Side Effects

I experienced some pretty uncomfortable side effects from the Zoloft over the past couple of weeks. My psychiatrist recommended I increase the dose from 25 mg to 50 mg per day about 2 weeks ago and since then I have been experiencing increased drowsiness and extreme heartburn.

The drowsiness is something that I can usually fight through but the heartburn was a completely different story. The heartburn got to the point where I couldn't even sleep and one night I woke up at around 4 a.m. almost screaming in pain. I tried taking antacids, like Rolaids, but they were not helping at all. I even tried taking the Zoloft in the morning with a large breakfast but that didn't help either.

I couldn't handle the pain anymore so I went to have a chat with my pharmacist and he recommended that I take Ranitidine which is an acid reducer. He also recommended that I take the Ranitidine until my appointment with the psychiatrist on August 18 and discuss the side effects with her then. I plan on asking my psychiatrist if I can take two 25 mg Zoloft pills about 12 hours apart instead of taking the 50 mg pill all at once. I'm really hoping that this adjustment will make the heartburn go away and help a bit with the drowsiness.

On the positive side, I'm finding that the medication is helping greatly and despite the side effects I am doing better with the help of the Zoloft. I really like the fact that the medication is allowing me to apply everything I've learned at Clear Path with more ease. I am noticing my motivation is starting to come back and I am finding myself going out to the park with my family and being more active in general. I'm currently working on renovating one of the bathrooms in my home and this renewed sense of vitality is making me feel great.