Questions about Zoloft

[Hangin' Tough]

Good afternoon,
I have been prescribed Zoloft for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) today and am curious if anyone has had any negative experiences with it in relation to their IC. Does it make you flare or increase frequecy or cause retention? I am a little concerned because me and my bladder are not on speaking terms at the moment :bonk: :bonk: and I don't want to cause more problems. Have a great day.

Steve

[Sarojini]

I took Zoloft for a while -- it did not cause me any excess bladder problems, but I did begin to have rapid mood swings while on it. I spoke to my psychiatrist about it and found that this meant I was actually suffering from Bipolar Disorder... it is apparently a common occurrence for those with bipolar to experience what is known as "rapid cycling" when on standard antidepressant therapy alone. I had to change to a different medication for mood stabilization (first Topomax, which made me sicker than a dog, and then now Lamictal, which works great). My psychiatrist is wary of putting me back on any antidepressant at all (so I can't take even Elavil for IC symptoms)... but mentioned in the future Wellbutrin may be a good option, in addition to the Lamictal for depressive episodes.

Regardless, the Zoloft did not hurt my bladder at all... I hope you have the same luck with it bladderwise. :)

[poetgirl]

I'm currently taking Elavil and have been for two years. My primary doctor prescribed Zoloft for me (in addition to the Elavil) last year to help with the depression and anxiety I was feeling. I ended up having a really bad reaction to the two drugs being in my system -- I just could not function at all. I found out later that concurrent use of Elavil with SSRI antidepressants may result in increased toxicity. (Thanks, Doc!) So, I had to go off it, because even cutting the dosage still left me with awful side effects. I had tried Zoloft by itself years ago for depression and eventually weaned myself off it because although it helped me get through a major depressive episode, I felt like it wasn't helping me in the long run. I guess it's just not meant for me! But other people (including some family members) swear by it, and my dad was prescribed it for PTSD following 9/11.

I hope Zoloft ends up working well for you and is bladder-friendly too.