Sertraline for anxiety

It was great at first but you need more as time goes on. I came off it in the end. I’d prefer to use other methods.

Answering as a patient on sertraline and also as a pharmacist... Does insulin 'cure' your diabetes, does ibuprofen 'cure' your headache, does senna 'cure' your constipation? No, but they allow you to manage it. Same for sertraline and other antidepressants.

It's hard to say how it will make you feel. I didn't really notice a difference (other than I wasn't at rock bottom any more) until 6 months later when I was cooking dinner and dancing round my kitchen and just all of a sudden realised I was truly happy for the first time in a long time (perhaps ever?). It's worth a try.

I don't understand the fear of medicating yourself. As above, I bet you'd take ibuprofen for a headache or insulin if you had diabetes. I tried fluoxetine before and didn't find it helpful, so if after a couple of months sertraline hasn't helped it doesn't mean you need to write off all tablets.

I've been on sertraline for 4 years and don't intend to stop. I've not had a panic attack or irrational anxiety whilst taking it. I'm calmer , level and just feel normal whereas before I was anxious all the time, having regular panic attacks with no idea why. I took half a 25mg tablet at night for the 1st week, then 50mg for a week, them moved to 50mg every morning and this alleviated the side effects of the 1st few weeks.

@woodpeckersounds oh definitely not a cure for anxiety, that’s for sure. But sertraline has helped with me personally, keeping things on some sort of even keel.
For what it’s worth OP…….when a GP prescribes this kind of medication, it can help many people. But it doesn’t suit everyone.
A GP also doesn’t have the time to help us evaluate what is going on in our lives, but I believe the drug can help to bring a little normality of sorts; to help us, the anxious souls that we are, get to a place where we can try to ‘sort ourselves out a bit’.!
It’s funny. We can only live forwards, but can understand life when looking back.
I wish I knew where anxiety comes from, and why. There’s also some very good audiobooks, I found them especially helpful alongside sertraline. “Anxiety…..panicking about Panic” by Joshua Fletcher is one I can personally recommend. Or of course, you can always read the physical book if you wish.
Please be ever so gentle with yourself. You’re doing the best you can.

If I may…
I think this depends on whether your anxiety and/or depression is situational. Mine was, so it gave me enough of a boost to get over the situation that caused it and enabled me to come off them.
I did have therapy at the same time though.

I came off them about 4 years ago and I have certainly felt anxious since but I’ve got better coping mechanisms for that now so I haven’t felt like I have needed to go back on them at any point.
I also fixed a lot of vitamin/mineral deficiencies that I think helped massively.

I could still feel when I was on them. I could still cry at sad films. I felt like me, just without the anxiety. I didn’t feel numb. I did however insist on staying on the lower dose rather than being boosted up so I don’t know if this helped

A genuine question to those who are taking sertraline.. is it masking your symptoms or curing it? I’ve always believed these drugs mask the way we feel. I’d like some insight. Sorry to jump on your thread OP.

Not sertraline but I was on citalopram, another SSRI so I imagine they work in the same way.
Best decision I could have made for myself at that time.
I felt a little worse before I felt better, but it was manageable. Eventually, i got better and better until i felt like who i am but without all the stupid anxiety or depressive thoughts.
I came off them again 6 months later and haven’t needed them since.

I took sertraline for anxiety and found it very helpful. I would describe it as sometimes just giving me a bit of space , between me and my thoughts. Like, I could maybe still see the intrusive thought, but I wasn’t consumed by it.
i stayed on the starter dose, for me it was enough.

as others have said, the first couple of weeks I felt a bit odd, a bit spaced out, but that passed.

i would suggest you try them, they can be really life changing. Im sorry you’re suffering with anxiety, it is truly horrible

bedding in (1st couple of weeks) was hard - increased anxiety and dodgy belly… but once I got past the side effects very effective in anxiety.

titrated up to 200mg over time And was so much calmer and able to cope.

I loved being on setraline. I felt great effect within the first few weeks

I've been described different antidepressants for anxiety, but they've really helped me take the edge off things so I can function.

In my experience it works for anxiety. I started on 25mg then moved slowly up the doses. They only do 50mg and 100mg tablets I think so break a 50 in half. Expect to possibly feel worse before you feel better this is a common side effect but it doesn’t last long. Give it at least 6 weeks before you decide if it’s helped. Good luck.

I find it just levels me out , I don’t feel the real highs or lows anymore

I certainly think it’s added a lot to my life.
I felt more sociable. I was able to leave the house more.
The first week or two I felt a bit dodgy, a bit spaced out, but gradually I was able to live my life a bit more, rather than hiding in the house.
I have taken a lower dose (50mg) as part of my life now, for quite a few years.

Anxiety is truly horrible. It’s shocking, it’s exhausting and it’s scary at times. Even crippling.
May I ask how old you are roughly?
I do believe it is part of the human condition. Perhaps a reaction to life events?