Ive been on zoloft for about 6 weeks. Ive noticed a change… feeling almost normal mentally. Still emotionally flat somewhat, but less depression/anxiety. Also less depersonalization. I feel like its me in my body again. The more normal i feel mentally, the more angry I feel. Anyways, either time, zoloft, or both has almost cleared my brainfog complety.
dude, be careful with that kind of stuff, seriously
Ill be tapering off in a few months. Needed something to get me through these tough days
I know that most people on this site think SSRI’s will completely mess people up, but it’s my opinion that their mental symptoms, depression, and brain fog must not have ever been to the point where it was completely debilitating and made living life unbearable.
Yes, it can cause sexual side effects, and yes, there is the risk they might be long-term. But for people that suffer with extreme brain fog and cognitive difficulties, sexual performance is no longer even a concern. We just want to be able to function in life again.
I personally am going to be starting low dose Prozac. Generally the starting dose is 20 mg. I’m going to take 2.5 mg. Studies have shown that this level is enough to boost brain levels of allopregnanolone (see below link for example), which I’m hoping will solve some of my mental sides. My hope is also that such a low dose won’t cause noticeable sexual side effects, but to be honest, I don’t really care if it does.
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i have horrible “brain fog” etc. issues, and still do, but i also know that ssri’s can have very bad long term effects on our situation … it is a very fair warning being given to anyone who wants to try ssri’s to combat pfs … it will NOT solve the actual issue, and may actually cause more harm than good … people need to know this stuff
Hey Lennon - Are the “longterm effects” of ssris you refer to related to sexual issues, mental issues, or both?
The way I see it is that the science tells us the brain fog/ cognitive issues are caused by lowered allopregnanolone levels in the brain, and then science also shows that ssris raise said levels. Makes sense to me to try, assuming I’m willing to take the risk of worsening sexual side-effects.
That’s just my opinion, but to each their own. I know some people would never want to jeopardize sexual recovery, but to me it’s worth the risk in order to potentially recover my mental ability, keep my job, and somewhat enjoy my existence on this earth.
I’m wary of pharmaceuticals but I was on zoloft from the early 90’s when it was introduced to a few years ago. I couldn’t detect any significant side effects in my case. Possibly slight wakefulness when sleeping…slept a little ‘lighter’ and it seemed to help with depression a bit. I discontinued without any problems just because I don’t want to be on any meds.
jeffbrdr- very brave of you. Yes Prozac would be the preferred SSRI to take because it does something the others dont. I am not 100% sure what that is, perhaps the only one to increase Allopreganalone levels. God luck to you and please keep us updated with your experiences with it
I don’t think I would try taking a normal dose. 2.5mg isn’t even enough to act on serotonin or other neurotransmitters, but it’s been shown to have an effect on allopregnanolone. I’m hoping I get the benefit of increased allo without any other effects. We’ll see how it goes.
from my understanding, ssri’s are capable of causing symptoms almost identical to those of pfs, and not just sexual, the whole damn thing … look, obviously it is your own choice, i am just saying that based on what i have seen, it would not be a productive move for you, or anyone … good luck in whatever you decide and i hope you feel better
Probably tapering off soon. My brainfog is much better, depression is less, left with anger and feelings of regret. Lifting weights has been my go to for feeling like my old self. And building back some confidence in myself. Lifted heavy tonight, actually felt the pump like old days.
You might consider the new class SNRI, mainly Venlafaxine (Efexor).
I don’t remember where, but I read It has less side effects on sexual condition, and that it sometimes improves it. Actually I used it for 1 year (at very low 37,5 mg dose) exactly when I started Finasteride, because I was stressed. But I could have avoided it. I don’t remember much of that period, but from what I remember, some of my finasteride sides kicked in some time after I withdrawn Efexor.
Just want it to all end. I dont even look forward to.sleep bc i have terrible night mares/anxiety… followed by horrible morning anxiety. The only peace i get is between 5 pm and bed time. How/why does the body do this? Doesnt it have a way to fix itself? Like, hey im not fucking sleeping so i need more of this hormone, im having crippling fucking anxiety attacks so i need more of anti anxiety hormone etc. Instead the body allows itself to be tortured. Makes no sense, i was happy healthy and worried about a few hairs before poisoning myself on june 20th 2012. My tombstone should read 2/3/89-6/20/2012. Would be pretty accurate. Fix this Merck or you will pay with your fucking lives!
9 pills and this?! Really? What fucking dimension did i wake up in? Seriously im blown away.
Man you need to calm down the most you can or you’ll get worse. You can’t heal under stress and stress itself can bring tremendous conditions. This is where to start from. And don’t be scaredoutofyourmind.
Try Yoga or similar…this will help
Efexor good for anxiety?
I am not all that informed (even thought I used it for 1 year) but it should be better than SSRI’s in treating anxiety disorders. In fact it is also an inhibitor of the reuptake of noreadrenaline, and noradrenaline circuits are probably a problem for many of us too. I recognize it is for me at least: after withdrawal form Fin I stressed my self too much, and I was very scared (I had two major traumatic fears, the fear of loosing sexual function, and the fear of loosing cognitive function). This lasted months while I was researching for a solution. This is very bad and I think leads to a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In PTSD noradrenaline circuits are over active and will stay this way for much time unless you treat this. Each of the above fears alone, can cause PTSD. And PTSD will eventually prevent healing of the body, if it can be spontaneous. I won’t take Efexor again for this, I want to avoid new problems with drugs. I prefer to treat this my own with relaxation techinques and eventually with the aid of a psychotherapist.
If you consider taking Efexor, monitor your prolactin and be aware of harsh withdrawal symptoms. Take care, apparently no one other than me tried Venlafaxine on this forum. I was pretty well while I was taking it tough even tought I was taking Fin, and I never had depression afterwards. But then it probably boosted my prolactin together with Fin. I’d be courious to know what effects it has on PFS sufferers.
Zoloft is ok. May be interested in switching. Not ready to go off ad completely.
For what its worth…I was having extreme insomnia and was depressed to the point of being suicidal just a few months ago. I started taking Remeron about a month ago and the results have been fantastic. Its really helped with my sleep, and the depression has really abated. My fingers are crossed - but everything I’ve read about Remeron makes me think it will continue to work for me. Its rare among anti-depressants in its action, very different than SSRI’s - acting almost like an antihistamine.
5-HTP?