Today I took my first Sertraline tablet

[MonnaLiza]

Hello fellow MH sufferers.

Today I have taken my first Sertraline tablet. I had severe depression in my 20s and then struggled after my first child was born, and then again when my mum was ill... and now... the fourth time in my life in which I stare the Black Dog in the face.

Apart from the first time I have always managed to get through the darkness by soldiering on... willpower ... wait ad it will pass, and it did pass eventually.

But this time I felt medication could help. My GP also though so, considering I was sobbing in his surgery. I was prescribed Sertraline.

I waited a few days, but after a rather bad meltdown Wednesday night I decided to get on with it.

So I took my first tablet today and not sitting on my bed terrified about it with my eyes wide open as if I had been taking some form of acid instead of some safe medication that millions of people take everyday.

Tell me to get a grip! And also tell me i'll feel better soon as I am in so much pain.

Sertraline has given ‘me’ back to myself. I felt great within a week. Still get the odd bit of jaw clench but apart from that, no side effects at all (6 months on it).

I'm the same as a PP. I find I clench my jaw every so often, but that's it. It's stopped me from feeling so anxious that I was struggling to leave the house.

Thank you for these lovely encouraging messages! I have been struggling to leave the house too. I took my first tablet earlier on in the afternoon (around 14.10), then had a little sleep, woke up, got up and walked down to the supermarket.

Feel actually a lot 'lighter' in myself now that I have taken this decision.

At the moment I have a slight headache and feel maybe a little like wrapped in cotton wool, with a different awareness of, say, background noise, but that may just be because I have been crying earlier on.

In the supermarket I was actually almost happy, planning menus for the next few days. I am going to make mezze tonight and also will bake a cake with the glut of apples from my tree.

Thank you again!

OP I had the funny wide eye thing with them too when I first started taking them, along with the clenchy jaw, however all those symptoms subsided after about 4-6 week.

Sending you best wishes

Hello all and thank you for the good wishes pollypocket952 - I have taken my third tablet today (as in third day not three tablets a day) and I feel much better already. The anxiety seems to have its more painful edge cut off and the side effects aren't too bad. I seem to sleep better as well, without the terrible dreams I normally have.

Hi, stick with them! I was on sertraline a few years ago and for the first week I felt a bit like I used to feel when I’d taken ecstasy in my misspent youth. 🤣
It really helped me though once It started to
Work so give the tablets a good chance to do their thing. Its a brave step getting the first tablet in and will hopefully be the start of your recovery. All the best

Glad they are making a difference.
I agree with PPs. Was on Citalopram but Sertraline suit me far better. I get the jaw clench thing so glad it’s not just me!
I’m on 25mg so I halve a 50mg tablet.

I saw a post on FB today, where the person said they take Zoloft for their serotonin deficiency, Maybe a different perspective of what it’s for may help? Like iron supplements some people need for a little while, others need it long term

Hi LickYouLikeACrispPacket you made me giggle!! Ecstasy!! I wish!!

No more jaw clenching than usual ladymalfoy - I wish I'd stop eating compulsively but that will hopefully come in time.

Starstruck2020 good way of putting it.

CountSnackula forgot to say love the name! That's me at the moment (see above).

hi op. I take sertraline 100mg a day and I have found it really helps me. the first couple of weeks I had a hard time with my sleep but it evened out. before the medication I was in a constant state of anxiety and now I'm a lot calmer.
I think my GP said it takes a couple of weeks to kick in, so keep at it and hopefully it helps you too.

Drink lots of water with it! At least that’s what I found helped with the terrible nausea in te first week. Haven’t looked back after that tho, still occasionally need a bit of propranolol, but going back to work soon :)
Good luck

OP I'm pleased you have continued with them.

Also this is probably too much information but I also had diarreah ( cringe ) & a slight feeling of being high on something - those side effects lasted a couple of weeks & then they gradually faded.

Just sharing this with you incase you had any of these side effects & just to let you know that I had them too to start off with

Oh I'm so pleased you are feeling slightly better. Let's hope you carry on feeling better gradually everyday, as they can take anything from a couple of weeks/months to benefit from the full effect of them.

Happy days OP : ) x

pollypocket952 your message made me smile and cry at the same time - thank you - :) More than 'high' I feel as if I had a slight fever and a heightened sense of awareness - slightly hyper vigilant.

whiskersonkittenss thank you and so glad it's working for you. Anxiety can be crippling.

Coldhandscoldheart that's a good tip, thank you - I seem to be more thirsty since I have started taking it. And good luck for your return to work!

Regarding the side effects, when I had really severe clinical depression as a young women in the mid-1990s I had psychiatrist sessions once a week and a cocktails of pills morning and evening that really zonked me out - I literally slept for 2 weeks and my personality really changed for 3 months. I got better and after about 10 months I was back to myself having discovered quite a lot about who I am etc. This is quite a light touch in comparison.

Day 4 - eating all the pies - drat! Still feeling a bit zonked out. Difficult to do stuff.

I'm on day 6.

No appetite and nausea since day 2. Also dizziness. Hoping it starts to ease soon.

No appetite? I am well jell

Hang on in there ladies, I experienced all of those symptoms..... they gradually ware off : )

It's your brain adjusting to the additional seratonin intake that's all.

I remember it, vividly. My eyes were like saucers & I had really bad 'must get to the loo right now' poos 💩

You are doing fab xXx

Think of the end result = feeling better.

I came here to start a thread on sertraline but I'll join in here.

I started on citalopram just under a year ago. I had side effects that reminded me of my clubbing days with that too. I was really, really tired on it though, even after several weeks so I switched to escitalopram which seemed better. After 8 or 9 months on it I was still tired all the time so decided to switch to sertraline.

I did a slow withdrawal from escitalopram which has been ok and I didn't actually feel depressed and anxious as it was leaving my system. I started introducing sertraline as a half dose while still coming off escitalopram to try and get my body used to it. Last night I had my first full dose and I feel a bit nauseous and headache, which I expected, but I'm feeling really anxious and it does feel like drug induced anxiety rather than normal anxiety iyswim! Has anyone else had this experience? I know it's a potential side effect. I am fine, then I get waves of "it's all too much to bear." Having been relatively balanced for a year I think it's making me panic.

Hi @Unsurprisinglysurprising & welcome. Does this anxiety come in waves during the day? I normally have a dip at lunchtime. It's a really crappy day for me today. Got up fairly well did some exercise and work and then had a big dip.

Do you take your tablets on the morning or evening? I am taking mine in the afternoon, which is neither here nor there but wonder if o should push it either back or forward to the evening or nighttime. What do you think?

Does anyone else have an opinion if it's better in the morning or evening?

And thank you again polly

Forgot to say also hi and welcome to @Ludos

I take mine in the morning as I have trouble sleeping

Hello all, day 5 and I have decided to move tablet taking to the morning as I did not sleep well at all last night so this morning going away for work on a high speed train washing the medication down with a very indulgent mocha praline macchiato!

The days when i must get out of the house for work are the best for me. I hate getting up but when I am up and about I am functional and my anxiety/depression actually gets better. When I am in the house I am engulfed in a deep dark cloud. At the moment I have a very nice (temporary) job for which I work part from home and part away. When I go away it's great but, as i said, working from home it's not for me - I find it difficult to compartmentalise work with life, I work too much and get really depressed, lethargic and sad. Yesterday I was unable to go out of the house.

Anyway, day 5 and the side effects so far haven't been too bad. How is it going with you @Ludos & @Unsurprisinglysurprising?

Just a quick post to say I’m glad I’m on this thread cos I keep forgetting to take mine & it reminds me when I go to tio!