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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Ryan2828 on October 19, 2005, at 6:34:11
I used to be on Zoloft and while on it I was much more able to write, think, and complete tasks I actually made it through college and graduated, it was much more easier to focus and do things, than my time on Effexor which only effects Serotonin and Norepherine(sorry spelling)
Any idea if Zoloft is used for focusing??
Posted by Laurie Beth on October 19, 2005, at 8:26:46
In reply to Does Zoloft Effect Dopamine at all?????, posted by Ryan2828 on October 19, 2005, at 6:34:11
I had severe difficulty in focusing (and remembering and feeling and doing anything at all) after several years on high-dose (200-300 mg) Zoloft. My pdoc was recommending I switch to Effexor, presumably because of the noradrenalgic effect. After research led me to conclude that there was not much more reason to hope that Effexor would be better than Zoloft, so I decided to just go off Zoloft and see what that is like. I've been SSRI-free for almost 2 months now. I'm not sure yet what the result will be. So far, it seems like I'm feeling more, better able to concentrate, and more energetic ... at least for the part of the month ... also more irritable, though. But it's only be two months.
They say Zoloft is supposed to have some positive effect on dopamine, but from my experience, long-term, high-dose Zoloft may have decreased my dopamine.
Posted by Phillipa on October 19, 2005, at 19:22:05
In reply to Re: Does Zoloft Effect Dopamine at all?????, posted by Laurie Beth on October 19, 2005, at 8:26:46
If you're depressed it may help. But it only effects serotonin. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by mogger on October 20, 2005, at 0:32:25
In reply to Does Zoloft Effect Dopamine at all?????, posted by Ryan2828 on October 19, 2005, at 6:34:11
I have gone from 150mg to 200mg of Zoloft recently and have had better focus as well. I can retain things a lot more when I read something and I don't doubt as much. I am going to ask my doc to go higher actually.
mogger
Posted by blueberry on October 20, 2005, at 4:05:00
In reply to Does Zoloft Effect Dopamine at all?????, posted by Ryan2828 on October 19, 2005, at 6:34:11
Even though zoloft is primarily a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, it does have some minor dopamine reuptake inhibition to it. Wellbutrin is a weak inhibitor of norepinephrine and dopamine, but I've read in several places that the dopamine reuptake inhibition of zoloft is actually stronger than wellbutrin's.
Over the long haul though, the brain can develop tolerance to the extra dopamine floating around, thus losing the good effect from it. Sort of like the tolerance to stimulant induced dopamine. To help prevent that, you could at times try reducing your dosage a little bit for a little while if you can handle it without worsening your condition, and then be able to go back up again with good effects. Hopefully though the good effects will last a long time. So glad to hear it is positive for you.
Posted by Cairo on October 20, 2005, at 21:13:12
In reply to Does Zoloft Effect Dopamine at all?????, posted by Ryan2828 on October 19, 2005, at 6:34:11
Sertraline does affect dopamine relatively more than other SSRIs. See figure 1 of the following article:
""http://www.preskorn.com/columns/0005.html#ref5""
Cairo
> I used to be on Zoloft and while on it I was much more able to write, think, and complete tasks I actually made it through college and graduated, it was much more easier to focus and do things, than my time on Effexor which only effects Serotonin and Norepherine(sorry spelling)
>
> Any idea if Zoloft is used for focusing??
Posted by theo on October 22, 2005, at 15:33:47
In reply to Re: Does Zoloft Effect Dopamine at all?????, posted by Phillipa on October 19, 2005, at 19:22:05
Zoloft does hit dopamine. When I took it I would be on top of things like reconciling my checkbook, etc.
Mostly all SSRI's hit dopamine and norepinephrine to some extent. The whole term "SSRI" is very misleading with many meds. Paxil definitely hits norepinephrine, and I think Prozac is more atypical than others.
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