well okay...but laughter can be good medicine too.

Lorie, that's great news (gentler, fewer major side effects, no added depression). Agnes is right--silly can be good, but stick around here; you'll feel silly again soon enough. Please do keep us posted.

Yes Agnes you are right about that. I should have been more specific in that last post. I meant to say that I now don't feel any high mania of being humorous or silly..... Even now there are times where I am fearful in my own state of a creative mind of telling a joke or just being silly to family, friends, or people I work with because I am afraid if they are going to laugh, give me blank looks with no laughter, or ignore me. Believe me that has happened since I was a kid, I tried to be funny but did not get any laugh responses and now I still feel the same way in a paranoid state.

Hey Lorie, I'm so glad you got on a medication that finally works for you! Sometimes that can be long nad frustrating process.

Personally, I tend to like drugs that make me feel silly, but that's just me.
It's kind of like it dresses me up as normal. One drug I'm taking now causes really strange dreams.

Glad you're doing better. More prayers & vibes said for ya. Does the Zoloft cause more depression? I am on that for depression & diabetic neuropathy both due to my diabetes. Good luck...

Thanks Libra and Cheryl:)
Cheryl, I read an article online about the major side effects and warnings on Zoloft, here is the link:
http://www.pdrhealth.com/drugs/rx/rx-mo ... tentId=662

Cheryl,
Here is one more link for a drug called Effexor for patients who still have depression symptoms:
http://www.stillhavesymptoms.com/?sk=4647

Thanks for the info. Interesting stuff. I see Zolft supposedly helps Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Well I have still have that. Oh well...

You are very welcome, Cheryl ....I hope you get a stronger medication that helps your symptoms get better.

There are so many drugs out there! My daughter takes Effexor, but doesn't like the side effects. I tried it to relieve hot flashes that are so bad because of the estrogen blocking cancer drug I have to take, but it didn't work. Now I use Lexapro and it's much better. I've never taken zoloft. I have that numbness and tingling in my feet and fingers-left over nerve damage from chemotherapy. I'm told it might go away, but maybe not.

I feel like I'm taking too many medications-9 in all for high blood pressure, high colorestrol, anti-hystamine, allergy, depression, the cancer one-and more. I don't like it.

Please monitor yourself in regards to the cholestrol drugs, especially if they're statins...they have very nasty side effects. They'll make you HURT...all over! All muscles, especially those you use for walking will ache and burn to the point where walking is difficult. Sometimes, the statins don't mix well with OTC drugs, and you'll get this reaction. They can also be liver toxic, and you've only got one of those!
I've had the sore muscles from many of the statins, so I refuse to take them. I'm also convinced that doctors wanting everyone on them isn't good either...any drug that has tho potential to do terrible things to your body needs to be carefully considered before you agree to take it daily for the rest of your life.

I've been on statins (Lipitor, to be exact) since my first heart attack 3-1/2 years ago and have had none of those side effects. As a matter of fact, I have restless leg syndrome as well as fibromyalgia. I have NO muscle pain, no joint pain, etc. And, since I moved from humid PA to dry NM, I haven't even needed a cortisone shot into a joint in 2 years! And to think I used to get them every 3 to 6 months... and I'd BEG for them!

Everyone reacts differently to ALL medications. My roommate can't even take an Ibuprofen without getting extremely dizzy and violently ill. My daughter can't handle ANY of the birth-control pills available. I can't take antibiotics while my husband takes them for every infection that comes down the pike.

I don't think we can make blanket statements about any drug. I think we all need to make our own decisions after careful research and consultation with our doctors. My cholesterol was never high (I was 175 when I had the first heart attack and 112 when I had the second), but having had two heart attacks, why take the chance? As long as I don't have any negative side effects, I continue taking them.

Yup, we're all different...which is why I suggested people monitor themselves carefully.. I took statins for five years before I had a problem.

They have a cumulative effect? Please explain "monitor themselves;" are there specific blood tests?

You need to pay attention to how you feel! A good friend who had taken Lipitor for several years had to be hauled off in an ambulance last summer because of horrific back pain that crept up suddenly(sort of like how my muscle pain started!); he had had no injury or pinched nerves, it just happened. He was in such severe pain, his wife could not get him into a car. He spent five days in the hospital, had many tests and xrays, and they couldn't locate the source of pain. The Dr. finally suggested giving up the Lipitor...within 72 hours, he was pain free. He had no prior history of any back pain or injury, and it hasn't been back since he gave up the Lipitor; back pain IS listed as a possible side effect.
Statins are also liver toxic; my doctor had me go in two or three times a year for blood tests to keep an eye on blood values that would indicate liver damage.
It wouldn't hurt for ANYONE taking this kind of medication to go on the internet and look at the list of side effects, so you are informed. Most physicians do a lousy job of telling patients about potential side effects..they just tell you to take this medication, and people say, "okay!"

I'm not saying people should not take this medication...people possibly benefit from it. I'm just suggesting that people should pay attention to their body and how it feels, and educate themselves about what is going into their body. I admit to being suspicious about ANY drug that physicians (and the drug companies, whom are making mega millions) want everyone over age 45 to be on for the rest of their lives, just in case.