Sertraline

[grateful3]

I’m nearly 3 weeks in to taking 50mg of sertraline and have had a few good days and then the anxiety strikes again. It’s so frustrating. How do I know if it’s going to work and is this normal? On the good days I feel like my old self again and then on the bad days I have heightened anxiety again.

I’m in the same position @grateful3 it’s horrible isn’t it! I have glimmers where I feel a bit less anxious and hopeful and the next minute I’m spiralling down again. I keep telling myself it will get better but it doesn’t feel like it at the moment! Do u have any other side effects? Ive felt constantly nauseous since I started them, feels like morning sickness!

I'm about 6 weeks in and definitely feeling a bit better

@Whycantgiraffesdance I was nauseous at first but my main problem is lack of sleep. I wake up a few times in the night and often can’t get back to sleep. I then become anxious about it. It really puts me in a low mood the next day.

@Yesididntdothat that’s good to know. I know it’s only 3 weeks but it feels like it’s taking forever to feel better

I'm on 150mgs it can take up to 8 weeks to kick in properly. X

@grateful3 what time of day do you take it?

@Whycantgiraffesdance about 6.30am. I did try it at night at first but I couldn’t sleep so changed to morning. Still can’t sleep though!

@PinkChampange thank you. It’s so hard when you’re not feeling great to have to wait so long to get better but I know I need to be more patient. Sometimes my anxiety is worse than before I started and happens suddenly for no apparent reason. Have you been able to work whilst you’ve been on the meds? I’m signed off work at the moment.

@grateful3 It definitely gets worse before it gets better, I think you just need to ride out the worst and just cling on to the fact that it will get better! I’m not enjoying life at the moment, it’s more about surviving and getting through each day as best as I can, if the only thing I achieved is getting my kids up and off to school then I count it as a win!!

It’s a slow burn but worth that wait. The good news is that it starting to work for you already. 4-6 weeks is the optimal time for it to kick in. By 8 weeks you’ll be at your best on it. Stick with it. You’re nearly there.

@TreeHuggerMum1 thank you

My daughter was told to take it at night. Is that wrong? She does struggle to fall asleep early.

Nausea initially is a common side effect. I found peppermint tea a life saver. It will get better.

BUT Her mood and anxiety is a lot better. She is about 20 weeks in. Hang in there OP.

Yes I work. I work part time as a carer. However when I first went on them I took 3 weeks signed off. Then went back on reduced hours before picking back up again.

It took me the best part of 3 months to feel stable on it but I've now been on 50mg for 2.5 years and doing great. My panic disorder was very acute when I started, which might account for the fact it took so long. It can make you feel extremely strange in the early days but try to push on. Keeping my world as small as possible for a while helped until I felt more normal again.

Is it the first medication of this kind you've tried? They dish this out first and go from there. Not sure why but I'd maybe take a guess about money and availability etc. it didn't work for me and professionally I've seen it display its side effects on people - it's not one I'd recommend to start with.

Can you request another or do you have to wait till this is reviewed?

I'm not sure how old OP is, but I believe one of the reasons they give sertraline as a starter medication to women of child-bearing age is that it's among the safest, if not the safest anti-depressant in pregnancy.

@WatermelonLou I’ve been on citalopram in the past. When I spoke to the doctor she said to wait until 6 weeks before we review the meds.

@Icantbedoingwithit thank you

@TreeHuggerMum1 thank you

I know this is an old thread but how is everyone doing now? Did the meds settle down? I'm 8 weeks into restarting sertraline (2 weeks 50mg, 6 weeks 100mg) and feeling really low. Anxiety has definitely reduced but I'm left with depression currently. I don't feel like it took this long the first time.

@ADCL2018 I’m much better now thanks. I am still on sertraline. I would say it took about 8 weeks for things to settle for me and as you’ve upped your meds maybe it will take another couple of weeks for the meds to settle. I remember having to tell myself whenever I felt low that this feeling will pass and each day I got through was a day closer to feeling much better. I found getting some fresh air helped too. Take care of yourself and I hope you feel much better soon.

@grateful3 thank you for your response. I'm glad to hear you're doing well. I'm so deflated and just want to be back to myself again. I'll keep at it for a couple more weeks.

@ADCL2018 I can definitely relate to what you’re saying as I had some good days and then the anxiety returned and I couldn’t understand it. It’s so frustrating that meds that are meant to make you feel better take so long to work. But hopefully they will and as you say your anxiety has reduced. Are there things you can do to distract you? Maybe look for things that make you happy every day and note them down. The smell of a cup of coffee or the taste of a delicious slice of cake. Look after yourself. Brighter days are coming.