A Stockbroker’s Story on Zoloft

“I’m so stressed out over nothing I feel like I’m going crazy.”

 

I can not begin to tell you how sorry I am to read about your terrible tragedy. (“He Never Said Goodbye”–posted here) I am a 30-year-old man with a son and family of my own. When I read your story it brought real tears to my eyes. What you’’ve done to tell your story, as hard as it is to do, is for the best. It needs to be told more and more.

I will do my part to educate as many people as I can about the effects of this terrible drug myself.

In late August of last year as I was driving home from work when I began to have severe chest pains. So bad I had to pull over to the side of the road, call my wife to “say goodbye”, then call 911. When the ambulance arrived I was already feeling better, but they took me to the hospital anyway. They did all the tests and it wasn’’t a heart attack. So 2 nights later I get the same thing again (chest pains). This time no Hospital visit. Anyway, my regular Dr. sends me for every test that can be performed on a heart. When they come back negative, she sends me for every test that can be performed on every other organ that is housed within my chest, gall bladder, liver, gastro etc. All come back negative.

Because I’ve been a Stockbroker for some time, I manage more than $100m in client assets, and have witnessed a “great deal” of wealth lost by my clients over the last couple of years, which I took personally. My Dr. said my condition was a Panic/ Anxiety disorder and put me on 50mg Zoloft.

I, not knowing anything about it, and completely trusting my Dr. took it religiously every day until early Feb. Things were starting to get better in the market, and at home etc… no more chest pains etc… Decided I didn’t need it anymore. After 3 days of not having it I was forced to get back on it to avoid the dizziness from the withdrawal. I tapered like I was told. Doesn’t work. I’m so stressed out over nothing I feel like I’m going crazy. The dizziness is unbearable. –Almost killed one of my colleagues over a comment I would have laughed about 2 months ago. When I bought a bad Go-Kart for my kid for $1500, and was forced to take it back after 1 day the guy charged me $200 to take it back. I began to “egg” his store window religiously every Sat. night (including the last one) for 6 weeks straight now. I’m a model citizen. Pillar in the community, handling senior citizens entire retirement portfolios and I’m egging a business over $200 bucks. I find myself in a lot of situations asking myself what would Vito Corleone (Godfather) do in these different situations. I hope I can get back to my old self again soon. Because I’ve never been clinically depressed a day in my life. But seem to be heading that way fast.

Anyway, enough about me. I wanted to take the time, and drop this to you, because I know your son is with God. I know you will be with him again someday. I haven’t had a tear swell up in my eyes in probably years. But when I read your post, I thought about my son, and could just imagine the pain. The unbearable pain that you must feel. I don’t even know you, and I’m dealing with my own thing right now, but I swear to God if there is anything I can do for you people, “anything” at all, let me know.

God bless you, and your family!

Ronald

 

3/27/2002

This is Survivor Story number 33.
Total number of stories in current database is 48

Leave a Reply