Sertraline- Please share your honest experience

[ACCx]

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.

@PrancerandDancer thank you so much. Your whole post gives me so much hope x

@Belle82 I am so pleased it helped. The first few days can be tough but hold on in there x

I’m going to up my dose I think. I was doing so well and sertraline really was a game changer for me, but I feel I’m slipping into my old ways with my health anxiety. Thinking of going from 50mg to 100mg

Been on 25mgs Sertraline for 5 weeks. Gp has said To increase to 50mgs a few weeks ago but I’m too scared.
i get lightheaded where I feel I am going to pass out (had this before sertraline but think it’s been worse since starting it) dizzy, heart palpitations and anxiety is awful where I’m so scared to go out incase I feel faint and dizzy when out. Being out in public usually causes these symptoms too

im so scared that increasing my sertraline will make this even worse from the side effects but I know I need to try because I really have no life anymore

do you always have side effects from dose increase or is it just when you start the medication? Xx

@EmilyJ23 My hubby has been back on Sertraline about 3 months now. He started at 25mg with no real side effects but after going up to 50mg and above he sees side effects for a week or two with each change of dose so do not be surprised or worried by this.

At 50mg and above, after about 2 months, everything else seems to settle out but he does see changes and an effect on his sex drive that we have to take into consideration.

It’s amazing stuff. Helped me through some tricky times. I’ve now weaned off

Hi all, please may I join the thread?

After a telephone conversation with my GP last Friday, he said my symptoms were depression and anxiety disorder, and prescribed Sertraline.

Looking back, I have realised that I have been experiencing depression and anxiety since around the time the pandemic started, doesn’t help with working frontline NHS, then we changed trusts with new rules , then new systems were introduced.
It all built up from there, and I am now on sick leave.

I started with 25mg for a week according to GP instructions, then to increase to 50mg afterwards.

So this is day 5 on 25mg. I feel better though I’m not sure if that’s not being at work at the moment.
Reading this thread has made me feel positive about taking Sertraline, as I was hesitant to take it at the beginning.
Glad it’s been helping other posters on the thread 💐

……and thank you @ACCx for starting this thread 💐xx

I started on 50mg 8 months ago. I suffered pretty bad side effects for the first few weeks, they then slowly eased off and I felt great. I then started to feel waves of good and bad (as if it was wearing off) so decided to up my dose to 100mg. The side effects did come back for a few weeks but weren't as bad as the first time.

After a few months the same thing happened with the waves of good and bad so I decided to up my dose to 150mg. The side effects were minimal this time and once they settled I feet really good. The waves haven't come back this time and it's been a good few months on this dose.

I think it was a case of finding the dose that was right for me. It took a good few months to settle but it's worth sticking it out.

How do you know when to go down a dosage, or even go off Sertraline entirely?

I started on 50mg in February, then upped it to 100mg in April, which I've been on ever since. Done some really helpful counselling and made some positive changes in life. But the side effects still bother me (gastric issues, jaw clenching, difficult to orgasm) and they don't seem to be going away. I'm also not keen to stay on them indefinitely, but don't want to set myself back by coming off them too early either.

What is everyone else's experience?

I have read the thread. I was offered this recently but I’ve had bad reactions to other pills making me worse as they tend to keep me awake for days on end.
Interestingly my psychiatrist thought the side effects would likely outweigh the benefits for me.
it’s helpful to read positive comments.

@aghostinthethroat I don't see me ever wanting to stop them. They make me feel like a normal person again. I didn't actually realise how bad things were until I started to feel better.

They have changed my life for the better and I'd like to keep it that way so if sertraline is what it takes then so be it.

Sorry I couldn't help with your question more.

Can I join in? I was anxious anyway and am 4 days in and barely functioning. How can I stop feeling so anxious? Life has been pretty crap for a while and I can’t cope. Don’t know what to do. Called a talking helpline and they just say,’ oh dear, yes that’s tough’ which doesn’t help. Dh can’t help he just says he’s got it harder.

@Pinkypong sorry to hear that you are barely functioning, what dosage are you on?
I started on 25ml for the first week as per GP instructions and didn’t feel any differently to normal, anxious like yourself. Now just on second week and gone up to 50mg, so hopefully will see a difference soon.
Sorry your dh is no help 💐

That’s really positive you’ve found the dosage that suits you @Neuby .
It seems then that the higher the dose, the less side effects, but of course that could be different for everybody.

@DistantCarnageOnTheHorizon I wonder if the side effects are less with a higher dose because there's already a build up in your system so it's not as much of a shock as the initial dose? I'm just guessing here but either way, upping the dose each time was a like walk in the park compared to the first 2-3 weeks!

@Pinkypong You just need to ride the storm and wait for it to pass. I got through it by accepting it for what it was and with loads of help and support from DH. You're right in the worst possible stage with them but I promise things will start to improve as the days go on.

I think at the end of week 2 for me was when the fog finally started to lift and gradually things started to improve each day after that.

I can't even describe the hell I suffered for the first 2 weeks. I had every side effect listed and it was so severe I convinced myself I was dying! You just need to push through until you reach that sweet spot. Good luck!

Started on sertraline 5 days ago and im feeling really really sick. How long does it take for the nausea to go?

You’ll feel ok 2 weeks in

I’ve been suffering from severe Health Anxiety for years and i just can’t live like this anymore. I have been prescribed Sertraline too and I’m scared to take them. We’re you able to work during the first few weeks of horrible side effects?

I was able to work but I kept a low profile and didn’t socialise the second week. I was so exhausted and paranoid and had bouts of sickness but pushed through. I wish I’d taken a week off time off.

But I’m so glad I pushed through - I felt so much stronger, relaxed and happier.

it has been fab for me; I was very anxious about a number of things and I am so much more calm now. I feel just like myself
but not worried. I did have some minor side effects at the beginning; kind of feeling more on edge than usual. But they wore off. It made a really positive difference to my life. I resisted anti anxiety medication for so long - was worried it would turn me into a zombie! but it has been a lifesaver.

Sertraline has been life changing for me. I was persuaded to go on it because I had bad PMS. Two weeks of happiness and two weeks of hell. I can't believe how even tempered and calm I am now.

I must be perimenopausal as well at my age, but haven't felt I need any other support.

I'm on 100mg and told my GP I'm prepared to wrestle her to the floor if she ever tries to take me off them. My only regret is not starting them sooner. I feel I lost years to hormone misery. GP is slightly stunned at the change I think.

I had exploding vivid firework dreams when I first started, which made me feel as if I wasn't getting any sleep. It wasn't great. But my pharmacist had prepared me for potential side-effects at the beginning and told me to push through them - actually came out to speak to me with first prescription.

But that settled down after a couple of weeks. Now I dream - I think probably normally - whereas for years and years I wasn't aware of dreaming at all.