How to Treat Anxiety Disorders With Zoloft

The antidepressant Zoloft is often prescribed to treat anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Though taking this medication regularly is proven to help alleviate symptoms, it's most effective when you use it in combination with a variety of other treatments. Follow these steps to treating anxiety with Zoloft.

Instructions

• 1

  Take your medication as prescribed and don't discontinue it without consulting your doctor. It may be necessary to start out at a low dose and gradually increase it after a few weeks, so follow your doctor's instructions precisely. Zoloft may take some time to begin to work, so don't stop it after a couple of days just because you don't notice any improvement.

• 2

  Learn to manage your condition in other ways, too. Learn relaxation techniques, and practice controlling your worry. Allow yourself a good night's sleep, exercise regularly and try to avoid things that aggravate anxiety, such as alcohol and caffeine. Zoloft can help you manage out-of-control anxiety long enough to learn and employ these other methods.

• 3

  Give therapy a try. Most practitioners recommend therapy and medication as the most effective means of treating anxiety, but for it to work, you must find a therapist you can trust and who has successfully treated your particular disorder in the past. An inexperienced therapist can actually make your condition worse.

• 4

  Talk to your family and friends about your disorder. Don't be ashamed of it, and don't try to hide it. Explain to them that it took a long time for the problem to develop, and it's going to take some time for it to go away. Ask them to be patient with you as you recover.