Experience of side effects for DC stating sertraline?

[HJBeans]

Hi all. My DS12 is one week into taking sertraline for severe anxiety and resulting depression. He has been feeling sick with a sore stomach all week and his mood is now extremely low as well - flat, no energy, feeling down on himself for not being functional, and feeling like ‘my brain is full’. I know about the worrying psychological side effects in kids and young people with increase in suicidal thoughts, etc. I was wondering if anyone with any experience of this could share what their experience was in the early weeks to help me judge if what we’re seeing is still fairly normal. If relevant, they think the anxiety has underlying autism which wasn’t recognised until now.

So has he been referred for an assessment?

Is he receiving any other treatment or therapy alongside the setraline?

My daughter started on it age 16 for depression & anxiety. First 4 weeks were terrible - feeling sick, low, headaches, but then she turned the corner. It’s been life changing for her 12 months later. Unless the symptoms are truly terrible, (check with your psychiatrist) I’d say try to stick at it

Thanks, both. He has access to CBT through school and also a private counsellor but he’s been so severely affected that he’s not able to engage (he goes but can’t speak much or isn’t able to go at all) which is why the psychiatrist recommended a trial of medication. He’s got a review with the psychiatrist at the end of the month. She’s advised sticking with it though the sickness if we can, and we’ll get in touch with her earlier if the mood gets too much worse.

Good to hear that your daughter pulled through this to benefit from it, @user1471548040 and to have a heads up it may feel bad for more than two weeks which is what we’ve been expecting.

25 mg. He’s been attending only one or two lessons a day about half the week recently. He’s not attended at all the last few days. He has been practicing and playing football with his team, which he says gives him a break from the bad feelings while he’s actually playing, but he’s not even managed that today.

It varies. Some days he’s too exhausted to do anything much, though we’re trying to keep the basics going of getting dressed, eating at usual times, not spending too long in bed. Other days he can do some schoolwork, play guitar, do some online gaming with his cousin, and/or go to football training.

The anxiety has affected him cognitively, so he’s often not able to focus - his memory is very poor and he can’t concentrate to read or do challenging schoolwork.

My experience of sertraline has been that it's a tough few weeks while your body gets used to it but after that it's a game charger. I felt more anxious than ever when I first started to take it, and also a bit out of it at times. I'd definitely give it another week or so.

I take 50mg and I'm really well now compared to the absolute wreck of anxiety that I was. It sorted me out enough that I could put other things in place to improve my mental health like regular exercise, good diet etc whereas before I just cba with anything.

I hope he improves soon 💐

My ds started 25mg of sertraline, last year after CBT.
He was incredibly anxious and literally house bound.

My ds is very slim,on the first centile so CAMHs started him on a very low dose.
The first 2 to 3 weeks were difficult but I did the same as you, kept as much routine as possible, especially around eating and sleeping.

Now, hes like a different boy. At college, doing really well. Made new friends, hes out and about. A typical 17 yr old.

I hope things get easier for your ds and you ASAP.

Thank you - it made me a bit teary reading this knowing there can be good outcomes. It’s so frightening how quickly and fully he’s become unwell and hearing it’s improved so much for your son helps me feel more hopeful.

He’s actually not worried about schoolwork at all. School have been extremely supportive and made clear his health comes first. He’s only in S1, so impacts on learning will be less than later on in secondary. And he’s a bright boy and has managed to achieve top marks in his maths assessment even with all he’s coping with. It does distress him to feel he can’t concentrate or remember things, though - he keeps saying he feels stupid and like he’s broken. And the social anxiety - which was the worst of it for him - is enormous and grows the more he’s out of school.

We work from home most days, but have had to take annual leave the last weeks as juggling with work wasn’t working with the levels of distress he’s going through. Leaving him to his own devices feels wrong. Not sure what happens longer term, though. And aware we are fortunate to be able to take leave and be physically present even when working.

Have you been in a similar situation?

Our experience is that sertraline is tricky for the first 6 weeks or so and dose increases can also be a bit bumpy for a few weeks but it does help. It is very normal to have increased anxiety, low mood and exhaustion, it's just the brain adjusting. You will probably notice a difference at 6 weeks but don't worry if they want to increase the dose. It is tough but it sounds like you are doing everything right for your son by taking it day by day. My dd is now on a high dose (OCD so different protocol) and she is pleased she started it and can see a light at the end of the tunnel now. Hang in there and look after yourself, too.

My daughter started on 25mg at 17. Super low dosage as we've found that on any medication she's ever taken, if side effects are to be had, she will have them! Psychiatrist was super cautious starting really low. Had terrible sickness and dizziness for 2 weeks. The side effects were just about subsiding after two weeks and she was due to go up to 50mg after two weeks. However, we were due to go on holiday so we agreed with the psychiatrist that she would up the dose when we got back one week later. Upping the dose brought the sickness and dizziness back. Again started to ease after 2 weeks. She stayed at 50mg for a few weeks and then it was upped to 75mg. Same thing again - bad side effects for 2 weeks.

She's been on 75mg for a few weeks now and doesn't have side effects any more. In fact if she takes a dose late she gets the same sickness and dizziness that she used to get and also just feels very "off".

It has been life changing for her so I would try and stick at it.

Thanks both. It is helpful to hear that this seems to be normal and that it gets better. It’s awful to watch him suffer and not be able to help. Has anyone found anything that helps with the stomach pain and nausea?

Full sugar coke helps, as does eating little and often. My dd tends to go off a lot of food at first, so we keep things simple and plain until the side effects settle down.

My dd was 17 when she started it and was prescribed 50 mg. I advised her to take it at night as I read that SSRI’s can have a sedative effect on neurodiverse and it had a dramatic impact on her poor sleep pattern. Other than dizziness she didn’t complain of side effects but the change in mood, sleep and coping skills have been a game changer. I really hope your son benefits from it if he can hold out a little longer. She’s a year and a half on it now and calls them her happiest pills 😊

Thanks so much for this tip. It is helping him today. 😊

Does your son have any siblings?