

Body weak, sluggish, not vivid. Body movements are cramped and unnatural, as if the connection between consciousness and body is hampered

From the side it looks like fatigue and exhaustion, but this is not fatigue as normal healthy human feels. Not muscle fatigue. This is not feeling that human feels after bodybuilding, when he tired, relaxed and happy go from gym. That is other kind of fatigue and exhaustion.

Painful annoying feeling inside. Especially in back and shoulders. This is not ache in regular meaning. Alike fatigue and exhaustion, but other. That feeling hard for explanation and making me very nervous. After any activity , especially physical, this feeling grows.

 

[EveHarrington]

Sounds like what I’ve heard others say about Zoloft...Turns you into a zombie of sorts. I really haven’t heard much good about that one. I’d consult your doc about a med change.

 

[Suzetig]

I take Zoloft for anxiety - side effects for me include hot flushes and fatigue but I can cope with those because the medication has really helped my anxiety. I don’t feel zombie like at all though - just a bit tired. Could your dose be too high?

 

[toxique]

changing of dose does not reduce side effects

I take Zoloft for anxiety - side effects for me include hot flushes and fatigue but I can cope with those because the medication has really helped my anxiety. I don’t feel zombie like at all though - just a bit tired. Could your dose be too high?

 

[msjanetxtreme]

Definitely relate to your experience with very similar symptoms. I thought Zoloft was amazing at first because I was on a starting dose. But I eventually had to stop taking it because I was such a zombie when I bumped up to a therapeutic level. What did work well for me for a while was the combination of Zoloft and Wellbutrin which was a more "energizing" antidepressant. Everyone is different though so I'd suggest finding a good psychiatrist or a psychopharmacologist if you can.

I've tried 8 or so antidepressants with intolerable side effects and am on a waiting list for other options like transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Are different meds or different combinations an option for you? I'm not sure where you are from -- if you don't have insurance, universal health care then this might be much more difficult for you. What sort of treatment options (pharma and non-pharma) have you considered?

 

[toxique]

Definitely relate to your experience with very similar symptoms. I thought Zoloft was amazing at...

Took fluansoxol. There was no side effect on fluoxane, as in zoloft, but it was different. Strong akathisia, could not stay in one place for several minutes, had to walk all the time.

 

[toxique]

I have OCD and on Zoloft for ten years. Zoloft makes very painful side effect.
I visited many doctors, but none told me exactly what exactly happens in the body, what zoloft violates in the body, what chemical processes occur. I want to know what exactly happens in the body with this side effect ! What chemical processes ?
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Side effect description:
Body weak, sluggish, not vivid. Body movements are cramped and unnatural, as if the connection between consciousness and body is hampered
From the side it looks like fatigue and exhaustion, but this is not fatigue as normal healthy human feels. Not muscle fatigue. This is not feeling that human feels after bodybuilding, when he tired, relaxed and happy go from gym. That is other kind of fatigue and exhaustion.
Painful annoying feeling inside. Especially in back and shoulders. This is not ache in regular meaning. Alike fatigue and exhaustion, but other. That feeling hard for explanation and making me very nervous. After any activity , especially physical, this feeling grows.
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If you had such a side effect and your doctor explained to you what exactly happens in the body, please tell me or at least make a guess. I have heard about the hypothesis that zoloft reduces the amount of nitric oxide (NO) in the body. What do you know about that ?

 

[EveHarrington]

Hi, I’m curious why this matters?

Usually it’s a matter of side effects being unbearable so you switch meds.

Why not switch meds?

There are dozens of others out there.

Are you sure it’s working? It seems to me that your OCD symptoms may still be at play.

 

[toxique]

If i know what exactly happens in body , maybe i can add something to zoloft for reducing side effect.
I taking zoloft many years and changing medicine is not easy. I tried to take other drugs, but it got so bad that I could not stand even one day.

 

[EveHarrington]

What you’re proposing is very complicated. It’s usua a bad idea to take a new med to battle side effects.

Do you have ptsd?

 

[toxique]

No, i dont have ptsd.

 

[digger]

No, i dont have ptsd.

@toxique - we are primarily a PTSD forum. While you may be able to relate some of the information you find here to your own circumstances, the main focus is for PTSD.

If you are troubled by the side effects of medication that is prescribed for a different disorder, without PTSD being in the mix too, it's probably more appropriate, and beneficial, to you, to speak directly with your prescribing doctor about it and how you might be able to deal with it better.

I also wonder if you have looked at peer support forums for OCD? That may also be more beneficial to you than the support we can offer you.