Sertraline stories

[Smiles12345]

Hi I have just started taking sertraline for low mood and just wondered if there are any success stories out there? I know the first couple of weeks can be rough, but any encouragement that things will go back to normal will help... I am also booked for counselling thanks

Hello hope it's ok for me to jump on!
After nearly three years of struggling since I got pregnant with my first child at 18 I finally braved it and went to the doctors to admit that I really am not coping I kept thinking as my son got bigger it would get better and it just hasn't I don't enjoy anything and the worst really is I don't do anything my son is nearly 3 and we spend most days in our home unless my partner is here to take us out and that's just not fair on him anymore.
I've been prescribed setraline 50mg and has been really helpful to read everything you guys have said and date I say it I feel very optimistic! I'm taking half a tablet a day for the first two weeks and only two days in ❤️

Hi @dray9925 yes of course you can join the thread, it's open to anyone with a Sertraline story or experience :)

You've obviously had a long battle since your son was born, but you've asked for support and that's a massive step so just wanted to say well done! Sounds like you're hoping the medication will help you feel more up to getting out and about with your little boy. I'm in week 6 on 50mg and in the last couple of days have started to feel a bit more hopeful and noticed I'm coping a bit better with everyday tasks and not feeling quite as tired. But I've also been depressed for a long time so I figure it'll take a while for the tablets to help turn that around, so baby steps. But dare I say it, feels like it's actually kicking in at last. Fingers crossed!

It can be really helpful for some people to ease into this at a low dosage, so keep taking your 25mg until you feel more ready to increase, and let your GP know how you're finding it. Do plenty of self-care for the time being and give yourself time and space to adjust to the Sertraline as it works through the side effects - they won't last too long, and some people don't find them a problem anyway

Saw my GP again today. He has increased my dosage to 100mg, and I have to try taking them in the morning rather than evening because I've been waking up at 3 and 4am and then unable to sleep again for hours (or have to get up and get on with commitments, on the days I need to.)

I still feel anxious at times, but it seems to be quite intense for a few minutes or so and then I forget about it. Other times feel quite sedate. Since last weekend have had days where, for some of the time, I've felt better in myself and about life than I have for donkeys years. Had a couple of days where I got quite teary a few times, which felt significant because I've noticed I'm not having emotional reactions to some stuff I would typically feel very moved by (eg. tv shows, news items, etc). On one hand that feels a bit like part of my soul has been amputated, but on the other hand it feels like a relief - makes me realise just how much and for how long I've been far too easily triggered, lived on intense feelings.

GP said 100mg is considered a therapeutic dose, 50mg not so much, for people with significant long-term mental health symptoms. I'll start increasing to 75mg tomorrow for a week or two, aim to be up to 100mg by beginning of next month (ish).

Thinking of others who've posted on this thread, I know it has been pretty quiet but obviously @Smiles12345 hasn't been posting due to her bereavement. (Hope things have been manageable for you, Smiles. Can't imagine what you've been going through )

Hi everyone, I hope you don’t mind me joining in! I’ve just started 50mg sertraline since Wednesday! Mornings are the absolute worst for me. I wake up every morning at 4/5am and that’s
awake.. my anxiety is through the roof and I just break down crying. Not good when you’ve got a 3 year old ☹️.. so scared that things won’t get better for me as I genuinely don’t know how to cope with anything especially being a mother. I think my dose needs to be increased. I was on 150mg before coming off them... but understand my gp will want to do that gradually, @PeninsulaPanic how are you getting on with your increased dose? Have you found your sleeping has improved any?

Hey! Iv been taking them for a month now and just got my next prescription the other day! And I'm so much mor calmer in myself

I was taking them in the evening about 8 o'clock thinking it would be better but I woke up really drowsy and unmotivated, so I'm taking them in the morning which seems to be a lot better

I'm so much more calmer, focused and relaxed, anxiety ruled my day in every way but that panic to rush has gone, I can think so much more clearer

Hi @tinkiewinkiewoo thanks so much for getting back to me! That’s amazing that they are working so well for you! What dose are you on if you don’t mind me asking?

I really hope I start to feel better soon! I dread going to bed at night cos I know when I wake up in the morning I’m going to be in despair 😓.

Hi Irish, hope your Sunday morning feels a bit better than recent mornings. With time the sertraline might really help with that, I'm learning I really just have to stick with it and compromise over/tolerate the side effects. I'm not a mum so I can only imagine how it must feel to have that responsibility, but the right support would help I'm sure. Who and what have you got to lean on for a while until you're feeling much better?

I opted not to increase my dose just yet. The worry for me has been that the tiredness would increase with the higher dose, and I'm waiting to see if I can feel less fatigued on 50mg - 7 and a half wks for me so far. Sleeping a bit longer during the night some nights now; on the other hand, waking up achey and quite down at first most mornings, but once I get myself up I do generally feel better after a bit of breakfast. Get a bit slumpy by afternoon though. Having said all that, my depression hasn't been properly medicated for a long time, so my mind/body is probably just trying to integrate the drug and figure things out for a while, find some balance with it. I've committed to being patient for another month at least, to see how things pan out. Yesterday I met up with an old friend and at one point we got the giggles and had to leave the cafe we were in so we could get the laughter out and breathe again! I mean, I'm 52 ffs So something is working, but it's patchy. Mind you, even last week I couldn't have imagined having such a scream with someone.

I'm also able to focus better at times, reading more than I have for ages and that's really important for work as well as pleasure, so I'm appreciating that effect of the sertraline. Will keep you in the loop about the dose increase, feels a bit like stick or twist if I'm honest!

@Irish93 I'm on 50g I think only issues I do have is my Tongue feels to big for my mouth now randomly, if you take one in the envening you deffo won't wake up feeling dread

I used to get heart Palpitations when I woke so overwhelmed with what the days going to bring but not any more x

I was prescribed Sertraline at around fifteen, after Fluoxetine failed to alleviate my mental health issues. From the get-go I was having sleep issues, and a hugely increased appetite, my mood just became sort of "grey", less emotional and upset, but feeling completely hopeless and fed up. Within a year I became medically obese -- around 224lbs (for reference, I'm only 5'4", so as you can imagine it looked quite bad). Things had gotten so bad that I attempted suicide by asphyxiation when I was sixteen, after the failed attempt I just stopped taking the medicine as it was only making me feel worse. I would definitely avoid Sertraline if you can, it's a horrible drug and I can't fathom why it's still prescribed as a "treatment" for depression.

Hi @PeninsulaPanic and every one else hope your all ok...
I have been reading the thread as the weeks have been going by it’s nice to hear how people are doing.
I had the funeral last week and everything has been chaotic... went back to work Monday but decided this morning that I need to cut my hours until I am feeling better as full time is too much for me... I have been feeling so tired the last week I’ve been going to bed at 8 which is not normal ....
Work have been supportive so that’s good, no pressure there. I didn’t want to get signed off again as I want to keep as busy as much possible and keep a routine.
I have started to get pressure in my head bit but not going to over analysis it too much..
Still only on 50 and want to try staying on that for. Bit longer to see if I can level out..
Life has been a bit of a roller coaster the last few weeks.

Hi @Smiles12345

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, hope the pressure in your head has gone and you're feeling better for cutting down on your hours at work. You've had a lot to deal with this year, I'm guessing, and that was before you lost your brother recently, which is pretty massive. Hope things feel less chaotic in the last few days. How's the tiredness? I'd say that was the worst side effect for me in the first 7 or 8 weeks. In week 9 I've got the flu or something similar and really struggling with my mental health as a result - being so poorly has brought me right down. Anyway, today I've finally increased my dosage to 75mg, aiming to get to a 100 by week 12, so will keep you posted.

If it's difficult to tell how well an increased dose works for me at a time like this, ie. while feeling so poorly, I wonder what that might mean? The Sertraline so far has buoyed me up a bit at times, and I've had the giggles a couple of times and was even able to manage being a passenger in my sister's car for a 2 hour round trip on Saturday without feeling any anxiety - almost unheard of for me! (I'm not a driver and typically feel very edgy as a passenger.) But the fact that this flu/cold thing has depressed me so easily is concerning. Seems like it mightn't take much to undo the small gains I've made on the medication so far. Maybe that's an indication that the 50mg dose definitely isn't high enough for me. If I'm honest, that doesn't surprise me but I'm disappointed even so.

Anyway, sorry to go on. You've got the right idea, keeping busy and productive and staying in a routine. Just be sure to give yourself regular quiet moments to process your loss for a while, which probably goes deeper than you realise and needs to be grieved (in my experience.)

Hi - I know this is an old post but I’m new to sertraline a week in and was looking for any positive outcomes from your time taking it x

Hi @Jaeloo I've been taking it for a month and it's going well. I've become much calmer and my concentration has improved. I've read a lot and really enjoyed it. I've also found with my kids I'm able to make light of situations where before I would have got angry.

Hi @HotPenguin I’m so glad to hear you’re feeling an improvement, thank you for replying!
Did you initially have any side effects?
It’s amazing to find something that helps isn’t it?

The side effects were hard, but feel like I can see some light at the end of the tunnel now.

@bonfireheart this is so good to hear I’m only 9 days in I get a burning sensation like my nerves are on fire in my hands and back, but definitely feel som improvement, so glad you’re seeing a positive x

My side effects weren't that bad. I had diarrhea at the start but that calmed down really quick. I also felt very spaced out for the first week and I was worried I would feel like that the whole time I took it, but I feel completely normal now.