Question:
Some time ago I was diagnosed as having anxiety, panic attacks and social
phobias. Over the past year or so I have been on Clonazepam (1 tablet,
twice a day) with some results but I don't feel I'm cured. As a result, I have
been looking into other options, one which has been recommended to me is
Sertraline (Zoloft?). As a result, I am going off the Clonazepam (I'm down to
half a tablet, once a day) and I am experiencing quite a bit of anxiety/panic,
as much as if not more than I originally started with. I have a couple
questions regarding the above:
1 - Is this return of anxiety normal?
2 - Any chance that it's just temporary?
3 - How successful is this Sertralinbe?
4 - Any known long term side effects of Sertraline?
5 - Is Sertraline addictive or can it cause dependancy?
6 - Are there any other options I should consider?
Answer:
I'll try and answer your questions, as I take both Zoloft and Klonopin
(clonazepam). you say you take 1 tablet twice a day but you don't say
what the strength of the tablet is. I take 0.5 mg. three times a day and
200 mg. Zoloft once a day.
First let me say that your statement " I have been on clonazepam...with
some results...but I don't feel I'm cured" is odd. Was it promoted to
you as a "cure"?
I don't know that there is any cure for social phobia, just medication
and cognitive techniques for lessening the symptoms and learning to live
with it.
1. yes, the return to an anxious state when reducing an anti-anxiety med
is normal. BTW, go off clonazepam *slooowly*. There can be dangerous
side-effects when terminating any benzodiazepine quickly.
2.temporary? if you really are socially phobic....not likely.
3. Zoloft? it has been a life-saver (literally) for me in the area of
depression, which is what it is generally prescribed for. Some people
say that Zoloft also has anti-anxiety properties. I have not found that
to be so, though I imagine, some people have. It is quite common to be
on an anti-depressant and an anti-anxiety med at the same time. I find
that Zoloft increases my anxiety, though not as much as Prozac did.
4. side effects of Zoloft. You can check the PDR for the entire list.
The only two I have noticed is lethargy (which has lessened over time)
and a longer period of stimulation required to reach orgasm ( which also
has lessened over time) Zoloft is a pretty benign drug (as drugs
go...they all have side-effects and not everyone has the same )
5. dependance? No. Not in the least. It is the benzodiazepines
(Klonopin, though especially Xanax and Ativan) that are quite addictive.
6. Yes. Find a good Psychiatrist and trust him/her and follow the
advice. Also, educate yourself about your condition. Take risks. (like
group therapy) Be so interested in your condition that you know more
about it than your M.D., be your own therapist, leave no stone
unturned.....after all, it's our lives we're talking about here, and as
far as I know, you only get one.
It's a completely different class of drug. Clonazepam is a
benzodiazepine, which is specifically an anxiolytic. Zoloft is an
antidepressant.
Frankly, I found Zoloft completely useless, and I didn't like the
side-effects. Prozac is much better for me, though I don't take it now.
I'm not sure whether Sertraline is Zoloft or Serzone, but it's one of
them, and I've tried both. Serzone didn't do anything for me either, but
at least there were no side-effects.
I'm bipolar, and as far as I can tell, Neurontin is the fruit of the
gods. It's an anticonvulsant like Tegretol, and it hasn't even been
approved for psychiatric use yet, so I had to sign all these "I will not
sue you" papers. They tell you that it takes so-and-so-many weeks to
work, but in my experience, it works fast enough that it could even be
used PRN. One tablet and 30 minutes can pull me out of a very dark
depression.
