I recommend a few things for anxiety:

First, try another med if after a few weeks Zoloft is not working fo ryou. I use Paxil for my anxiety and it works great.

Kava kava in capsule form is an herbal supplement used in treating anxiety and it too is very effective.

Finally, I recommend regular cardio exercise for anxiety. I try to get out several times a week for a power walk and notice that my anxiety becomes worse when I don't exercise.

I, too, have had PTSD, and have worked through it with talk therapy. This has been enormously helpful for me so I don't have nightmares.

I hope this helps you to feel calmer and to feel better.

Two things to try are 5htp and SAM-e, both separately and together. These amino acids have different effects on different people and work differently when taken separately and combined. I take 5htp 500mg daily to help with compulsive behavior and aggression and it works. The SAM-E by itself and combined with 5htp did nothing for me.

5htp can make you sleepy when you first start it so be prepared for that. It's basically tryptophan the same stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy.

If the zoloft isn't working you need to tell your doctor immediately and get put on something else. Ask for something like Buspar, which is a fast acting anxiety medication. I'm on it and it helps me most of the time. So far no other drugs have worked for me though so you may have to go through a lot of fast acting ones before you find one that works. It's worth it though to feel that peace of mind.

Therapy is one of the best natural medicines for PTSD. Talking through it, just having someone who will listen to you about it, can help you move past it. It won't make it stop, obviously, but with some time you can cope better.

Exercise when you feel anxious. It can be hard to get into the swing of exercising when you feel like your heart is going to explode, but start out with just walking in place (or down the block if the weather doesn't stink and you can). For many people even a light walk can take their mind off it.

Find something that helps calm you down. People with anxiety can learn to cope and calm themselves. Repeat something, like exercising, singing to yourself, even rocking yourself back and forth, until you calm. Eventually this will become a signal to your body to calm down. I personally sing to myself and tap my chest very slowly with my index finger, as if I'm telling my heart that's how fast it should be going, not what it's actually doing.

If you begin to take any supplements or vitamins, speak to your doctor first. Many vitamins can interact with medication in ways you may not expect but that your doctor will. S/he will be able to tell you if you should take it.

Valerian root has been used to help control anxiety, but you should not take it if you are on prescription anti-anxiety medication. If you have trouble sleeping, you may want to try Melatonin. I use it regularly and it is safe and effective. It does not require a prescription and can be found in more drug stores or grocery stores. However, Melatonin should only be used at night before you go to bed.

Exercise is usually effective in reducing anxiety. As for herbal treatments, there are some pretty good ones you might try.

St. John's Wort can be effective. Another approach might be to get better rest at night, and sleep inducers include vervain, valerian, and chamomile. But I, for one, am allergic to chamomile, so note any allergic reactions you might experience, since that sort of thing is counterproductive to sleep inducement.

But the best advise I can offer might be to decide what you want to do and stick with it for a while. Many times, the use of pharmaceutical drugs nullifies the effectiveness of herbal treatments. So you would want to use one or the other, not both at the same time.

Also, you will probably want to stop taking the Zoloft anyway, since it is not doing you any good. But I would suggest consulting your doctor with the fact that it is not working, and see what the good doctor thinks. Many practicing physicians are completely untrained in the use of herbals, and consider them useless substitutes for "real" treatment. If that seems to characterize your physician, you must decide for yourself whether you want to try some herbal treatments, or locate an herbal doctor to consult, or just try another pharmaceutical.

Since you say the Zoloft is not working, you could try some herbal alternatives and then, if they also are ineffective for you, try for a replacement pharmaceutical drug. That is, if you have already decided to go the herbal route for a while anyway. Over and above what I am personally familiar with, your local health food store might provide some good suggestions for both sleep and anxiety.

A good herbal doctor is hard to find, but I would suggest deciding on a path and giving it a little time. And on the subject of time, if you have the time or can find a way to make the time, you might try reading. Stimulating the mind with information and entertainment can go a long way toward balancing out anxiety.

Good luck to you.

Thanks to all of you that have responded to my question. I really appreciate the information and suggestions that you have all offered. Can I award all of you wonderful people with best answer?

Thank you from the bottom of my racing heart.

The B complex vitamins and B12, in particular, can help with anxiety and depression but your jumpiness and racing heart are more likely due to your chronic anxiety than the Zoloft. If you feel the Zoloft is not helping, discuss it with your doctor. There are many other alternatives that may work better for you.

Though I don't recommend it, if you decide to try herbal preparations and remedies, stop the Zoloft for several days first. Herbals interact negatively with many medications.