To ask your experiences of anti depressants?

[Ohkayyy]

I've been prescribed Sertraline by my GP and I'm a bit sceptical having never taken anything like this before.

Can anyone here who's taken this type of medication before tell me if you found it helpful? Did it work, did you feel better etc?

I started on sertraline to begin with I took them at night before moving to the morning. They where great at first, ended on a very high dose. Then saw psychiatrist and we tried many others. At the moment on venlaflaxine.

I didn’t gain any weight which like a pp was a huge concern. Instead I have lost around 5 stone because I’m not comfort/binge eating.

They do take weeks to kick in, iirc when I started the sertraline I was told 6 weeks.

It’s all trial and error. What works with one person won’t work with another. Someone mentioned mitrazapine and those were the worse for me and I was hallucinating.

I've been on them 6 months. Changed my life.
Grin and bare the first few weeks you wool more than likely feel awful, then suddenly able to cope with life again. That's what I found.
The only major side effect for me is I can't cry! I used to cry at adverts now nothing!

I was on 150mg of sertraline, caused me nothing but stomach problems, I was going to the toilet 4 times a day, changed meds, was fine on them for 3 months. Ended up in hospital with a pancreastius, doctor put it down to the new meds

For the first few days it was awful. I kept getting this jaw clenching thing and the anxiety felt worse then it stabilised. Not looking forward to coming off them though.

My stomach has been a lot better today. But I've definitely noticed the jaw clenching thing a few of you have mentioned.

Sertraline has been truly wonderful for me. It made me feel like a drugged zombie for 3 weeks, then kicked in. All good.

Just took my first fluoxetine and this thread has been so reassuring to read!

I was on a different SRRI but I think it saved my life. I was a total mess and I didn't really know how bad I was until the fog lifted.

I felt a bit odd for a few days but within a couple of weeks I felt much better. I eventually had CBT too which helped but I would never have been well enough to engage with it without the medication.

I have been off them for about 6 months. Do not stop taking them without speaking to your GP. Not a good idea to stop cold Turkey.

Hope you feel better soon x

I'm on citalopram for 2 weeks now. Just like you, no one would know anything was up with me. But I could no longer cope with the constant business and questioning and doubt in my brain about every little thing.

You will find the best way to take them. I find they interupt my sleep rather than help it so I take in the morning. Other people find it makes them sleepy so best to take at night. You might find you need to alter the dose or even try a different medication. I did feel weird at first, banging headache, a bit spacey etc but nothing too bad and I'm feeling better now. My mind feels quieter which is what I wanted. Although I am finding I'm a little bit too laid back, as though I needed a certain sense of panic to get things done but I'm hoping it will all level out!

I am on 200mg Sertraline. I like it. I have been on prozac and citalopram before. I didn't get much benefit from the citalopram but sertraline is working well for now.

I've lost weight on sertraline. Not that the drug causes weight loss per se, but part of my depression was overeating, which I now feel no compulsion to do. And I feel more motivated to be active.

However, my sister gained approx 2 stones on sertraline. BUT, part of her depression and anxiety left her unable to eat much - she was underweight before seeking help. She says the drugs have made her fat, but I notice her eating more. She actually finishes a whole plate of food now and will pick at snacks, so I think because she feels happier/less stressed she is relaxed enough to eat. Before she was a ball of nerves and couldn't face eating.

My dd did put on weight- but that was because depression took away her appetite.

Sertraline saved me when I was going through a really tough time and felt suicidal. I was on them for about six months, only disadvantage is that I put on quite a bit of weight.

I stopped cold turkey (not recommended) but it worked for me.

I’ve been taking the lowest dose for 4 months for PND and anxiety.

They’ve been life changing. I was crying most days, full of regret, very angry and felt like I wasn’t ‘me’.

I noticed an improvement within 2 weeks. I don’t feel dull or numb but my sex drive has dampened.

My Dr has been monitoring me carefully and said she’d expect me to be on them for at least 6 months, more like a year.

I only regret not trying them sooner. I’ve has some CBT alongside which has also been helpful.

Try them. I was very against taking them but they have helped immensely.

I've not long been on Sertraline and I'm finding it really hard to sleep at the moment. I'm knackered but I just cant seem to have a good solid amount of sleep without waking constantly.

I'm going to stick with it though, it sounds as though it eases off eventually.

My gp advised promethazine if its hard to sleep.

Jumping on the bandwagon, I've been taking SSRIs for about 6 months now and they've changed my life, mine took about 6 weeks to kick in (had to fiddle with my dose a bit) but since then, I feel hopeful for the first time in years, I feel supported and like I've got some breathing room so I don't get as overwhelmed in how shit things are.
I was shattered for the first couple of weeks, then when my dose went up I felt dizzy and nauseous, and I couldn't think straight or string words together, but once the side effects passed I felt amazing.
I've linked a video by a girl about her first few days on Sertaline, it really helped me when I started my SSRIs, she also makes videos about depression and mental health in general so I hope that might help some of you.