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?

Hi all. How's everyone feeling today?

I felt a bit stressed on and off over the weekend and a bit crappy today. Bit depressing as I seemed to be feeling better over the last couple of weeks . Is it normal to be a bit up and down in the first few weeks do you think (will be four weeks tomorrow). Am a bit worried that the good effects might be wearing off a bit or something....

It could just be my pmt flairing up a bit - I usually suffer horrendously with it for at least a week and it is around the right time.

Was really hoping the sertraline was working though.

Hi all, hope you don't mind me posting? I've been on Sertraline 50mg for two months now. The first couple of weeks were very tough, diarrhoea, jaw clenching, felt very anxious but after that I started to feel much better. I now feel like the 'old me' and am able to get much more done, rather than sitting staring into space for hours. I sleep better too as my mind switches off more easily. Definitely stick with it, things do improve I promise.
I wanted to list a few resources that my GP have to me in case they help any of you who have long waiting lists for CBT.
There are three websites that offer online CBT. The first two are free, the third is fee paying.
Google MoodGym, Living Life To The Full, and Beating The Blues.
I was also recommended these books:
the Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters
thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahnermann
You can also talk to the Enhanced Primary Mental Health Service on 0300 777 0707 (not sure is this is UK wide or just local to me but might be worth Googling).
Hope this helps and sorry to butt in! :)

Hi shopafrolic thanks for your post - and no need to apologise!

It's really helpful to hear positive experiences on here - it's lovely to think that in another month or so I could be feeling so much better; I really hope that's the case anyway....

Did you find you still had up and down days for the first few weeks? I've had a week or two of really feeling like I could notice the difference, but feel a bit duff again today. Do you think that's just a blip?

Definitely had up and down days. And am still a little low for the days before my period but nothing like it used to be. I was told by a GP friend that it is not uncommon to feel great, and then dip, it can sometimes mean that your dose needs adjusting. If it carries on then perhaps think about going back to your GP?

Thanks shopafrolic.

Saw my GP last week and told him I think I feel the meds working sometimes but still feel stressed now and then. He said it can take a few weeks to get the full effect and to go back in a month (so three weeks from now) if I don't feel better by then.

I'm probably just being impatient but I had a few days of feeling noticeably better and I want to stay that way!

I would definitely be on the lookout for PMT - I find it's the only time of month I feel bad while on sertraline. It's not as bad as unmedicated PMT, nowhere near, but I will feel rubbish for 3 days or so and get properly fed up, period arrives, and then I go 'Ohhhhhh'.

Hopefully that's what it is/was.... I can be a bit negative sometimes (surprise surprise!) so I have a day of not feeling so good and I panic that it's all going downhill. Will give myself a kick up the bum and try and be a but more positive - and keep reminding myself I'm not even four weeks in yet.

Me too apermanentheadache - but isn't it great to find there was a reason? I always feel very relieved :)

A day of not feeling so good is to be expected here and there... give it a couple more weeks chuff and see how you're getting on. There's always the option of increasing the dose a bit to see if that knocks it on the head. My GP said that 200mg was sometimes used and many of my depressed buddies are on 100mg or more. I've always fared alright on 50mg but that could be just due to my particular body chemistry. I'd imagine it's very individual.

shopa.. yes: always so good when you have that lightbulb moment :)

Thanks permanent

My GP doesn't want to up my dose unless after giving it another month from when I saw him (a week ago) I haven't noticed an improvement - so yes, as you say, I do need to give it more time.

Is hard, though. You just want to feel better now, I know what it's like. Keep the faith. If this doesn't work, it's not the end of the road. There are other things that might work better for you. SSRIs are largely used in preference to other ADs because of their comparatively better side-effect profile - they aren't necessarily more effective than other classes of AD.

Thanks - it really, really helps me reading other peoples experiences / advice on this thread

And suffragette sorry - only just noticed your last post - but I am sending you a belated kick up the bum . Just take half a tablet for the first few days if you're really worried maybe?

I have taken the first tablet. So far just a bit of wooziness. Fingers crossed it doesn't get too bad. How is everyone today?

Hello Stuff and everyone

Stuff, hope you get on with them ok. I started with half a tablet like Chuffchuff for 8 days, I had some nausea and struggled to sleep a few nights, but it quickly passed. I'm now nearing the end of the first packet.

Hi everyone and we'll done suffragette for raking the plunge

I'm feeling a bit better today again - I think I just had a bit of pmt and panicked that I was getting worse again - I don't seem to be getting out of the habit of thinking the worse yet but hopefully that will come; all part of the fun of anxiety I suppose....

Chuffchuff, glad you're feeling a bit better today. Pmt used to cause me huge problems, but I started taking the mini pill a few months ago to try and do something about my heavy painful periods and the pmt has vanished it seems!

I think I feel a little better too, although I am still really struggling with health anxiety and that makes me feel really down

I'm coping a bit better at work too.

I agree, PMT really affects my mood, and makes my anxiety or depression worse. I can't take any hormonal contraception as it makes me more of lunatic than I already am.

Oops I meant 'taking' the plunge! not raking! obviously

Glad you're ok too kazza - unfortunately I'm not able to take the pill either but I'm hoping the Sertraline will help my pmt a bit - it definitely didn't start as early as it usually does this month so that's a good sign hopefully...

It is also very difficult to not panic when you've had a glimpse of normality to then feel like you're slipping again. If this helps, my Buddhist friend taught me a few tricks. First is to remember, nothing lasts forever, not even the sun! So you must remind yourself this when you are feeling down. Try as much as you can to only think about the moment you are in. This is a tricky one and requires a certain amount of brain training, but when you start to panic, think I don't know what's going to happen in the next 5 minutes. I am going to focus on now. Think about what you're doing. For example if you are sat drinking a cup of tea and you start to worry, just think to yourself, or even say out loud, 'right now, I am drinking a cup of tea'. It keeps you in the moment you're in so you don't project those fears onto the weeks ahead of you. The other one, which I found quite helpful for anxiety is to think of your anxious thoughts as clouds. They are there, above you, but they can't hurt you. They are not concrete, they cannot physically damage you. They are just thoughts that will be blown away by the wind. It helped me to think of these thought clouds being blown away when I was at my worst.

Stuff, that's helpful, thanks. I need little mantras to focus on.

Sorry hormonal contraception isn't an option for you both. I hated the thought of taking it, but it is better than the alternative the doctor offered me.

Oops sorry stuffragette, just realised I've been calling you suffragette

I like the sound of the Buddhist stuff - it sounds very similar to mindfulness, which I keep promising myself I will start to practice regularly but never seem to get around to, I tried it a few times and it was really relaxing...

I've also had a go at the mood gym website today which shopafrolic mentioned upthread. It was really interesting and if nothing else I was concentrating on it so much I stopped worrying about how I'm feeling for a bit!

Yes, me too. It's all stuff I want to start doing once dh is back at work in two weeks and I have the house to myself on my days off.

Good to hear Chuffchuff
The Mindfulness book and the CD that comes with it are fab too.
I may have to come off the ADs for a while. I've had an upset stomach for nearly 3 weeks and the GP thinks it could be linked to the ADs. I'm gutted because I was feeling so much better mentally. So I need to start taking them less and less frequently, come off them, hopefully the stomach problems will ease off and then start all over again :(

Aw what a pain shopafrolic. It's wierd that you didn't get that symptom until now isn't it? Maybe even just lowering your dosage will help hopefully so you don't have to start all over again...