to be really struggling with sertraline?

[loveroflists]

I've been on it for two weeks. The initial side effects are wearing off which is good but my anxiety hasn't changed at all. I actually feel slightly more anxious than normal. I have OCD tendencies, and hand severe generalised anxiety. I count things when I'm anxious and it becomes obsessive. I can't sleep unless I have a podcast or the tv on as my thoughts run wild and I end up feeling panicky and falling asleep at 3/4am. I can't stop picking the skin on my fingers. They're actually bleeding. I'm so anxious.

I know this can be normal and my GP has assured me that it will likely pass and to stick it out if I feel I can. She is very supportive and has said I can call the surgery anytime if it feels too much.

I WANT to stick it out, but need reassurance that it's normal to have no positive effects at all at 2 weeks in.

Can anyone help?

What dosage are you on? These type of meds can take a few weeks before the full effect is felt.

You could ask for propranolol to be prescribed alongside the sertraline.

@rosiethehen I'm on 50mg. I've tried propranolol in the past but I'm struggling more with the mental as opposed to the physical symptoms. My mind is going at a million miles an hour.

Different drugs work well for different people. I was on sertraline for six weeks and felt worse on it the whole time. I have found venlafaxine great, and citalopram is also good.

Took a bit longer for me to feel better, give it another few weeks and you should start feeling the benefits. It’s normal to feel worse for a while when you start taking them.

It can take up to 6 weeks I think to fully benefit or you may need larger dose.

Takes at least six week to take effect and from there in move to a dose that works.
I have bipolar 2 with depressive episodes more prevalent. I've been on sertraline for eight years it saved my life. Currently on top dose of 200mg.
Hang in there you have to persist - symptoms will be worse for a time

What I found was I felt better at six weeks but I needed to increase the dose as I didn't quite feel right. Obvs my case is a bit different as I take a lot of other meds to deal with my bipolar. I was settled for years on 150mg until a difficult patch meant I had to increase it. Even then I had physical and mental difficulties while getting used to the change in dosage

50mg is a very small dose; I've just restarted I'm sertraline and am already up to 100mg within 10 days. Probably slightly different as I've had it before so know I will likely need to go up to the max over the next few weeks. Sympathies though, I'm struggling with the racing mind too which means I'm not sleeping. My doctor has offered a short course of something to help me sleep for a few days but at the moment I'm just riding it out. Hope you feel better soon.

I felt worse on 50mg but when I went up to 100mg I started to feel better. I’m back down to 50mg just now but I might need to go up again.

Just hold on...at about 3 weeks everything changed for me.

You’ve done the worst bit. I found the first two weeks awful. I was paranoid and anxious. Hated it. Week 3 and 4 I started to feel more level, week 5 I started to enjoy life and was sleeping well

I would stick with it for another couple of weeks but if it still is making no difference ask to try something else. Venlafaxine and pregabalin have really helped my anxiety. Good luck!

Please give it at least six weeks and see how you feel then - and as others have said, the dose may need to be increased at that point. But it really isn't unusual not to see any positive difference until you've been taking it for six weeks (I know that's not particularly helpful when you're feeling so awful now). Hang in there 🙂

Totally normal and the worst is over with those first two weeks. I think I was nearer 8 weeks when I realised I had noticeable improvements. Xxx

As PPs have said, sertraline can take a fair while before they take effect. Also, with certain mental health issues, the dose will be increased after a few weeks.

However, from my experience, sertraline never helped me with my OCD. I needed to switch to it from Fluoxetine during pregnancy and I really wasn't coping as well as I had been previously on my old medication. After I have birth I requested to go back to taking Fluoxetine. I will always have some of the tendencies but I cope a lot better on fluoxetine. Every single person is different, though, this is just my experience and not something to base your final decision on.