Is sertraline worth the side effects?

[Cantpee]

I’ve just started taking sertraline as I have developed bad PND and PTSD following an awful birth and associated health problems. I’ve been reluctant to take it because before this I have never suffered mental health issues.

I’ve had four tablets and experiencing dizziness, feeling dizzy, jaw/teeth clenching and ache, headaches, nausea and generally feeling strange. I’m still not sleeping. I’m really tempted to stop but another part of me thinks I should persevere. Does it get better? Is it worth it?

I would add my voice to the people saying to push on with them. The first week I was on sertraline I felt like I had the worst flu and couldn't do anything but then after the second week I really levelled out. I'm now a year on them and honestly they have helped so much. I also have IBS that is largely stress related and they've been the only tablets that have ever had any impact on the pain and symptoms I experience from that too, so genuinely life changing.
I was given them following a traumatic event (sudden and unexpected death of my mum) and I credit them with my ability to function, work and be a halfway acceptable friend/partner/family member (more so than healthy eating and fresh air, anyway 😉)

Some stopping hrt - how are you feeling @UltimateSloth

Completey agree. The first thing I tried was exercise for over 18 months. Swimming 1km 3-5 times a week and I still felt shit. SSRI I feel better and now swim less.

exercise is good for mental health as I “never feel worse after a swim” but exercise and diet are not he panacea they are promoted to be.

side note I feel fitter though so some benefits. I still can’t sleep

@Sisandbro81 feel so much better since I stopped HRT. Mentally and physically. It didn't work for me.

Why were you put on it in the first place? So if HRT didn’t work, and ADs didn’t work - what did work?

I started HRT for bone protection, lack of libido and joint pain. It didn't do anything for the libido really, but the joint pain stopped. But I developed anxiety. And in retrospect some depression.

Once I stopped HRT the anxiety got better, the joint pain hasn't returned and I just have to hope that weight training helps my bones.

And what’s happened about the libido and joint pain?

and if you had no symptoms of depression, odd that they prescribed ADs ever!

It will be so worth it, hang in there ❤️ The fact that you’re feeling the effects means it’s a drug that works on you, and likely will soon have the desired effects. Maybe sooner than you may think…

I took it for a spell of depression I had in 2019. It worked well for a while, got me through early lockdown in 2020, then I naturally weaned myself off it as the depression lifted (mainly due to wfh). I got some strange side effects in the beginning but they stopped.

The libido never returned really, although I do continue to use localised oestrogen pessaries which has helped function in the genital area.

The joint pain never returned. I now suspect it was a transitional symptom that might have gone away on its own eventually anyway.

I was prescribed the SSRIs when I mentioned about anxiety at my HRT review. This was the only time I'd ever mentioned it and I certainly wasn't at the "I don't want to be alive" stage. I queried the SSRI as I knew sexual dysfunction can be a side effect and that was the exact opposite of what I went on the HRT for, but this was dismissed as "oh it's a low dose, it won't matter". I didn't take the SSRIs and later a pharmacy mess up meant I had a gap in my HRT prescription. Within a week I started to feel less anxious and I never went back to taking it.

I wouldn’t rule HRT out if lack of libido gets you down again

It didn't work for the lack of libido tho. I tried for 5 years, varied the dose, added testosterone. The only thing that works partially is the localised pessaries which I continue to use. They don't actually restore libido, but they keep the genitals functional, so I could at least have sex.

So as it stands
no ADs
no HRT
no depression

all good then! Not really same as OP

It does get better, and it really is worth it. The initial side effects are brutal I agree, but it’s given me my life back, no doubt about it. I’d try and stick it out if you can op.

I'm not claiming to be the same as OP, but what I'm countering is the more general assumption in the thread that SSRIs are always worth the side effects and doctors will only prescribe them if they're absolutely necessary. In my experience and that of other people I know well that isn't the case and doctors are prescribing them very freely.

They are also a valid medication to use before you reach crisis point.

Also when you have poor mental health you can be physically exhausted which is a barrier to physical exercise. I don't know how anyone who has ever experience hypervigilance or OCD can say just go for a walk.

But you went on ADs despite not thinking you had depression.

Whereas this OP has diagnosed depression

I didn't go on them. I didn't fill the prescription.

Yes I had bad diarrhoea, too, with Sertraline. My GP changed my medication because of it. I would also recommend persevering for a couple of weeks to see if your body adjusts to it. If it doesn’t, speak to your GP. There are different medications available.

Good luck, OP.

It wasn’t worth it for me, felt no better after 8 months, still had side effects too. Fair play to me, I did stick it out like they tell you to do. Hopefully it works for you

I've been on and off SSRIs for years. I found sertraline helped woth depression and anxiety but wrecked my libido so switched to citalopram which has worked just as well without that particular side effect. I weaned off it last year thinking that I was 'better' and recently had a bit of a mental health crisis so am back on citalopram. Side effects have been rotten, I've been panicky and so exhausted but I know I will feel better about 2 weeks in. Persevere OP, but also don't be afraid to talk to your GP about alternatives if you find that they don't work for you once the settling-in period is over.

Wait so you have never actually been on them.

You went on hrt. It didn’t work for you.
your joint pain just cleared up
your libido remains poor
your bone density remains vulnerable

You never mentioned depression to your doc. You were prescribed it but never gave it a chance.

the op IS depressed, and diagnosed as such.

i am struggling to see your point. Surely nothing has really improved for you?

I'm taking it with no side effects.

I'm struggling to see your point. Why would I give SSRIs "a chance" when I didn't have the ailment they are intended for?

My point regarding the OP is that she clearly has both mental and physical issues from a traumatic event that need addressing, she says she is on the waiting list for therapy but it's a long wait. I am saying that ADs are often prescribed at a "patch" without much thought from doctors when there is an underlying issue that should be addressed, but the wait on the NHS is very long. I'm not sure how helpful they are in such cases.