Anyone have experience giving older person Zoloft for depression?

Mom takes a small dose, 25mg at bedtime. It takes about a month to be fully effective. Without it she would be crying a lot and angry most of the time and obsessing over every dark moment in her life. We tried anxiety meds first, Ativan or Xanax, then added in Celexa, but switched her to Zoloft.
All patients have different reactions to meds. You may have success with Zoloft, you may not. I know the 25 will eventually need to increase, but not yet.

Does your mom have any anxiety or mental issues that were left undiagnosed?Ask her doctor about Trazadone for anxiety and sleep.

My husband takes zoloft and has for several years. Before that he was on another antidepressant. He doesn't act sad when he is not on it. He acts angry and uncooperative. When he first went on it about 10 yrs ago I told the dr to give him something or I was going to have to divorce him. Of course I wasn't but I couldn't take his angry outburst anymore. He has klonipen if he needs it but I have never had to give it to him. He has changed recently, in the past 3 months and has become very mellow, wants me in the same room, and has become very unsure of himself. And he is sleeping a lot more.

My mom was on zoloft, then switched to lexapro. Before she was panicked all the time, awfulized every event and was agitated a great deal of the time. She rolls with the days' events much more easily now. If she'd been willing to take an antidepressant when she still lived at home, she would have been able to live there longer.

Yes, my dad began taking it when he was 92. He had always suffered from general anxiety, worrying constantly and obsessing, as well as depression. It was never treated. It wasn't until he moved to his first IL apartment that it escalated and he decided he wanted to move to the state where I live to be near me that I insisted he needed to take something to help him cope. Or he wasn't going to be able to move here. He takes 100 mg. and it has been a blessing. He is the father now that I wish I'd always had. Once, before he moved here, he decided to go off it and the old dad began coming back. I told him in no uncertain terms to stay on it or he would not move here. It has enabled us to have a loving relationship.im so glad he takes it. Better living through chemistry, as they say.

My husband has been no it since Dec. He feels fine and happy most of the time!

Yes, it has worked wonders for my mom. She is 73. She was on Nortriptylene for several years but it definitely stopped working. We tried Celexa and 2 others and nothing seemed to work. They put her on 25 mg of Zoloft to start and increased it to 50 mg after 3 weeks. It took a good month for it to begin to take affect but I can say she has made a complete turn around. She used to be anxious, depressed, in pain and wanting to stay in bed all day to now gets up earlier, makes up her bed (tries) to fix her hair and loves to go on walks. Never complains of pain and sleeps pretty well. Note: they initially had her taking it at night but it made her restless so now the A.L. gives it at 9:00 in the morning. Good luck and God Bless!

It is known that Dementia patients react differently to medication. A psychiatrist (MD) that has training and experience with dementia patients will be able to assist without a lot of trial and error. It sure helped my mom.

At 76 i have taken it for many years ans find it allows me to deal calmly with whatever is going on. I take 100mg in the morning. had a discussion with my PCG when i turned 70 as many things are not recommended after that age but have stayed on it and they continue to allow up to 2 mg vallium three times daily for rough patches. I take that maybe once a week if I can't sleep. i do not recommend rushing to medication until the cause of unhappiness has been evaluated but if needed it definitely should be used. however starting with smaller doses in the elderly is a good idea so they don't have a bad reaction. As Pam said these medications do take a couple of weeks to become effective so don't expect instant results. We use other things in our lives to make life easier so why not suitable medications.

The other side effect that can happen at first due to the excess serotonin, is loose stools. But that generally disappears as the body adapts.

The other side effect that can happen at first due to the excess serotonin, is loose stools. But that generally disappears as the body adapts.

I am 82, and am a caregiver for my Alzheimer's-ridden husband. I have been on Zoloft for some time with excellent results. I do not feel "happy" but it simply calms me and makes me feel less depressed. I have been on 50mgs, but due to the recent acceleration of my husband's symptoms, the doctor recently upped it to 75mgs. Although not a pill-popper by choice, I find that we caregivers need all the help we can get. If taking a Zoloft each day helps me cope, so be it.

My mom takes .5 mg. Alprazolam morning and night. Can take 3 times a day if she is panicking over something. Was in Hosp last year and not getting meds and she thought there was a fireplace in her room, that a nurse took her driving around St. Louis looking for a "place", and that she had been taken outside and down a sidewalk to a "shed out back for a heart test and it was full of tools and lawn equipment". Says she got the test, which I believe but not that she was taken out to an outbuilding. She was in hospital in March this year and I made it clear that she HAD TO HAVE those meds and they complied. (perhaps it was in her records that last year she threatened to throw something through a window if they didn't get the paperwork to send her home as they had promised. That might have moved things along some.). I'm sure we all have our stories. I can smile about it now, thankfully. I say yes to anti-anxiety and anti-depressants if needed and you get the good results.

My Partner takes TWO depression meds...When he broke out in a rash and they were not sure what drug caused the rash, I had to stop both. The difference in his behavior was evident. If prescribed correctly, based on a diagnosis that has been thought out, these drugs are a miracle. I could not live with him if he had to stop taking the pills. I think just getting old and having memory loss and being weak is enough to send anyone into depression

I myself have been on Zoloft at times in my life...have had several of my friends try that specific anti-depressant and all incl my father have had great results and NO side effects. You probably will have to have that dose raised in time...but don't worry about it...I'm sure it will be a great help for her!

My 86 year old MIL has been taking it for quite a while. It is hard to say what
is does. She is fairly healthy and takes few medications. Use with caution,
Zoloft can make people more emotional than Lexapro. I am not a doctor so this is
not medical advise, just my observation.

My 89 yr old dad has been on Zoloft for two years. It has helped his anxiety tremendously.

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback - and taking the time to respond with your personal experiences. I have resisted any antidepressant meds for my mom for many years even though she has probably needed something for quite some time. I wanted to make sure she wasn't overdrugged and maintained mental clarity and good mobility. However, now that she has decreased mobility - and helpers - considering an antidepressant wasn't as difficult a decision. It has not yet been a month that she has been on it. I will continue surveying her helpers to get their feedback on the effect it is having and then have another conversation with her dr.

years ago it was taboo to be on antidepressants....tooo bad...when you need them they are great and get you to the other side of the road!!! please keep us posted.

Lifeexperiences it still is in many places unfortunately. Now HIPPA is far from as safe as it was designed to be. Things like that may affect job chances especially at higher levels. I personally don't like telling the receptionist why I want to see the Dr when I call or a medical aide or LPN before I get to see the Dr. I realize it is a time saver and personally It does not matter to me anymore but in my last job instead of an annual physical we were required to fill out a form which listed all medications. As i said no longer an issue but when i have to provide the spelling of my drugs I do wonder why i am telling this person at all. now i just hand over a typed list.

I certainly would NOT give them my drugs, I would list basic stuff. you are not tested for medications...just for drugs...that are illegal. wen I was in the work force...and needed to be on antidepressants, I never listed it. take care...and thanks for the post.