Sertraline- Please share your honest experience

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Hi, so I suffer massively with health anxiety. I feel like it is starting to make me depressed also. Currently having CBT for my anxiety. Currently I’m having muscle twitches all over my body and convinced myself it’s MND or something like that. Dr has tried to reassure me this is just anxiety and has told me I should consider taking sertraline. (I had it prescribed to me a couple of months ago but was far to scared to take it) it’s just sat in my cupboard and I just need to make a decision. I know I should take it, but I’m terrified of it having a negative effect on me. I heard people just feel numb on it and that’s not what I want. Please share your experiences if you don’t mind. Or if you can think of anything alternatively please share.

Can I ask did anyone suffer with aura when starting sertraline?

I have been taking it for a couple of years, but have weaned the dose right down. It has helped me enormously but the first few weeks were terrible.

@Babyroobs yes I'm only on my 5th day and still very up and down and panicking about everything I'm just praying it works in time it's a very scary time

Can somebody please help me I've been taking 25mg 9f sertraline for about 6 days I'm still very anxious but managed to go to work today regarding side effects I don't feel I've been to bad some stomach problems loss of appetite and initial anxiety when I take it the thing is I'm wondering should I up my dose to 50mg now or leave it a while? I'm supposed to be going to York for the weekend but I'm contemplating backing out but I'm worried I'll cause myself more mental issues by avoiding...any advice would be much appreciated I'm terrified I'll never feel myself again

Be easy on yourself @FreddyP. 6 days is very early and I had anxiety until about day 14. It peaked at day 9 then slowly went away. I havent had any anxiety at all since about 3 weeks in - I'm on week 11 now and I feel calm, content, sociable, productive, emotionally strong and confident again. I was on 25mg for first 6 weeks and been on 50mg for 5 weeks. It's a slow burn but you'll get there? in the end!

@specialsauce thank you I just needed some hope I've been worrying I'm stuck like this and tempted to hide away but I know this will cause more issues thank you so much for replying it really helps me to talk to someone who has been through it

I felt stuck like that too for the first 6 weeks, really wasnt sure if they were doing anything much, felt tired and wondered if I made a mistake starting taking them. Then I realised I hadnt felt anxious, or depressed, or angry for ages. It was all new and scary. I never taken AD's before. So glad I stuck with it. Kee going!

*Keep

@specialsauce thanks for your encouraging words, helps a lot at this lonely scary time x

I'm sorry to post again but can sertraline heighten your phobias until they fully kick in as I've always been a bit anxious about eating for fear of choking but I'm now at the point I'm resorting to soups porridge etc as I'm scared I'm going to choke

I took sertraline for depression. It saved me, I’m so grateful it existed. No side effects and no problem coming off it. Didn’t feel numb but just felt myself and happy for first time in a long time. Didn’t feel at all fake. Like it restored me and then my brain could take ove. It got me out of a hole.

@FreddyP I didnt have any phobias so I cant be much help I'm afraid. You're about 3 weeks in though arent you? Perhaps you might need some specific help to talk through phobias. Are you doing ok besides the eating?

@specialsauce thank you yes I'm feeling a little improvement and I spoke to the doctor last week who said as I'd only started the 50mg last Monday that was really my start date on them as the 25mg wouldn't of been beneficial so I think I am slowly improving thanks

@wanderlove that's good to hear it worked so well for you I think I'm maybe expecting to much to soon as my main issue is dreadful anxiety

It is a very slow and steady improvement so if you noticing it already that's a great sign. I'm on 13 weeks now and starting to forget how it felt like to feel low, anxious and overwhelmed like I did 3 months ago. Keep going @FreddyP!

@specialsauce thank you so much!

I was prescribed 50mg daily back in June for anxiety, it took me 9 days to actually brave taking them because I was so worried about the side effects.

Thinking back its daft really, I was too anxious to take a pill for anxiety - which was the whole point of needing them in the first place!

I lost my appetite and had (more) issues with Insomnia for the first 2 weeks but haven't had any ongoing effects. To be honest I've no intention of giving them up any time soon - they don't cure everything but they give me time to process and rationalise my worries rather than have the constant overwhelming illogical concerns.

I have some extremely stressful stuff going on in my personal life right now and I think I'd have completely fallen apart without my daily pill!

@DoucheCanoe thank you yes I've been having insomnia as well as the eating issues but hopefully then this will settle as its still early days, glad you're feeling better with taking them as I was exactly the same absolutely terrified

@DoucheCanoe

I was prescribed 50mg daily back in June for anxiety, it took me 9 days to actually brave taking them because I was so worried about the side effects.

Thinking back its daft really, I was too anxious to take a pill for anxiety - which was the whole point of needing them in the first place!

I lost my appetite and had (more) issues with Insomnia for the first 2 weeks but haven't had any ongoing effects. To be honest I've no intention of giving them up any time soon - they don't cure everything but they give me time to process and rationalise my worries rather than have the constant overwhelming illogical concerns.

I have some extremely stressful stuff going on in my personal life right now and I think I'd have completely fallen apart without my daily pill!

This is pretty much my experience with sertraline (albeit for depression rather than anxiety).

A close family member took it for depression and anxiety. It helped a lot. No withdrawal symptoms just a bit down for a couple of weeks.

Hi day 14 of 50mg sertraline things were going not to bad but anxiety has heightened significantly since Friday as has my phobia of choking when eating, I've spoken to the doctor who assured me this can happen initially but should ease in the next 2 weeks, did anyone go through anything similar and eventually feel better? I've had to call in sick today I feel so dreadful 😩

I started a half dose of setraline , today is my 3rd day. I'm hopeful reading others stories this will help me. I've felt stressed since dec 2019 i had an operation 9 weeks ago & have only been out of the house 3 times which led to me feeling very low. I'm relieved ive finally asked for help. So far I feel a bit weird and a bit nauseated in between.

I’m late to this thread but in oct 2020 I went on Sertraline for anxiety. It was the best thing I did for myself at the them. I was alway prone to anxiety but for a long time I found ways to manage it but then i couldn’t. It has been a game changer for me. I honestly don’t think I would have got through this last 12 months without it. Fortunately I’ve had no side effects so it’s been a positive experience for me. I do want to come off it but ironically, that makes me anxious.

I've been on sertraline for about 5 months now.

I don't sleep well on them at all and feel tired alot BUT I'll take that over how I felt 5 months ago. It has helped my anxiety to the point I feel like me again.

I recently got a promotion and have copied fine with it (before I would have stayed up all night, convinced myself that I didn't deserve it and it would be a matter of time before I was sacked)

Hi Freddy. I've just been reading your story and very similar to you I came off longterm citalopram, struggled for three months and was then prescribed sertraline.

I found it very rough starting up on them to the extent I had to take time out from work (and move back in with parents for a while!).

However, I stuck with them and eventually the side effects calmed down and things went back to normal, and my depression eased.

It took a long time but everyday was an improvement on the last.

My advice would be to stick to the lower dose until the side effects have settled. Personally I just take 50mg as it allows me to function without debilitating side effects.

Weight wise I lost 10kg in total when starting the tablets. Once I settled on the tablets I gradually regained back to my normal healthy weight.

When I was at my lowest I used to scan these boards looking for hope, so I've decided to share my story if it helps.

All the best