Sertraline…to ask if this is normal?

It's so tough OP. For me it was two weeks before the tiredness started to lift, although it took far longer to feel back to normal energy. I also felt really sick and just craved ice cold diet coke. Just take it easy if you can, listen to your body and let the medicine work. It'll settle down if you're able to persevere a little. It's honestly changed my life, both personal and work. Did you manage to work or did you take the day off?

I lasted 3 days on sertraline. When I was so exhausted I couldn't lift my arms to wash my hair I called it quits

Edited: This is in response to @Whatifitallgoesright's post that I thought I'd quoted!

@Yiie I've just re-read your initial post, and I'm tempted to agree with this. Increasing dose after only a week on might be a big cause of the drowsiness. Stay on 50 for a 2-3 weeks before you think about increasing up again. It might be that you don't need to, and 50mg is the right dose for you. See how you get on with the tiredness first.

They don't lose effectiveness. Maybe after like many years continuous you might need a smidge higher dose but I only ever needed more for a short time when I hit a rough patch in circumstances and was under extra additional pressure at work. I've never needed more just because the effects started wearing off.

You'll probably start off on 25 or 50mg, then they'll put you up to 100mg after a while if you've not seen any improvement. The maximum recommended dose is usually 200mg, but I've never needed more than 100mg.

Maybe you increased dose too quick? I stay a few weeks on low dose now as have several episodes where a higher dose too soon has sent me a bit manic and wanting to run away .

It'll pass, I'm certain. Just hang in there!

I think the first time I tried them the best explanation I could give to anyone at the time was to call them "Don't give a shit" pills. All that stuff that worried me before, it just went. And didn't cross my mind. I didn't give a shit. Not in a irresponsible, impulsive way, but just felt worry free. Antidepressants have unfairly got a bad name for themselves because people are scared they'll be walking round acting like a robot, not themselves and devoid of thoughts and feelings. But once the feeling of tiredness and exhaustion is gone it's just like being you, but without the worries and constant questions and thoughts running through your head.

I've gone back on them after 2 years off, the last 18 months of which have been horrendous with stuff that I've had in my plate. I just wish I'd gone back on them sooner! The person I now know as "normal" me has returned!

I found sex drive went completely and I poohed myself on a few occasions.
It addressed the anxiety issue, but I felt so upset with the p issue that I found that and the lack of sex drive depressing too and obviously having to constantly think how far I was from a toilet added to anxiety.

I took it for about two months and then came off it.

However, I appreciate it is different for different people.
Do take it with lots of water!

I took about ten days to adjust to setraline. After that I had no issues and it was effective for anxiety. I understand though that not all drugs will sort all people and there are alternatives available. So give it a little longer and if you do not settle go back and see your GP. It is just a question of getting the medication right and as our bodies are all different the only real way to do this is a bit of trial and error.

@EdnaTheWitch- Sertraline also destroyed my sex drive, and it didn't come back after stopping the medication. 😕 I am now perimenopausal so maybe that is a factor.

Thanks @Mousespace @Dugs2010 thats really helpful to know x

I didn’t have this with setraline . Quite the opposite- happy and energetic

Oh, really? This is what the head of Integrated Psychological Services gave me. I literally couldn't function with severe PTSD, panic disorder, OCD and GAD.

Sertraline worked very quickly for me to ease my anxiety, but I was never lethargic with it. I did grind my teeth a lot when I started, or when dose increased, but that wore off. It absolutely annihilated my sex drive, and that hasn’t wore off.
My max dose was 200mg, currently down to 50mg and hoping to come off entirely following guidance of GP.
Everyone responds differently though and the important thing to consider is if something is working for you or not, regardless of anyone else’s experience. There are lots of alternatives if sertraline not a good fit, it’s just trial and error at this stage.
You’ll get there 😊

I had the opposite experience to many of you. Was going through some horrendous things and struggling to cope. The GP would only prescribe hrt, which obviously didn't help. I went back and was given sertraline.

I was totally saved out and sweating the first time I went on it. This eased after a week. They say give new medication 6 weeks to level out.

I second taking it on a night. Found that eased those initial symptoms slightly but deffo do with plenty of water and don't lie down for a while. If it gets stuck half way down without you realising it's absolutely agony and you won't sleep at all. It really burns your oesophagus.

Saying that, I have come off mine and had to go back on them. They really do help me.

Close relative took Prozac and had really bad heartburn. He took it before food.

For me it's like the worst heartburn you could imagine, I was up all night once, couldn't settle sleeping on any side. My chest felt like it was under such pressure too. I was also retching a lot of thick fluid during the entire night. I didn't put the 2 together until did same another time and then it clicked!!

It made me tired, spaced, and nauseous at first, I switched to taking it at night (I had some pretty vivid dreams, but no insomnia), which worked better for me, symptoms settled by about three weeks.

I've been on and off sertraline on a few occasions over the past 15 years. The utter and complete exhaustion is now a familiar sign of recovery for me! I know I'm getting better when the exhaustion kicks in. Someone medical once explained it to me that as your body has been running on full pelt with over thinking and racing thoughts and panic and worry for so long it's now recovering from all that extra mental toll. It's finally having some down time, and trying to recover itself and get healthy again, so it just hijacks all your energy.

It's usually about a week or 2 at the very most for me. This time (I restarted 4 weeks ago) it was 10 days.

I know so many people this has happened to. GPs need better training.

This might not be the case for the OP...but it's depressing to read this thread and see repeatedly what hard work it is to get HRT...including ridiculous feedback that 40s is too young (mid-thirties is not too young) and that the GP would prefer to hand out anxiety meds for peri symptoms.