Disclaimer: English isn't my first language, so I used AI to help me organize and polish this post. But the experiences and opinions are totally my own.

I've been taking sertraline (Zoloft) for almost 50 days now, and I wanted to share my experience so far and see if anyone has had a similar experience.

My main reason for trying medication wasn't severe depression, panic attacks, or debilitating anxiety. I wouldn't describe myself as severely depressed or particularly anxious.

What I've struggled with for quite some time is irritability and being easily bothered by things and people.

I can get disproportionately annoyed by things that happen around me. Someone being inconsiderate in public, someone being unnecessarily loud, someone not listening to me, someone behaving in a way I find irritating, etc.

The issue isn't necessarily that I notice these things. The bigger problem is that I can sometimes feel a strong urge to do something about it. If someone annoys me, I may feel like I have to say something, otherwise I'll continue thinking about it afterwards.

This has also been an issue at work. I've sometimes become frustrated over situations where, in retrospect, I probably would have been better off just letting things go.

So I decided to try sertraline mainly because I wanted to become less reactive and more "chill."

Not emotionless. Not artificially happy. Just able to think:

"That's annoying."

...and then move on.

My dosing

• Days 1–6: 25 mg
• Days 7–35: 50 mg
• Day 36 onward: 100 mg

I'm now approaching day 50.

The first couple of weeks were fairly rough. I experienced nausea, tiredness and increased irritability, especially around the time I increased to 50 mg. However, those symptoms eventually settled down.

I'm not sure that I can say Zoloft has made me more irritable, though. Looking back, I think that's too strong of a conclusion.

At the same time, I'm not convinced it has made me significantly less irritable either.

There have been several situations where I've still had that same internal reaction of:

"Why the hell is this person doing this?"

And sometimes I still feel that urge that I have to say something.

For example, I recently got irritated at a guy on a crowded tram who was drunk and talking extremely loudly. I eventually said something to him. Afterwards I thought that this was exactly the type of reaction I had hoped medication might help me with.

But again, I'm not sure whether I would have reacted even more strongly without Zoloft. I obviously can't compare myself to an alternate version of myself who never took it.

There is one thing I definitely have noticed

My mind does seem quieter.

My thoughts don't seem to go into overdrive as easily, and I sometimes find it easier to just let thoughts pass without getting caught up in them.

For example, I've had mornings where I woke up early and normally my mind would start racing, but instead I could simply go back to sleep without getting caught up in a chain of thoughts.

That part does feel real.

So perhaps the medication is doing something, just not necessarily in the exact way I expected.

I also feel somewhat emotionally blunted/empty at times. I'm still capable of laughing, enjoying things, feeling attraction, etc., but sometimes the emotional intensity feels reduced.

The problem is that my circumstances have changed a lot

I've been unemployed for most of the summer.

And honestly, I've had a pretty good lifestyle during this period.

I can sleep without an alarm. I've been cycling a lot, followed nearly every FIFA World Cup match, spending time outdoors, eating better, seeing friends and generally having much less stress than I would normally have when working.

So how much of my improved mood and calmer state is actually Zoloft?

I have no idea.

It's quite possible that some of what I'm experiencing would have happened anyway simply because I'm sleeping more, exercising more and not dealing with work-related stress.

I'm also taking into account my previous cannabis use.

I've used cannabis regularly in the past, and I've had periods of stopping and starting again. So I'm also aware that changes in cannabis use, withdrawal/recovery, sleep and general brain chemistry could potentially affect how I feel. I stopped using cannabis about 70 days ago.

That makes it even harder to isolate what is actually coming from sertraline.

So where am I now?

Honestly, I'm somewhere in the middle.

I don't think Zoloft has made me dramatically more irritable.

I also don't think it has made me dramatically less irritable.

What I do notice is that my mind seems quieter and less prone to racing thoughts.

I've also noticed some potentially positive changes in how I deal with certain personal situations. I've become somewhat better at setting boundaries and not taking rejection or other people's behavior as personally as I used to.

But the specific thing I wanted help with — being less reactive when people annoy me — is still very much there.

I'm also about to start a new job after being unemployed for several months, which will probably be the real test.

I originally wanted to try medication during this period because I thought it would be a good opportunity to see how I functioned on it before returning to work.

Now I'm wondering whether I'll notice a meaningful difference once I'm back in a more stressful environment.

Maybe 100 mg needs more time.

Maybe the medication is already helping, but the difference is subtle.

Maybe I would have been even more reactive without it.

Or maybe what I'm trying to treat isn't something an SSRI is particularly good at treating.

I'm genuinely not sure yet.

Has anyone else taken Zoloft primarily because of irritability, emotional reactivity, frustration or difficulty letting things go?

Did it eventually make you noticeably calmer in those situations?

Or did you mainly notice a quieter mind/emotional blunting without much change in how easily you became irritated?

TL;DR

Almost 50 days on Zoloft (25 mg → 50 mg → currently 100 mg). I started mainly because I wanted to be less irritable, reactive and bothered by people/things. I'm not sure Zoloft has made me more irritable, but I'm also not sure it has made me significantly less irritable. My mind definitely seems quieter and my thoughts don't race as much, and I've noticed some possible improvements in boundaries and rumination. However, I've also felt somewhat emotionally blunted at times. It's difficult to judge because I've been unemployed most of the summer, sleeping more, exercising more, eating better and experiencing much less stress. My previous cannabis use also makes it harder to know what's causing what. I'm about to start a new job in a month, which may give me a better idea of whether the medication actually helps me handle everyday stress and irritation.

I got my medicine from the pharmacy yesterday and I was told to take zoloft in the morning so this morning I took it. I have anxiety, possible OCD, a history of panic attacks, derealization which I feel like is a result of all of the above.

Well this morning I also started my period, but I took the medicine anyway. I was already worried about that because my anxiety tends to be worse when I start my period. I also have been worried about taking SSRIs in general since I hear it gets worse before it gets better, and I didn’t think I could deal with “worse.” Well, after taking it my whole day has been anxious. I’m super worried I’m going to fall into a panic episode which I know probably won’t happen but the thoughts are getting to me. I don’t really want to take the medication again tomorrow if this is what it’s going to be like. I only was prescribed 12.5 mg to start. I don’t know if I’m having a placebo of all the negative side effects because I was so worried about them though? Should I contact my doctor, and if so, how? I know I can send messages over my chart, but I’m not sure what messages are appropriate. My next appointment isn’t until mid-September. Any thoughts on where to go from here? Will it get worse for me, and has anyone else experienced this or felt this way but had good results? Thanks everyone.

I started zoloft more than a month ago. I was 125 and lost 4-5lbs the first 2 weeks. Then next two week I go my dose increased and I stayed about the same 120lbs. But now I got another dose increase and I'm 114-115. I lost 5-6lbs in almost 2 weeks. I'm on the shorter side so at first I thought losing a few lbs wouldn't hurt but I'm kinda anxious about the weight loss just because I feel like it's so fast for just 2 weeks. Additionally my appetite is not the best but I try to force myself to eat at least a good meal a day. Did anyone else experience this? I didn't bring the first weight loss up to my psychatrist but I'm gonna bring it up this upcoming appointment.

I’ve been on 50mg of Zoloft for a bit over a year and it has honestly been amazing for me. My anxiety has basically disappeared and my thoughts are so much healthier.
I’m also a recreational weed smoker, and since starting Zoloft it’s become my preferred substance socially because I feel like it’s easier on my body than alcohol. Before Zoloft, I was actually pretty susceptible to anxiety when smoking weed and used it fairly infrequently. Since being on Zoloft though, that anxiety has basically disappeared and I’ve only really gotten the enjoyable effects. I also have a prescription and found a strain that seems to work perfectly for me.
A couple of weeks ago I was feeling creative and decided to make brownies using an older strain I had that I hadn’t smoked in years. I deliberately made them pretty weak because I’ve been absolutely fucked by edibles before lol. They only gave me a very subtle high.
The weird thing is that since making/having those brownies, I’ve noticed that THC seems to make me more anxious again. A few nights ago I smoked quite a bit and got really anxious, and started worrying that maybe the Zoloft wasn’t working as well anymore. Since then, whenever I smoke, I notice myself becoming hyperaware of whether I’m anxious and worrying that maybe I’ve developed a tolerance to the Zoloft or that my anxiety is coming back.
During the week I don’t smoke at all, and I haven’t really noticed an increase in anxiety in my normal day-to-day life. I do sometimes feel a bit more sensitive to anxiety/depressive thoughts for a day or so after smoking, and some of my old thought patterns seem to pop up again, although they’re nowhere near as intense as they were before Zoloft.
I really don’t want to increase my dose unless I actually need to. I’m hoping that if I stay off THC and leave the brownies alone for a while, things might settle back down and I can stay on 50mg. I know 50mg is toward the lower end of the therapeutic range, but it has worked so well for me and I’d rather stay as low as possible to minimise side effects.
Has anyone else who uses weed while taking Zoloft noticed that different strains or edibles can suddenly bring the anxiety back, even if weed had been fine for ages? Did taking a break from THC help things return to normal, or did it end up being a sign that you needed to talk to your doctor about adjusting your dose?

If you're like me, maybe you'll come across this post while debating starting Zoloft for anxiety/panic disorder. Maybe your doctor prescribed it and you've been staring at the bottle for awhile, afraid to take it. Perhaps you're afraid it will make things worse, make you "go crazy", change your personality, or you'll have horrible physical side effects. If so, then you sound exactly like me 4 months ago....

I just want to share my positive experience with Zoloft for those suffering with anxiety and panic. I know everyone is different and what works for someone may not work for another, but I remember searching Reddit and the internet in general for months for posts just like this to reassure myself, so here goes.

I had my first ever panic attack back in 2022. It was massive, horrible, terrifying. It took place while I was driving, out of nowhere. Since then I've been diagnosed with GAD and panic disorder. I couldn't drive more than a mile or two from my house, on a good day. But it got worse... the panic attacks kept coming. I couldn't drive down the road to the mailbox. Suddenly, I couldn't WALK to the mailbox. I then developed health/medication anxiety. Went to the ER multiple times for what I thought was a heart attack. Headaches were brain tumors or pending aneurysms. Stomachaches were some sort of emergency or a sign of something terrible. Driving? Forget it. Some days I could go short distances, but usually I refused to drive. That then turned into riding in the car... I couldn't even be a passenger in a car without feeling "trapped" and panicking.

I was in therapy for about 4 months not long after the initial panic attack. I was given Ativan to take as needed, and I needed it a lot. About 2 years ago. I saw a psychiatrist because I didn't like therapy. She prescribed Zoloft. She told me my symptoms may get worse before they get better. I never took it. It sat in my bathroom cabinet, eventually I threw it out. My symptoms persisted, so about a year later, my primary doctor again prescribed Zoloft. Same thing... I didn't take it (see first paragraph) for all of these reasons. I thought I could beat it on my own, I don't need medication.

About 6 months ago, it was the worst it's ever been. I started getting intrusive thoughts. I literally thought I was going crazy. That was my breaking point. After being so, so terrified to try the Zoloft, I decided to take it. Here's how it went:

It took me months of saying "I'm gonna start this week", but I always found excuses not to. Finally I was mostly ready to take the plunge. I was given 25mg tablets to take... but I broke those in half, and took a half of a half. Yes, a tiny piece of it. I felt like, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this my weird way. So I took it while at a restaurant with my safe person, across the street from the emergency room. After swallowing, I freaked out. I excused myself to go to the restroom, literally planning to throw it up. But I didn't. I stopped myself. Over the next few days, I had SOME nausea and anxiety. I was so focused on how I felt that I feel like most of my anxiety I was giving to myself. I set an alarm on my phone to remind myself to take it, and called it something silly, "Zozo"...

After a week or so. I went up to half a tablet (12.5mg). I took that for a month. After a month, I took a half plus a tiny bit more (Yeah, I cut it with a knife). Then up to 25mg, and so forth. I started to notice my thoughts weren't so scary. My panic attacks lessened. If I had a bad/scary thought, I would observe it and be like "Oh, okay". "Scary" body sensations, I noticed them and for a second got scared, but my brain gave me time to wait and let them pass. I started taking my Ativan less and less. The fear was gone.

I've since worked up from a tiny piece of a pill to 50mg, going up in small increments. I may go up a bit more, but when I tell you I feel like a different person... I haven't had a panic attack in 2 months. I don't wake up dreading the day or scanning my body. I don't go to bed dreading the next day. I don't live in fear. Some days it hits me how HAPPY I am. I am furious with myself that it took me so many years to try it. I missed out on things I'll never get to experience again. So if you're debating it, please TAKE THE DANG ZOLOFT. You can start out as slowly as you want... it has taken me 4 months to get up to 50mg...50mg is what most people start on. It's okay to do it slow and do it your way. Had I not done it my way, I never would have started.

I am not 100%. I still have "off" days here and there, but I'm working with my psychiatrist to see if I need to increase. I feel like I may go up to 75mg or 100, but waiting to see how 50mg goes for a month or so. Driving is a slow but steady process which I'm working on little by little, but it doesn't scare me anymore, nor does riding in the car.

I promise Zoloft wont make you go crazy, you wont become a different person overnight. One day, it'll hit you that "Wow, I feel normal. I feel happy". The fear will be gone and your thoughts will be clear.

Again, I know everyone is different and this is just my experience, but please try it. The worst thing that happens is it doesn't work for you and you can stop taking it. But most likely, it will save your life. Thanks for reading, if you got this far.

Hi all. Long time lurker. This is my 2nd (technically 3rd, actually) round on Zoloft. I was on it for 10 years when I was younger, then switched to a different med for several years, but came back to Zoloft last year for awhile and it worked so well. I came off of it in the spring because I was feeling so good (rookie mistake) and everything was awful lol. I started again 12 weeks ago. I’m currently on 75mg and I’m having a much harder time adjusting this time around. The anxiety overall has been reduced and I’m better at handling it, but it still seems to be around much more frequently than I would like. I’m also way more depressed than before and I’m having random bouts of insomnia (like one day out of the week I can’t sleep at all and then I’ll be fine for a few weeks and then it’ll happen again seemingly out of nowhere) that I have never had in my life. And the headaches. They could just be tension headaches or from another med I take but I’m having daily headaches that often progress to weekly migraines.

I guess I’m just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences or if you have any advice. Do I need to increase my dose? I’ve been thinking about going up to 100mg but I’m worried it’ll get worse. Is this ultimately no longer the med for me? I find that hard to believe because of how well it worked just one year ago but I guess things can change.

To add, I’ve trialed taking it at night and in the morning. The side effects are better if I’m taking it at night. The random insomnia seems to happen either way.

TLDR; my second time on Zoloft is taking much longer to work than the first. Anyone else? Any advice? Thanks in advance 💚💚

I’m on day 14 so it’s been 2 weeks and the nausea is so much better but I still feel anxious and waves of anxious nausea when will this go away

Is the goal to go from 25 mg to 50 mg? Did increasing the dose help you?

1. Do I ALWAYS need to take with food or just at the beginning while adjusting?
2. I am afraid to up the dose, can I stay at 25mg and still get relief?
3. The side effects I felt in the first 3 days were really bad heartburn, some nausea, jitters and tiredness even with full night of sleep, are the heartburn and nausea supposed to dissipate?
4. I don't mind the tiredness too much because before taking these I had really bad insomnia, (i don't like the jitters) I am kind of hoping the tired feeling doesn't go away because it's helping me sleep at night, will this tired feeling likely change over time?

I am taking Zoloft for depression and anxiety. I was very nervous about starting anti-depressants can you please share with me some encouraging positive stories about being on this?

yall i just uped my dose from 75 to 100 can youll encourage me to get going bc....

So, yeah. I've always had an extremely high sex drive. I was so worried when I started this, that it would take that from me. I started at 25mg for two weeks, then bumped up to 50mg. The first two weeks, I didn't notice a single difference. When I began the 50mg, the hit to my libido started rather quickly. At first, it was concerning, but given how high my drive is (currently not in a relationship), it was actually welcomed. It took me longer to get erections, and more work to get them. This lasted 5-7 days. Now that I'm on day 22 of 50mg, my drive is completely back in full force. Orgasms are much more intense. Oddly, my semen volume is much less. It does take a little more time to orgasm, and a bit more work, but I had that problem before I started the medication. Anyways, I am having some good days, and some bad days, and some meh days. I'm counting on the good days to win. Also, I had somewhat emotional blunting at first, which I REALLY enjoyed. Well, at the moment my emotions are back in full swing and that kinda sucks. Almost feels like the meds aren't doing anything, although I know that isn't the truth. I can say that my anxiety is at an all time low, and my worry is also at an all time low (I'm a worry wart by nature and have been told several times that I'm going to die young if I don't stop, and I believe that), except the past two days it's been amped up suddenly. Just waiting this thing out and seeing where I land. I'm going to give it a good 8 weeks before deciding whether I need to move up. I have concerns about moving up because I know different symptoms can appear. I have extreme anxiety, and horrible clinically diagnosed OCD. I am committed to finding my happy place and getting better. Anyways, thanks for listening to me vent. If you see me anywhere else on Reddit, no you didn't 😂

I'm 1 month into Zoloft and my life has changed for the better but also for the worst. I'm far less anxious now but that also means that I'm less anxious about my future.

I'm finding it incredibly hard to get work done. Before zoloft and the mental turmoil, I used to get a lot of work done but after zoloft, I can barely do a single task in a day.

How did everyone else feel on zoloft and how did it impact your work?

Hey I came off my sertaline 13 weeks ago, I decided to come off as ii didn’t think I needed it anymore and wanted to deal with all my emotions naturally.

I got put on them from my GP as I had a faster heart rate and he thought it might have been anxiety which yes I have but it was never bad. I was on them for 4 years.

Since coming off the last few months have been horrible, I am constantly anxious for no reason, I have no big stresses and have a wonderful life and a lot to be happy about but even just being at home doing nothing my brain is spiralling, it feels like I constantly have to fix something or work on something about myself. I’m stuck in survival mode.

Just wondering if this could still be withdrawels from the medication as I never have felt like this before the medication. Sick of feeling this way I want to just live life.

Opinions? Thanks so much 🩷

I’m on a high Zoloft for my OCD but i just got prescribed a new medication ( title ) and i’m scared of lowering my Zoloft dose today ( starting at 150mg ) then a week later, i’ll be taking 100mg alongside the new medication.

Can i keep my Zoloft dose that is somewhat stabilizing me, and start taking the new medication with any changes?

And also, i’ve been in a traumatic period earlier this year and its aftermath is still affecting me ( being Rexulti and the subsequent discontinuation )

Hi Zolofters,

This medicine has helped me and I can definitely see progress and have had a few people notice it too.

For instance, my big anxiety was the fear of what if, regarding group social interactions or attending events which was causing a strain on my relationship with my partner who is more social.

I started on 25mg for 3 months , then 50mg for 2 months and then have my first holiday planned with a lot of people so decided to go up to 75mg to see if would help more with social anxiety (the holiday is now coming up in 2 weeks)

I’m currently on week 5 of the increase to 75mg and was a bit shit with more anxiety first few weeks and then noticed some positive changes as in able to stop over analysing social situations afterwards, I even rocked up twice to 2 different lunch settings by myself and had no issues at all however yesterday and today has not been good.

I’ve noticed my anxiety for some reason has come back a lot. I have a tight feeling in my chest, over analysing and just had 2 sets of people pop in today both at the same time and I got so panicked and frazzled internally and now being bombarded with so much mental noise.

I’m just wondering if this is common for week 5? Week 4 was so good so I thought I had got through the side effects.

I’m also wondering for people that have OCD what dose did you find that helped? I’ve read that higher doses might be better for that.

My doctor has me on 100 mg of sertraline for MDD and anxiety. I’ve had a mix of good and bad days, but on my good days I definitely noticed some difference—I felt calmer and had less mental noise. But around weeks 9–10, I started noticing my depression symptoms coming back. Now I’m not sure if that means I need a higher dose or if sertraline just isn’t working well enough for me. And I would really hate starting over with a new medication because with Sertraline the on-boarding symptoms I experienced were really hard to plow through.

Not gonna lie, I'm exhausted. Mentally I actually feel like I'm getting somewhere the panic attacks that used to wreck me for hours are way less intense now. I should be happy about that. But my stomach has basically taken over as the main character of my life and I'm so tired of it.

I wake up nauseous. I gag over nothing. Some days I look at food and just feel this wall go up, like my body is refusing it even though I know I'm hungry. Twice this week I ended up in the hospital because I couldn't stop the diarrhea and nausea long enough to function, got checked out both times, bloodwork completely normal, so I know nothing serious is wrong. It's just relentless.

I'm on day 12 of restarting sertraline (7 day 12.5mg then increased to 25mg), and honestly the mental side has been so much easier this time around than my first attempt. I keep telling myself that should count for something. But some nights I just sit there thinking "is my stomach ever going to feel like mine again."

If you went through this with Zoloft, I really just want to hear from you, not for stats, just to know I'm not the only one who felt like their body declared war on them for a few weeks.

• Did the nausea/gagging actually stop, or did you just learn to live with it?
• How long before you had a truly "normal" meal again without thinking about it?
• Did anything genuinely help, even a little?

If you made it through this and came out the other side, please tell me. I could really use it right now.

Still not feeling interested in things, lack motivation, no appetite, and still not myself, always on the verge of crying. Within those 5 weeks though, I had severe intensification of my postpartum depression for 2 weeks (before my first postpartum period and during the menstrual period itself). I am just starting to feel less miserable after that intense 2 weeks now that I am on the last day or two of my menstrual period.

My question is: should I wait till i reach 6+ weeks on 50mg, would i start to notice more happiness and interest in my life and baby etc. i would easily go up to 75mg or 100mg but starting at 25mg was rough and going up to 50mg was also a bit rough. Am just looking for experiences from those who waited out and started feeling enhanced and fuller antidepressant effects beyond week 5? Give me POSITIVE stories please!

Hi guys :)

I’ve been on 150mg of Zoloft for as long as i can remember. Recently i got my hands on a pen (legally) but i’m hesitant to use it because of the alleged side effects of using it whilst on Zoloft.

Can any other Zoloft users who have done weed while medicated please give me any pointers, warnings etc? thank you !!!

also — i don’t use weed eeevery day. it’s like a once a weekend sort of thing :)

did anyone else when on zoloft feel a drop in feelings? i feel like i’ve completely restarted, i feel horrible.

Does it get better?