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Mental health

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Original poster

Scared to take sertraline - Social anxiety

19 replies

Gigi1234 · 04/01/2022 14:54

Hi Everyone,

This is my first time posting so please bear with me! I am 37 and have finally being diagnosed as suffering from social anxiety after spending all my life thinking I was just painfully shy and a bit strange.

Anyway, my doctor sent me to a therapist and on a 6 week course but I didn't really feel they helped me,if anything they just made me more anxious!

It's starting to take over my life,its never been this bad.Im scared dropping the kids off at school and even when I get a text message from my friends,it takes me days to reply. In all honesty,I just feel completely overwhelmed lately.Its been building up I'd say over the last year.Its affected me my whole life, just never this bad.

The doctor has now prescribed 100mg sertraline and I'm even scared and anxious to take it! I don't even know why.

I think what I'm really asking is has anyone ever taken sertraline for their social anxiety and did it help?

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

OP posts:

Original poster

Gigi1234 · 04/01/2022 20:22

Can anyone help please?

OP posts:

follygirl · 04/01/2022 20:36

My husband has been taking Sertraline for 8 years now. He has anxiety and depression and it has really helped. He is also having counselling to understand why he feels the way he feels and how to deal with it.
He is a lot happier.

decemberrainydays · 04/01/2022 20:43

I take sertraline for generalised anxiety, including a form of social anxiety. (I'm not anxious before or during events but have horrendous anxiety afterwards.)

Quite honestly it's changed my life. I slowly worked up to a dose of 150mg (starting dose is 50mg) and the anxiety is pretty much gone most of the time.

Initially I had mild side effects - for me they were mostly loss of appetite and jaw clenching when I increased the dose. But now after a few months I don't have any side effects.

MrsGaskthrill · 04/01/2022 20:51

Hello, I haven’t taken anything but I also suffer from social anxiety and I used to find the school run very stressful and gave me flashbacks of how I used to feel at school. I made a decision not to care if I made friends with the other mums and to be friendly and kind but not want anything back. This helped me a lot. I still find I feel weird and an outsider at times but I don’t really care any more and have made some mum friends. I hope you find a way to feel better

Original poster

Gigi1234 · 04/01/2022 22:10

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.Your messages mean alot and they have made me feel so much better already! I wish I could tell my family and friends how bad I really feel lately and that I've been diagnosed with social anxiety but I don't want to cause any worry. That's probably the overthinker in me

OP posts:

Angryattrackandtrace · 04/01/2022 22:14

This is so interesting to read. I’m tempted to try it myself but going to try 6 weeks of (private) therapy first. At £300 I hope it makes a little difference 😌

NYnewstart · 04/01/2022 22:14

Please talk to family and friends. They love you and won’t want you to be suffering on your own.

Sertraline will help.

Rekorderlig88 · 04/01/2022 22:16

Hi I take it for anxiety due to emmetophobia.
I also believe I have social anxiety.. Like you v shy awkward.
I won't answer the phone or door.
It has helped

Sarahlou63 · 04/01/2022 22:18

What exactly are you scared of? Our imaginations are great at pretending that things that haven't happen yet are real and are going to be awful.

But it's just that - pretending. If you pretend (or imagine) things are going to be OK/normal/boring then they will be.

FEAR? Future Events Aren't Real.

Nostrings457 · 04/01/2022 22:20

I took it and it was effective. I didn’t want to be on meds long term so took for a few months to take the edge off then did a lot of self help / lifestyle changes and stopped taking with agreement from gp

Floyi · 04/01/2022 22:24

OP i was in your position months ago, trying to decide whether ds should go on it as he has diagnosed anxiety & OCD. I came on a thread that was running at the time to get support. It's scary because there are lots of documented side effects but there are also lots of positive stories, the positive outweighing the negative. In the end, ds's mental health got so bad that he decided to take the plunge, he was desperate. He's been on it going on just a year now and the only side effect he's had has been dry mouth and stomach cramps when he's used it on an empty stomach. None of the dreaded nightmares etc. He is so much calmer and cracking on with his A'levels. So pls, unless you have some other options, give it a try and just see how you fare. Give it a chance to bed it, I think it takes some weeks and you can always tweak the dose.

KMfirsttimemum · 04/01/2022 22:37

I’ve taken sertraline and it really helped me, I did get some of the side effects but they only lasted a week then I started to feel better week by week. I suffer from anxiety and OCD and they really help

NearlyAHoarder · 04/01/2022 22:37

I was also in two minds because I wasn't depressed, I felt powerless, so I wasn't sure about taking them but they did me the world of good. I managed to get the courage to leave my abusive x.

But ''Lustral'' gave me the strength to just stand a bit firmer in my own corner. Enabled me to pick myself up.

I haven't needed ADs since but I do not regret taking them when I needed them.
I can see now I was being too precise with the labelling of my emotions. I thought that because my emotion was powerlessness rather than depression that they couldn't help me, but that wasn't true, they did help.
Good luck to you. I hope that you feel better soon.

NearlyAHoarder · 04/01/2022 22:38

The only side effect i had was diarrhoea and weight falling off me, I looked like a wraith but I think that could also have been just generally not being the best fullness of my physical health at the time.

Fleetheart · 04/01/2022 22:40

i have found sertraline has really helped my anxiety. i’m still me but don’t worry so much! i would recommend it; i put it off for years (was scared really), but it’s made a very positive difference to my life.

GiveYourHeadAWobble · 04/01/2022 23:03

I don’t take Sertraline but I do take a similar drug (Escitalopram) for severe anxiety. It’s very helpful. I regret struggling on without it.

Original poster

Gigi1234 · 05/01/2022 12:00

I can't thank you all enough for your advice and support,it really has helped the way I feel.

OP posts:

Rosetinted234 · 05/01/2022 12:22

I take sertraline 75mg and should have started years earlier! I remember feeling very scared to take it too, but that’s the anxiety talking! (I have generalised and health anxiety). I did start at 50mg and work upwards. Expect to feel jittery and extra anxious for a couple of weeks while it gets into your system. Then after about 6 weeks I noticed that I felt moments of contentment, maximum benefit at 12 weeks I’d say. Good luck 😉

EloraD · 04/09/2025 12:11

Hi! I’ve been on Zoloft (sertraline) for quite a long time now because of anxiety and a few related issues, and honestly, it really works great. In the beginning, I did experience some side effects, but they passed fairly quickly, and after that everything started to improve noticeably. The key thing is to use good quality Zoloft, and then the results can be excellent. If it helps, I personally get mine from this pharmacy: gowebcure.com/zoloft - fast delivery and a really great effect!

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