Sertraline

[Blue1316]

Just wanted anyone’s experience of starting on this medication. Been prescribed 25mg for anxiety but daren't take as worried about the side effects.

I'm on 50mg and it's been fine apart from feeling a little bit nauseous in the first few days.

Depending on what (if any) side effects you get you could adjust when you take it, for example, if you feel nauseous take it on a night so you can sleep through it or if you've taken it at night and you feel it keeps you awake take it on a morning etc. I hope you start to feel better soon.

That's a very very low dose. Any medication may have side effects but people are very scared of taking antidepressants which is simply not merited. It's medication like any other.

If you need it, please please take it. Don't be scared. Give it a chance and if you don't get on with it you can try other things. But suffering from anxiety is terrible. And for many people (including me) needs treated.

Good luck.

I started on 25mg for the first week, then increased to 50mg. My side effects were fairly minor - headache, some nausea, dry mouth - and wore off fairly quickly. When I went up to 50mg I had some free floating anxiety as well, but it only lasted a few days.

When I’d been on it a couple of weeks, I noticed one day that I seemed to have a bit more headspace. Things were happening which ordinarily would leave me feeling overwhelmed and panicky, but I just got on and coped. Another week on, and I noticed a strange feeling of.... not being anxious. It was only then that I realised that I had been living with a constant low-grade anxiety, all day long.

Honestly, OP, give them a try. There’s no telling how mild or severe your side effects will be until you take them - you may not get anything to speak of. And they almost always wear off. Stick it out for a couple of weeks, and then make up your mind.

If they don’t suit you, your GP will try something else. But when they work, they work really well. I feel like me again.

I was once prescribed it and cut the pill in half with a pill cutter as I was anxious about taking it.
Unfortunately it made me very, very unwell. I didn’t take another dose and was ok after a day or two. They put it on my notes that I’m just not suited to SSRI’s! Luckily I found amitriptyline instead and at just 10mg it wiped out my anxiety almost instantly.
I’ve been fine ever since and that was a good few years ago now. So don’t worry if it’s doesn’t work out - you just need to find the right thing.

I have been on Sertraline 50mg for many many years and it has really helped me. I was on 100mg for a while but dropped down.
There will be some slight side effects while you get used to it but they are mild and long term they're worth it.

That said, if the side effects are bad or last longer than a week, call your GP as all SSRI's aren't one size fits all, there are many out there to try and see what suits you best

@Realitea

I was once prescribed it and cut the pill in half with a pill cutter as I was anxious about taking it. Unfortunately it made me very, very unwell. I didn’t take another dose and was ok after a day or two. They put it on my notes that I’m just not suited to SSRI’s! Luckily I found amitriptyline instead and at just 10mg it wiped out my anxiety almost instantly. I’ve been fine ever since and that was a good few years ago now. So don’t worry if it’s doesn’t work out - you just need to find the right thing.

Agree that you need to find what's right for you. I have Sertraline with no problems whatsoever. Amitriptyline made me hallucinate! It was terrifying. The nature of the drugs means that what suits one won't suit another.

Oh my gosh that’s scary @HunterHearstHelmsley ! Weird how things effect everyone differently. Very curious what you were hallucinating! 🥴

As a separate issue, can I warn people not to cut their capsules in half - some of them are designed as slow release, and cutting them up will give you the whole 24 hours’ worth in one sudden rush, which can be dangerous!
It’s best to take the dose your GP has prescribed, without messing about with it. Underdosing means you will not see any benefit, and overdosing, by cutting into a slow release prep, can be dangerous.
You should be able to trust your GP to know more pharmacology than you do! If you have concerns about the prescription, or suffer side effects, then discuss it with them.

@Babdoc my GP told me to break my Seroxat into quarters to start with and slowly go up to the full dose, I have always started and weaned by doing this and not had any ill effects. I did however suffer horrendous acid indigestion so whenever I take Seroxat I use Lansoprazole.

Yes the capsules would be dangerous but I’m sure it’s ok to cut hard tablets in half or quarters. For most anyway. Some are coated to prevent stomach/acid problems as the pp said
I tried with amitriptyline once and had a numb tongue for ages!

When I started sertraline I had a few days of nausea. Now I get the occasional dry mouth

I used to take 200 mg daily for years......went cold turkey and stopped....became extremely reliant on them....nasty drug