Please help - Sertraline 25mg

[Isabelle728]

Hi,

I have taken my first tablet of sertraline 25mg, I have started to feel dizzy, a bit lightheaded and drowsy, I have just had to run to the toilet and had diarrhoea, the problem that I have is I am taking these for anxiety and panic disorder, how do I know if I am having a panic attack or a bad reaction!? I am freaking out :( I want to go A&E but my partner and mum have told me I will be fine and that 1 tablet at 25mg won’t do anything so it’s most likely a panic attack but I just don’t know :(
it has put me off of taking them.

Those are all very common symptoms of taking sertraline, I had all the above when I started taking it. The tablets should have come with a leaflet which will explain all the common, rare and extremely rare symptoms.
it’ll take some adjustment getting used to it and the symptoms should subside after taking for a few weeks.
hope you are okay! Anxiety around new medication is very normal in my experience.

I am just so scared to dying anytime I take anything, even with common symptoms I just think straight away that I am going to have a heart attack or have a fatal allergic reaction :(
I am so stuck now on if I should continue taking them or stop. Ever since having my son I am scared of everything! I never used to be like this :(

These are all very common, normal side effects. I've felt dizzy, spaced out and tired for 10 days starting on sertraline but now feel much better.

I work in mental health op and your reporting very common side effects. It'll pass within a week. Totally normal and nothing to worry about. Your best to just work through the upset tummy to then feel the benefit for the anxiety. It's quite a low dose it is very safe

I'm on 200mg of Sertraline and I get all this whenever the dosage has been bumped. Totally normal and will pass within a week or two. It'll be worth it.

Hi OP.
Well done on taking your first tablet.
Your reaction is normal, and there's no need to go to A & E.

I've been on Sertraline 200mg and they really helped me. It took a couple of months to get to that dose.

They take a while to work for anxiety, so do continue with them. Your reaction today is panic, I believe. Don't worry, you're doing the right thing in taking them.

If it helps, keep a record of your symptoms and note down next to them whether they're noted on the pack insert and if they're very common ie >1 in 10. Then you can reassure yourself.

The thing I was told is you'll feel worse before you feel better. It's not wrong. Takes a couple of weeks. I went back on 40mg 2 weeks ago and I still feel bleurgh. But I know it's worth it after 4 to 5 weeks when it starts to actually work. Keep going!

Ps running to loo in first 24h is one of my side effects. So is a horrible headache on d6 or d7 and nausea in between.

*50mg. Didn't proof read!

It's normal! My husband experienced all of that when he first went on it. He did find that taking it before bed helped a lot with the symptoms, and a year and a half later he only gets symptoms if he forgets to take it

I'm also on this dose and if I have something such as norovirus and they quickly exit my system I have similar symptoms once I can keep them in again as to what the OP describes. But I've not met many fellow 200mg serial queen's, so if you don't mind me asking, did you find you were always really hot? Even when it's cold I can find myself quite clammy.

@Isabelle728 it's very normal reaction, my first rodeo with antidepressants took me a few weeks of being quite physically unwell and that was over 20 years ago now.
You'll be grand soon, it's just a tough adjustment.
Well done on seeking help Isabelle, that's the tough bit a lot of the time x

I felt terrible for the first two weeks, odd thoughts, severe anxiety etc but that was on a starting dose of 50mg. 25mg is a low starting dose.

It’s totally normal and will pass in about a week. Feeling nauseous is also normal in case that starts happening to you.

@Miley1967 I believe some doctors start you on 25mg for a few weeks and build it up, mine didn’t but I’ve read on here that some do.

The first time I took Sertraline, years ago, I blacked out/fainted on the first day from anxiety (I was prone to it so I know it wasn't the meds themselves). It's horrible going on meds for anxiety and getting extra anxiety when you really can't cope with it! I've been on and off it a few times now so know what to expect.

I just wanted to reassure you that severe anxiety symptoms can be normal when starting Sertraline, and they really will fade soon. If you feel the need, you could cut a tablet in half for tomorrow's dose and take 12.5mg for a week before going up to 25mg. It might reduce the side effects.

🤗

I felt very dizzy and spaced out the very first time I took sertraline. I always took it a bedtime from then on. It worked really quickly for me and I didn't feel anywhere near as spaced out again, even with dosage increases.

@Lwrenn no, I don't remember feeling hot and clammy on it.
Once I'd got to 200mg I didn't have any side effects.

@applesaucepenguin @TheShellBeach @Lwrenn

Do you all find a dose lower than 200mg ineffective? I'm wondering how you reached 200 as I've never been on more than 100 and am currently on 75mg with the doctor being quite reluctant to let me go higher! Have you been on Sertraline very long-term and gradually increased?

I've always found that Sertraline doesn't help me enough (autism) but when I come off it, I realise that it must've been helping a bit so eventually I go back on. This is my third time in about 7 years 😩 Also the withdrawal symptoms when coming off the drug are horrendous for me! But I never really think to ask to try a significantly higher dose.

@MountUnpleasant I found my symptoms weren't controlled as well on the lower doses.

I'm on 150mg Sertraline. Keep going - they do help most people. Can take a week or 2 for side effects to go & a further couple of weeks for them to kick in properly.
But I feel 'normal' on them & can really tell if, like pp, a dose goes through me too fast/miss one

I know someone who had exactly same experience. Turned out it was normal side effect and stopped within 2 weeks. Keep at it OP so you can see the benefit

I was on 50mg for something different (suicidal thoughts) took a week to not feel what you described @Isabelle728. Well-done for taking the first dose. You think it won't get easier but it does. It's unpleasant at first but it passes.

It’s such a tiny dose - you’re not having a bad reaction (or indeed an unexpected reaction). Give yourself some time, take it easy.

I find anything less than 100mg to be ineffective for me personally, 200mg is best for my mood but my libido has died by that point so there's different side effects at different dosages, you just have to find what works for you.

Hi!

Anything less than 200mg just doesn't help me at all, tbh sometimes it can make my intrusive thoughts worse than when I have none which is strange I know.
I've been on antidepressants since childhood and sertraline since teens, so maybe my dose (I'm almost 36) is higher because after so many years it doesn't pack the same punch as your body gets to used to it?

@WhatMe123 I have decided to not go ahead with it and will stop taking them :( I feel like I am going insane. I feel cold but I'm clammy, itchy, really anxious, diarrhoea, dry mouth, irritated, angry, scared, feels a lot like a very bad comedown with extreme anxiety... the list is endless. I also suffer with panic disorder so it was most definitely heightened last night. I have a 2 year old so I can't go on like this :(

@Miley1967 I have decided to not go ahead with it and will stop taking them :( I feel like I am going insane. I feel cold but I'm clammy, itchy, really anxious, diarrhoea, dry mouth, irritated, angry, scared, feels a lot like a very bad comedown with extreme anxiety... the list is endless. I also suffer with panic disorder so it was most definitely heightened last night. I have a 2 year old so I can't go on like this