Sertraline buddies - support for anybody taking Sertraline

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I eventually went to docs yesterday, been really suffering with depression. Is it possible the medication can result in side effects straight away? I'm feeling sick and no appetite today, however feeling better, clearer... I'm on 50 mg the lowest dose.. Anyone else share their experience please?

Great kazza

Put a wash on, went shopping, drove miles to find something.

Done bugger all else aside from cook DS's tea.

Have to try and do better tomorrow!

Lethargic, unmotivated, no energy, just sitting here all day :(

Sorry to hear that sole

I'm still having lots of ups and down sad you know - I felt a bit crap yesterday but fine today, so there's every chance you'll have a better day tomorrow too...

Ha ha 'sad you know'... I meant 'as you know'...

Quite apt really

Well sun is out i moved from the sofa, feeling better :)

Beautiful sunny day today, feeling a bit more upbeat and looking forward to my day off tomorrow

Hope everyone's well?

That's good - I always feel better when the sun comes out. Good day here today too. We're six weeks in now aren't we Kazza?

Hello all

Just wanted some advice about sertraline -
I've been taking 10mg per day for 5 days now. I know this is a tiny dose but as I'm pregnant and never taken any ADs before I wanted to be super careful.
I think I've had some mild side effects - whirring thoughts,sleeplessness & tiredness and stomach ache but nothing too bad.

I want to know, has anyone here ever found a dose smaller than 50mg to be effective? I'm planning to titrate up to 25mg but don't want to go higher as I'm really worried about effect on the baby.

Thanks x

Hi elsie

Sorry I can't speak from experience - I started on 25mg for a week then went up to 50, which I'm still on, but from what I've read it seems even that is a low dose. But anyway, I know I have read posts from other pg or post natal (breast feeding) women who are taking the same dose as me - so I would assume their GP wouldn't have prescribed it if it wasn't safe?

And I've also read posts from people who have stuck at 25 mg and have found that the be effective. I suppose if you want to try and keep to a tiny dose and you feel you are coping ok at the moment, you just need to give it time to see if it works for you (ie at least six weeks). Depends if you don't mind the wait

What did your GP say?

Hi elsie, chuff and kazza

Lovely sunny day here too, feel brighter within myself. GP appt today, first does of 100 mg tonight at midnight, sleep through side affects.

Feel better as GP is lovely and encouraging.

Day 14 Day one of 100mg.

GP said I might go up to 150 mg

Whatever helps I will take it.

My GP also said she thinks people should start to feel better within/up to two weeks.

I do a bit.

Does anybody take vitamins?

I'm going to take vitamin D, I will ask pharmacist for advice.

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-D.aspx

healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-vitamin-d-improve-mood-4662.html

The sunshine vitamin, vit D.

Glad you're feeling ok sole.

Sorry to be nosey but why has your GP increased your dose? Was that the plan from the start or was it because he thinks it's not doing the job as it is?

Oh and ps I've tried lots of different vitamin combos - multivitamins, big doses of vitamin c, magnesium etc. nothing seemed to work for me - but sunshine definitely helps....

Well my circumstances cause me to be depressed. I am Carer of a severely disabled child and i can't change it. Nobody to chat to most days, neighbour from hell for 8 years caused me this anxiety and I'm recovering from it. Need extra boost to get off my fat arse and change my life.

I started taking vitamin d quite recently, after reading about it on mn. I also take evening primrose oil for Pmt, magnesium for cramps, probiotics for ibs.

This summer I'm going to try and get more sun, spending time in the garden when possible.

Feeling extremely stressed and anxious today, it was an extremely busy day .Luckily I've got the day off tomorrow, but I'll be cleaning all day

Yes Chuffchuff I think we are 6 weeks in now.

I'm two weeks (or so?) in and I definitely feel better. Stoned feeling has gone but the mellowness remains. Give me a hell yeah.

hi all, not read the whole thread but want to encourage you to stick with it - I felt a lot better after 6 weeks

but the vit d thing is important - I've been struggling all winter with brain fog and aches; I'd be more down If it weren't for the sert - and I'm v vit d deficient, and probably been for a while. more so recently due to bf. I was blaming thyroid (am.on thyroxine) but that's been v good - I now know it's the vit d.

after research inc the mn thread on deficiency and guidelines I'm going to take 25ug a day (1000iu) and you can take an additional 400iu in a multivit. (its hard to overdose according to main expert)

I watched a lecture on YouTube by Dr Horick, a leading expert, and it really rang true.

Hi littleowl. That's interesting - I was thinking I didn't want to take any other 'medicine' for a while because I wanted to give the sertraline a good test on its own, if that makes sense? But now I'm wondering if I should give vitamin D a go too.

I'm now on week 6 of sertraline and although I am definitely better than I was (taking it for anxiety), I still have up and down days and don't feel completely back to my old self yet. Did you feel completely back to 'normal' by six weeks, or was that just when you started to notice you were feeling the effects?

Thanks chuffchuff.

I'm not feeling OK at the moment but not sure I would feel better if I upped the dose as then I'd have the anxiety / guilt about possible effect on baby iyswim... I saw a psychiatrist and she said there were risks but outweighed sometimes by the need to be on it (which makes me feel terribly selfish)

I'm also not sure whether I actually have depression or just extreme stress and sadness about my circumstances.
Still I'm going to give it a go and work up to 25mg over the next few weeks.

Hope you start to feel better soon x

Chuffchuff that sounds like how I feel, I think I possibly feel less anxious, but not great. I don't know if it could be better than this. But I have been really stressed at work.

Took 100 mg last night. Anxiety decreased. Went out to a few places, sat in car park of retail centre and almost drove away. No, I thought, I will feel better if I go to the shop. I'm very overweight and my anxiety is weight related, people stare, make comments. Feel better for going, wore baggy linen black trousers so I look better than my leggings and arse covering top and cardi.

Funny isn't it how my thoughts about the causes are becoming clearer.

My weight is stress related, I overeat when I am unhappy.

Going to have to lose just over 14 stones, some way, some how, I bet the anxiety disappears to virtually nothing.

It's really good that you went in and didn't just drive away

I'm starting to wonder if I should be on a higher dose - but I'm going to give it a couple more weeks before deciding to go back to GP, then I will have given it a good couple of months. I don't know if the doses are different for anxiety / depression anyway... And my side effects were so horrible at the start, I don't want them all over again if I up the dose.