How long have you been using Sertraline for?

[LadeOde]

DS 19 nearly 20 has severe OCD was put on Sertraline end of year when he was 16yrs). The Sertraline is working very well for him and he is now at uni in his 2nd yr living his best life and doing well academically. . I remember the Psychiatrist mentioning briefly that he could be weaned of it at some point but once the meds started working we've never revisited this. His life is great and the horrendous intrusive thoughts under control and he's happy. It's on my mind a lot now but he is so settled and doing well I am reluctant to even broach the subject.

I'm scared he's been on it for nearly 4 yrs! how long do other people use Setraline, are there any long term side effects?

Not Sertraline but another drug from the same SSRI class. Been on fluoxetine now for severe OCD since I was 17, so for 17 years! Very unlikely I will ever come off it.

It’s lovely to hear your son is feeling so much better, and I’m sure it’s a relief for you to see.

I started on sertraline 16yrs ago, with a couple of small gaps in between without it (no more than a year or two). I just never seem to manage without it, and my GPs no longer mention trying to wean off of it permanently. To my knowledge, there are no long term side effects.

@Janedoelondon @HeartandSeoul I had no idea you could use it for that long. I'm really glad to hear you are having no side effects. It's a huge relief not waking up in the night with a heart of led and not having to walk on egg shells incase it triggers something AND not having to worry about suicide.
Part of what's making me worried is I read somewhere that long term Setraline use could cause erectile dysfunction in men?? has anyone heard anything like this before ?

Sertraline maybe 15 years. Citaloprsm before this then a gap. I'm on for life. I'm just made that way.

I'm very normal.

I just found this on the NHS website. I read somewhere else that no more than 8% of men have reported issues with ED/sexual problems as a result of taking the medicine (this last piece of information may or may not be accurate, but ties in with what the NHS site says).

@HeartandSeoul Oh that's not good news 8% is a lot but have to remain positive because DS is like a different person now. I'm so glad it's working for you after all these years and enabled you to lead a normal peaceful life. Long may it contine.

This thread has given me so much hope, thank you.

My ds is 18 and started antidepressants 5 months ago. He has severe ocd, intrusive thoughts, and things have improved since he started sertraline a few weeks ago - we are reviewing dosage with the psychiatrist this week.

He's applied for university this year and I've been so worried so it's great to hear your ds positive story.

I also worry about the sexual side of things for him but like you, we really had no option but to put him on it (and it was his decision). I can see him being on these drugs for at least the next 3 years.

I can’t see where I found that statistic now, and please remember that this information may not be correct.

I remember a previous Mumsnetter asking what side effects we had noticed when taking Sertraline, as they were worried about losing their libido. Their GP had advised them to start taking it. They stated that intimacy was really important to them at the moment, and they couldn’t face losing it. I answered that, given the choice, I would opt for a healthy mind/love of life over any antics in the bedroom (as my husband would agree). I couldn’t function as a wife/mother before taking sertraline, so the priority for me was just to be able to find joy in life once again.

I guess I would view it that there are treatments for lack of libido/ED, so it’s worth trying the sertraline to see if it helps your mental health, but know there are treatments available if it causes certain side effects.

@mangololly I'm so glad you've some comfort in this thread. It is such a worrying time when they are about to transition to the next stage in life especially. I'm glad you found some answers here. It's worked really well for my DS with a lot of prayer. I hope your ds finds respite from it all and goes on to achieve everything he wants to do in life. Pls feel free to ask any questions or PM me if you need.

@HeartandSeoul Thanks again for your comments on the sexual side of things.

I am not in the Uk, where I am the advice is that once a person has been stable for 6 months, to start weaning off and discontinue.
He is young, his brain is changing, he might not need it any more, but someone needs to monitor him closely, because men that age are very impulsive.
Take a look at Georgia Ede on youtube, because if he does start to reduce his meds, actively managing his diet might help and also give him a mental health focus. The positive effect of doing something for mental health is huge. Now, he takes his pill and thinks I am taking care of myself. He needs to replace that action with something else.
Good luck!

I was on it for about 3 years.

Unfortunately @Unabletomitigate my DS was born with neurological condition that has caused his OCD so I'm not sure simply changing his diet and focussing on something is going to help. We've done all this in the past before deciding to medicate.

I've been on a variety of meds for the last 5+ year. I will probably be on them for life. They've given me my life back. Any small chance of side effects is worth it.

I was on sertraline for three years. I thought I was going to take it for life but I weaned off in 2018 and haven't needed to back on it luckily.

That being said - I don't think there is anything wrong with staying on it for life. I just felt like I wanted to try coming off as I was in a much better place :) it was a HARD transition but I stuck with it 😌

My ds has been on sertraline since he was 12. At almost 19 he's had them raised. He's diagnosed asd/gad and I expect he will
Continue to need them for the foreseeable future. If he's got a long term underlying issue then he would defined to come off gradually and under strict medical supervision as he could deteriorate fast. Personally unless the drs decide it's time I'd just keep on with the meds..he's doing well perhaps because of them

Can I ask what dose he is on?

My ds is on 100mg but I think he will probably go up to 150mg, which worries me, but he wants to get to a place where he can live his life and be happy, and be in a good place for Uni.

@mangololly 150mg. The lower doses just didn't work. Each time he had to go up a dose it was with great trepidation but as I'm sure you know, its a case of, what other choice have we got? so he went from up 100 to 150. He barely noticed any side effects thankfully and has been fine. Just know there is hope and your DS can go to uni and achieve his dreams and more.

I know this is an oldish thread but I'd really like to follow. Ds severe ocd diagnosis is gradually moving up to 200mg of Sertraline. He use to be on 100 but decided he wanted to come off it and ocd came back really bad again. Psyciatrist said the therapeutic dose for ocd is 200.
My ds is having a year out for a year and I would love to think he would cope at uni one day like your son. He's on the waiting list of weekly ERP too.

I have been on SSRIs/SNRIs for many years and I’m still completely with it. You can use them long term. I actually started with using them for Depression and OCD at 15/16 so same kind of scenario as your DS.

If he is thriving now, unless he is under a good Psychiatrist or an excellent GP who know him very well indeed, I would say it’s a case of ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.’ It’s just such a fine balance and you don’t want to rock the boat. Thinking about it also from his perspective, he was a child when he was put on them but is now an adult in all his decisions. I think if my mother suggested I come off medication and it went wrong, I wouldn’t say I would resent it, but I guess I wouldn’t be best pleased. He will address it himself when he feels it is time. Xx

@Runningagain82 Very sorry to hear your ds is struggling with OCD, its a nasty illness. DS has continued on his same dose and it continues to work well for him (i thought nothing would work!) and is doing well at uni if that's any comfort to you. We were toying with the idea of him coming off it but decided he should stay on it for the foreseeable future like @FionaSkates said, we don't want to rock the boat. I can only imagine what the waiting list for ERP is like right now, ds was lucky enough to have had some during Covid. Is going private an option?

I also commented on this thread early on - my ds is in his first year at uni on 200mg of sertraline - the last two years were hell with his intrusive ocd thoughts. Like the op - he has a now thriving and living his life - his thoughts and worries are now about everyday things - it's really quite incredible. His psychiatrist said to only think about reducing the dose after at least 2.5 years of being well.

It's so nice to hear about another young man who this has worked for. It's not just them but the whole family is happy, we can sleep better and he like your ds now worries about normal everyday stuff, although he thinks it's the ocd but we assure him that people without ocd do get anxious about normal situations.

Yes you can absolutely go private. Where are you based? X

@FionaSkates It's not for me it's for @Runningagain82 DS.

Ah well I am sure she will see it! X

This is amazing. Ds 17 went on 100mg at 16 at the same time at starting ERP but the camhs psycologist left and didn't replace her plus my ds decided he wanted to reduce the Sertraline and we are on 50 and anxiety and ocd bad. We have just seen an amazing team at the Maudsley and they said 200mg is the therapeutic dose for ocd.
Does your son have any unpleasant side effects on that dosage?
My ds is always tired but I think it's because he's so exhausted from the worrying and ocd.