Have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Can I Take Zoloft. Any Alternative Therapy?

Posted on Tue, 16 Apr 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 Answered on

Thu, 16 May 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I believe I have GAD and I am unable to get assistance from local doctors in regards to this, one mentioned that I should take Zoloft but after reading the side effects I am very uncertain that this is the correct action as it may exasperate my ongoing back/neck/shoulders and arm issue. Is there an alternate therapy for Anxiety Disorders or a drug with no so many diverse side-effects?

Answered by Dr. Payman Hajiazim (1 hour later)

Hi there, thanks for asking. The medication you mentioned is from the class of SSRI. It is a very good medication and compared to the other medications from this class, it has less side effects. Many side effects that are mentioned might occur, actually happen rarely ( many of them happen in 2 or 3 percent of the cases). Another alternative therapy for GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) is psychotherapy (talk sessions). They are very useful, at least as much as medications. The issue that exists is that the speed of response to the therapy is less than medication. Many people prefer to take advantage of a combination of both. In that case, they need less dose of medication and will experience almost no side effect. I wish you a good health.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar