Is sertraline making me too confident?!

[ncyetagain8222]

I started taking sertraline 3 weeks ago (50mg a day) and it's done absolute wonders for my anxiety. I feel so much calmer compared to how I was before and can barely believe the difference. Life suddenly feels so much more manageable.

However, as someone who's always suffered hugely from social anxiety in particular, I'm a bit worried that it might be making me lose my inhibitions to the point where it's a bit too much?

To give an example, I met up with a couple of colleagues recently and noticed I was far chattier than usual, to the point where I felt it was possibly too much (i.e. talking about myself too much and not listening enough to others). I was also far more open about myself than I would have been previously, because I felt a lot more relaxed and confident to be myself.

Is this the sertraline working, and has it thrown up another issue, where the "true" me is now coming out and perhaps I don't like that person too much?

Curious to know whether anyone else can relate...

I haven't had that from sertraline but i did have it through therapy and it caused a massive internal backlash against the new, more open me. It was not pretty. Sorry I don't have answers but therapy has helped me along a very bumpy road. Good luck. x

To me it felt like the hangover shame I might have felt previously after having a few too many drinks the night before.

@coffeeisthebest the hangover shame is exactly how I'd describe it. How do you mean, an internal backlash - and what was the end result? Did you come to accept the new more open you?

I was the same. I felt irritating

@Counsellingtime I feel that way too. I'm not sure what to do - I don't want to come off the sertraline as it's made me so much more relaxed and able to deal with things.

This is really interesting. I have social anxiety which has been made much worse by working from home. I'm having to actually go to meetings soon and mix with people, I'm dreading it! I'm wondering whether this might help me

I think you need to give yourself a break. It's going to take a while to discover the 'new you'. I've felt like this before, like the anxiety has gone and I'm like, who is this?!
If the sertraline is helping, stay on it, give yourself a good amount of time to adjust, you'll settle into yourself again soon enough.

I feel the same but I’ve noticed that new people are much more drawn to the ‘new me’ and seem to want to be my friend. I think I gave off an air of aloofness before so it’s not necessarily a bad thing!

Thanks. I'm just a bit worried after reading an old thread on MN where someone said it removes all social inhibitions, so your brain filter effectively turns off and you just say what you think, good and bad...! I'm scared of not having control over what comes out my mouth?

I think that would only be the case in extreme cases! I’d sure I still have inhibitions but I’m definitely not as reserved as before. Oh and I also got a promotion at work which I’m putting down to being more confident and personable.

Congratulations on the promotion! I feel so much more confident it's incredible. I just feel I don't really recognise (and am not sure I like and feel comfortable with) this new more outgoing me. I'm worried I've become an oversharer

Would you be able to lower the dose a little bit

I could lower it to 25mg, but it's working so well for me in all other aspects. Perhaps I just need to actively be more conscious about thinking before I speak?

Really interesting thread OP. I've been on sertraline 50mg the last 18 months. Before that I'd spent most of my adult like in a relationship with a very controlling person (so was always walking on egg shells), and before that I was quite a shy, quiet child and young adult.

In my head I still think of myself as a 'quiet person', but if I describe myself as that nowadays people are surprised, i.e. I'm not! Because I was reserved and still think of myself in that way (and also was in a relationship where I could never put myself first) I've never had to learn to regulate myself to not talk too much, to take time to listen others etc. I completely get that awful 'hangover' feeling the next day of having said too much, been too brash etc. It makes me cringe so hard!

I should have said that I did have a couple of glasses of wine as well - so perhaps the combination of alcohol plus less anxiety made me too over confident? Maybe I need to go tee total...

I've never had to learn to regulate myself to not talk too much, to take time to listen others etc.

Me too - it's almost like I have to re-learn how to behave in social situations! What I'm hoping is that I will be able to do that whilst being on the sertraline. I don't want to go back to how I was before (panicking and extremely nervous of engaging with anyone).

Meant to add that you're also in the very early days of taking sertraline, so it will probably settle down a bit over time. But agree it is unsettling having to reorientate your perception of yourself.

@littleburn do you feel you have managed to regulate yourself now? Or do you still cringe?

I was me but without my inhibitions. I was a really different person.

Yes, probably a combination of the wine and feeling less anxious too! Just a little word of warning, I can drink on sertraline now no problem, but for the first few months on it what would have left me with a bit of a hangover had me very drunk and sick.

[quote ncyetagain8222]@littleburn do you feel you have managed to regulate yourself now? Or do you still cringe?[/quote]
I'm a lot better at regulating now. I just have to remind myself to shut up every so often Sometimes if I'm feeling very enthusiastic about something I can go on a bit though!

[quote ncyetagain8222]@coffeeisthebest the hangover shame is exactly how I'd describe it. How do you mean, an internal backlash - and what was the end result? Did you come to accept the new more open you?[/quote]
I think the backlash was the internal voice I have that had started the social anxiety. I believe that in lowering our inhibitions, we also start to 'hear' how we became who we are now. So the backlash was an entire childhood of being shamed for having a voice. I have needed therapy as it all got a bit much for me, gradually over time I am learning to stop listening to the internal critique, or stop allowing it to have so much power. I did take medication for a while but now I am just having therapy. I think it's a necessary process tho as you learn to live with a version of yourself who isn't so internally controlled.

Given you're only 3 weeks in it's more likely placebo and/or a temporary side effect. Usually takes at least 4-6 weeks to kick in.

This is a really interesting thread. Some years ago I took Sertraline and my behaviour afterwards was awful. I went to the Dr and was prescribed the Sertraline because my partner kept telling me what a horrible person I was and that I needed to take medication to make me nice again. I remember after a couple of weeks being congratulated on being nice again. Over the following months, my behaviour got quite bad - loss of filter I think. I look back and I see that period as a time when I wasn’t myself at all. I’ve been thinking about it a lot in the last few months because I don’t think I was actually depressed or medically anxious. I was in an abusive relationship and Sertraline just made me more accepting of that but also I think the frustration of my situation made me act out in other areas of my life. I remember feeling almost manic at times. At one point I told myself that if I ever felt unhappy in my relationship, I should get myself on Sertraline, instead of making my partner unhappy.
Thankfully out of that relationship now!

This is weird,I'm on 150mg a day and feel no different or better!