# How long does it take for Zoloft to work?



## CCarr33 (Apr 13, 2013)

On wednesday doctor prescribed me with 50mg of Zoloft for Depression, anxiety and SAD

I was just wondering how long it should take to work? 

(I'm 18 years old 6'1 and 285 pounds if that helps at all)

I know it can take 2-4 weeks to start working and around 8 for full effect but I want to know how long it took to work for you guys.


----------



## ChopSuey (Nov 5, 2012)

Zoloft never worked for me, no positive benefits.. Just felt sedated.

Actually none of the SSRI or SNRI medications I've tried has given me any kind of relief whatsoever.


----------



## CCarr33 (Apr 13, 2013)

ChopSuey said:


> Zoloft never worked for me, no positive benefits.. Just felt sedated.
> 
> Actually none of the SSRI or SNRI medications I've tried has given me any kind of relief whatsoever.


Well my mom and one of my sisters take it, and it works for them so I'm going to give it a chance


----------



## Fenren (Sep 20, 2009)

Give it 6 weeks, then up the dose if feel no positive benefit.


----------



## tieffers (Jan 26, 2013)

Most people would probably think this is placebo, but I felt my mood elevate strongly that very day. The good effects kept up for a few days but by a week the emotional blunting set in and the euphoria was gone - as was the depression, but there was an underlying sadness at the fact that I could no longer feel the spectrum of human emotion. The only thing I miss is that it basically cured me of panic attacks. I was on 50 mg too. I'm almost a third your size, though, so that might make a difference; not sure.

That being said, my whole family metabolizes drugs unusually quickly, so for most normal metabolizers it would probably take at least a couple of weeks to feel the full effects. So if you don't feel any different right away, keep with it for awhile before deciding it isn't for you. Hopefully you take better to it than I did.


----------



## yourfavestoner (Jan 14, 2010)

CCarr33 said:


> Well my mom and one of my sisters take it, and it works for them so I'm going to give it a chance


That's generally a good sign, as often times families respond to meds similarly.

I cannot emphasize though that this isn't ALWAYS the case. Take me and my mother for one example. My mother has taken Cymbalta (I call it "Cymcrapta") for years and it works pretty well for her. I took Cymcrapta, and found it to be totally useless with a plethora of unpleasant side effects. Coming off it was also a hell on Earth.

Anyway, I'm taking Zoloft now and I find it to be totally useless, doing nothing but causing - wait for it! - sexual dysfunction. Today is my fifth day at 200 mg, and twelfth day overall. I might be going all the way up to 300.


----------



## kashmir (Apr 12, 2013)

I noticed within a few days that I felt somewhat different, somewhat better than I had been in that I wasn't walking around nervous, on edge constantly. And I got better sleep early on, too. I was supposed to take 50 mg but because I noticed a difference right away, I stayed at 25 mg - supposedly a subclinical dose.

But it wasn't really for a few months until I saw the benefits really kick in. I'm not really nervous around people anymore. I'm still somewhat shy but actually want to be around and socialize with other people. I realized that I had been living my whole life in an echo chamber, having difficulty processing what other people were saying and not being able to make eye contact. I feel like the true me has finally come out.

Obviously there are side effects which are unpleasant, including some weight gain, bloating/constipation, and some sexual difficulties. But the wait was worth it. I would not increase your dose so quickly, it is well known that Zoloft and other drugs in its class can take up to a couple of months to start working.


----------



## CoolRanch (Mar 24, 2013)

It took me a couple weeks to really notice it. A couple months for it be fully working. My experience with Zoloft was ok except I built a tolerance to it very quickly. I was maxed out in no time and then after being on the max dose for a while it just stopped helping at all.


----------

