Is increased anxiety and nausea normal after raising sertraline dose?

[CEC1990]

Sertraline increase

I have been on 50mg Sertraline for 7 months. Increased my dose today to 100mg as I have had a horrendous few weeks mental health wise. Felt positive as had minimal side effects when I first started but I am struggling today. Dry heaving when trying to eat, nausea, upset stomach. Feel wired and my anxiety is through the roof. Is this normal?

Yes those are known side effects of increasing this type of medication. You’ve done quite a big jump by doubling it, if the side effects are too much you can increase more slowly. Try splitting a pill in half and taking 75mg for a week or two before moving up to 100mg, perhaps. Have you consulted your GP for advice?

I think i am going to try that. I have had horrendous nausea and bad guts for the last few weeks which is part of why I started the Sertraline initially because it was obviously all down to bad health anxiety. I am so upset I seem to have gone back to square one again. I am super stressed at the moment as I do have a nodule on my thyroid that is growing into my chest and also problems with my time of the month. Just feels relentless.

Every time I increased the dose of sertaline I got horrendous nausea/sickness.

How long did it last for you?
Worst part is i feel ravenous but after a few mouthfuls its like my body just goes "nope" .

Increasing or decreasing my Sertraline dose increases my anxiety a lot. I think it's normal for up to 2 weeks or so, but hopefully won't be that long. I agree with a previous poster that 75mg for a while would be a good idea before going up to 100mg.

About 2 weeks each time.

Yes, and please be aware that if you also take thyroid medication/know someone who does then this can especially be the case, and become very dangerous to health. I know someone who was mistakenly prescribed both by a GP despite the information stating not to take them together- thank goodness she read it carefully herself and realised. She suffered with unprecedented mental and physical side effects in the short term.

I always got increased anxiety and stomach issues when increasing my dose, too. It settles after a couple of weeks. Try not to think of it as going back to square one, but as your body adjusting.

This scares me because my GP wants to increase mine from 50 too 100 and I’m a single mum of 4 I can’t be experiencing these side effects with children and on my own!! My brother had this with sertraline he was increased from 50-100 and he experienced severe side affects and it affected him for quite some time nearly lost his job too. I’d do what another poster has said and half the tablets so your body gets used to them, sertraline is known for causing stomach upsets too.