Hi everyone.
Just wondering if any of you have had experience with Zoloft. I am just starting out on it 12.5 mg on top of the nadolol that I am already taking. I tried taking it at night and had some difficulty getting back to sleep after waking in the middle of the night. I had increased dizziness and nausea the next day especially when nearing meal times. So I left off of it yesterday and tried takin the Zoloft this morning. I am much dizzier than when I took I at night and the nausea is worse. I am now thinking that it may be better to go back to trying to take this at night. I am wondering is these side effects should subside after a couple of weeks. And if there’s anything recommended for getting to sleep better while taking this. I have read that Zoloft can be really effective for some so I want to give it a good try.
I took 100 mgs of this drug for one year approx. The most common side effects are GI upset, nausea, diarrhea, lack of appetite and insomnia(it is an activating SSRI). The nausea should subside after a few weeks. I’m not sure of the insomnia. I had to give up this drug because of vivid dreams and nightmares.
Hi.
Feeling less dizzy today and more spaced out which is good. What dosage did you start this medicine on and how effective was it for you? I am assuming that if you took it for a year that it did some good? How long did it take to work for you? And finally, sorry for all the queries, what do you take now?
Thanks
Just a note to say that most of the serotonin meds can cause nausea and some increased anxiety/agitation/insomnia until the receptors get used to it. Usually need to give it 4-6 weeks, and doctors can (should) prescribe a benzo to help during the adjustment period.
I would try taking it with food, at night, and go slow with your increases…ask your doctor for something to help get you over the hump (like Ativan, or valium) till you get accustomed to it.
Kelley
Hi.
Feeling less dizzy today and more spaced out which is good. What dosage did you start this medicine on and how effective was it for you? I am assuming that if you took it for a year that it did some good? How long did it take to work for you? And finally, sorry for all the queries, what do you take now?
Thanks
— End quote
My starting dose was 50 mgs which was quickly increased to 100 mgs. It was effective for my anxiety and depression but the disturbing dreams side effect made me discontinue the med. The nightmares return when I try to restart the med. I saw results within two days after starting this med. First, within two days my anxiety decreased and I saw mood elevating side effects after a few weeks. However it did nothing for my dizziness which was the reason I was put on this med. What is startling is that the off balance sensation was reduced not by an antidepressant but by an antipsychotic called Olanzapine(brand name Zyprexa ). I initially incorrectly thought that it was Sertraline which was reducing the off balance sensation when it was Olanzapine’s doing. I currently take various benzodiazepines like Clonazepam, Diazepam, Alprazolam and Lorazepam along with Olanzapine. Benzos always help me with the off balance sensation and rocking vertigo. I also gave nortriptyline a try but I was not impressed.
Thanks for the replies. I have been taking the sertraline with food but still get pretty bad nausea after eating. Glad to hear that should go away. I have found that as the day has gone on I have become more tired and zombified. Hopefully that will make me sleep well tonight. I am not sure if that’s because I took the sertraline this am and then nadolol this afternoon though. Kelley what is the reason for taking this medicine at night? Will the tiredness be a side effect that usually stays? When I took it at night the first day my body was tired but mentally I was wide awake. It was impossible to sleep well at all. I think you both are lucky that you can take benzos. Because I already have low blood pressure and the nadolol lowers it even more, I cannot add a benzo to that. As it is I have to eat lots of salt and water to keep my pressure up just to stay on the nadolol. The nadolol takes care of about 50 to 80% of the dizziness and headaches and it keeps me from getting tachycardia, which was a big problem for me. So I don’t want to give that up just yet. Although if I found something that worked better I would happily. Methanol have you tried any other SSRIs? I am also wondering if SSRIs help with headaches at all. I don’t really get bad ones a lot. Mostly just short flashes of pain with ear fullness and a lot of neck pain. I also get the rocking vertigo and some ataxia. I have not read of anyone using Olanzipine yet. Glad to hear that you have found a soloution for the dizziness. I really hope the Zoloft will do the trick. Seems like it’s gonna be a long few weeks adapting to this.
The other SSRI antidepressants I tried were Cipralex(low dose escitalopram) and Prozac(could not tolerate this one for long and dropped it). I have read that Olanzapine is sometimes used to abort migraines(status migrainousus perhaps?).
DizzJ,
I suggested taking the Zoloft at night as I was hopeful that you would sleep through the rougher part of the side effects, like nausea and dizziness. After looking it up, Zoloft has a 26 hour half life, so it is a long acting med, which is good. But it reaches it’s peak level around 4.5-6 hours after taking it…to me, that might suggest that is when you would get the worst of the side effects. This is all just guesswork, but sometimes you have to tinker with it to find out what time it suits you best. A friend of mine, who is a nurse practitioner, says she suggests people take meclizine (over the counter nausea/motion sickness pill) with meds and/or birth control pills, until the body gets used to them. Just another idea.
I read that Zoloft is one of the more activating SSRI’s, as it also hits dopamine. Since any of the SSRI 's has the capability of helping with your migraine, it might help to consider one that is less activating if this messes up your sleep too much. I know the big honcho at UCLA neurology puts his patients on Celexa…another SSRI. CAn’t think of his name, but if I remember, I will update.
Kelley
Hi.
Thanks again. I have been having much less nausea and instead of sleepiness I started feeling like I had way too much coffee yesterday. Today it’s worse. After a couple hours of taking Zoloft I feel like I just ran up a flight of stairs. I called the dr and she said to stop taking it. I asked her if there was a different ssri that I could try and she suggested that I try something else. At first she suggested noritryptline but I read that it interacts with nadolol and was nervous about it. She suggested gabapentin . So I am going to just stay with my nadolol with nothing else for a couple of days and then start 100 mg of the gabapentin. She said it should make me sleepy and to take it at night. I hope this next one will be easier to take.
I don’t know if you will see this, but if you do (or anyone else has input), please respond.
I saw in one of your posts in Jan '14 that you said “you’ve never been the same since” in the context of abruptly stopping the Lexapro after a month. Do you mean to say your MAV got worse permanently? I ask bc since I got off the Zoloft after only two weeks on it at 25 mg, I have not been the same - feeling much worse and it’s been almost two weeks since I got off cold turkey.
Wow, I thought this forum was gone… I am so glad you wrote on this thread. I saw it in my email. I think you might be writing to Methanol bc I never tried Lexapro. I remember feeling weird for about a month after getting off the Zoloft though. I think that’s because your body has to readjust to managing it’s own seratonin levels again. I have heard that it can take anywhere from 1 to 2 months for people who are on medication for a long time. Since you were only on for 2 weeks, I really hope you feel more normal soon. I still only take the nadolol. Had bad reaction to the gabapentin… but luckily I am getting help from the Zantac my gastroenterologist put me on. He said it’s a histamine blocker and sometimes it can help people with migraines. So with that added edge, I am able to get around a lot better if I am careful w my diet and activities.
Thanks a million for writing. Really glad that you have this beast under control I feel much better if I have to take an anti-histamine for another reason, as well, but did not embark on taking it as a daily migraine preventive since my doctor didn’t mention it.
I feel awful awful awful after the Zoloft trial, it set me back months of progress, however small that might have been.
I spoke w my neurologist since starting the Zantac and she said that antihistamines work well to stop or slow down an attack of mav. She recommended benadryl as the best but it makes me sleepy so I have used Allegra (regular one) with the best result. Claritin didn’t work as well for me.
Thank you so much. I have a few questions about antihistamine use, which I’d be grateful if you could answer:
Do they “mask” MAV symptoms or do they help heal like the other preventives by giving the brain a chance to recover?
Can they be used long term just like other preventives? I mean on a daily basis for months and years, or is it more for use during episodic exacerbations?
If one were to stop using them, would there be a “rebound”, such as it would be after using pain killers ?
Do they build up in the body to see their effects or is the effect immediate? For ex., they say wait for 4-6 weeks to see if nortriptyline would work, have you found that you had to wait and if yes, can you guesstimate how long?
Zantac is for acid reflux mainly and you said Allegra worked for you (thanks for the tip, by the way, it’s really helpful). Is there a particular reason you are using Zantac instead of Allegra, then?
And a general question: do you find that you are still having relapses?
Thank you soooo much :)))). It’s great to hear from someone who has this under control as most days are a struggle for me
I don’t know the answers to all your questions. … but I do know that antihistamines can help people with vestibular migraine because they help reduce the inflammation in the eustachain tube and sinuses which helps w the dizziness. I am not sure but I think they help in other ways as well. I have had the best results after taking Allegra for about 2 days. I only take it when my allergies r acting up…usually for only a month or so… because allergies r a migraine trigger. I also take Allegra the day before flying in a plane and also the day of the flight. It helps me not get as off kilter from the air pressure changes in the head from takeoff and landing. I don’t know if it’s safe to live on antihistamines. That would b a question for the dr…I think i remember some people on the forum who are taking them for migraine, you can do a search for Periactin. I am not sure if they take it every day. My neurologist told me i can take benadryl to stop an attack. I haven’t though because benadryl can lower blood pressure when mixed w the nadolol I take… and my blood pressure is already too low. I take Zantac because I have a chronic problem w acid reflux. I noticed that I felt better after taking it for a few days and asked my Dr if it was possible that it was helping and he said it was probably helping bc it’s a histamine blocker. I take the Zantac every day but that’s not a good thing to do unless you really need it because it blocks nutrients from being absorbed into the body and severe deficiency can result. I take it because I have developed barretts esophagus and my Dr prescribed it to manage the acid. I have to keep an eye on my magnesium level bc it can get dangerously low on antacids. Also magnesium deficiency has caused migraines in some people. These medicines haven’t stopped me from getting flare ups but they definitely help take the symptoms down to a more manageable level. When I don’t take nadolol I am constantly dizzy. I have noticed that dietary triggers r a big thing for me and the more I figure out what I can and can’t eat, the better I am generally. I used to eat mostly things that trigger me… crazy how it didn’t bother me before and now it does. My neurologist told me that our body chemistry changes as we age, so that’s the cause for the sudden intolerance I guess. Good luck!!!
J
you couldn’t have given a more comprehensive and helpful answer. Thanks so much
I hope you continue to do well and manage your allergies and Barrett’s E. Did they make sure to do a biopsy of the tissue to dx the B.E.? I ask b/c I was told after endoscopy that I have it but then the biopsy was negative. Just a thought.
I feel much better if I have to take an anti-histamine for another reason, as well, but did not embark on taking it as a daily migraine preventive since my doctor didn’t mention it.