Got prescribed Zoloft today..

[Cmystic31]

I'd be pissed if I got that worthless stuff prescribed to me.

[questioneer]

I understand what your doctor is doing, but it really doesn't make too much sense. He was trying to treat the indirect cause (which he wasn't completely sure of), as opposed to the direct cause. If I were you, I would call up your regular doctor to get their opinion.

For most stomach problems, doctors would not even consider an SSRI. The whole idea of it still has me a little confused. If you are having stomach problems, the doctor should have prescribed something like hyoscyamine, or possible something like promethazine.

Before taking the Zoloft, I'd call and get a second opinion. It won't help directly with your stomach problems.

[One Truth]

yea I've heard about people going in for random things and getting prescribed some type of anti-depressant mostly zoloft and prozac

[zigzagger]

I've been on a few different anti-depressants in the last 5-6 months including Zoloft. The side-effects aren't bad, you might get one or two mild ones. It's rare that a person exhibits a lot of side-effects or serious ones at that. I have IBS that's been formally diagnosed and Zoloft made me have explosive diarrhea all the time - needless to say I didn't stay on it long.

I don't think that you need an anti-depressant, like someone above said they're not treating the issue directly. I'd go to your regular doctor and explain what's up.

[willow]

I can relate with the posters who said they were zombified and still depressed. I think it's great if antidepressants work for others, but the SSRIs (Zoloft, Lexapro) were nasty for me. They also made me feel like a zombie and MORE depressed. Also, I had something called Seratonin Syndrome, which is actually a lot more common than people think. It felt like I was getting electric shocks in my brain and I had seizures. So, needless to say, I got off of them (it's very hard to get off of them and you HAVE to do it slowly and you need to do it with the guidance of a doctor). I was so sick. I felt like I had to throw up all the time. I have never been so sick, and I've been pregnant, so that is saying something. It CAUSED permanent digestive problems for me. I didn't have any problems like that before taking these pills.

My experience was horrible. I think that people should be very careful about researching and getting different opinions from doctors and professional psychiatrists (not just your family care practitioner doctor) before putting a chemical this major and brain altering into their body. Also, I assume you like to toke it up, since you're on grasscity (I'm quick! ), so you should also know that the chemical change has an effect on how other drugs react with your system. I was no longer able to feel high and weed made me sick. I also couldn't drink anymore, which didn't bother me because I don't really like alcohol. So, there was no escaping how crappy the anitdepressants were making me feel.

I would personally check into Wellbutrin. It is not an SSRI. It's in another family of antidepressants and I have heard more good about it than the others. I had a bad enough experience that I stayed away from them completely, moved and made some lifestyle changes and I was fine. I was never even really depressed in the first place. I was just sad because of the death of a family member, which in hindsight, I think was "normal", whatever normal is. Therapy and yoga worked better for me than medication, but that's just me. Medication works great for a lot of people and I respect them for taking it if they need it and it's working for them. There are also lots of other ways to reduce stress though, if that's the only reason why it's needed, IMO. If I ever decided to go down the medication route if I hit some kind of slump again, then I would personally try Wellbutrin above all of the other options.

You are right to wonder why these doctors are always so quick to prescribe this stuff. Just take a look at the pens and mouse pads in the office. They usually all say Zoloft. This is just a tiny sign of the BIG perks you don't see that go on behind the scenes. The pen was probably given to them during one of their bi-annual trips on a yacht off of Greece. I had a roommate who worked for a major Pharm company and you should see the trips she went on to wine and dine doctors. That's what it's all about. The more presciptions they write, the more steak dinners and exotic vacations they get, with tax write-offs. It's simple, really. You can find honest doctors who don't play this game though and that is why it's good to get different opionions. Insurance companies make this difficult though.

Good luck. It's good that you are asking advice and being skeptical. It's smart to care about what you put in your body.