Sertraline

[Stephanie33]

Hi everyone. Looking for some advice about Sertraline.
I've suffered from anxiety since my daughter was born 7 years ago. Usually ive managed to cope with it reasonably well with the occasional up and down periods.
This year though seems to have tested me and the past 2 weeks I've had the worst time with anxiety and panic attacks. My anxiety has even got so bad that it makes me feel like I'm choking or can't swallow food properly and I've lost a lot of weight in 2 weeks.
This morning my Dr prescribed me Sertraline 50mg and I am terrified to take them in case I get worse.
Does anyone have any experience on this medication??

I have been on 50mg of sertraline for about a year now although for the past few months I have only taken half a tablet daily. I'm sorry to say that for me the first two weeks of taking it made me feel a lot worse but then I started to feel a lot better and it helped hugely overall. I think it is generally accepted that you can feel worse before you feel better. My anxiety increased, I had weird thoughts and dreams and was shaky, I felt nauseous and couldn't sleep. I would recommend you have some support if possible whilst first taking them.

Hey OP. I have just started taking Sertraline. I was incredibly anxious about it (still am) because of hearing how bad the initial side effects can be. Happy to buddy up if you and anyone else would like. Hope it’s going ok for you

It was absolutely game-changing for me, but expect to feel strange for a couple of weeks.
I felt very tired and spacey, some people feel wired, some get more anxious temporarily.

Thanks babyroobs. Im on day 3 of them now and you're right, my anxiety is a bit worse especially in the morning. I feel very shaky and sick when I get up in the morning and my anxious thoughts kick in. My gp gave me diazepam to help keep me calmer for the first few days and I have my other half here to support me through this and look after the kids.

hey Justlikeloureed happy to buddy up! I was and still am like you, scared to take them because of side effects. Day 3 for me now. I just want to have a good night's sleep without waking up anxious and shaky!

Thanks Jennygentle, it's nice to hear that they've helped you. I read so much horror stories about sertraline that I've resisted taking it but last week was the worst week of my life with anxiety and I was desperate for anything to help.

Hey Stephanie33 sorry to hear it’s a rough first few days. I’ve just taken my first and I am pretty nauseous and let’s say needing to visit the toilet a lot...
Hopefully it will all be worth it once we push through this bit!
I tried sertraline once before and didn’t make it past the first day due to the side effects. When I told my GP about that this time round she has prescribed me some diazepam. Just 12 tablets very low dose to get through the first couple of weeks. Maybe it you spoke to your GP they might do something similar?

I've been on 100mg since my daughter was born 3 years ago. It's a game changer for me. First week or so I just felt a bit spaced out, but once it kicked in the difference it made to my anxiety was unbelievable. I was like a new woman!

Hey Justlikeloureed, I have diazepam too. I took my diazepam first thing this morning before the sertraline and I ended up on the sofa and slept for 3 hours! Only just now feeling more "with it"

Thats great to hear CatAnnoyance it gives me hope! I just can't go on with the anxiety the way it was any longer. Hoping it can significantly improve my life and make me happier again

I didn’t want them but lockdown pushed me over the edge. I felt the same for days and then gradually I was getting better. My DH feels that he’s got the old me back. I’m not there completely but about 80%. I was crying all day, every day. I haven’t cried once. It’s worth those first two or three weeks to feel so much better. Stick with it for thr rewards.

@Stephanie33... ahh I’ll make sure I only take them before bed then!

It’s super encouraging to hear positive stories from people 😊 I’m glad it has worked so well for you guys

Anyone experienced a racing heart for a few hours after taking sertraline??

@Stephanie33 not me at the moment although I do have quite intense nausea and bad stomach. Also I felt like I barely slept last night.

@perfumeistooexpensive im glad to hear that they are helping you. It's taking all my strength to stay on them as the side effects are just terrible and im only on day 4

@Justlikeloureed sorry to hear that! I haven't had much tummy troubles. Dry mouth and ups and downs during the day. Sleep is disturbed too. My heart was racing after taking it this afternoon and I stupidly googled this (thank you health anxiety) and sent myself into a frenzy

@Stephanie33 oh I’m sorry to hear that 😔 sounds like a rough afternoon. I was told that a racing heart and anxiety are all part of the initial side effects, so I wouldn’t worry too much. I know that’s easy to say and very hard to do though! Keep going and hopefully soon it will start to get easier. I’m just hoping to sleep tonight xx

@Stephanie33 I had the racing heart thing. So wierd. Like a panic attack but in my body not my mind. Its easier if you remind yourself its just a thing your bodies doing because of the medication and not because theres anything to fear.

To clarify - I dont just mean to fear in terms of a medical problem but also normally if I have a racing heart/physical symptoms of panic its because somethings scared me. WIth the sertraline side affects its just my body reacting, I can sort of tell my mind not to join in if that makes any sense?

@namitynamechange does it get better? Honestly I'm so exhausted. Im on day 5 now and I keep waking up after 4 hrs sleep with the worst anxiety, trembling, sweating. I feel terrible

My 14yr old has been on sertraline for over a year, she's now on 200mg daily. Yes it helps her, it took a month or so to work but she's more stable now i think.
I was on 100mg for pd after my children were born and it helped me.

@justlikeloureed I hope you had a better night's sleep. It is hard to switch off the worry. And i did the worst thing and googled racing heart on sertraline and found some scary stuff which doesnt help!!

@Stephanie33 yes, it gets better. I also found altering the time I took it helped. So some people find taking it an hour or so before bed is best but I preferred mid-morning (first thing in the morning would make me super nauseous, evening would have me waking up with a racing heart.) Mid morning meant that when the wierd panicky feeling set in I was awake and could move around a bit which helped. It slowly faded anyway until 2 later it only happened occasionally and then not at all.

Also I found yoga / breathing exercises helpful. They dont completely fix the problem but do make it much easier to work through. e.g.

I'm about to start tomorrow...
Now I wish my gp had given me some diazepam too

I'm 38 and have 4 sons
16,13,10,8

After everything I've been through

Ex husband having an affair during my 2nd pregnancy

Losing house job life in a divorce

The last recession losing the house I bought with new husband

Dad dying

1st son being diagnosed with autism

Ptsd after 3rd son being really poorly

Mum being very very poorly

I coped

Then
Lockdown with 4 kids at home (shielding 3rd son) topped me over
I've cried nearly all day everyday for 6 months.
Then last week we got gcse result, which resulted in me pulling out an eyebrow
I rung the gp
(He's been my go through all that^)
I asked for anti depressants
As I've nearly stopped leaving house altogether now from panic attacks and crying

Im so lonely, tired and sad.