How fast do sertraline side effects kick in?

[RhubarbRocks]

My doctor prescribed setraline this morning for anxiety and OCD - it's been getting worse and although I can still cope, it doesn't feel like I can keep going without anything while I wait for CBT to start.

Anyway, I have the tablets but am scared of the side effects. In particular I am singing in a concert tonight. If I start the tablets now am I likely to experience side effects in the next 8 hours? I'm worried about having a panic attack on stage anyway and am worried it will be made more likely if I start taking them right now.

Sorry, long post but I would be very grateful of anyone else's experience. Thank you.

Rhubarb keep us posted about how your getting on.I would be interested to hear how CBT works for you as I have never been offered it(waiting lists!)
Sarah I never considered Rescue Remedy tbh.Have you used it before?I've used it during labour don't know if it helped or not but I certainly remained calm.
Evening Leopard how's it going with you?

I'm ok, have a bit of a headache but that's it really. I think I'm too busy with the kids to worry about symptoms which helps as I can be anxious about that.

I had my cbt session yesterday, I really like my therapist. There's a lot of homework to do which I need to find more time to do. I do find it helpful already.

fallen do you suffer from anxiety badly?

Sarah - I can't be much help (although moving them doesn't sound remotely silly!) but just wanted you to know you aren't alone

Fallen - the psychologist called to say he has moved his clinic and it is too far away for me to get to. So back on the waiting list.

Leopard - thanks that might well be a good option for me - 50 straight off just floored me. The problem is convincing my boyfriend I need them - I don't think he really gets it/believes it's 'real' and needs treatment just the same as a physical illness

Have you asked your GP about alternative treatments?

Can you just tell your boyfriend he's wrong, the GP says it's a diagnosable illness and you need to take prescribed medication for it, just like you'd take antibiotics?

(And if he doesn't approve, please do try a lower dose or an alternative anyway; he doesn't have to suffer internally like you do.)

Leopard that sounds like a good start and I'm really glad it's working out for you.Haven't been offered CBT as waiting lists here are ridiculous.It's also good to hear that the tabs aren't hindering you so far with your dcs which is a major worry.
Re: My anxiety it stemmed from anything from those daft Mum concerns,illness, phone calls from school and driving.I'm tackling it all one by one atm driving is top of the list!

I did that stop-start thing with sertraline at first.
Wrong move. Nothing was changing right now to help me manage.

Now i've been on them for 6 months.
Side effects were headaches, diarrhoea, jaw clenching and an even more restless foot. That lasted about a week and then settled down.

Mentally, It took a good part of 4-6 weeks to properly see it's affect on my mood/intrusive thoughts etc.
Which means i now have some 'respite' as i await CBT, my mood is calmer, my head quieter and i've actually started cleaning/tidying properly (ok...better than i used to )

From my exp i would advise that you start taking sertraline again. By the time you get the cbt you will have a better idea of what dosage works for you and thereby manage your healing.

I started on 50mg, and although calmer i was still having really bad anxiety attacks. Stayed on that dose for 2-3 months and then gp upped it to 100mg. New dose is sooooo much better than the old one.

I'm still anxiety ridden but it it doesn't have the same impact on my blood pressure and mind as it did before.
Everything else is the same, except for that constant heavy, dark and constricting feeling - that has subsided.

I've had mixed experiences with sertraline. It was absolutely the best thing in the world for my PND. I took a low dose (25mg I think), was much better after two weeks and completely myself after 4. No side effects at all. I carried on drinking in moderation with no problems.

A few years later I was prescribed it again but this time for anxiety, but I think it was a different sort of anxiety from yours. It was a short-term, acute episode brought on by an intense period of stress. Looking back I think what I actually needed was a short course of diazepam. But I was given sertraline, this time 50mg. In my case, it made things worse. Sweating, shaking, insomnia... on top of the original anxiety symptoms. I couldn't tolerate it and stopped it after a week. Had CBT instead (which helped, but by the time I got my first appointment the stressful situation was over, and I think I'd have recovered without any treatment).

Anyway, if I were in your shoes I think I'd be inclined to give the sertraline a fair go, but start on a low dose. Sometimes it doesn't take much to make a huge difference (like for my PND). And a lower dose reduces the side effects.

By the way your DP sounds a lot like mine. Very much of the "pull yourself together" school of mental health. I like to think I've educated him a bit more now. He certainly talks more sympathetically about depression anyway. (I think anxiety still has him flummoxed, though.)

Rhubarb is your's NHS?
Has your bf any experience about MH issues?,

He isn't unsympathetic but I think he thinks I'm anxious because of life things (miscarriage, work, mum very ill). So he thinks counseling is what I need. And he's right to a certain extent.

But he doesn't really want to recognize/can't understand that underlying that I've had long term anxiety anyway and symptoms of OCD since I was 10 or 11 that are very hard to manage. I think that is an illness that maybe needs medication - it would be there regardless of what's going on in my life. I think the thought of it being more than passing stress scares him to be honest.

Anyway, as you say badger it is possible to educate! Thank you for sharing your experience - really helpful to understand different sources of anxiety might need different responses.

Fallen - my work has confidential access to something called stronger minds and they have referred me to a clinical psychologist. I thought it would be quick but it's been 11 days now - but I'm realize I'm very lucky to have access to this and it should in theory be faster than nhs.

Rhubarb so sorry to hear about your loss,that's a truly awful thing to go through in itself for both of you before adding illness into the mix.
I'm glad to hear that work has some proper help & support for you.I think that long term you need to think what's best for you as it's you coping with the illness.
I can imagine that bf feels a bit useless atm as men are naturally solvers of problems & want to 'fix it' for their loved ones & he is probably at a loss for what to do for the best especially if he has never experienced this illness himself.

Rhubarb - I hope things are better for you now? I'm approaching my late 30s and have had anxiety on and of for years which the docs were generally dismissive of. I also have had OCD that has got bad over the last 18 months (diagnosed around 1 year ago). I had been putting off trying sertraline as we wanted to try to have kids and I was worried about side effects but after over a year between 1st psychology appointment and treatment appointments I have reached a point where I don't function. Today I took my 1st sertaline tablet, so fingers crossed. I wondered if anyone had gone through pregnancy on this meds or if its better to wait and try to get better and back off the meds?