Zoloft for teenagers

[worriedmom0905]

My daughter (15 years old) has been recently prescribed 50mg Zoloft for mild depression. I am very scared that this is not the right way to deal with the problems that she has and in particular scared of side effects and withdrawal dramas eventually. Do you have any suggestions how I could help her deal with depression without the medication and is Zoloft very dangerous to start with?

[KRBJR]

I started Zoloft when I was 14. I am now 16. I started on 25mg the lowest dosage available and it rid me of depression. I am now having very slight suicidal thoughts again so I went up to 50MG and have been on it for about and week and half and it’s not getting better so I might go to 75mg or 100mg if it doesn’t work soon. When the dose is right Zoloft is incredible. I do not at all recommend not having her take it that could be the worst thing possible for her because it could cause it to get worse whenever I missed a dose it would come right back as hard as it may be she may need to just stay on it permanently. It’s most likely her saratonin (might have mispelled that) isn’t high enough which is h at happened to me and let me tell you nothing other than meds can fix this

[Paxiled]

This is a 4 year old post.  But you have some misconceptions.  Very few people have insufficient serotonin, and if you did the Zoloft might not work.  It doesn't give you any more serotonin than you produce naturally, it just allows it to wash longer without being broken down in targeted receptors (which means other receptors shut down).  It did not rid you of depression, it got rid of the symptoms.  When you miss a dose you aren't necessarily getting back the original problem, you're getting withdrawal from missing the dose.  These drugs were never approved or tested on young people, and at that age your brain has not yet fully developed.  We don't really know what the drug is doing to your natural brain development, and no question there are those who just aren't going to have a life without the meds, but we need to be very careful about giving meds to young people without trying therapy and everything else first -- youthful problems are not thought to be the same usually as adult problems.  Even with adults these meds are a problem as well as a boon.  You might very well have never found a better solution, but if one turns to drugs without trying other things first one never finds out.  I'm not ruling it out, just urging caution.  Peace.

[Tree37]

My teenage was totally changed by zoloft and it did not lift her up.  She became more depressed, slept all the time, and gained a lot of weight.  They finally took us seriously and took her off the zoloft after a serious suicide attempt.  This medicine, as with others in the class has the risk of increasing suicide  in teens.  I call that dangerous.

[momof18cries]

Need help, son very depressed on zoloft, now he sits in jail w multiple serious charges. I need a way to help!! we have hired a lawyer.(not sure if this lawyer is aggressive). Lord help my son get out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[me1234388]

I am 30 now, but I was also prescribed zoloft as a teen. After being put on zoloft I had to talk myself out commiting suicide almost everyday. It was a very dark time. Psychiatrist CAN prescibe "willy nilly" also. At one time I had about 15 different prscriptions in my cabinet. He even gave me one to help increas my sex drive (at 15). At one point I went about a month without sleeping and had a total break down. I ended up becoming pregnant at 16 and stop talking the pills. I started to eat healthier, switched schools and stopped my self-destructive behaviors. I was, and have been fine since then. I am very healthy,happy and well adjusted. The depression is often just a phase while going through puberty. A close friend of mine who was going through the same thing continued with the medication into adulthood. She went from being a normal teen to being institutionalized and unable to care for herself. She still lives with her parents and is unable to work or have a normal life because they have screwed up her brain so much by over medicating her.

[kittykkat60]

i have just come off zoloft and the side affects are horendious i would go to the zoloft website there u will see the makers website look at the pdf on what doctors should know before priscribing zoloft u will be amazed and the doctors wont tell u about the side affect etc if its only mild why not try a health food shop im on magnesuim  now and evening primrose and vit b its amazing i feel 90 percent better and like left coast chick said therapy would be benificail i put my depressed son on zoloft at 15 he got very violent and suisidail doc said nope not for him there are mild forms of  anti d like lovan, lumin etc with little side affects

[LeftCoastChick]

I'm not sure why you think Zoloft isn't safe? It's one of the older drugs in that class and is quite safe. Teens have a hard enough time being teens, if she has depression on top of it, it's going to be seriously rough. This med isn't going to change her personality, but lift her up from a more depressive state. I do recommend in my opinion that she sees a psychiatrist as well, if she doesn't already. Doctors don't generally give out these drugs willy nilly, and it doesn't mean she's permanently on the drug. Talk therapy alongside medication is very benificial when dealing with depression. It does take 4-6 weeks to see any affects of this drug. Talk to the doctor who prescribed the med, I hope that would put you at ease.  I had a really rough time in my teens and was placed on an anti-depressant, it's what got me through that period of life. Unfortunately my depression came back in my mid twenties. Sometimes these depressions are chemical imbalances.
So see that doc, and have a chat.