Sertraline bl**dy hell..!

[AmusedOpalShaker]

Evening everyone,

I am currently sitting at day 5 of 50mg Sertraline for OCD and horrific, horrific intrusive thoughts.

My lord - the side effects are horrendous?!

The sheer uptake in my anxiety, intrusive thoughts, urges, shaking, sickness and lethargy has been awful to try to navigate. I’m so incredibly fortunate that I have supportive family around to look after my DD during this.

i have been on Sertraline before, but like a complete moronhead I stopped taking it, I don’t remember ever having such severe side effects before, though.

Any experiences? I’m looking for horror turned success stories, or just some reassurance really, anything to stop me from chucking them away.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read, have a wonderful evening all xxx

I'm a week into sertraline 50mg and oh my god, the fatigue! I'm absolutely useless at work and have to go straight to bed afterwards! Minor uptick in anxiety but nothing too extreme. But if the fatigue doesn't clear up then I won't be able to keep going with it.

I took setraline and it started me bleeding even though im post menopausal. Started within 2 days. God knows why.

Day 7 now but I can’t bring myself to take it just yet. I’ve managed to get a GP appointment for this afternoon by making myself sound completely deranged and begging for some Propranolol to take the edge off. Fingers crossed I’ll be taken seriously.

I would never wish to downplay anyone else’s struggles with this, but I would happily live on the toilet with volcanic shites for 2 months, if it meant this soaring anxiety will leave me alone 😔

Good luck with the GP. It really is a tough period to get through

Had a GP who I’ve never seen before, but he was lovely and so understanding. He’s given me 40mg Propranolol once per day, and has told me to stay on the 50mg for another two weeks to make sure the side effects have really died down before I go up.

About to take number 7! God it certainly feels like it’s been much longer than seven blooming days.

Well done for going back to the gp. It's not the easiest thing to do these days and when your anxiety is high it can be even harder.

Do you take your sertraline with food? That can help a little with the side effects. I'm back on it for a third time and it's always a slog to get through the first few weeks. Had a dose increase this week and am feeling a bit lost. Hope the propranolol helps to take the edge off.

Do you feel any better yet op?

Thank you for asking! Not really, the fatigue has switched up a bit today, but that’s fine, my little one is staying with family luckily, so if I need to have a day or two in bed then so be it!

I do still feel anxious, however I did notice that something I thought of in the early hours that would normally have had triggered very bad intrusive thoughts, was slightly easier to manage, if that makes sense? I’m hoping that’s a sign that things are hopefully going to start levelling out soon. (Knowing my luck I’ve jinxed it now and tomorrow will be a nightmare!)

Hope you’re well and have had a wonderful day x

He took my heart rate and I thought, probably not a good idea! Through the roof haha. I have a lot of physical health stuff to contend with so I’m on a soft / liquid diet for the foreseeable, but I try to take it with a supplement drink.

Saying that though, my appetite has completely vanished (and it was barely there to start with!)

Can I ask what dosage you’re on now? You say you’re feeling a bit lost, is that the side effects coming back to bother you? I hope it eases up for you, this is such a slog.

Thank you! It’s only once a day, so I’ve got it next to the bed in case things get bad, I’ve also got my Rescue Remedy ready to go - honestly I’ve bought all the stock in Boots just to help get through this next few days / weeks!

xx

Thank you. I'm a bit mixed these days, good and bad days....

I hope today is a good day xx

How are you doing today @AmusedOpalShaker

When do you take it? I was told to take it before bed when I started so that I would sleep through the stronger side effects.

A bit better (I say with fingers crossed!). Anxiety, while still there, it is improving, as is the sickness. Felt a little more like myself today so I’m hoping things are on the way to improving.

Thank you for asking, and how is your DD getting on? Seeing some progress I hope? X

That sounds positive news. Fingers crossed you are through the worst. Yes she’s improving so much so that she went out yesterday evening. However she had some alcohol which I don’t think was a good idea.

I was taking it before bed, but I was still waking up throughout the night with shaking, crying and vomiting, so I wasn’t managing to sleep through it unfortunately! Now I take it in the afternoon and that seems to work well enough for me x

Oh I’m so pleased to hear that she’s improving, that’s fab. Ah yes, I think it’s because it messes up your tolerance to it? How is she today?

I'm glad you have found a way for you and seriously well done for keeping going. I also had intrusive thoughts and OCD and it has genuinely helped me no end. I'm hoping the same for you.

Sertraline gave me amnesia which lasted quite a few months after stopping. Memory issues aren't listed as a side effect but there are a lot of people online who report this issue.

Not great today but not back to square one.

Take it with a full meal and plenty of water. Seems to make the side effects a bit better. Probably something to do with absorption.

Which is progress in itself, hope today is better x

Do you remember what point you felt much better? Although I’m seeing little glimmers, my intrusive thoughts are really pushing through, as are the urges. I just want them to calm the hell down.

Also, I hope you don’t mind me asking, what’s your dosage?

Thank you xx

Around the 3 week mark and I'm on 50mg, started on the starter dose of 25mg.

It's a weird one because as the side effects die off and you're feeling less dreadful you realise that you haven't had the same intensity of thoughts as usual. So I had a health anxiety that would hold me hostage every morning, checking moles ( I have many and had a skin cancer diagnosis) checking boobs, worrying about spotting and why (again complicated gynae history) and it was massively affecting my life. When I was settled with the sertraline I just couldn't be arsed with the vigilance anymore. I started skipping the checks some mornings and now I'm even a bit lazy. I still have the odd thought of you must check xyz and I just say to myself oh piss off. When I do get a scare (like the skin cancer 2 or 3 years back) I'm a normal amount of scared and I'm so much more rational.

@Hillsmakeyoustrong , as a fellow health anxiety sufferer, that sounds absolutely amazing and what i am aiming for.