Is it possible to still function normally at work when starting Sertraline?

[Autotelic]

I was prescribed 50mg last year and after a very bad experience with citalopram years ago I have been terrified of starting sertraline, however now I’ve started counselling I feel “brave” enough to start. I am sort of expecting to need to call in sick for a day or two but I don’t get sick pay so I can’t really afford to. My job isn’t really high pressure but it is patient facing so I can’t be seen to be ill or spaced out...
Anyone that’s on this anti depressant did you find you needed time off work until the side effects wore off?
I go on holiday next week so I will start taking them when I get back.. I feel so awful at the moment I’m not sure it is the right time to go on holiday but I’m going to try and make the best of it...
Thanks

I did have a couple of days when I really couldn't work but since I was calling in sick before I started it anyway it was ok. Plus I'd told my boss I was starting it and she was understanding and supportive. The anxiety really ramped up in the first 2 weeks but so much better now

I could not function at all on setraline, had to stop it completely after 5 days, stopped me sleeping and made me manic but I took it when I was allready off work and really depressed and desperate as a last resort, so not the same. I was anxious about taking psychoactive before and now I'm more anxious. After that experience I wouldn't chose antidepressants personally.

When I started, I was on 100mg, increased to 200. I was fine at work; perhaps I was fortunate.

I was fine at work with it, but over time I started to feel manic enough that I asked to switch.

thanks all..
that’s interesting dancers, my experience on citalopram was similar so I’m hoping this works, I couldn’t cope if that happened again..

I started on a saturday (just in case), no side effects at all and no time off work needed. I hope it goes as well for you!

I couldn’t function at all on it, 9 days and no sleep, felt sick, was sick, my mind was a wreck.

I had no idea this kind of stuff happened when I took my first citalopram (20mg) at work. Spent the day drooling, clenching, staring into space and talking complete bollocks. Fortunately I work with lots of geeky men with often limited social skills so I don't think they actually noticed!

It was a bit better the second day, and more manageable by the third, although the need to move (hands, feet tapping etc) didn't diminish for a week.

When I started taking sertraline I did it gradually, I broke a pill into quarters (12.5g dose) and took just a quarter a day for a week, then half a pill the next week (25g dose) and so on until I was taking my recommended dose. Zero side effects for me starting this way and I was able to function normally.

@autotelic I had a similar experience to you on citalopram, could not get on with it at all, gave me akathisia, it was awful. Sertraline however was largely fine. No such problems. Bit of jaw clenching, yawning, slightly ramped- up anxiety for about 8 days then things calmed down.

Good luck.

When I started on 50mg Sertraline, it made me feel really weird very quickly. I felt nauseous, shivery and a bit spaced out. The side effects were only bad for a few days, then low level for a couple of weeks, then fine. I didn't take any time off work when I started taking them, although I was pretty useless for a few days at the beginning.

Seryralibe has been the best med fir me & I have tried lots.I was always told by my Dr & psychiatrist to break the tablet in 1/2 or take the smallest dose for 2 weeks then gradually increase. This minimises any side effects.
I found when starting I was awake late, had a mild headache that was different to a normal headache & a grippy tummy. I also felt tired during the day & felt warm & fuzzy on my head.

Sorry meant to say sertraline

Ive never had problems with work whilst on sertraline although every time I've been put on it I start taking it before my days off as it upsets my stomach for a couple of days.

I could not have gone to work on citalopralm, it made me as high as a kite, I was like a zombie, i remember driving somewhere and having to pull over because I was so spaced out. Stopped taking it after a week

I functioned fine at work starting Sertraline, the problem I found was that it was giving me insomnia which was affecting my work. Taking the pill in the morning (and feeling a bit odd) worked out better than taking it at night and not sleeping!

LuckyBitches I've been awake since 7:30am yesterday morning, this is the first time it's ever given me insomnia, I don't even feel tired, I've never had this before but seemingly it's quite common

Asking you have my sympathy! It got better with time for me (and taking it in the morning). It was bloody awful in the early days though.

Hi. I was on sertraline for about a year. I think that the only problem I had at the start was some nausea. It passed and it certainly wasn't debilitating. I worked, no problem, throughout the time I took it. But I did put on weight that I am still struggling to shift. To be honest, that's the only reason I stopped. I thought it was a great med other than that! Really helped me.