Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Life on Sertraline (generic Zoloft)

UPDATE: I think Sertraline may be turning me into...a morning person. AAAAAHHHHH! THAT'S SO WEIRD!!!!

Thought I'd give an update on my status here:
  • It seems to be working, in that I'm less depressed and have more energy. Things still can annoy me, but they usually don't send me into a rage or a funk.
  • The drug alone doesn't give me a rush anymore, but it increases the effect of caffeine I take via coffee or tea.
  • I don't seem to be any more or less diligent in doing work/chores: I'm my usual self. I can get necessary things done, but unstructured, open-ended or unpleasant things are still subject to distraction or procrastination. I probably get a bit more done overall because I'm less anxious about things.
  • Alcohol affects me more: I had a few sips of wine at the wedding I officiated at on Sunday and I could feel even that.
  • Sleep deprivation: Quinn has been sleeping a bit better (with the help of some Benadryl, which our pediatrician has allowed us to use), but Monday night was bad. I was fine in the wee morning hours and in the morning, but the sleep deprivation hit me very hard in the afternoon. I became cranky and forgetful. It makes me wonder how much of my improvement is from the drug and how much is from better sleep. I think my sensitivity to sleep deprivation has increased. Whether that's from the drug or from being less used to sleep deprivation I don't know. But I think it's the former.
  • My performance on the brain games at lumosity.com has gone up considerably, though it was already pretty good. Subjectively, I don't feel any smarter or more cognitively capable.
  • I've been on it for 2 weeks now, first 6 days at 25 mg and 50 mg on the following days.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your updates. I'm a father waiting to get the fragile x test results back from our geneticist, it is brutal waiting. I'm considering getting on an antidepressant as well, please let me know how you continue to make out. All the best to you.

Zachary Drake said...

Glad this is helping. Yes, that waiting must be awful. Whatever the test results, know that there are sources of support out there. Take advantage of them. And if you need the help of drugs, don't be afraid to look into it. I'm glad I did. (And so is my wife!)

theotherlion said...

Have you asked about Clonidine for Quinn? It REALLY helps my son sleep and he is calmer all-around the next day. I know he's younger than my guy, but I seriously could never go back to the sleepless nights again.

bill in minneapolis said...

There may be many other reasons than just Zoloft encouraing you to become a 'morning person.'

I think that there is a bias in 'family life' that makes things run smoother if you are a morning person. You may miss those Proustian mornings but it is just much more efficient and productive to be a morning person in a family.

Anonymous said...

Zachary, please keep us updated on your progress with Sertraline. I'm really curious how much it helps you. Thanks for sharing so much with us.

Anonymous said...

I've been on 50mgs of Zoloft for almost 5 years now and I'm still not more diligent on chores and stuff. I'm a little more focused than I was before but I do spend a fair amount of time distracted or procrastinating.

buy zoloft said...

I have been on Zoloft for about 2 years. I love this med. Before Zoloft, I was very irriatable, depressed alot. Now life is alot better for me and my family. The only side affects I have had that come and go, are decreased sex drive and at times restlessness. Other than that I haven't had any bad effects. It would have been nice to have the weight loss! :)