Blech. Took my first dose of liquid Zoloft today.

[Lyric]

After my recent gastric bypass, I no longer have enough stomach acid to properly absorb the Lexapro pills I was taking before. I had developed debilitating panic attacks as a result, five or six a day, and I'd go days without sleeping until utter exhaustion knocked me unconscious for a few hours every few days. I have no other medicines to treat panic or anxiety, so I was pretty desperate at my last doctor's appointment.

He prescribed liquid Zoloft because it is easily absorbed in my altered gut. He told me I'll probably have a pretty miserable month while waiting for the Zoloft to start working at full effect, and I know I'll have some side effects since I've taken it before, but hopefully by the middle of November I'll be coping better. I just have to hang on for that long.

In the meantime...blech. Even mixed with flat diet ginger ale, this stuff tastes really weird. lol.

Does anyone else here have panic disorder? Any coping strategies you could share? I need to get through a few more weeks of panic attacks and nightmares, and I am already pretty raw and traumatized.

[applegrove]

1. Belly breath. Belly breath. Deep, deep belly breaths. Try and find healthy

ways to disrupt the pain.

[broiles]

4. Try breathing in and out into a paper bag.

[TexasTowelie]

2. I occasionally have panic attacks, but my official diagnosis is major depression.

I don't know if it will help, but I do try to remember a saying that I heard:

Don't pet the sweaty stuff -- oops, don't sweat the petty stuff.

Keeping things in proper perspective does make a difference and good luck with the change in medications. I've never taken Zoloft, but I've changed many other anti-depressants through the years and I know that it isn't a walk in the park.

[NightWatcher]

3. Cannabis

It's my new stock answer for medical advice.

It's done wonders for me.

[redwitch]

5. I hope the Zoloft helps with the panic attacks.

I can appreciate how awful it is.

[LiberalEsto]

6. My younger daughter has it.

Zoloft helps her some.
Counseling is also helping to some degree.

I think medical marijuana would probably help too, but I have no idea whether panic disorder will qualify for this under Maryland's criteria, which are still being developed.

Wish I could offer you some coping strategies but I can't think of any, other than slowing one's breath. I've found the writings of the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh helpful with this.

Good luck to you and I hope you feel better.

[Lyric]

8. I live in West Virginia

I have honestly only tried marijuana twice in my life (I was a teenager) and it kind of freaked me out and made my throat sore. But I wouldn't mind trying some of the edibles. If I could find sugar-free ones, anyway.

[LiberalEsto]

12. Personally, I can't stand marijuana

Haven't touched it in more than 30 years and have zero interest in using it.
Smoking anything gave me sinus infections and bronchitis.

[2theleft]

7. Do some googling on Mindfulness

I have anxiety and have been working with a therapist on mindfulness. It's facing the anxiety rather than avoiding it and basically being aware of it and thinking through it. It's been HUGELY helpful to me and now I can typically calm myself down when the first anxious thoughts hit. Really has been a miracle for me.

There are books with audio portions you can download on a tablet, exercises, etc. They have mindfulness books for both anxiety and depression.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. Mindfulness apps too n/t

[smirkymonkey]

9. Have hope! I used to have regular, horrible panic attacks.

I am now on Cymbalta and Topiramate, but I have found that the Metoprolol (which I started taking for high BP due to incredibly stressful job situations - now completely under control) hugely reduced my anxiety. It's an old beta-blocker and it did more for my anxiety than any psych drug. It completely calmed me down.

Of course, it slows down your metabolism a bit, but I only gained around 5 pounds from it, however I find that I am not eating as many carbs anymore to calm myself down, so it's kind of a wash. I haven't had a panic attack in about 4 years, but I don't drink or take drugs, so that helps.

[Lyric]

10. I take metoprolol.

My drug list:

Plavix (anti-coagulant)
Aspirin (blood thinner)
Imdur (nitrate for high blood pressure and to prevent vasospasm)
Metoprolol (beta blocker for high blood pressure)
Lipitor (for high cholesterol)
Lexapro (for another week at least)
Zoloft (liquid, for depression and anxiety)
Zofran (for nausea)
Restoril (to try to get some sleep)
Protonix (proton pump inhibitor, to protect my stomach pouch)
I also usually take Lisinopril (an ACE inhibitor, for blood pressure) but I am off of it at now because I am chronically dehydrated, and without enough hydration, that medicine can harm my kidneys.

Add to that:

Celebrate-brand chewable bariatric multivitamins with iron, twice a day.
Celebrate-brand chewable 60 mg iron plus C
Bariatric Advantage-brand 500mg calcium citrate soft chews plus Vitamin D
Fast-dissolve biotin 1000 mg supplement (please god, let me keep my hair)
Melatonin 3 mg at night (it doesn't seem to help much, though)
A vitamin B12 shot once a month

I am hopeful that as I lose more and more weight in the coming months, I will be able to stop taking the blood pressure medicines and the Zofran. I have already stopped needing my Metformin for high blood sugar (yay!). I also hope to be able to stop taking Plavix someday. But the rest, I will probably have to take for life.

I wish my doctor would give me a clonazepam patch. I think that would control my anxiety better than anything else, and with a patch, he wouldn't have to worry that I would abuse it or overdose. Not that I have ever done so, but doctors are totally paranoid about controlled substances these days, even when they are the best treatment.

[Quantess]

13. ((((hugs))))) Zoloft is a mild anti depressant.

It's mild compared to other similar drugs. Easy to quit, also.
But, you could break the tablet in half and take half-dose for a while, or you could just just wait a whole day until taking the next tablet.