How fast does Zoloft work?

SoleSupport

My mom is 83yo, in mild to moderate Alzheimers. I don't know which stage exactly, just that she has plaque on several parts of her brain. The neurologist says her stage is dependent on her behavior and abilities. She's been taking donepezil for about 2 months now. Took 6 weeks to get her to 10mg. She has been getting snappish & verbally aggressive over the past several months. We started seeing a psychiatrist for depression about 6 weeks ago and they just put her on a low dose of zoloft, 25mg.

She started the zoloft yesterday. She was very dizzy yesterday after taking 25mg, so I had her cut her pills in half. She can still do things like that. Today she took 1/2 dose (12.5mg). I think she's different today, softer and less defensive. Is it too soon to tell?

Today, she confided in me that she cries herself to sleep every night. She can't remember if that just started or not. She's never said that before. Is that from the zoloft or, again, too soon to tell? She says she doesn't see much of a future for herself and I can't argue with that. It's breaking my heart.

lilacgirl

I do not know the answer to the question about Zoloft, but if you're curious about the stage she is in, Google the DBAT assessment tool. I first found out about it on this site!

SDianeL

here’s the DBAT staging tool link https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6372d16ea4e02c7ce64425b7/t/63f7b80d80d8aa3e3aa4a47d/1677178894184/DBAT.pdf

SDianeL

I would speak to the Psychiatrist about her depression and crying. Ask if her medication could cause it. Found this online: Key Reasons for Crying:

• Unmet Needs/Pain: Inability to communicate pain, hunger, thirst, or the need to use the bathroom.
• Anxiety and Confusion: Fear and feeling overwhelmed, often due to forgetting surroundings or people.
• Neurological Changes (PBA): Sudden, exaggerated outbursts of crying or laughing not necessarily tied to their mood, caused by brain damage.
• Depression/Loneliness: Sadness related to memory loss or awareness of declining abilities.
• Sundowning: Increased emotional distress, including crying, in the late afternoon or early evening. 

harshedbuzz

@SoleSupport

Hi and welcome. I am sorry for your reason to be here but pleased you found this place.

Specific to your questions about Zoloft. This class of medication typically takes over a month to reach full therapeutic effect. Often there would be an increase in the dose taken during that period. What you are seeing could be a placebo effect, but it could also be a concerning reaction worth discussing with the prescriber asap. Some people do become "activated" on certain SSRIs (the class of this med) and SSRIs can destabilize mood in those with undiagnosed bipolar disorder.

If this crying is new and there's not a very obvious reason, you might want to ask about pseudobulbar effect which is a condition, more common among those with dementia, to laugh or cry without an obvious reason. There are meds for this.

HB

SoleSupport

Thanks everyone for your compassion! I've looked at the DBAT page and she seems to be in late stage 3 or early stage 4.

I spent time with her over the weekend and went to the doctor for a followup visit Monday. She seemed quite upbeat and told me how much she likes where she's living. And she said she isn't crying herself to sleep anymore.

Maybe she only cried herself to sleep the night before we'd spoken that one time. She's never mentioned it before.

Also, they threw her a birthday party last week and she got balloons on her door. So the attention would definitely improve her attitude.