Sertraline

[Perry114a]

Hello
After many years of suffering with anxiety, I have just taken taken my first 50g tablet of Setraline. Im literally lying here waiting for the side effects to kick in, worrying that ive taken it too close to Christmas and im going to be a puking zombie for the next few months!
I know everyone is different but if anyone out there can please put my mind at rest with advice of how to get through the next few weeks. I stupidly have been Googling for information which has scared me. Im a single mother, working full time and also worry about not being able to look after my DD. I chose to take the tablet at nighttime on advice from the doctors - plus i don't sleep well anyway.
Thank you for reading xx

I have nothing bad to say about it; I've never had negative side effects and within a couple of weeks, it gave me my life back.

I moved to Setraline after years on citalopram and I was dreading it, I hit the wall so many times trying to come off citalopram. I was pleasantly surprised when nothing happened- apart from my mood lifting and being reasonably stable.

I'm in the early weeks of taking 50mg which have been bumpy. But after the first night where I hardly slept, my sleep has improved so much so I've still been able to function and look after the family. The side effects I suffered were headaches, nausea and dizziness mainly, felt wired for a few days but my anxiety calmed down almost straight away so I could see a way through things. I'm still up and down and due to increase to 100mg this week but mentally feel much better since taking them. I've not been able to return to work yet but that's because my work was a catalyst for my current problems but I'm hoping I will feel up to it soon. After that first sleepless night I swapped to taking my tablet with breakfast and it now seems to help me sleep.

I’ve taken Sertraline for the last 12 years, with small pauses in between. I have just started it again after being off it for a few months. I noticed a few mild side effects this time, but nothing major. I do tend to notice an improvement with my anxiety levels very soon after starting it (not sure if this is the tablets kicking in sooner than expected, or if it is psychological). It’s interesting that you were told to take them at night, as I find it gives me worse dreams if I have it too late in the day.
Try not to think about any potential side effects, and focus on the positives you will gain from the medication. Big hugs, it will get better

I'm on Sertraline 50mg a day. I take it first thing in the morning as I read it can affect sleep and I haven't had any side effects at all from the start. I've been on it for just over a year now. I tried not to focus or worry about the side effects, whether that actually helped I don't know or if I was just lucky. Sometimes I find with my anxiety if I think about things like that I almost convince myself I've got it. Your mind and body can play tricks on you.
Good luck and I hope you are feeling better soon x

I'm on 50mg. Not sure I noticed much side affects when I started, I was in such a bad way it's hard to know if I had any it if it was the anxiety itself. But within a few weeks I was a lot better and now a few months later, I'm completely back to myself and the sertraline us completely invisible to me. I never had any wooziness or feeling of being doped. Does that really happen with antidepressants anything like the movies would have you believe? I don't know. But certainly not in my case. I'm alert and full of energy again.

Morning everyone thank you so much for your messages. As predicted I woke up at 3 am I was awake for about an hour and a half but to be honest that’s not uncommon. As some of you mentioned, it’s hard to know what is psychological. I’ll carry on for two weeks and if still not sleeping perhaps switch to morning although was slightly put off by nausea and drowsiness comments from another site. It’s great to know that I’m not alone and it’s not shameful to take medication. I think antidepressants have a bad reputation but great people are so much more open and honest in sharing their experiences x

Also I forgot to add that my anxiousness is worse in the morning so I thought taking a tablet at night would be best.....who knows??!!

I think now, more than ever, people are being more open about their struggles with their mental health, and please know you are definitely not alone with your battles. As someone once reminded me, if you broke your limb you wouldn’t hesitate to get it treated, so why should our mental health be any different? I hope you have good support around you, and feel you have someone you can offload to when necessary.
Have you looked into CBT? I know that has helped me. As I’ve said before, you’re not alone. Life will get brighter, with some days being much easier than others. You’ve got this x

Hope you feel ok today. I am back on 50mg after weaning myself off it earlier this year. My next door neighbour is a well respected mental health nurse and always says sertraline is a wonder drug. It helps so many people.

If you are feeling anxious/jittery or have any of the other side effects just know they usually pass after the first week. I feel fine now and I'm on day 9.

Thank you :)

Hi there, firstly well done, it's not easy to get to this stage, I tried myself for years after my DS was born 20 years ago but could never say the words out loud to the doctor that I felt I needed something. I do understand why you are worrying about taking them. I did too but to reassure you I've been on Sertraline for 3 years after a bereavement and other family stuff that finally tipped me over the edge and it has really, really helped me.

Luckily I had no side effects whatsoever apart from a mild feeling of nausea during the first week possibly, once or twice - no more than that. It will take a little time to get into your system. I knew it was working because I slept so much better which is how it helped me first.
Initially you may experience very vivid dreams. I didn't experience bad dreams just amazingly detailed dreams. I immediately forgot them when I woke up (which was disappointing sometimes as I'd liked to have reflected on what they meant!).

For the first time in my adult life (I'm now 57) I experienced clarity and calmness around my thoughts. Where previously when experiences had caused me much anxiety I felt able to think through things logically without the awful feeling of panic and flight or fight. They've really helped me to feel more objective about my feelings and thoughts. Basically it has chilled me out massively and that has lead to me feeling more confident in my decisions and understanding and owning my feelings. I've also enjoyed not sweating the small stuff that would normally have sent me into a panic. As I was also menopausal when I started taking it it massively reduced my hot sweats. I haven't put any weight on either. I know that sometimes this can happen but maybe because if you feel more relaxed you have a better appetite. The only thing I would say to expect is that you may feel quite tired for the first couple of months. When this happened to me I made sure I took some time out to have a power nap just for 20 minutes. Its important to give yourself the space to do this. The tiredness will pass, it did for me but you have to stick with it.

I hope this is reassuring for you. I'm currently coming off them because I feel now the time is right for me to do that.

Take care and be kind to yourself and good luck OP.