- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Postpartum Depression
"There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living."
When will the medicine start working?
I have severe major depression and was put on Zoloft.
I took 25 mg for 6 days, 50 mg for 10 days, 75 mg for 2 days and 1 day at 100 mg. So far I haven't felt any better. There are times when I think it is getting worse. I was taken out of work to try to cut that stress out. I go to a therapist weekly but I don't go back to my psychiatrist for another 9 days.
For those on medicine how long did it take until you felt a change?
Thanks.
"There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living."
This discussion has been closed.
Re: When will the medicine start working?
They say that it can take up to two or three weeks to really feel the effects of anti-depressants.
That said, when I have found meds that work well for me, I start to feel better in less than a week--not the full effect, necessarily, but I can feel them working. It looks like you are coming up on three weeks. . . I'm pretty sure that if you were to call your psychiatrist now, he would tell you to wait it out. I guess my suggestion would be to talk to your therapist and see what s/he says about it.
When you do go to the psychiatrist, s/he may want to keep you on Zoloft with higher dosages. Personally, I would ask to try something different. I have dealt with depression for over a decade and have been on many different anti-depressants. I think that if a medication is not working at a usually starting amount, why take more of the same thing when there are so many other medications out there.
The only thing I would be careful about is what you can take while pregnant. That limits the options for you, but talk to him and share your concerns.
Best of luck and I hope that you feel better soon!
It may take 3-4 weeks for Zoloft to take full effect. Zoloft is always started at the 25mg dose and then increased after a few days or weeks until a suitable dose is found. The maximum dose is 200mg/day. It takes some time for Zoloft to "build up" and correct the chemical imbalances in the brain. It blocks the body's reabsorption of serotonin, a chemical that is responsible for improving mood. When serotonin reamins in our brain, we feel better.
I started at 25mg for 2 weeks, took 50mg for 2 weeks, and now am at 100mg/day. I felt a huge difference after about a week of the 100mg/day dose.
It sounds like you might need to give your current dose a little more time to work. If you are not seeing improvement after a few days or weeks, call your doctor to see what the best next step would be. If you feel worse, call your doctor immediately!
Good luck!
7 years ago i was put on paxil. i have to be honest with u and tell u it took 3-4 weeks before it kicked in and i felt better and i remember actually feeling worse when i started taking it. my doctor had to prescribed xanax to take the edge off during the first few weeks until the SSRI kicked in.
good luck!