Zoloft and Anxiety

There are many reasons why people take Zoloft and anxiety is one of them. Keep in mind, however, that this medication is used to treat Social Anxiety Disorder which is also known as a social phobia in adults. It has not been approved to treat Generalized Anxiety Disorder. There is a difference.

The Generalized type means that you feel intense anxiety most of the time. Social means that your anxiety is mainly experienced in social or performance related situations. In this case, intense anxiety is felt when you are in social situations where you don’t know many people or if you are in a situation where you might be judged or scrutinized by others.

The effectiveness of Zoloft in treating social anxiety disorder was confirmed in clinical trials that were conducted by Pfizer. Pfizer did two different placebo-controlled studies with adults that have been formally diagnosed with this disorder. In fact, the medication was effective for up to 24 weeks after the initial 20 weeks of treatment at doses from 25 mg / day up to 200 mg / day. Typically, the starting does is 25 and, if this is not effective, the dosing can increase by 50 mg increments at least a week apart until the proper dose is reached. Most common dosage is 50 mg per day. It is important to note that if you take this medication for long periods of time (several months or longer) you should be under close supervision by your doctor. The treatment of Zoloft and anxiety has been limited to socialized anxiety disorder or social phobias in adults. It has not been approved for use in children with anxiety – only with children that suffer with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Side Effects

Ironically enough, there are many common side effects when taking Zoloft and anxiety is a known side effect. In fact, 4% of the people that participated in the trials experienced anxiety while taking the medication. This includes all 2,799 participants regardless of what disorder they had.

Also, anxiety is one of the Zoloft withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced. Of the 344 participants with socialized anxiety disorder, 2% experienced anxiety when they stopped taking the medication. Pretty ironic, don’t you think?

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