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Original poster

Sertraline - how did you feel when it started to work?

50 replies

SameKeyThough · 06/01/2023 17:17

I know this is better placed in the Mental Health section but I already have some threads going there! Posting here for a wider audience. I'm currently on week 7 of sertraline, 1 week at 150mg which my psychiatrist thinks is the right dose for me. The first 6 weeks have been hell, but I am now starting to have times where my anxiety is less. So I wanted to know how people felt when it properly kicked in? Was it like a switch being flipped or a gradual thing? And did you feel completely different from when you were anxious/depressed? Thank you

OP posts:
Original poster
SameKeyThough · 08/01/2023 20:01

Any other experiences?

OP posts:
middleoftheroadlife · 10/01/2023 18:24

I've just been on the phone to my GP. Going through a lot of health issues and anxiety atm. I was on Fluroxetine for a few years a while ago and tolerated it well but I think in the end it wasn't amking much difference. She's put me on Sertraline so I'll pick up the prescription tomorrw. OP did you get any other side effects like swetaing etc?

middleoftheroadlife · 10/01/2023 18:24

Sweating *

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health
ladymacbeth · 10/01/2023 18:32

Did you start straight on something close to 150 OP? That's a big dose so no wonder your feeling it.

I started on 25 for a week, then 50. After about 2 months I went up to 100. From there I got my life back.

But, those first few weeks were hell - stick with it

Original poster
SameKeyThough · 10/01/2023 20:36

@middleoftheroadlife no sweating, I get a bit of heartburn, I had a few days of nausea. But my side effects have been mainly psychological.
@ladymacbeth I started at 25mg but then did a dose increase each week more or less. I had been on a high dose of citalopram and my psychiatrist felt that I needed to get up to 150mg or 200mg. I'm sticking at 150mg for now though as I'm starting to have more good days.

OP posts:
Dimondsareforever · 10/01/2023 20:55

For me it was gradual. I just suddenly realised I wasn’t getting as stressed / anxious / annoyed etc …
Of course, still have ups and downs, they are part of life - but they feel ‘normal’ rather than ‘extreme’.

HerbErtlinger · 10/01/2023 21:13

Mine was gradual, started over the summer and feel on a much more even keel now. After the first few weeks I was still an anxious mess so my GP prescribed propropanal beta blockers on top of the sertraline and they really are life changers. A few days of those and I stopped waking in the night with churning anxiety, the weight from my chest lifted and I could breathe without shuddery breathes. Once that lifted, the sertraline kept me on an even keel and I only use the beta blockers now as and when. I would be more concerned about running out of the beta than the sertraline though personally

Vallmo47 · 10/01/2023 21:23

It does take time to find the right fit and once you have it takes a long time for you to really notice the effects. I can tell just based on what you’re writing that you’re still anxious. The good news is that sertraline is the best medication I’ve tried for anxiety. The bad is that it took what felt like forever for me to really notice the difference. I think the body and mind is capable of extraordinary things. I remember one GP I saw who said “I can really see a difference! This is working!”
I was really surprised because I hadn’t noticed anything yet. On the medical review 6 months later she said “You know when I said this was already working? Yeah, we weren’t quite there yet. I just needed you to believe you were on the right track”. I was astounded - but it was utterly amazing how she got me there in the end.

So. Now I’m telling you - this medication is amazing.
This is the change you needed. BELIEVE it.

ILoveYouMoreTheEnd · 10/01/2023 21:33

Stick with it, how long were you on 100mg for? And now you're 150mg after 6 weeks? I've recently tapered off Duloxetine and Sertraline has literally saved my life! I feel lighter, the rages are dulled and I'm more rational. My mood is so much better, well significantly better. I've had little instances of anxiety but not major, maybe some throat butterflies and stomach churning but no panic. Can I ask if its okay, are there any specific things or situations that are especially triggering? Family, or work? Hugs x

Gardenerboo · 10/01/2023 21:37

Hi,
it was a gradual improvement for me too. Almost imperceptible, and then one morning I realised that I was singing in the shower. I’d not don’t that for years.

Obviously there were other, more practical improvements but it was great. Good luck.

Original poster
SameKeyThough · 11/01/2023 11:00

Thank you so much for your replies. I'm still finding the mornings hard, but not as hard as previously. I find the evenings are pretty good. @ILoveYouMoreTheEnd ive been on 100mg for 4 weeks, 150mg for almost 2 weeks. there is a situation with my DS that is very triggering and I have been having therapy to help with it, but have decided to put that on hold while the sertraline beds in as it was making me more distressed. @Gardenerboo I noticed I was singing yesterday! I'd heard a song in the car and when I got home I was still singing it. @HerbErtlinger I also have beta blockers, have been on them for a year, they haven't been as effective as when I had them 15 years ago for PND.

OP posts:
ILoveYouMoreTheEnd · 11/01/2023 21:02

Stick with it and definitely hold off on the therapy that's a must. You will soon find yourself laughing again, we watched Breaking Dad series 1 earlier and I was roaring at Bradley Walsh. Give it a go. Good luck ❤

Original poster
SameKeyThough · 12/01/2023 11:36

@ILoveYouMoreTheEnd can I ask what dose you are on and how long it took for you so see an improvement?

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ILoveYouMoreTheEnd · 12/01/2023 12:10

@SameKeyThough I'm on 100mg just now. I started at 50mg while still on the tapered Duloxetine of 30mg. At the moment i wont go any higher as i suffer from fatigue as it is and dont want to make it worse, if i keep feeling stable i will stick at 100mg. It kicked in for me after about a week because before that I was crying daily, rages, suicidal and just down a black hole. After a week I noticed aw I didn't cry yesterday and then I had an issue with DWP and although I reacted a wee bit irrational I recovered more quickly and was able to talk about how I felt with DH rationally and calmly. I said to my GP today that it's dulling my reaction time so those vital seconds are allowing me to assess a situation rather than react, I've not felt suicidal for 4 weeks and I've made future plans for this year for my mental health and physical health. My OT has also been amazing and printed off an article for me on Monday called Self Injury and Recovery about emotional regulation, that's helping. I have chronic illnesses and have been battling the DWP for nearly 2 years for benefits, now I have a lot more support and I've accepted more support rather than doing things myself and then having a rage when it doesn't work out for me lol. I feel at this point, it's putting my triggers away to a vague blurry place and I'm no longer on an emotional hamster wheel of whirrling thoughts and self destruction which results in me feeling unwell with my illnesses for days. I'm aware this is a wee bit of a ramble sorry.
Please don't think this is weird but on my way to the Dr this morning a song came on and I thought ah I'm going to tell you to listen to it as I found it exhilarating the first time I heard it. It's Awakening by LeAnn Rhimes. I heard it for the first time on the beach with my dogs and at that point my emotions were so low I could have walked in the sea and just fucked off really. Her voice is beautiful. Anyway I'm glad you replied as I had already forgotten as is typical of my brain. I won't ever do any counselling again but the OT has majorly helped me if that would be an idea for you too. Xx

twinklebutt · 13/01/2023 20:31

OP, how are you feeling today?x

Original poster
SameKeyThough · 13/01/2023 21:46

@ILoveYouMoreTheEnd I'm glad you are making progress. I will have to have a listen to that song, thank you for thinking of me. @twinklebutt I'm sort of the same? Good evenings, and afternoons really from about 3pm. Mornings still a bit crappy! I think the progress is happening, it's just very slow.

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Original poster
SameKeyThough · 14/01/2023 13:17

Shitty day today. I know that by later on I'll probably feel a lot better but it doesn't make it any easier getting through this bit. I'm also panicking that it's not going to get any better. 8 weeks in, 2 weeks on 150mg, surely it should have happened by now?

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ILoveYouMoreTheEnd · 14/01/2023 15:30

Give it another two weeks and keep a daily diary about how you feel. That's a good way to monitor if there is actually no improvement or just a little everyday or week. IMO focusing on it not going to work isn't helping, try and switch that mental energy to something you normally or used to enjoy? What were/are your hobbies?
It's a long and hard journey getting well again, be kind to yourself with little things. Have you tried mindfulness? It's not my thing but I do a couple of breathing exercises for panic and anxiety when my mind races and it works. Xxx

Abee89 · 22/09/2023 23:50

Hi @SameKeyThough did it end up working for you?

Bubbly56 · 03/08/2024 21:30

SameKeyThough · 06/01/2023 17:17

I know this is better placed in the Mental Health section but I already have some threads going there! Posting here for a wider audience. I'm currently on week 7 of sertraline, 1 week at 150mg which my psychiatrist thinks is the right dose for me. The first 6 weeks have been hell, but I am now starting to have times where my anxiety is less. So I wanted to know how people felt when it properly kicked in? Was it like a switch being flipped or a gradual thing? And did you feel completely different from when you were anxious/depressed? Thank you

Hi,How're you feeling now ?

Original poster
SameKeyThough · 04/08/2024 18:49

Hi @Bubbly56 , thank you for asking. I thought I should update the thread in case anyone can benefit from my experience. So it's about 18 months since I posted and I'm doing great! Have been really well for about 8 months. It's been a very, very hard two and a half years. I had to give up my job, I spent two periods in psychiatric units (one voluntary and one less so!). But it wasn't until I started HRT a year ago that I started to get better. I had fairly regular periods and only the terrible, suicidal depression and anxiety as symptoms, not a hot flush in sight, so no one thought to look at my hormones, even though I was 49 when it all went so wrong. I've been on 8 different meds over that time, some pretty hard core. I was lucky enough to be able to see a private menopause specialist and her advice was brilliant. I started on HRT last July and over the past year I have gradually weaned off all the meds except the sertraline. I aim to at least reduce that over the next 6 months as I firmly believe that my history of depression and anxiety was entirely hormonal. I feel so strongly that it's imperative to get the message out there that hormones can have a massive impact on mental health.

OP posts:
Minnie59 · 05/08/2024 17:40

SameKeyThough · 04/08/2024 18:49

Hi @Bubbly56 , thank you for asking. I thought I should update the thread in case anyone can benefit from my experience. So it's about 18 months since I posted and I'm doing great! Have been really well for about 8 months. It's been a very, very hard two and a half years. I had to give up my job, I spent two periods in psychiatric units (one voluntary and one less so!). But it wasn't until I started HRT a year ago that I started to get better. I had fairly regular periods and only the terrible, suicidal depression and anxiety as symptoms, not a hot flush in sight, so no one thought to look at my hormones, even though I was 49 when it all went so wrong. I've been on 8 different meds over that time, some pretty hard core. I was lucky enough to be able to see a private menopause specialist and her advice was brilliant. I started on HRT last July and over the past year I have gradually weaned off all the meds except the sertraline. I aim to at least reduce that over the next 6 months as I firmly believe that my history of depression and anxiety was entirely hormonal. I feel so strongly that it's imperative to get the message out there that hormones can have a massive impact on mental health.

Oh I'm so happy and glad that you're feeling much better. I suffer severe anxiety which is affecting my mood and life.Always feeling low. I'm 8 weeks post partum and I've been prescribed sertraline 25gm but I didn't start taking it yet as I'm worried about the side effects it's gonna give me at first. 🙁

Bohomovies · 05/08/2024 18:13

I’m on Cipralex rather than Sertraline, but for me it was like a switch being flipped. I woke up one morning after about six weeks, and just felt completely different. Just felt “normal” again.

Batmanisaplaceinturkey · 05/08/2024 18:28

This is so shocking op, that all along it wasnt antidepressants you needed, it was help with menopausal anxiety.
Reminds me of what happened to Hilary Mantel.

Original poster
SameKeyThough · 05/08/2024 18:42

@Batmanisaplaceinturkey it really is shocking. There is such a long way to go getting women and health professionals to make the link between less obvious symptoms and perimenopause. The amount of women I know who had a sudden onset of really quite debilitating anxiety but no-one explored a hormonal element, it makes me angry and sad in equal measure.
@Minnie59 I'm sorry you are feeling so rotten. I had reproductive depression, both prenatal and antenatal, which again required hospital treatment and a lot of psychiatric medicines. I wish I had explored the hormonal aspect, there may have been alternatives. I don't know much about how that, I'm only really very familiar with HRT, but possibly something to think about or ask your GP?

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