Day 2 Sertraline- feel so dizzy

[Vapeyvapevape]

I started Sertraline 50mg yesterday, so have taken 2 tablets, I feel very light headed and not myself. Is this normal after just 2 days ? Im aware I might feel emotionally worse before I feel better but didn't expect to feel physically unwell.

I felt like I had the worst hangover of my life for at least the first week.

I started on 50mg and felt so ill the doctor advised me to drop it 25 mg for 2 weeks until my body got used to it.

My son felt dizzy and nauseous for the first week but nothing after that. It took over a month to start helping but he did start on 25mg and work up. He was 12 then and is still on them at 17. It's helped him so much.

Thank you replying, I hope this passes soon and that they work! I really feel weird, not sure I'd trust myself to drive even.

Stick with it. I felt shaky, dizzy and generally awful but all of that went after about ten days. Then I started to feel so much better. Luckily my GP had warned me about the possible side effects. Good luck, hope you feel better soon.

Thank you, yep I'm shaky too.

If it doesn’t settle bear in mind it is a terrible drug for many. My daughter became very very shaky, started twitching (like Tourette’s) had pain in her chest, weird empty feeling in her head and started fitting. When mixed with alcohol (even small quantities) she had complete memory blanks, passing out, hallucinations and paranoia. We really wish she’d never started taking it.

Yes normal. It can be awful just keep in touch with your GP if you're finding it too much.

@Copasetic oh god poor thing, has she had any lasting effects?

I don't think so luckily. I'd tread carefully with it though and if you have been put on medication a little too readily (like her) then reconsider because it's also very bad to come off if. The problem seems to relate to the SSRI group of antidepressants so there's plenty of others not in this group. Obviously for some it is life-saving so I'm not saying no one should take. We wish we'd been more informed before she started taking it. We didn't even know that the side affects she was getting was down to the sertraline and she was being investigated for other things. The doctor also kept upping her dose so watch out for that.

I feel a bit worried about taking it now.

when I took sertraline, I started by breaking off a quarter of a tablet, and did this for a week, and the next week I built up to a half and so on, building up very, very gradually until I was safely
on the 50mg dose. I would have felt dreadful even if I’d have taken 25mg, it’s a powerful drug but has to be introduced to the body slowly and the same for coming off it.

I didn’t even notice I was taking it using this regime. When I came off it to get pregnant, I tapered very very slowly and gradually over a good three months, and suffered no withdrawal effects at all.

Slow and steady wins the race with Sertraline

Sertraline is one of the safest and best tolerated anti depressants. Over 18m tablets of it are taken a year in the UK. The vast vast majority of people are totally fine with it. You might get a bit of dizziness and nausea for the first week or so but it should soon settle down. I've been on all sorts of doses and come off it twice over the years and it's always been fine. If it doesn't work, there are lots of other options too. I hope you feel better soon!

Thank you, hopefully it'll wear off and I'll start to feel the benefits.

I’ve been on it for 4 weeks - also on 50 mg - I feel tons better than when I first started ; I felt dizzy and a bit stoned in the first week but it passed after the second week and I now feel like I can cope much better with life. Hang in there and be kind to yourself if you’re feeling rough - give yourself a chance to get used to it. Hope it gets better soon

Thank you, day 4 today , I can see why people don't persevere!

How are you getting on op?

A good book to read when considering anti-depressants is by Johann Hari Lost Connections. Anti-depressants are amazing for certain people but sadly not for many. Alas the general practitioner has little mental health training so anti-depressants are their main thing they have to hand. However it’s a train that once you get on - it’s hard to get off! If they don’t work or make you ill, change brand or look to alternatives.

I'm still feeling odd , very sweaty and can't settle down to do anything.

The sweats will ease off over time.

It will pass soon I promise. Also take at night if you feel dizzy and take 25mg to start

I’d stick with it for a week. I’ve been on many medications over the years and non of the XXRI meds are ever nice in the first week or two. They do take a bit of adjustment. If it’s after two weeks and it’s not going away then it might not be the one for you.

There are lots of options these days though. I can’t remember all the names but Sertraline was my first and not for me, and Fluoxitine was what I was on longest and still go back to occasionally. Both (and some others I forget) are available on the NHS.

It’s a real person by person thing but definitely worth trying to make it through that first fortnight.

You can feel quite ill for the first week or two.

I am surprised your GP didn't suggest you do 25mg for the first 4 - 6 days. It's not proven but there's anecdotal evidence it helps.

It will pass though.

Thanks everyone, I've been really jittery today, not helped by the fact I discovered I made a mistake at work today that'll cost £2000 😞

Hi there …@Vapeyvapevape it really seems like it’s not for you. Brands really differ and what’s fine for one person is certainly not fine for another. That’s not how any medication works.

Anti-depressants have an efficacy rate of only 53% which really means that they only work / or suit just over half of the people who take them. So this is not on you. It’s on the manufacturers. ( It also means you’ll have the same feelings coming off. ) PM me if you want to talk about it more in depth. I totally understand what you’re feeling.