Please tell me about sertraline.

[ssd]

Got this from Dr.
I'm scared to try it incase the side effects are awful. I can't take feeling worse just now.
I'm anxious. About everything. Anxiety eating away at me.

Would sertraline help?

Please be honest. How long would it take to work, if it worked?

No direct experience but DD was put on it in early November. Honestly, she was awful for a while. Could hardly get out of bed, lack of appetite and very down. Suddenly, just a couple of days after Christmas, it was like the light switched on again. She's still on it, and it's really helping. But, she definitely felt worse before she felt better.

It'll help. It'll take a couple of weeks to kick in, and you might feel a bit odd for a few days, but once it gets into your system the side effects will go away and it should help a lot.

I've not taken sertraline but a similar one that does the same thing, and it works really well for me.

For me it took a few weeks to start working. It did reduce my anxiety but I felt increasingly detached from reality. For months I felt like I was watching the world from outside of my own body.
And the withdrawal was nothing short of horrendous. I reduced very gradually under guidance of my GP but I felt physically dreadful for a couple of months. Pretty sure I would never take it again.
Having said all of that this was just my experience, yours may be very different. Be open with your GP about your concerns.

For me it took a few weeks to start working. It did reduce my anxiety but I felt increasingly detached from reality. For months I felt like I was watching the world from outside of my own body.
And the withdrawal was nothing short of horrendous. I reduced very gradually under guidance of my GP but I felt physically dreadful for a couple of months. Pretty sure I would never take it again.
Having said all of that this was just my experience, yours may be very different. Be open with your GP about your concerns.

Amazing stuff. 2 weeks of feeling worse and paranoid and then slight lift followed by no anxiousness around a month in. Low dose of 50mg.

Maybe take 10 days off work while getting the worst out of the way. Made me utterly paranoid, low, feel sick, exhausted, sleep lots and have indigestion. Totally worth 10 days of feeling crap though. Small sacrifice for much bigger gain

Made me feel worse for the first couple of weeks but then vastly better.

I didn’t feel detached but then have always stuck to the lowest dose which makes me feel ok. I started to enjoy life again.

I am trying to wean myself off it currently but not being very successful. I have headaches, a lump in my throat and weird sort of paralysis feeling in my throat ( hard to describe), feeling like I can't swallow properly.

Thanks. I don't know what to do.
Can I ask, why did you go on it how dud you feel prior to starting?
I've always been anxious, it's in my dna. My dad was the same. But since menopause it's got worse. I do enjoy life, I sleep well, I'm OK. But there's times anxiety knaws away at me and I feel like it's more and more often. So I don't know if I should take them now. I don't know what to do.

@ssd I've been on sertraline for about 2 years - because of terrible anxiety about everything - going out, getting on public transport, being in large groups etc. I was also feeling very depressed - hopeless, struggled to get out of bed. I am on 200mg now but started on 50mg. It took a while to kick in - I'd say 6 week. I got dry mouth and felt much worse before I get better.
However everyone's experience is different and for me now it works very well, just had to push through at the start but it was worth it for me.

Setraline has been amazing for me - it gave my brain space to breathe and turned the world back into colour whilst I had pnd. Took me a while to get the right dosage (I’m on 150mg currently) and whilst I still occasionally have anxiety it’s kept most of it at bay. When I’m struggling my gp adjusts my dosage.

I've been on it for 13 years now. 11 years at 50mg and then upto 200mg the last few years. It was a bit rough for a few weeks as your body gets used to it. But it saved my life. A few years ago after a very traumatic family situation my doctor suggested slowly increasing it to the level i am taking now. Its has really really helped me to live. But if after a few weeks of taking it you don't feel right then please go back to the doctor. I tried 2 different ones before sertraline so you can change. Sorry you having to take it though xxx

Sorry i meant to say that initially it was major anxiety after my brother died but I had always been super anxious but his death just sent me over to a new level. I was also angry and paranoid. Its has helped me loads. Also don't rule out CBT therapy and practise deep breathing techniques. All these together help. Xxx

I’ve been on 50 mg for about 5 months due to anxiety. I was also worried about the side effects but really only had a bit of nausea for a week or so and some difficulty sleeping for a few weeks. I would say it’s helped. It’s not been a dramatic improvement but definitely taken the edge off it and I know the dose can go up if necessary.
I would give it a go, anxiety is horrible.

I had very mild side effects that didn't last very long. I felt a little bit nauseous so at first I took it before bed so that I could sleep while it worked.