Zoloft and jaw clenching

[Lucy]

i started zoloft 11 days ago and about 4 days after starting i began having awful tightening/spasming feelings in my jaws which i am still having. dentist thinks i am clenching my teeth in sleep and i have seen some references to this related to ssri's on the internet. has anyone experienced this or know if it's common? i can't find anything about it in the drug literature, and my docs, including a pharmacist who supposedly is expert on the psych drugs, do not seem to think it's the zoloft. to complicate things, i got 3 vaccinations the same day i started it - hepatitis a, flu shot, and tetanus. docs do not think vaccines could have caused the jaw problems either. i'm grateful for any comments!

[sp4cegrl]

Zoloft definitely does exacerbate teeth grinding. My doctor told me to expect it, and my dentist warned me about it too. I wear a night guard, which I got from my dentist. They work great to protect your teeth from the effects of grinding, and since I started wearing it, the ache in my jaw has gone away.

[Ama]

It has a lot of odd side effects...most importantly I've found that if you don't have depression, and you quite taking it it can give you depression! and bad. I've had suercidal thoughts after being stuck without it for a few days, and now have to go back on it, I was never depressed in the past.

I would not reccomend Sertraline ever! I toke it for Anxiety and OCD and now am addicted on it because it gives depression if you don't have it! The side effects are worse than the effects andit takes weeks to give even the slightest effect of elping OCD and Anxiety.

[neva]

I take 100mg of zoloft a day. Ive been on it for about a week after being on celexa for over a year. I am also experiencing the jaw clenching and aching. i havent had the chance to talk with my doc yet, but i dont take anything else except vitamins, so in my unprofessional opinion, its the zoloft.

[anne]

definitely! i have the clenching and tooth and tmj pain. i truly believe it's from the sertraline. sometimes i wake at night and can tell i'm clenching so hard it's hard to get my mouth open. my teeth hurt also. i wonder if this isn't like seizure activity. when someone has a seizure they clench their mouth. also, i have incredibly vivid dreams. anyone else?

[Ashley Henson]

Hi I'm Ashley
I have the pain of jaw clenching on zoloft as well. I have heard of some possible treatments for it though.
1. bruspar-an antianxiety med that is supposed to increase the levels of dopamine in your system
2. botox injections, they are supposed to help
I've tried the bruspar but had bad dizziness with it. I want to try the botox injection though.

anne wrote:

definitely! i have the clenching and tooth and tmj pain. i truly believe it's from the sertraline. sometimes i wake at night and can tell i'm clenching so hard it's hard to get my mouth open. my teeth hurt also. i wonder if this isn't like seizure activity. when someone has a seizure they clench their mouth. also, i have incredibly vivid dreams. anyone else?

[Odette]

I'm on 150mg a day now and I've had the jaw clenching since I first started at 50mg a day. I really feel Zoloft is working very well for me but the jaw clenching gets uncomfortable and painful sometimes. I also have vivid and very busy dreams.

[Nicole]

I also have teeth clenching and wake up in the middle of the night all the time with me clenching my teeth so bad that its hard to release. I also had the same effects with Lexapro.. Sometimes i would yawn uncontrollably!! I wasnt even tired. But yes, it is the anti depressent.. However, the side effects definately outweigh the feeling of being off of them so i bear it.

[anne]

anne wrote:

definitely! i have the clenching and tooth and tmj pain. i truly believe it's from the sertraline. sometimes i wake at night and can tell i'm clenching so hard it's hard to get my mouth open. my teeth hurt also. i wonder if this isn't like seizure activity. when someone has a seizure they clench their mouth. also, i have incredibly vivid dreams. anyone else?

Anne, geez i could have written this email since my name is anne and i've experienced the same exact thing. it is definitely the sertraline. i couldn't believe the dreams i was having and how vivid they were. that doesn't bother me much but the jaw clenching does. my tmjs get very tight. sometimes i feel like i can't get my mouth open like lockjaw. i also was wondering if this was like seizure activity. i wouldn't doubt it since that is what happens during a seizure. makes me a little nervous although i hesitate to go off sertraline because it has helped me a lot. i feel like my vision has changed also. good luck.

[Karie]

I the jaw clenching too. It makes me feel like I'm on a street drug or something. I don't like it at all.

[Jess]

Karie wrote:

I the jaw clenching too. It makes me feel like I'm on a street drug or something. I don't like it at all.

I feel the same way as Karie. I started Zoloft 3 days ago and have felt like this from the beginning. I am taking Zoloft 50mg with Wellbutrin 300mg. I am feeling so much better, even now. I have had to take it in the evening and am still trying to figure out exactly how early to take it. I do like the way I feel its an improvement from feeling overwhelmed, frazzled, unable to control the things I say. On day three I am more content, yet I don't know if I feel happy yet. Best of luck to everyone. I'd like to keep up on this too. If you find anything out please let me know.

[Lisa]

I'm taking 50 mg and started taking it for mood swings associated with extreme PMS. It's possible to just take it for the days of the month affected, but since I did feel a difference, I decided to try it out everyday. I have had a little weight gain 3-6 pounds that won't go away plus this terrible jaw clenching of my teeth together. Recently I even had to have a crown on my tooth. Now, I'm wondering if it's related. I can't continue on this medication if the teeth clenching continues.

[ERic]

It actually stopped jaw clenching or teeth grinding for me. I wouldnt worry about it too much

[Ellen]

I have been on zoloft for almost 5 or 6 years now. And I am noticing that sometime in the past year or so I have had awful jaw clenching to the point where I have headaches ALL DAY. It happens at night, so I didn't notice it at first until these headaches started. I was also taking ADD meds, so intuitively I thought it was the stimulant. I am now weaning myself off because I can't deal with it anymore. I suggest you do the same if you have this symptom, or it will only get worse.

[Ivana B]

I have been taking Zoloft for 14 years now, and now that I think about it, I do have the jaw clenching but it's barely noticeable. It could be because I've been taking it for so long.

It has saved my life and of all the dozens of medications I've tried, Zoloft and my mood stabilizer are the ones I've had the best luck with with the least amount of side effects.

[Jose]

Well this is my first night on zoloft, so far its been a nightmare, and yeah i was getting the teeth clenching bad, also woke up around 1 with heavy a anxiety couldnt stop moving, couldnt really fall asleep till 4 and its 6am now and cant get back to sleep...

[peta]

I have been on zoloft for 6 weeks now. I feel so much better but am also experiencing clenching of the jaw. My front teeth feel as if they might fall out, they become quite painful, I am prepared to put up with it but hope that it doesnt get any worse, I also hope that it is not damaging my teeth. Have booked to see the dentist.

[Sharon - Colorado Springs]

I have been on and off Zoloft for severel years. I was on only 50mg until the last 6 months. In the last 2 months I noticed jaw clenching and achy lower front teeth. I thought I was just working out stress unknowingly...but I bet it's the Zoloft. I recently had a follow-up with my psychiatrist and he said that weight gain (which I complained about) and jaw pain were definitely side effects of Zoloft. I didn't equate "jaw pain" with the teeth clenching until I thought about it. I am weening off Zoloft and am going to try another anti-depressant due to the weight gain. My doc says people can respond differently to the same medication - so some on the front side of the bell curve lose weight and some on the back side of the curve gain weight. He says it is often trial and error under a psychiatrist's care to find the most effective med with the fewest side effects. Thanks for the tips in the meantime! I'm seeing my dentist tomorrow and will ask about a night guard.

[Sharon - Colorado Springs]

Addition to the above comment: If it makes any difference to anyone, my dose was increased to 150mg of Zoloft 6 months ago. I'm weening off under the psychiatrist's care by lowering the dose 50mg every 5 days until off.

[Scrambled brain]

All antidepressants cause TMJ . It is furthur evidence of the brain damage caused by these poisons . The drugs damage the dopaminergic system ,leading to muscle contraction.When people stop taking antidepressats , the TMJ often gets worse which is why some dentists recommend antidepressats for TMJ , but they are wrong . Antidepressants cause neurological disorders such as dystonia and tardive dyskinesia ,TMJ, but ironically they mask the symptoms they cause .