Teen starting on Sertraline - Handhold pls!

[Aoki]

So we’ve finally taken the plunge. After yrs of intrusive thoughts and CBT we have decided on medication for my 16yr old DS. He has started on 25mg and Doctor said he will phase it in gradually up to 75mg.

I am so nervous about the side effects because DS has a vomiting phobia as well. I am having stomach cramps about, although DS has no idea how I’m feeling, on the contrary he got annoyed recently because I ‘don’t understand his worry about the medication’. It doesn’t help that DS has also been reading about it online. Pls tell me your positive stories especially if you’ve used it for ocd.

I am Sertraline but for postnatal depression. It's honestly been the best desicion for me, I was miserable and had a total breakdown at the start of the year. I was on 100mg but recently dropped to 50mg as found out I was pregnant. It has changed my moods and I feel back on an even keel. If taking a little pill everyday can help you function normally then it's all good in my books!

The first few week were pretty rough, I started on 50mg and was exhausted, irratible and not very pleasant to be around. The same happened when I upped my dose and reduced it. Please tell him to stick with it I was a good 5-6 weeks before I started feeling the effects.

Good luck to you all!

I've been taking it for a good couple of years for anxiety and depression and like pp makes things more "even" for me. Think I'm on 50mg?

I have to take mine with my evening meal as it makes me less nauseous if taken with food, and it makes me sleepy. My brother also takes it but it has the opposite effect on him - makes him feel like he's had an energy drink so he has to take his in the morning.

Would reiterate what pp said about sticking with it, too, though - I felt particularly rough for a week or 2 (got worse before it got better) but it was the best thing for me.

And, if he really doesn't get on with this one, there are other options that might work better.

Hugs to you both. Xx

@Kaboomba & @LadyShrek2k19 thanks for the positive words. Can I ask how long the side effects last? If they feel nauseous will they always feel nauseous or does it disappear after the body gets used to the medicine? Also how many days did it takes for side effects to show up? Sorry if my questions sound daft or repetitive but we’re at the very early stages(today is day 3) and I’m so worried.

I had side effects for 5-6 weeks and they happened pretty quickly for me, about 5 days in if I remember. I was never nauseous with it and like PP brother I take mine in the morning. I don’t feel like it effects me hugely energy wise, I don’t feel tired or hugely energetic after having it.

My side effects did last a wee while roughly 8 weeks each time, when I started and when I upped it. My the upping one was less severe.

If this one isn’t for him then there lots of options so don’t give up.

I had about 3-4 weeks if side effects (nothing too major and the anxiety symptoms were so much worse than any side effects) but now it's completely invisible. It's a great thing to feel happy and well again.

Sounds like you've done due diligence on other therapies. It's a drug like any, some will get on with it and some won't. Most benefit massively so hope he's in that category!

Praying he's in the 'no side effects' category as well. If this works for him, it will be life-changing for him. I'm going to keep updating this thread with how he is doing if that is okay? no one in rl except dh knows about his condition (tired of trying to explain to people who just don't understand ocd). This means I've no one to share the highs and lows with but it's comforting sharing with people here who have experienced the same illness.

Ive been on 200mg for two and half years now. It does nothing for my depression but worked wonders on my ocd. I get the odd thought now and again but largely I’m perfectly fine ocd wise.

Meant to add I have no side affects

My 17 year old daughter is 5 days in, she had headaches and sickness yesterday. She still has the headache today. We're unsure if it's a bug (a few in her college class have had a stomach bug) or the medication. She's sticking with it for now (also on 25mg). She has ASD but is trying it for bad anxiety - hoping it helps her!

I just started on 50g 2 weeks ago and haven’t had any side effects. I’m feeling much better than I was (I’m taking it for anxiety). I don’t know if it’s the tablets or a combination of a few things but I’m sticking with them for a few months.

More comments .

@wombatsandaplant Have you always had OCD or was yours triggered by something? I'm just trying to see whether it's more effective for those whose OCD has been triggered later in life rather than from childhood.

@paddingtonbear1 Close to DS in age, I hope it works for her too. How long has she anxiety for?

@Daisy829 it must be so great not to have any of the dreaded side effects. I was reading a medical research article yesterday where it said that Sertraline doesn't work for depression only anxiety.

@Aoki since she was about 14, but it's been a lot worse in the last 2 years. She only got her autism diagnosis at 16. Lockdown has caused more problems as she was mainly at home for 7 months, then found it very hard trying to adjust to going into college again.

@paddingtonbear1 Lockdown really caused the MH of those already struggling to spiral further. Poor DS just said, on a sunny lockdown day, 'I've reached rock bottom'. I don't know how I held it together . The being at home with nothing to do allowed him to ruminate so much, probably the same for your DD. I hope she settles back into college with the help of the medication.

I've been on it nearly 5 years. My dose has increased this year and with each increase I get mild sweating and grit my teeth.
I've never really noticed any digestive issues

Hope it works for your DC. It was life changing for me

I have had ocd since my teens, in phases though. There were some episodes of intrusive thoughts earlier in childhood too.

I have been on about four different SSRIs. None caused vomiting and only one caused any nausea ( Prozac), however oddly I had taken Prozac at another time with no nausea. Currently on 150mg Sertaline.

I would say that side effects are mostly an issue when starting a drug and raising the dose, or lowering the dose and withdrawing. So if your DS gets any they may well pass. Also, and I know it's not what you want to hear when you are desperate, but the drugs can often take a while to start to help, 6 weeks or upwards once you are on a therapeutic dose. Even then I find it is gradual... Eg you suddenly realise that you have managed something you wouldn't have managed a short time before. But with time they really can help a lot.

To be honest I have had a persistent side effect on Sertraline which is night sweats, but I think that is hormonal and a female thing because apparently in post menopausal women that side effect doesn't happen. It interacts with changing progesterone levels I think. In most people that doesn't happen or goes away though so I wouldn't worry.

I feel for you and your DS, I know how much strain it places on everyone when someone is going through a bad time with ocd. I think you have done the right thing starting the meds. It's better than struggling on without something that in time could really help him. Wishing you the best. It's a while since I have done any CBT or anything but if you ever need anyone to talk to feel free to PM me.

I take it. Mostly to calm a very busy mind, with possibly some element of OCD (never been diagnosed). I felt vaguely sick (but not anywhere near nauseous) for the first week or so, iirc. It really wasn’t so bad.

Oh actually it was more like two weeks.

I did have very busy, intensely psychological dreams at the start. But that calmed down pretty quickly.

Hi there. My ds has suffered from pure OCD and intrusive thoughts as long as I can remember. He is 13. Its heartbreaking to watch him go through this. He has been refused by camhs 3 times, I paid for private counselling but no better. I am thinking medication is the way forward just to help with constant thoughts, he is so tired from it now xx

My dd is 14 and has been on 50mg of Sertraline for about 18 months. She has had no obvious side effects and it is helping her massively. She takes it at night and it helps with her sleep too.
I had it some years ago and I also got on well with it.

It took me a couple of weeks to get used to it, those first two weeks were not pleasant but honestly it has been a life saver. I still wake up with a headache most mornings but they seem to ease once I've taken it.

Hi @Aoki how's it going?
After 2 and a half weeks the dr advised dd to stop taking the tablets - she was having increased muscle pain, nausea and dizziness. She had some of this before so it's hard to tell. Since then her symptoms have got worse to the point that she can hardly walk without falling. The psych doesn't think it's related to the tablets but she's not gone back on them, just waiting results of blood tests now... hope your DS is OK!