Sertraline for anxiety

[toastwithbutter]

I’ve always struggled with anxiety but it’s so bad currently. My morning anxiety (over nothing specific) is so bad I struggle to get out of bed sometimes.

I have lots of nervous energy and feel on edge most of the time.

i have negative intrusive thoughts.

I don’t think I’m very fun or relaxed any more, at all.

I’ve always been so scared to medicate myself but with two young children and a busy life I need to do something to overcome this crippling anxiety.

Can you give me your Sertraline success storiws please as this is what the doctor has recommended.

Will it help me feel less panicky and calmer? More relaxed and carefree? Less irritable?

I’ve never heard this before and as someone on Paroxetine for a long time and now citalopram I wouldn’t say this is my experience. SSRI are not known for need higher increasing doses unlike benzodiazepines unless they have stopped working. Op I found I was anxious in normal situations eg exams, they won’t stop that.

Sounds like really classic (and horrid to experience) anxiety. Sertraline is an incredibly commonly-taken medication which a surprising proportion of the population take/have taken. It works gradually and imperceptibly, so don’t expect to notice much difference for a few weeks. Some people have initial side-effects of increased anxiety but please persist as these subside.

GP should’ve signposted you to NHS Talking Therapies also (first line treatment for anxiety) as lifestyle factors, psycho-ed and/or CBT are just as (if not more) important tools in addressing anxious thoughts and feelings.

Ps: you can self-refer to your local NHS Talking Therapies service. Not sure of your area but if you type that into google with your home city it will bring up the website.

(MH Practitioner here)

You’re entirely correct. Anti-D’s don’t have any tolerance-related issues. They don’t lose efficacy with long-term use.

Anytnjng you hear around this is purely anecdotal and usually due to the placebo effect

Sertraline really helped me get my life together, and back on a path out of darkness (situational and just me). But it absolutely killed libido and was in a new relationship, so stopped eventually. Even a day or two in 25 mg and the ability to feel anything below the waist disappears! Anyone else had this or found a SSRI that doesn’t cause this?

If we think of “how we feel” as being how we experience the world and how that is affected by physical sensations of anxiety plus our anxious thoughts / cognitive distortions; then yes - medication changes this as it dampens down the out-of-control “threat-system”.

What medication doesn’t do is address any underlying psycho-social causes for the anxiety, clearly.

So it’s best to use medication hand-in-hand with a talking therapy, plus making lifestyle changes such as reducing stress, increasing exercise, sleep hygiene etc.

For a small proportion of people there is evidence of sexual dysfunction as a SE.

Thanks, yes it seems to be every other woman I know too though. Very frustrating to have to make that choice

Decreased libido is also a known symptom of anxiety and depression. So it’s v difficult to tease-out what is caused by a SE of the meds, and what is a symptom of the condition.

Oh @toastwithbutter I really feel for you.

I was the same. Came on suddenly. Horrendous morning anxiety, loads of nervous energy, constantly in edge/emotional, and really awful negative and intrusive thoughts.

I resisted sertraline for a while, but wasn't getting better. So I started just before Xmas. I started on 25mg. My initial side effects were AWFUL. I won't sugar coat it. I was significantly worse. Stopped eating, stopped sleeping. The intrusive thoughts ramped up and I was crying all the time. But I persevered, increased to 37.5mg for a few days then up to 50mg and once I was on 50mg, the side effects subsided and I started feeling better. I'd say maybe 2 weeks after I went up to 50mg it was like a switch had been flipped. I wasn't totally better, but started having more good days than bad.

I'm still on 50mg. But I also started HRT 1.5 weeks ago (low dose). I was having cyclical relapses (not as bad, but still distressing for me). I was initially convinced some of my symptoms were peri menopause related but the dr said i was 'too young' 🙄 finally 3rd Dr I saw agreed with me and I'm hoping that will finish levelling me out!

It is definitely worth taking an SSRI, but it won't be an immediate fix, and you do need to be prepared for that xxxx

No, you really don't need more the longer you take it. Several friends have taken the same dose for over a decade, and are very happy with it

No it’s a very common side effect. People in pharmaceuticals often joke that you “can be happy or can have a libido, not both”

As soon as I stop, it comes back. As soon as I start, numbness so it’s not a depression side effect - and I take them for PMDD

I take this. I originally had it because I had panic attacks caused by customers' impatience and rudeness. I do wish customers realise that their behaviour is one of the main reasons that people leave retail.

Now I still take it as still very worried about unable to find work.

I didn’t dispute it’s a common SE. I both work with such meds professionally in a specialism, and am a long-term user of SSRIs myself.

I was pointing out that in each individual it’s difficult to pin-point exactly how much is the SSRI and how much is a complex interplay between sex and mood disorder. Or a bit of both.