Anti-Anxiety Medication Side Effects Can Lead to an Increased Risk For Suicide

There are many anti-anxiety medications. Zoloft depression medication has been fairly widely used lately to treat anxiety. But the Zoloft and other medication has it's fair share of side effects that you need to be aware of. The most common side effects of Zoloft are: nausea which occurs in 30% of the patients, and this is followed up by insomnia which happens in 28% of patients. Other Zoloft side effects include diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue, indigestion, tremors and drowsiness. It also comes with it's fair share of sexual side effects such as ejaculation problems and loss of libido.

In some people Zoloft can cause increased sweating, burning or tingling sensations, headaches and even migraines, excessive weight loss or weight gain, constipation, hot flashes and nervousness.

In children Zoloft can cause fever, hyperactivity, aggressiveness, bloody noses and red/purple discolorations of the skin. In a number of Zoloft and other anti-anxiety medication users it will also cause anxiety, mood swings and even suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts.

The last one is a very serious Zoloft side effect. Contrary to popular belief suicide is quite common. More than 1.1 million Americans try killing themselves every year. In fact one out of 14 Americans knows someone who died last year. Suicide is an even bigger threat for women who use Zoloft since women are 4x more likely to attempt killing themselves than men.

So if you know someone taking Zoloft medicine or even the generic version of Zoloft(especially if they mix it with alcohol), you need to brush up on suicide warning signs so that you can identify potential suicides before it's too late. If you yourself are the one taking Zoloft...you need to provide a suicide warning signs guide to someone you know and interact with on a daily basis, so that they can interfere, if they see you developing suicide warning signs, and can help save you from trying to kill yourself.

Note: If the person is going off Zoloft or any other anti-athey shouldn't be ignored...those going through Zoloft withdrawal, can be the highest risks for suicide attempts, since Zoloft withdrawal symptoms can cause much higher level of massive depression. It is important to remember that you need to quit/adjust doses carefully, instead of quitting the drug cold turkey. Lower the dose once every 1-2 weeks and be on the look out for suicide warning signs.