Please help, sertraline reassurance

[Umbongo1]

I'm really struggling. Day 9 of 50mg and I'm about to pack it in. My morning anxiety is off the scale, I'm struggling to eat and am only sleeping glide to pills. Feeling very desperate and I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Please help!

They take a while to work just give it time.

I found they just made me numb to all my emotions
Didn't like them at all

I LOVE SERTRALINE!
Seriously if they need any PR I’m in
They aren’t without their side effects though. I feel sick after taking mine and unless I take it first thing I sleep terribly. They’ve also utter shat on my libido. The plus side though is that I’m not a suicidal head case which I feel is worth it.
I’ve had friends who love them and those who hate them but you need to try for at least a week to know.
If sertraline isn’t the one for you then it’s just an option to tick off the list before you find the right one. My friends who didn’t get on with sertraline all found something that worked for them, usually citalopram.
The start is brutal but give it a fair shot and if after a week you’re sure it’s not the one try something else.
Please remember that if this doesn’t help it doesn’t mean you’re helpless it means the pills weren’t right for you. Something will work.

Im a dyslexic twat. Just seen you’re on day 9, not day 2. I’d talk to your gp about an alternative. Sorry to be a tit. X

My DD is on the same dose. She felt dreadful for about 3 weeks, went back to the Dr, who told her to keep on with them. Then the fog lifted and it felt like we'd got DD back. They have been brilliant for her.

Drink lots of water with them to start with I found that made a big difference to the nausea.

If nearly 2 weeks in youre feeling crap, id try something else.
I couldnt hack citalopram, but was not too bad on venlafaxine.
Im now 4 days into fluoxetine and apart from insomnia for first few nights im starting to feel better already.
Id ask to try a diff one x

I think my side effects subsided after about 15 days, it might be worth sticking with it for a few more days just to see. However, no medication is a one size fits all, if it's not working for you then please go to your GP and ask for something else x

I'm on day 2 or 25mgs doctor told me to try that for 2 weeks first. Feel spaced out. I hope things improve for you. Good that everyone is saying side effects do lift eventually!!

give them time. all 50mg did was give me a headache. i upped it to 100mg and the difference and effectiveness is huge. everyone is different but i do recommend, having had unpleasant experiences with others in the past.

@MerryDeath how long did that take for you? Not sure how much longer I can take feeling this low and yet this anxious!

id not leave it any longer than say 3 weeks to feel better then ask for help including considering whether to increase dose. i am NOT a doctor.

also i will say it's very very important you take them on the dot of the same hour every day or i find i go verrrryyy sideways/down almost immediately, and have absolutely loopy dreams (quite fun though) if i bugger timing up by more than an hour or two.

my mood is very hormonal though so that is also always a factor 🤪

I think you need to take whatever tablets for about a month in order that your body can build up serotonin so it’s too early to know if they are the ones for you yet?

If things don’t improve after a month go back to the GP as there are many different ones and there will be one that’s right for you.

My GP wanted to see me after 2 weeks just to check how I was doing.

At that time mornings were still very bad, also fingers tingling and was still very anxious, but she reassured me that this was OK, would pass and that it took several weeks for sertraline to build up and work; in the meantime she gave me something to help with the panicky feelings and told me to see her if that didn't work.

Now I feel much better and I'm glad I didn't stop taking them.

It took me a month to feel any benefit and I did get worse before I got better but then it was brilliant.

However, try and make sure you always get the same brand.

They’ve changed mine twice in the past month and it’s made me dreadfully, dreadfully physically and mentally ill. It seems so cruel after months of getting back on track. I was having quite dangerous reactions to the most recent brand and as a result I’m now having to go cold turkey and not have anything. I’m in a really terrible state. Sertraline saved my life but after the brand change I don’t know if I‘ll ever be right again.

Out of interest, what brand does it say on your box of Sertraline?

@NameChange84 that sounds dangerous, I don’t think going cold turkey can be good for you? Can you not phone the doctors for another prescription and phone round chemists til you get the brand you want so you can put your script in their chemist?

@Elieza - I took advice from my GP’s surgery that I needed to immediately discontinue it as it was more dangerous for me to stay on it currently. I was having symptoms that are rare but can lead to brain haemorrhage, stroke etc and I was also getting extremely low blood pressure and a rash all over my body which all indicated the Sertraline was having a dangerous effect on my body. I can’t take any other psychotropic drugs at the moment due to the effect that this brand of Sertraline had on the blood vessels in my brain. There’s a risk with any psychotropic drugs for me currently as it stands. Taking a new brand of Sertraline will not fix this and could make it worse.

That was a name change fail!

Ah sorry NaneChange, I didn’t realise the GP was involved. Some people just decide things about meds themselves, much better to do what you did and follow doctors orders. Hope you are feeling better soon

Thanks Elieza, I didn’t say originally because I didn’t want to frighten OP or any other posters but you are right, it shouldn’t be suddenly stopped except if it’s dangerous. Thanks for your good wishes, it’s very early days and I feel terrible but at least the unbearable headache and neurological symptoms are going!