fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3816 ]

[ SECRET POST #3816 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3816 ⌋

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[iZombie]

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Today my PCP prescribed Zoloft for anxiety and depression. Has anyone here ever taken it, and if so what are your experiences with it?

Also I'm strongly considering seeing someone who specializes in mental health but I'm not sure whether I should look for a psychiatrist or a psychologist. Does it make much of a difference?

Psychiatrist can prescribe better drugs.

Is that the first depression medication you have been on?

No, I used to take fluoxetine when I was 16/17. It worked pretty well at first but eventually the effects faded away. I also took trazodone, though not as an anti-depressant but to help with insomnia.

Today my PCP prescribed Zoloft for anxiety and depression. Has anyone here ever taken it, and if so what are your experiences with it?

I haven't taken it but it's a modern SSRI, and from what I've read they're all more or less similar. Basically, the thing to keep in mind is that different SSRIs work very differently for different people, and if you think it's maybe not as effective as it could be, or if there's side effects that are markedly unpleasant, you should be strongly consider trying a different SSRI and seeing if that suits you better.

Generally my experiences with SSRIs (Citalopram in my case) has been pretty solid, just in terms of cutting down on depressive moods and relatively few side effects. Hope they work for you.

Also I'm strongly considering seeing someone who specializes in mental health but I'm not sure whether I should look for a psychiatrist or a psychologist. Does it make much of a difference?

AFAIK the difference is basically that one is an MD and can prescribe drugs. So if you already have a prescription, probably doesn't matter. Just try to find someone who works for you.

DA--also, you need to give SSRI's about six weeks to build up and start working properly. Good luck, hope it helps.

AYRT yes I should have said! Give it a month or two, both for the effect and for side effects

Also, you might find yourself sleeping a lot for the first few weeks. At least, that's how I was when I've started SSRIs.

Also, as a piece of general advice, look up whatever it is at crazymeds. They've got a lot more info about what side effects are actually likely to show up.

Zoloft is what I'm on after the first two antidepressants I tried didn't help. I hope it works well for you too, but it's such an individual thing. You should be prepared to try something else if it's not helping or if you get side-effects that make it not worth it.

One thing that was common to me with all the antidepressants I tried was that I got pretty bad nausea for the first week or two but it passed each time. So there may be short-term side-effects that aren't really anything to worry about.

It's also important to remember that these things don't work right away. It takes time to kick in, but after I found the right one it was wonderful.

I've tried a lot of meds for my anxiety and depression and Zoloft is the only one that was able to balance me out.

The only thing worth noting is, I normally lose my appetite for the first few weeks that I take it. I've been on and off with it over the past 5 years, so I have plenty of experience with that.

That was the first drug I was put on for my depression and anxiety. I was on it for quite a few years until it wasn't effective anymore and I was switched to Prozac. But yes, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist at least at the beginning to monitor you on drug. A psychologist can't prescribe, but if you need therapy they are a great choice (For me I needed both drugs and therapy).

I've been on "both sides" in the mental health world - was a mental health worker and also did general administrative work at a clinic, and I've also taken antidepressants.

You actually don't need either a psychiatrist or a psychologist, at least not regularly. Let me clarify.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who can prescribe drugs, but they aren't usually going to do normal therapy sessions, because they are just too expensive and it's not a good or efficient use of their time. They might see you for a short session to prescribe medication and confirm your symptoms, but they probably aren't going to give you weekly therapy. You might not want them to, anyway, it's honestly not usually their specialty, they focus on the medical side of things.

A psychologist is (almost always) a PhD-level clinician who is specially trained in testing for specific disorders. A psychologist might provide regular therapy, but their time is usually prioritized by conducting testing and higher-end stuff, like court-ordered tests/documentation.

Most therapy will be provided by a licensed clinical social worker, a master's level clinician who specializes in therapy (usually with a certain specialty, like kids, family therapy, etc.) But just to be clear, they aren't "less qualified" at therapy than a psychologist or psychiatrist, in fact, it's what they are trained to do. They can do diagnostic assessments and some testing, too. Most clinics will only have a few psychologists (if more than one) on staff, and many don't even have full time psychiatrists and have to refer out for psychiatry/drug prescriptions. That's why your therapist will probably be a LICSW (licensed clinical social worker) or similar.

Note that "therapist" itself doesn't really have a legal definition and there are junk "therapists" out there, so make sure you're seeing someone who is licensed. Also, I want to clarify that a licensed mental health provider will still have strong familiarity with mental health medication, especially anxiety/depression drugs, it's just that they don't prescribe them.

Best of luck! You should talk to your PCP about referring you to a mental health clinic or specific provider, they probably know a few names.

SA - I realized my first sentence of "you don't need a psychologist/psychiatrist" unintentionally sounds like I'm telling you not to see a mental health provider, which is not at all what I meant! I just wanted to point out that most clinicians who provide therapy are neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist, they are licensed social workers/etc.

Thanks for the informative reply. Lately I've been wondering if I might be autistic...so if I want to seek testing, it would be best to see a psychologist or clinical social worker? Do I need to find someone who specializes in autism?

No problem!

Autism testing would be typically done by a psychologist. There are psychologists who specialize in autism, but as far as treatment, a clinical social worker might also specialize.

What you'll want to do is either ask your doctor to refer you directly to a clinic (or clinician), or just go ahead and call the mental health clinic yourself. They'll get a little bit of basic information from you, and you can tell them specifically that you were just diagnosed with anxiety/depression by your doctor and would like to be tested for autism. They'll set you up with the right provider who can do that testing, or hopefully be able to recommend another clinic if they don't have someone who can do that testing.

Been on Zoloft for some months now and I like it. I haven't noticed a HUGE change in behavior, but I have noticed I don't wake just angry and anxious out of nowhere as much anymore. Also think it's been helping a bit with my paranoia.

My psychiatrist also prescribed me trazodone to help with my godawful sleeping habits but I don't take that as often as I do my Zoloft pills. Sleeping pills tend to leave me feeling awful the next day.

The biggest change I've seen from my Zoloft is a decrease in appetite. Or at least being able to tell I'm hungry.

I've been taking sertraline (generic Zoloft; take sertraline instead if you can get it because it's actually pretty cheap) for like six years, and I would not be a normal human being without it. Also I personally have not had any negative side effects.

However, everyone reacts differently to different drugs. Zoloft may or may not work for you.

Get a good therapist (you may have to try several times), they don't need to be a psychiatrist to be good.

Good luck anon. ♥

Edited 2017-06-16 02:33 (UTC)

Thank you! And thanks to everyone else who replied too. You've all been very helpful.

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[ SECRET POST #3816 ]

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