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I was never on Zoloft, but I took Prozac for a while in high school and again in college. Both times, i was going through periods of extreme stress, anxiety and depression.

I dont think I was in any way dependent on it. I look at it as a tool that helped me through a rough patch. I was able to come off of it both times with little difficulty and felt normal afterwards.

I just stopped taking Zoloft after being on it for approx. 9 months for PPD, and I've taken it before in the past to deal with severe depression. If you feel that you need it, I think you should take it (or at least talk to your dr. again about it).

For me, it was crucial to have something that gave me a balance and that happy momentum you wrote about so that I didn't get too sad or upset at the things that triggered my depression. I still needed to work through my personal issues, but I felt like it was "safer" to do that while on Zoloft so that I didn't get too depressed (if that makes sense).

Have you considered counseling in addition to Zoloft? That combination helped me a lot. When you go off Zoloft, you ramp down, so you should be able to tell if you still feel depressed (or more depressed than you have been) on a lower dose.

Be careful about starting and stopping Zoloft on your own - you need to ramp up/down, not just take it and then stop cold turkey. Just FYI in case you didn't already know this!

@Dandelion: I took half my normal dosage for a week or so and then stopped completely. I actually felt ready to stop earlier but my doctor advised me that people often have a tougher time coming of the meds if they aren't on them for at least three months.

I was on Zoloft for a year for PPD. I had a great experience. It was just enough to zero me out. After a year, my hormone related anxieties were substantially decreased and my coping skills were much better so it was no problem at all to wean. I hope it helps you! I'm sure it will.

I started taking Lexapro at about 3 months postpartum for PPD/anxiety. LO is almost a year old and I'm still on it. Some days I think I'm ready to start weaning off of it and others I think, no way! So I don't think I'm quite there yet.

From talking to my doctor, my understanding is that it's fairly easy to wean from, though I haven't spoken in depth with her about it yet.

I've been on it since 3 weeks PP. I tried going off it at around 4 months PP but it didn't go well. I'm back on it now and going to stay on it until LOs first birthday before trying to go off of it again.

I don't think there is any harm in taking it, especially after everything you've been through. It is there to help cope during times that are difficult/times of chemical imbalance.

@Dandelion: thanks for sharing. recently started taking it and diagnosed with PPD. so I have been searching for positive stiries so I dont feel so alone in this and worried about waiting for meds to kick in.

@citymouse: I also took Zoloft for PPD (and then Efexor - spelling?). Wall me if you need an outlet to talk! Hugs!