<p>My D has been struggling her first year at college and this week agreed to get some help. She has an appointment with an off-campus therapist (her decision) and yesterday saw an MD on campus. He prescribed a generic of Zoloft, at 25 mg for 4 days and then 50 mg once a day. He wants to see her back in 6 weeks.</p>
<p>I would be grateful if anyone whose kid has been on Zoloft would share their experiences.</p>
<p>I am most concerned about side effects. I know that untreated depression is bad and overall am happy that D is getting help, but I do worry about the medication perhaps making thigns worse. For those of you who have seen a teen start Zoloft, are the side effects likely to appear at first? Any best time to take the medication (morning or evening)? ANything else that would be helpful to know at this point?</p>
<p>I suggest calling your own doctor or your daughter’s hometown physician to ask. Neither will have any confidential information that will restrict communication but either might have experience with the medication.</p>
<p>I am very glad for you & your daughter that she is seeking assistance. I do not have much expereince with anit-depresents except from 2 adult women friends who said it was life savers and made an amazing difference.</p>
<p>First year of college is without a doubt a very big adjustment & can be very lonely. Our culture does not really address this part of the expereince nor anticipate it but it is very common. Best of luck.</p>
<p>My daughter who is also in her freshman year took Zoloft for about 9 months. She did not experience any side effects except stomach upset/nausea for the first week or so. It seemed to make a huge difference initially though she was recently switched to a different anti-depressant. Every person is different. Best of luck to you and your daughter.</p>
<p>I also experienced nausea and low appetite for the first week or so. After that the only side effect has been low libido, which you as a parent might appreciate but is enough to make me want to go off it.</p>
<p>you can also go to the website for the product zoloft.com and read the package insert and patient information. It will describe the studies that have been done upon which the FDA approval was made. It will also report post marketing surveillance–so new side effects that have shown up with expanded use. and it will show the side effect frequency from placebo controlled studies. </p>
<p>I know some moms who went on this for depression after having children. They found it really helpful. These medications are used with a surprisingly high frequency. I don’t think that would be the case if people didn’t feel better on them.</p>
<p>One of the causes of depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. this medication can correct that if that is what is causing your daughter’s issue. I hope it helps.</p>
<p>The only teen I know that took it complained of weight gain. Other than that, she did not have a problem with it. I’ve heard from others (adults) the biggest complaint is decreased sex drive, also weight gain, dry mouth and night sweats.</p>
<p>My mom has been on Zoloft for quite a few years. She said it has helped her SO much. She never complained of any side effects, so they must not have been too bad (we talk almost every day).</p>
<p>My freshman son is on a generic of Prozac and is doing fine on it. He said he really feels better.</p>
<p>Just went through this myself and am taking the same dosage as your daughter. When I initially started the side effects were definitely noticeable. I was very dizzy and shaky at first and also had trouble sleeping. I had passed out at one point after having my eyes dilated. After both switching from taking my meds in the morning to taking them at night and giving the medicine about 6 weeks or so to start working, the side effects have largely disappeared. I will say my dreams are a bit more vivid than they used to be but that’s about it. I haven’t had a panic attack since I started and the medicine is truly wonderful.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the responses here, and the pm’s. It’s hard waiting to see if the meds will help, or cause side effects, or both . . . She has had some trouble sleeping otherwise reports no side effects so far. I am wondering whether whatever side effects she will experience, will she experience them now or could they show up later? It would be frustrating to experience side effects at any point but especially frustrating I think if they show up after the medication has started working (if it will). I guess I would like to think that if six weeks from now the medication does seem to be helpng, and side effects have either not happened or have gotten better, that we will be able to breathe a little easier.</p>
<p>I would suggest she make an appointment with the ADA compliance officer. With final exams coming up and or exams, if there are any adjustments in sleep patterns or other behaviors, she should have something on record to protect her in the event she isn’t able to complete assignments or appear for scheduled exams.</p>
<p>I wonder if extra time is needed to handle any anxiety associated with stress? You mentioned panic attacks-- is that associated with depression or anxiety in her situation?</p>
<p>I also encourage the MD to stay in touch, including any necessary blood work to rule out other underlying abnormalities.</p>
<p>Glad your D was smart enough to get help. Sometimes “just smile and get over it” doesn’t cut it. Zoloft has been a great boon to many. One caution! If D does stop taking it, the dose must be gradually reduced (NO cold turkey on it!)</p>
<p>Everyone experiences these things differently, but in my personal experience the first two weeks taking Zoloft were pretty difficult. I experienced increased anxiety, nightmares, panic attacks waking me every night, jaw clenching, periods of extreme drowsiness, periods of agitation, nausea, apathy, feelings of detachment. Somehow I stuck with it and eventually my body adjusted and the side effects abated, and then Zoloft worked well for me, and I took it for a few years. I quit cold turkey and had no problems whatsoever, but everyone reacts differently and most doctors recommend tapering. </p>
<p>I recently tried going on Zoloft again (my first experience was a few years ago) but this time couldn’t tolerate the side effects so quit after a few weeks. It was a busy time in my life and I couldn’t just “check out” for two weeks while my body adjusted to the meds. My experience may not be typical because it surprised my doctor both times. He said I woud feel nothing and then I would feel better. </p>
<p>How many more weeks of college does your daughter have? Is she away from home? It’s possible she may not see full effects of the medication until the semester is over. Usually they say it takes about 6 weeks to see full effects. If the side effects become too difficult to handle and are effecting her school work, maybe she could try again this summer.</p>
<p>I would want a second opinion before medicating. A history of psychiatric meds can have consequences further on, possibly precluding some opportunities, and you don’t want that headache if the issues are temporary and/or could be handled through counseling. It’s not that far to the end of term.</p>
<p>I have taken other meds in the same class as Zoloft. I have seen them be extremely helpful to many people. However, in my layperson’s opinion, she should be seeing someone weekly (at least) when she is troubled enough to be starting on meds. If the MD is unavailable, is there some other kind of counselor on campus she could check in with weekly?</p>
<p>I had to come back to this thread to share one more thing. Make sure you discuss using alcohol while taking Zoloft with your daughter, considering that more than 50% of college freshman drink at least occasionally. The reaction of alcohol and Zoloft is the reason I quit the zoloft cold turkey. My doctor only warned me to “be careful” with alcohol use while taking Zoloft. I am an occasional social drinker, maybe one or two drinks every few months. With Zoloft, after only one drink I would become super elated, I would say manic. Fortunately, I was always with my husband so he made sure I didnt do anything too crazy, but I realized it was a dangerous combo so I quit the Zoloft. I didn’t think I could say I would never have a single drink, especially since the Zoloft was making me more social, more inclined to accept social invitations, and less inclined to be anxious about possible bad outcomes. </p>
<p>I realize my personal experience with Zoloft may be entirely different from someone else’s, but since my doctor didn’t warn me strongly enough I thought I’d share. This is the reason why if my son needed to start psych meds for whatever reason, I would want him to start the trial at home in the summer.</p>
<p>With all due respect to whydoicare…anti-depressent medication is not a “crazy” label. It can be a life-saver. If you have an infection you get antibiotics, if your leg is broken, you get it set…I’ll bet there are plenty of people out there wishing they had tackled the physiology of depression rather than worry about what someone else thought about it.
It is true sometimes people leap to a chemical solution to a temporary situation, but in most cases that becomes very clear and reality needs to be dealt with.
There are questions to ask before starting medications for depression…how long has the depression lasted? Is this unusual for you? Have you had it before? Are there concrete reasons for it (a death close to you, stress from environment).<br>
Don’t discount the fact that stresses (especially prolonged stresses) deplete brain chemicals to the point that they need to be repleted by medication. Think of it as adding an additive to your gas tank to make it work better. It’s not a life long sentence nor ANY reflection on the character or value or intelligence of anybody on them.</p>
<p>@whydoIcare I don’t believe there will be any lost opportunities in the future for medically treating depression. I am an MD (though not a psychiatrist) and see many people on these medications for diagnoses from depression to anxiety or even OCD. </p>
<p>OP I may have missed a post on this and I am certain your daughter received the warning from her psychiatrist, but in young adults and teens antidepressants can cause an increase in suicidality especially early on in the course of treatment. So that means she need some follow up with the MD. You may want to check with her and make sure she understands that. I am a believer in the value of these medications having seen how helpful they can be, so I would have no qualms in starting one of my kids on it if their MD felt it was warranted.</p>
but is enough to make me want to go off it.</p>