# Is 200mg Zoloft too much??



## kct29 (May 22, 2012)

Hi, I am 19 y/o, 5'3", 98lbs. I have severe social anxiety disorder, severe generalized anxiety disorder, and depression. My psychiatrist has given me 200mg Zoloft, .2mg Clonidine, 20mg Inderal, 2mg Abilify.

My aunt is a pharmacy tech and freaked out when she found out how much I am taking...she says it is a rarity to see even grown men/women with 200mg of any antidepressant. I never thought of it as being that bad, but is it too much for someone my age/weight/height??

My BP was around 90/60 today and I have not slept well in days...I'm not sure exactly what this is a side effect of...?

Thanks in advance!


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## barry1685 (May 25, 2011)

Hey you are perfectly fine. I am on 200mg and I'm 24. I think the max dose is like 400mg of Zoloft. But don't worry stay positive your fune


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## Silent Image (Dec 22, 2010)

I don't know about body type and antidepressants, but it does seem like a lot for your thin frame.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

kct29 said:


> My BP was around 90/60 today and I have not slept well in days...I'm not sure exactly what this is a side effect of...?


I assume you didn't just start Zoloft real recently, as it wouldn't be typical to boost a dose that high right off the bat. Normally a dosage of 200 mg would only be tried when lower dosages do little or nothing.

How long have you been on Zoloft and what was your BP before you took it? Was there any pattern of your BP going lower as your dose rose?

I'm not aware of Zoloft (nor any other SSRI) having any impact on BP, though this obviously is something you should ask your doctor about. Interesting that you get a beta blocker (Inderal -- a blood pressure med) when your BP is already so low.

As for the sleep problem, was this an issue that existed before Zoloft? And did it get worse as dose rose? This is a side effect Zoloft may actually cause according to clinical trial data, though I find it odd how you seem to indicate this has only been a problem for a matter of days: "I have not slept well in days..." It would be hard to pin this on Zoloft if you've been on it for months and this just started now, that's why I ask.

200 mg is the maximum recommended dose. I've heard of people going as high as 300 mg. I'd be one of them. After 3 months and topping out at 300 mg with no benefit, I stopped years ago.


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## kct29 (May 22, 2012)

Hi, thank you so much for your response. 

I have taken Zoloft for 3 mos now. Started out with 50, then 100, then 200mg. I have taken 200mg for two weeks now. My BP was normal until a couple of days ago, so I don't believe it is affecting my BP, but she said it took a few weeks to feel the full effect of the 200mg. I have had sleeping issues for a while, but for the past few days I have only slept about 3hrs/night with no naps during the day. I am tired, but can't sleep--even with Ambien. Could the low BP cause insomnia? She increased my dosage of Clonidine, so that may be the cause??

Is there any relation between age or body type and the dosage?


Thanks so much!


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

200mg zoloft is the max dosage, btw I don't like Inderal as a treatment for GAD, it so lets me down.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

kct29 said:


> Is there any relation between age or body type and the dosage?


Dosage is normally just stated as dosage range for "adults" with no mention of what size the adult might happen to be.

I don't know if the "adult" dose is changed when the adult just happens to be 98 pounds, a mass smaller than many kids.:stu Interesting question you should definitely ask your doc. I assume your doc has noticed your small size. Some docs aren't too bright, but you'd sure hope they'd pick up on something so not-at-all-subtle as you being, what, a size 0?

Again when it comes to age, med doses typically are the same for all adults unless they're in at least the 60+ range as the elderly may have lesser liver/kidney function to remove drugs.


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## reef88 (Mar 5, 2012)

Normal doses are 100mg a day, 200mg is the most a psychiatrist can prescribe. 200mg is usually prescribed to those who lower doses are ineffective.


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## beaches09 (Feb 1, 2009)

Yeah 200mg is usually the max. I was also on 200mg when I was 19. I had started at 50mg when I was 16 and worked my way up. 150mg was probably the best. 200mg made me manic and I got into massive loads of trouble.

40mg Paxil for me was tremendously better at general anxiety. A tad much though, 30mg was the sweet spot.

The difference between the two for social anxiety was Zoloft made me more "type A" extroverted, but it didn't calm the nerves, it just made me do all the things that I would have normally felt hesitant of doing, but I did them anyway regardless of how I felt. Paxil on the other hand calmed the nerves, it was like I was in a floaty bubble of feel-good happiness, I was outgoing and chill at the same time.


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## kct29 (May 22, 2012)

Thanks! That's nice to know. I may see if she will switch me because I have definitely become very uninhibited and it is sooooo not me; I still have bad anxiety as well. I appreciate everyone's thoughts!


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

kct29 said:


> Thanks! That's nice to know. I may see if she will switch me because I have definitely *become very uninhibited* and it is sooooo not me; I still have bad anxiety as well. I appreciate everyone's thoughts!


how I envy you! :wink


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

reef88 said:


> 200mg is the most a psychiatrist can prescribe.


200mg is the maximum *recommended* amount as per their FDA-approved label.

There is nothing that says a psychiatrist (or any other MD) can't ignore a recommendation and prescribe a larger amount if they feel doing so is appropriate. Higher than 200mg isn't something you'll commonly see, but you can certainly find people who have scripts for higher from docs who see a recommendation as just that, a recommendation. It's not carved in stone as the 11th commandment.


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## Cletis (Oct 10, 2011)

200 mgs is a HUGE dose. I take 100 mgs of Sertraline a day. I've been as high as 150 mgs. It helps me a lot but I've had to take it for years to get to this point. It's a slow process with Zoloft [Sertraline].


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## beaches09 (Feb 1, 2009)

kct29 said:


> I have definitely become very uninhibited and it is sooooo not me


That's the point isn't it? If one SSRI does that for you, then so will the rest.


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## Cletis (Oct 10, 2011)

beaches09 said:


> That's the point isn't it? If one SSRI does that for you, then so will the rest.


Not necessarily.


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## Porterdog (Sep 17, 2010)

Well, im a hardhead with a high tolerance to all antidepressants.
100mg of Zoloft made me manic, suicidal, sleepless, sexually anhedonic, sick, and agitated.
I dont even want to imagine 200mg of zoloft. **** that


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## kct29 (May 22, 2012)

Porterdog said:


> Well, im a hardhead with a high tolerance to all antidepressants.
> 100mg of Zoloft made me manic, suicidal, sleepless, sexually anhedonic, sick, and agitated.
> I dont even want to imagine 200mg of zoloft. **** that


Oh, yikes...I'm thinking about changing to Prozac because I am having terrible insomnia. I'm hoping we can stay with a smaller dose of Prozac. She gave me Ambien to sleep but I really hate taking it because I feel so awful in the AMs. I have to talk myself into getting out of bed every morning for about 2 hours.

thanks, everyone.


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm on 200mg and have been for months. Inderal is used to treat high blood pressure so that may be lowering it for you. 

And your aunt may not see it but 200mg is very often prescribed. The thing about Zoloft is that success rate on low doses is high. I prefer the higher dose for the affect on dopamine.


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## laurenz269 (Mar 20, 2015)

Hi, I'm 16 turning 17 in less than a month and I have been taking Sertraline 200mg for almost a year, before that i was taking 100mg. Iv been doing some research recently on the side affects of the high done of Sertraline that I take and have become to grow some concerns. I never really thought twice about anything only that the medication made me feel better. Then i skipped out a couple of days because i ran out of medication or i forgot or whatever, this has happened more times then I can keep track of, and every time i would be off them for a couple days i would experience hot sweats, nausea, irritation, feeling like theres something crawling under my skin, i would feel exhausted and more importantly feel like ****. I would differently have suicidal thoughts and would want to just give up. The most recent "episode" is what I call them was about a week and a half ago, i got really over everything and was by myself in my house for about 6 hours before my boyfriend got off work but i felt worthless and ended up shattering my long mirror and cut my wrist all the way up to the top of my shoulder. When Im on my meds tho Im the happiest girl you will meet who values life in every aspect, Im just becoming extemely concerned with how this medication will effect me in the long run. Also from what iv been reading, it takes almost a year to wean off the medication. Would love to receive some feedback this is my first time using a website like this so anything can help. Thanks so much


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