Sertraline

[oasiswaterpool]

I have been taking Sertraline 50mg for 5 and a half weeks after changing from Escitalopram. I feel quite low, crying daily and feel very negative generally.

After 4 weeks at 50mg I asked my GP if I should increase the dose but she said it was too early to tell if 50mg was the right dose and that it is the normal dose most people take. What dose helps you?

Maybe give it a bit longer - and also push your gp to put you on a list for cbt therapy or you can go private but obviously that had an expense.

Maybe its not the ad for you, but once again you may have to give it more time. Ive been on citalopram (made me feel very weird and 'unreal') and escitalopram (which actually gave me acne!) And then finally sertraline, which for me was the best and actually improved my mood.

Its really hard, especially when starting a different ad as you want to feel better straight away and the fact that some can take months to make a difference is really hard to accept, so i feel for you!

I would say, for the moment, stick with that dose (it is normal dose, but is still a low one - i was on 25mg but was more for anxiety), and ask your gp about cbt (cognative behavioural therapy) - if you dont get anywhere see another gp, and another - and if you dont feel things improving then keep going back and saying so until they suggest something more/different.

Forgot to say, i was on citalopram for 3 months before changing to escitalopram, which i was on for 6 months, then sertraline for a year/year and half before coming off it completely 11 months a go

I felt the same after 4 weeks on 50mg and my GP upped it to 100mg. Taking 100mg made a huge difference but then the lowest dose of every single anti-depressant I've been on has never been effective for me. I'd give it another 2 or 3 weeks but then I would go back again and request a dosage increase.

I'm now on fluoxetine and I was only on the lowest dose for 2 weeks, my GP was happy for me to go virtually straight onto the next dose due to my history. What dose of escitalopram were you on?

Sorry to hijack thread,
Spilly, are you off all ADs now? How are you doing?
I'm on my first lot, Sertraline, 100mgs with the last six months and I'm really looking for info on wearing off and hopefully staying off!

*weaning

I was 20mg of Escitalopram which really helped me for 5 years but came off of it because I was told I would not be able to take it alongside migraine preventative long term. So basically I was really well when they switched me from Escitalopram to Sertaline and now not feeling so good.

Well i started off on 25mg, then up to 50mg after a couple of months, and for me sertraline was the only ad that actually made me feel 'normal' again (others i tried i just felt really queer and a weird sense of unreality, and escitalopram gave me acne !)

Id had depression before, but when i got put on sertraline it was more for anxiety as id not had a bout of depression in a couple of years, but after/around the time a family member became very ill in hospital i developed panic disorder/agoraphobia and was on sertraline and a small dose of diazapam for a couple of weeks. I stayed on sertraline for about 8 months and felt back to normal, but was kind of scared of coming off of it incase the anxiety returned - but then me and dh wanted to start a family so i came off sertraline (i mean 50mg still quite low dose) so i just started halfing them for a couple weeks then taking half every other day, then id take half every 3ish days then gradually stopped. Found it suprisingly fine coming off of it (only side effect i had was - hard to describe- a weird zapping sensation in my head if i turned my head too quickly). Ive been off them now for about a year (and due baby any day) and honestly never felt better!

So good luck if your thinking of coming off them, as i found the idea of not having them was far worse than the truth and think coming off them and coping so well has given me a massive boost

oasis if you just feel your not getting on with them for whatever reason then mention to gp and they can try you on something else - maybe thats just not the one for you. But think gps are keen for you to try at least 8-12 weeks on a certain one because i think they have an acumulated (sp?) Effect so they need to give it a chance