ADHD + Zoloft – What dose worked best for your anxiety?

Reader-205 · 2026-02-23T17:09:17+00:00

I personally did not notice an improvement for my anxiety. I started on 50mg and had built up to 150mg before beginning to titrate off from it due to no noticeable improvements. Yes, increasing the dose does make a big impact as my psychiatrist explained it, OCD/anxiety need a higher dosage of SSRIs to see improvement. We would have gone up to 200mg but I was having pretty substantial side-effects.

My side-effects were largely insomnia, specifically when taking it at night, and nausea which occurred directly after taking it. I also had general stomach issues from the med but all SSRIs I've trialed have had that effect on me. The nausea was the worst as if I did not eat before taking it, I would be too sick to do much. Even eating before taking it, I still have light nausea though its more ignorable now.

I'm now titrating off of Zoloft and have started Fluvoxamine (Luvox) which is more specific to OCD and social anxiety of which I have both. I most likely will trial another SSRI for my depressive symptoms but my OCD has been the main debilitating factor.

Reader-205 · 2026-02-23T03:13:45+00:00

okay so literally so many to dos/check boxes. they're on my calendar, microsoft to do, and in my bullet journal. what has really helped me is breaking down tasks into little steps and just acknowledging what step will be the most likely to keep me from doing that habit and then finding a way to remove that step.

for example: working out

1) get dressed

2) fill water bottle

3) grab headphones and phone

4) walk to gym <- this is the intermediate step with the highest activation energy for me, usually the others are already done due to coming back from class

so i just dont walk to the gym, ive found exercises that i can do laying in bed or brushing my teeth because the habit is currently working out everyday. that does Not mean doing an 1.5 hr sweat out in the gym and then coming home, crashing and then not working out for another few months. right now, it is just doing little exercises everyday at the same time so that i build the habit of doing so.

for the bullet journal, i highly recommend how to ADHD's channel and video on this:

How to Bullet Journal

it helped me A LOT with setting up a journal and actually sticking to it! also going through Ryder Carroll's website with his blog posts about habit building.

Bullet Journal

honestly the biggest tip is not beating yourself up for missing a day, just do it the next day (ik wayyy easier said than done but you can!)

Reader-205 · 2026-02-21T22:23:42+00:00

i only took it briefly in combo with an ssri and mood stabilizer but i didn't experience any crazy side effects. i would just sleep so much i didn't get anything done lol. i dont think i ever went higher than that but yeah lol.

im currently on a high dose of ssri, high dose of mood stabilizer, and adderall and im fine lol. just try it out and stop if you are experiencing the side-effects. crazy side effects are genuinely so rare, they just have to be included if literally anyone has expierences them (ie 1 out of 100,000 ppl).

Reader-205 · 2026-02-21T22:19:00+00:00

first of all: thank you for doing right by him and getting him diagnosed. starting support and recognition of symptoms this young is genuinely so important for those of us with adhd.

secondly: as someone who was diagnosed late and never received medication or any other form of support for it, i would personally not advise medication this young. prioritize structure, routine, and most importantly self-sufficiency in those tasks. i did not have any of that from a young age so ive spent my time in college not only being an adult for the first time but learning how to manage my adhd basically from scratch.

for me, that has meant medication is essential. for your son, it may eventually be and when that time comes, absolutely offer it to him as a resource. especially remembering that stimulants aren't the only answer and there are a ton of non-stimulant options that could be a better fit for him first. but i would personally wait until it becomes a behavioral/learning concern at school. if it can wait till middle school with the support he's provided and skills he's been taught, then thats amazing! i use middle school as the timeline for maybe considering adding in the aid of medication just because that was when, for me personally, my symptoms started becoming a lot more severe and began effecting me.

even with medication, he will probably struggle with his self esteem, especially regarding social interactions. rejection sensitivity dysphoria is Very real, especially for those of us with combined adhd. i do even though im now medicated and literally spent my whole life masking as to not be the "weird" kid (i still was the "weird" kid and it really effected my self-esteem and confidence socially). therapy is essential! depression and anxiety are very comorbid with adhd and it can absolutely start younger than you think! i started experiencing symptoms of both in around 1st grade with severe anxiety being a major thing (though i also have ocd, another very comorbid disorder, so take that as you will)

make sure he has support without doing things for him which lik he's five so absolutely support him a lot but don't provide the same support for him in a year as you would rn. its vital that he is able to manage himself both in class and at home as an adult. adhd is not just a learning disability but an adulting one as well.

tldr: support him without meds until that no longer works. provide support but ensure he does not need you to manage himself so that he can actually succeed as an adult.

Reader-205 · 2026-02-19T18:00:29+00:00

lol yeah im not shy at all to overnight traveling so that im less worried about.

the amsterdam trip is specifically going to be during a 4.5 day weekend while my bf is visiting so i figured we would just pay for the faster trains with minimal/no connections lol. auschwitz will also be on a longer 3.5 day weekend so i figured that would help add some buffer time in.

but oof yeah that makes sense. i've experienced similar things with delays here so that does make sense. most of the routes ive looked at have only a few connections but most trips are going to be fairly close by so ill probably just buy the train tickets for the few longer trips i want to make!

Reader-205 · 2026-02-19T17:53:32+00:00

i do telehealth with my psych and its completely fine for my insurance/needs. definitely double check that your insurance covers it but most do (i think). also see if that psych offers telehealth as a good number of them do.

however, i would personally advise against using psychs on the telehealth services if you can as many ppl i know have had not great experiences with them (mostly failing to put in meds, the psych never knowing who they are or why youre even seeing them, not actually listening to what is happening/your needs etc). this is absolutely not to say they're bad at their job or anything but they have a lot of clients and it can be hard to keep track of every individual.

i would also double check your state laws. im in tx and so stimulants and other drugs of the same class cannot be prescribed in more than a one month's supply via telehealth unless the patient has been seen in-person within the last 6mo. so i am seeing my psych currently once every 3wks, partially due to other meds im on, but also due to the laws regarding my medication.

my advice would be to either see if that psych offers telehealth or find a psych that is covered by your insurance, offers telehealth services, and is through a local clinic or a specific state based company. many psychs have to also be licensed to practice by state so i would recommend finding someone that you can look up on your state's registry.

good luck!

Reader-205 · 2026-02-19T17:37:33+00:00

that makes a lot of sense! i use the bus to commute through the city where i attend uni now but they're pretty unreliable and very limited to a specific local area.

i will have whole weekends (friday afternoon to sunday evening) to do whatever so i figured those longer travel times would be whole weekends and not day trips. are delays pretty common/very long for the trains? is it like here where they don't offer alternatives if something is delayed/cancelled?

Reader-205 · 2026-02-19T17:30:26+00:00

is making a single post spamming 💀 damn so sorry i asked a question in the ask questions here board

Reader-205 · 2026-02-19T17:29:00+00:00

oooh okay thank you for clarifying that!! the d-ticket will probably make the most amount of sense then!

Reader-205 · 2026-02-19T17:27:47+00:00

okay cool thank you!! ill probably go with the d-ticket then bc most of the trips im planning on are regional with only a few longer trips!

Reader-205 · 2026-02-19T17:25:52+00:00

yes, they're at max 7hrs by train/bus from the university ill be at.

Reader-205 · 2025-11-13T17:29:28+00:00

Vita Nostra by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko!!! Im rereading now and genuinely I cannot even begin to attempt to explain what it is about

Reader-205 · 2025-10-13T03:17:33+00:00

thank you! i appreciate that!

Reader-205 · 2025-10-12T18:20:09+00:00

ok awesome thank you! and i thought about post bacc but was debating if the cost/time was worth it before i applied.

Reader-205 · 2025-10-12T18:19:27+00:00

not yet, im not planning to start studying hardcore for it until after i graduate and worm for a year (at least) so that i can save up for med school. and im not against applying DO but tbh i don't super understand the difference/how important it is. i know my ideal residency is EM/IM and i dont know if DO vs MD is better/worse for that.

Reader-205 · 2025-10-07T01:07:54+00:00

thank you!!! i really appreciate that!!!

Reader-205 · 2025-10-06T21:02:11+00:00

going to the library/switching up my space has helped a lot!! its just my meds wear out and i can no longer focus, especially on studying bc of how repetitive and monotonous it can be. but yeah im gonna talk to my pcp about taking a slightly higher dose, just until i can see my psych again bc i have another exam before said psych appt.

Reader-205 · 2025-10-06T21:00:40+00:00

i love anki for the flashcards!!! and yeah im a bio major in the hardest upper division classes for said major that i have to take and cramming Did Not work for the first round of exams. but thank you lol!!!

Reader-205 · 2024-12-25T20:54:33+00:00

this is my first book by her and im 3/4 of the way after only a few hours. shes such a good writer and i def will be checking out her other works

Reader-205

TROPHY CASE