Question about Zoloft

[momojoe]

Hi everyone, was wondering if anyone knew if one of the side effects of Zoloft was extreme confusion.
My 90 year old grandmother has been taking it for about 3 or 4 months.
She is now tapping or pounding herself in between her eyes with her fingertips over and over again saying that something is wrong with her head and she feels like she has no idea where she is for a few moments. She then looks up and just shakes her head and says something is wrong with her. She has no history of this kind of behavior and just 10 months ago was driving herself around town...

Today..... after approx  20 minutes or so after taking her dose of Zoloft, she started this strange behavior again, Asked me if I had ever been driving and became lost.... and had no idea where I was....She said this is how she feels....


Any insight or similar experiences?

Thanks!!!
momojoe

[xanweaner]

I hope that she begins to feel back to normal soon. If I might add, I think this tapering schedule is a bit aggressive. It's just my opinion, but I would ask a pharmacist for their opinion, and give them all of the particulars - age, dosage, etc.

If you read some of the posts, people taper down a bit slower, and give it at least 7 - 14 days before tapering down again. I'm concerned about her comfort during this time. 50 mg. isn't that small a dosage, if you factor in age, weight, etc.

Again, I'm not her treating physician but I just wanted to offer you this info. to do some further investigation.

My best to both you and her...
xan

[momojoe]

Thanks for your help...
Since the last time I posted, the doctor has agreed that she can go off the Zoloft. Said she is on such a small dose, 50mgs, that she can either just stop, or cut it in 1/2 for the next couple of days. I think it would be best to cut it in half. She has been taking it since January.
It will be interesting to see if her 'brain' returns to normal after being off the Zoloft for a while. .....Now on to the Lorazapan (sp)

Her other meds are heart medications, dieretic, and morphine liqiud drops. She has been diagnosed as terminal and has hospice care now, but I am sure she is faking sometimes  lol....
One day she is dying the next day all her vitals are strong and her heart, MRI., scans etc are all GREAT.

Shes a tough bird.

Thanks again!
mmj

[RichardZulu]

Momojoe,

My family and I are going try the same exact ordeal with my 96 year old Grandmother!!!

What were the results of taking your Grandmother off of Zoloft???  Did she improve mentally???

[xanweaner]

Your Grandmother is so lucky to have you as her advocate. She needs that - very important - as many elders are mismanaged due to their age....

As you wrote, if this was due to her heart valve and she's not undergoing surgery to correct, will the oxygen deprivation continue or has this been resolved by some other means? If this has been corrected, and you want to help your Grandmother get off of Zoloft, I suggest you contact the treating physician and tell him/her that you'd like to start the taper. Once you receive the schedule, you can also check in with the pharmacist for additional input. Again, since she is elderly, I'd suggest a conservative route in the reduction of dosage...don't take it too aggressively.

It should not make a difference if she is on generic Zoloft or the brand. The wean schedule will be the same.

Good luck to both of you...and again, you should be congratulated for listening to your Grandmother and taking on the role of advocate. I hope I'm that lucky if I live to 90!!

Hugs to both of you,
xan

[momojoe]

Hensley:
I agree and we have been letting this go on for way too long. She has been telling us that she is confused for a while now.
I have found on various websites that Zoloft can cause confusion and interfere with whats real and whats not....

xanweaner:
To make this as short as possible, Grandmom started on Zoloft because of panic attacks and depression..... turned out, it was her heart valve gone bad that was cutting off her air and making her panic... When the doctors discovered the heart valve 'thing' they were going to do surgery to correct it but she was too weak. They are telling us that all her vital signs are good now and she is strong enough to have surgery but she does not want it now.

Why she is still on Zoloft is my question. She is on so many meds! I am going to get a list of what she is taking and dig into it a little further to see if they are interacting with each other.

We have been NOT listening to her which is throwing me into a tizzy now. I feel horrible that we have been listening to the docs and trusting there every word. My grandmother is a smart lady and we all just keep thinking that she is losing it because of her age. I am beginning to feel VERY differently. There are way too many people involved in her care.

Thanks for your input. Unfortunetly we will have to wean her off this slowly. I do not know the dosage at the moment, but by looking at the pill I have discovered that it is the generic of Zoloft. I dont know yet if this means anything.??

momojoe

[xanweaner]

I completely agree with Hensley. SSRI's will have a different impact on the elderly than they do with normal-aged adults. Additionally, their dosages should also be adjusted downward as well.  This sounds like mental confusion which can be a side effect.

Please call her Dr. right away so your mother doesn't have to suffer any longer than necessary.. It sounds like she was doing quite well prior to starting Zoloft. Why did they prescribe it to her?

Good luck...

[Hensley258]

That is unusual. I'm not so sure about how SSRI meds like Zoloft might effect the elderly, but this behavior sound serious and I would contact her doctor immidiatly.

You may want to taper her off the Zoloft.