Sertraline and any other ADs support thread

[hathorinareddress]

Following on from a suggestion by LittleWhiteMice on a thread I have going on here, I am starting a support thread for anyone taking Sertraline or any other AD.

I started taking it yesterday after eventually plucking up the courage to go to the doc on Thursday.

I feel a bit weird but not too bad.

Hi Sharpkat and welcome to this thread. Glad you've found the posts helpful. Hope you're feeling a bit better today but the consensus would be one has to be very patient when starting ADs. You might even feel a bit worse to start with and get side-effects. or you may not get any at all. but the right drug at the right dose can work wonders. wishing this for all of us!
hope everyone else doing ok.
i think the venlafaxine at 225 might be starting to do some good. day 11 at this dose. have a little more energy - nothing like i had before but i can't expect that. side-effects lessening too. onwards and upwards

Day 1 of Sertraline today. Not looking forward to the side effects but want so much to feel better that almost anything seems worth it to get there at the moment. Took my first one at 11 and nothing to report so far. I had about 2 hrs sleep last night so am hoping that by tonight I'll be so shattered that I will sleep better tonight tablet or no tablet.

middy86 how are you feeling today?

mynxie did you sleep any better?

I had quite a bad night. At work now and absolutely shattered. Feel a little spaced out

Am on day 6 of sertraline and starting to feel a little better even if the side effects are still bad.

Have blurred vision, not been able to eat since Friday, am clearly clenching my jaw at night and my tummy is all over the place but the anxiety is numbed.

Hope that is good news for some and others can relate and tell me it will get better.

Just taken day 2. Lay awake most of the night - so tired but unable to sleep. Yesterday I took the tablet at 11am so today its earlier and Im hoping those few hours will make a difference.

uptothestars hope you had a better night yourself and are not so shattered today

Sharpkat being 4 days behind you I am following your posts with interest!

Im not sure how many of my side effects are the drug and how many are caused by lack of sleep. Anyone else have experiences of insomnia as a side effect - how long do you think it lasts?

Just been moved to sertraline from fluoxetine, sleep was affected by fluoxetine and has been since April. Day 1 of sertraline so fingers crossed the side effects leave me alone or at least are no worse than the fluoxetine.

feeling rubbish today - sickness probably ebbing but mood is terrible. so hard to work. DP is contemptuous that i'm not trying hard enough. i just feel sick and flat and like everything is too hard.

my story is pregnant, aged 40, gone of my meds (fluoxetine), having terrible first trimester.

so going in the opposite direction to you guys.

hope it's working for you.

xxx

I feel for you somewhere. Its bad enough feeling so low without lack of support from your DH, yet alone being pregnant as well. I really hope things improve soon for you. Do you have friends or other family that you can talk to or are you hiding away as I am?

How are you today Cupcake,Uptothe and Sharpkat?

I had about 4 hours sleep last night, so better than the night before, but still very zombie like. Its only day 3 so a long way to go yet

I'm blinking shattered. Day 2 of sertraline and I really want to sleep! Not sure if this is meds related or simply because Ive not stopped and not sleeping enough. My body it tired as well not just my head.

Very dry mouth but maybe that's cos I'm due a brew . Dh out tonight do praying ds stays in bed so I can have a bath and some downtime.

Stick it out - day 14 of sertraline and I feel completely different. I am no longer yawning so much and I do think the total stopping and exhaustion is a symptom of depression as much as a side effect of the drugs. I cannot believe how much better I feel. I still have bad moment but the percentageof good stuff each day just keeps going up. I feel more like me than I have for a long time.

By the way, I've been taking it at 7am and have had no problems with sleep in the last week or so.

Taken 8 days of sertraline now and 9th tablet tonight. Am actually feeling a lot less anxious and the side effects are wearing off. Am sleeping a little better as well but still worn out. Hope it continues like this. Just wish I could shake the headache.

Hope everyone else is ok. Thinking of you all.

Headaches stopped at around day 10 for me, Sharpkat. Glad you are feeling a bit better.

Hi joyful
I find taking mine in a morning works best. Taking them at night just keeps me awake. Which reminds me, I've not taken them today. Could explain why I felt more hungry than normal??
Not sure on the co-sleeping. I'm sure someone will come along soon who knows though.

Still tired, not sleeping great, but 4 days off now so my moods lifted a bit
Just need to get away from the negative thinking.

It is definitely better to take Sertraline in the morning, as it can really mess with your sleep if you take it at night. I'm kind of surprised the Drs who prescribe it don't tell people things like that - I have been on it for quite a long time now, but when I started my psychiatrist definitely told me to take it in the morning as otherwise it could cause problems with sleep.

i take this now after trying out citalopram (that made me really drowsy) and it's the best thing for me having an anxiety disorder. I have had some ups and downs, but it generally helps me not to worry so much.

Well I did sleep a little better last night but still very low. Listening to an insomnia self hypnosis ap sometimes works for me when I wake in the night. Everything seems a lot of trouble today

Sleeping tablets for me tonight

Day 4 and I've just had a full nights sleep . Headache hit yesterday but went with time. Restlessness and jaw clenching has begun, still feeling spaced out and tired but side effects are not too intense

Day 4 for me as well and Ive also had a really good nights sleep - just woke once at 3 but managed to get back within an hour and didnt wake till nearly 8 - unheard of for me. I find my worst time is about 6pm for some reason when I start feeling very anxious and restless but it does go after a while. Hope everyone else is OK.

My DS is 12yrs and suffering extreme anxieties and school refusal, very overwhelmed and not coping. He has ASD, ADHD and Dyslexia, etc
His Psych has just given him Sertraline at 25mgs for 2 weeks then up to 50mgs after that.
Been going through withdrawal from Ritilin too, so things are very unpredictable and difficult at the moment too.

We are on day 2 of these and apart from being less hungry I think. DS seems a bit drowsy (which is unheard of!), yawning a bit but ok so far I think.
He did have a strange chest pain on and off yesterday but I put it down to indigestion/wind and he hasn't mentioned it today.

I'm on Citalopram at 20mgs and seeing the GP again this week to review dose, etc. Been on these for 2 weeks...jaw tightness has been awful, headaches probably due to this, appetite crap but it was anyway and sleep seems to be a bit better for me. Up and down like a yo-yo for me at the moment with too much on my mind worrying about DS and crisis situation on-going for us both

Took my 1st dose of sertraline today buy only 25g. Am 36 weeks pregnant with a 17 month old toddler to look after so decided to do 25 mg for a few days to try and cope with side affects (I always get them at the beginning).

Took it at about 8.30am. So far not too bad-dry mouth started, headachey and jaw clenching is definitely there. No nausea yet. Will see how it goes.