Hi everyone,
I am 17 years old who has generalized anxiety disorder and OCD. 10 months ago I was put on 25 mg of Zoloft and I recently bumped up to 75 mg. My anxiety is very strange cause it Varys from me thinking I’m schizophrenic, to me thinking I’m suicidal or I’m dying of a illness. But recently I’ve been having strange thoughts that I was going to harm others around me such as my boyfriend and family. It scares me because I feel like my medicine is turning me into a psychopath and I read some articles about how some people have killed their families after taking an antidepressant and going into a psychosis mode... it scared the crap out of me. I don’t know what to do I NEED REASSURANCE
Hi jj123467
We note from a recent post which you have made to our forum that you may be experiencing thoughts around self-harm. If we have misinterpreted your comments then we apologise for contacting you directly. But if you are having such thoughts then please note that you are not alone in this, and there are people out there that can help.
If you are having these suicidal thoughts then we strongly recommend you speak to someone who may be able to help. The Samaritans offer a safe space where you can talk openly about what you are going through. They can help you explore your options, understand your problems better, or just be there to listen.
Their contact details are on our patient information leaflet here: https://patient.info/health/dealing-with-suicidal-thoughts, which also offers lots of other advice on how you can access the help you may need.
If you are having such thoughts then please do reach out to the team at the Samaritans (or the other people detailed in our leaflet) who will understand what you're going through and will be able to help.
Kindest regards
Patient
Making the jump from 25 to 75 is tripling your dose. If you don’t do that slowly enough your intrusive thoughts will worsen dramatically before they get better. I’m guessing it’s been less than a month on your higher dose of Zoloft?
Hi,
I was on 50 mg for awhile before I went up to 75.
How did 50mg treat you? How long have you been on 75mg? I take Prozac for OCD and I know how HORRIBLE dosage increases feel. I had to work my way up from 10 to 80. Such terrible anxiety and intrusive thoughts for 1-2 weeks every increase.
Do you feel like the anxiety you are experiencing is familiar yet more intense or is there an entirely new component to it?
People who have fearful thoughts of self harm or thinking there is another problem with them is just another intrusive thought. This is a symptom of anxiety. I had the same problem a while ago. I was convinced I was depressed and scared of suicide. but they where just fearful thought I did not like. But if you truly are thinking of harming yourself or others than you should talk to your doctor. Most people who plan on these acts are not concerned with it, they just do it without. The way you said, : it scares the crap out of me" says that these are intrusive thoughts and you should pay them no mind. Anxiety can cause psychosis. when we are SO anxious this is the way our brain copes.
The 50mg treated me okay. I noticed I got more agitated easily and I had gained a lot of weight. I’ve been on 75 for 2 weeks now. The anxiety I am feeling now is familiar but less intense then it was before I was even on Zoloft. But the thoughts are still there
Hang in there, 2 weeks is early days for a dosage adjustment to take effect. I forgot to address your initial concern which was that the medication could cause you to lose control. The fear of acting on an intrusive thought is a characteristic of the symptom of intrusive thoughts. It would make sense that they are getting worse, both in number and intensity, when increasing you dose. The fact that you have tolerated Zoloft for so long without any issue should make you comfortable that a slight increase in dose won't trigger something unexpected.
As someone who takes Prozac for OCD, I know exactly what it's like to have everything get so much worse for 2-3 weeks after increasing my dose. It will pass and you will be left feeling better than ever.