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?

Hope you are all well?

We are invited to a 50th birthday party tonight, it's someone I went to school with and have only seen twice since, although we've kept in touch via Christmas cards and more recently FB. I really don't want to go, I hate going out where there are people I don't know in a place I don't know. I'm no good at chitchat, don't drink, can't dance and probably will know no one there except this one old school friend and my dh who is going with me and who knows no one

I had a scan yesterday and that was all clear, so now I have to go back to the gp.

I really don't think I'm doing too well on the tablets at the moment. Yes, I think I am slightly less anxious, but I am still struggling with all the pressures and worries, health-wise, financially, work ... I thought it would be better than this to be honest. I'm not sure that I'm yet ready to face more side effects by increasing the dose, but I'm considering it.

I have stopped taking the mini pill in the hope that my mood and libido will increase a bit, only time will tell.

Maybe this is just the way I'm made and I have to live with it, but I don't want to accept that. I can't remember when I was last happy and not worrying about things.

NanaNina, that sounds awful, I hope things have improved a bit for you and you're starting to feel better.

I have a skin problem and tend to scratch and itch if I'm distressed, particularly anxious, and I've noticed recently I wring my hands, like some distressed Victorian damsel!

Sorry to hear that kazza. I don't think you should have to just live with it. I have read cases of people increasing from 50mg to 75 and that being enough to make them feel better. That might not even be enough of an increase for you to really get any more side effects.

Are you due to see your GP again soon? I am in a couple of weeks.

Ps also meant to say in the leaflet it says the dosage for anxiety is up to 200mg, so we really are on a very small dose.

Kazza why are you going to this party tonight? I can well understand exactly how you feel - why don't you "cry off" with a migraine/stomach upset or something. These days (because I'm old...) I only do things I want to do and it makes life easier. You made me smile talking about you looking like a "distressed Victorian damsel" - in those days women (or ladies as the were called) would have the "vapours" and lie on a chaise lounge while someone administered smelling salts and dabbed their forehead with lavender on a lace hankie! Sounds quite nice to me!

Sorry I don't know you but I think the meds only treat the symptoms and you have quite a few stressful underlying things, so maybe some of those need to be eased before you can being to feel better, but you will I'm sure.......one day at a time and all that.

Yes ChuffChuff I think the psychiatrist is planning (dependent on how I do) to increase to the maximum dose, but it's different for me because I'm much older than you young women (I'm 70) and therefore recovery takes much longer and I will probably always have "ups and downs" whereas 4 out of 5 people make a complete recovery from depression in 4-6 months, which I did when I had my first severe episode when I was 51.

Feel fair bit better today.

I would cancel, but we never go out and can't really afford to, so we should go. Plus I don't want to let the birthday girl down. Also I have cancelled so many things due to anxiety over the years, I have to stop doing that.

I'm due to see my gp in a couple of weeks and will discuss increasing the dose gradually. It's true that I have a lot of underlying issues, but I can do nothing about them, it will be a lot of years before financially we are coping. I think I could do with talking through some stuff that's happened in the past, but don't think that would be easy. However, I've had a tendency to avoid people and avoid going out for the past 8 years or so and I have a phobia that causes me a lot of anxiety.

I have made an appointment for 20th June, which is the earliest I could get with the gp I want to see.

Hi kazza well hope you enjoy the party. It does sound like you need to be able to talk about some of the stuff that's happened in the past, and it's never really easy to do that. The trouble is I think it's quite difficult to get therapy on the NHS - they sometimes offer 6 sessions of CBT (which is just about the "here and now" and how to stop our automatic negative thoughts that pop up, and replace them with more balanced ones) and so not about the past. It might be worth asking the GP though because I think it depends on which part of the country you are in.

Have you ever had any help with your phobia that frightens you so much, 8 years is a long time to struggle without any support.

Thank you Nana I actually had a great time, I'm glad I went. It was lovely to see my old friend, but most of all it was great to dance to some great 80s music I used to love dancing and I can't remember the last time I had a chance to.

I have spoken to a doctor about my phobia, but they couldn't really do much. I tried hypnotherapy, but couldn't get into it.

Really good to hear you enjoyed your night out kazza

I've had to make myself go to a couple of nights out since starting the meds, thinking I wouldn't enjoy it, but when I've got there I've had a fab time

Hi. Just want some advice, I've been taking sertraline for over 2 weeks now. The initial side effects were extreme tiredness and loss of appetite but last week everything seemed to get even worse. I have no energy or motivation -I am struggling to do basic things like shopping, housework, laundry - I took 2 days off work because I couldn't face going in and spent the days in bed. I am seeing my doctor on Tuesday - what questions should I be asking?

Hi, can I join please? Been diagnosed with PND / depression and prescribed Sertraline on Thurs by GP. Was thinking of starting my 50mg today but had two questions/thoughts

• has anyone gone straight to 50mg? Seems quite a few of you start 25mg to help with side effects?
• DH (who I still need to tell :-/ ) is away with work Mon-Wed so maybe I'm better to wait until Wed night or Thurs so I'm not on my own. Also my work rota means I'm off Thurs/Fri which could be better.

Worried about side effects...

Hi Mitzi

Sorry you're struggling. Two weeks in is early days and I think feelings of anxiety and feeling down can get worse at the beginning. I think you should just tell your doctor how you feel. Maybe he will suggest you give it a bit longer or he may want to increase your dose.

Let us know how you're getting on

Hi Carrots

I started with 25 mg because I have a phobia of vomiting and nausea makes me extremely anxious and can be a side effect. I did have nausea but it was bearable. I think there are people posting who started on 50 mg, hopefully they will let you know how they got on. Some people seem to have had few or no side effects. I would probably feel better waiting for dh to be home before starting though. Let us know how you get on.

i started on 50mg :)

I think the thing is with these ADs that they react differently on different people, and the same goes for side effects. I can imagine anyone being scared of side effects if you read the leaflet in the box or go on line, because the list is horrendous, but as my CPN tells me that's true for many other drugs and the pharmaceutical companies have to list everything to cover their backs.

Mitzi yes I agree with kazza - 2 weeks in is very early days. The symptoms you mention are the symptoms of depression and I'm sure you know taking ADs isn't like taking paracetamol for headache. Our brain chemistry is very complex and so much depends on getting the right AD at the right dosage, and it's all "trial and error" just to add to the confusion.

The road to recovery is not linear, there are many "ups and downs" along the way, but I read that 4 out of 5 people make a complete recovery from depression in 4 - 6 months. Also the full effects of the ADs might take weeks. I wonder if you need to be signed off work for a while, and maybe you could discuss this with your GP.

Carrots I started on 50mg (just finishing week 1) but I have quite a long history of depression and am also on another AD and reducing another one, so I'm a bit complicated! I haven't had any side effects except that on Friday I had the most extreme anxiety attack which took quite a while to subside. I took diazepam and that helped but I know a lot of GPs don't prescribe that because it can cause addiction if it isn't used sparingly. Are you worried about telling your DH - I just wondered - and yes maybe wait until he's home. You might not have any side effects or just mild ones.

Kazza I've seen on other threads that many MNs have a phobia of vomiting, there's a name for it isn't there but I can't remember it.

Hi Mitzi and Carrots

I my dose (for anxiety - GAD) is 50mg and my doctor initially said I may prefer to take half a dose for the first few days if it made me feel sick. I was really eager to start feeling better so took the whole 50mg the first two days - and felt really sick and awful; night sweats; panic; everything. So I went back down to 25mg for the rest of the first week then went up to 50mg again. I still had side effect for the first couple of weeks, but not as bad as they had been at first.

Actually it's easy to downplay it now, but I did feel pretty rotten, particularly for the first week, then during the second week the side effects gradually started to fade. I also felt more panicky than I had done before now and again, which was awful. I really just had to keep counting down the days in my head as I got closer to the end of the two weeks. Everybody (on here mainly) had told me the side effects should go by then, and I also kept telling myself it was worth going through because I would eventually feel so much better..

And it was definitely worth it - I would say that most days I feel 'normal' now. I still sometimes wake up feeling a bit anxious about something or other, but then once I get up and get on with stuff, it goes and I forget about it (which would have never happened before).

But specifically, Mitzi - I would just tell the doctor exactly how youre feeling. I have a feeling he will say it's early days and that you just have to give the tablets more time. But if you feel absolutely awful and don't think you can manage the way you are, tell him that and he may be able to prescribe you something else to take alongside the sertraline. If it's any consolation, I had days of feeling awful on and off for the first few weeks, and definitely for much longer than the physical side effects lasted - so I would have thought that what you're feeling is pretty normal .

Carrots - If you're worried about the side effects I would maybe start on 25mg and see how you go - if after a few days you feel ok, you could up it to 50mg then? Did your doctor mention anything about starting on a half dose? Also if you possibly can I would tell your DH about the meds - it will really help you to have his support, especially if you do start feeling hideously tired or grotty...

Yes, a phobia of vomiting is called emetaphobia. There are a lot of sufferers on mn.

Thanks everyone for your support. I'm on 50 mg. I had a better day on Sunday and managed to get some things done but went in to work today (the cause of my stress) and immediately felt awful and panicky. My doctor will sign me off but I am worried about the affect this will have on getting another job.

Mitzi I was in a similar situation, I've only been in my job for a year and a bit, so didn't want to be signed off sick. In the end I took a week's holiday, made up an excuse about looking after my dd. A week off did me the world of good

Unfortunately I'm not entitled to any holiday. I'm being forced out of my job and am desperately worried about how I will manage financially which has caused the depression and anxiety.

Sorry to hear that Mitzi. I too have anxiety about our financial situation as dh has been out of work for over 10 months after repeated periods of unemployment Sorry you can't take holiday.

Can you delegate?

Thanks kazza,- unfortunately it's all out of my control atm and I have to wait and see what happens. Sorry to hear about your financial worries