Personal experiences of Sertraline please. How long have your side effects lasted, can it go on for years/as long as you've taken them?

[cheesecadet]

I've read the leaflet but would like personal experiences of what side effects you've had and how long they lasted. Also what dose you're on please.

Thanks.

This has been the best antidepressant for me with the least side effects. My psychiatrist has always started me off in 1/2 a dose of any new meds as that cuts down the side effects.
The first few weeks I felt warm & fuzzy & a bit sleepy in the day.. I had a mild upset stomach & headache but I still managed to go to work.

I was always told to take it in the morning. I did find I had trouble getting to sleep the first few weeks.
I have had no weight gain from sertraline. I have been on it 22 years. I suffer with depression & had anorexia. I also take Olanzapine which is a mood stabiliser. The combination works for me. I have tried lots of other anti d's but this one definitely works the best for me.

I take 75mg which is 1 1/2 tablets. I have been on 200, 150 & 100mg but found I got a serotonin headache & it seemed to make me feel more panicky. I also got bad sweats at night on a higher dose.
The Olanzapine also has a boosting effect on the sertraline so I get the effect of a higher dose but without any side effects.

yes, I've just had my dose increased again (I've been on it for ages 50-100-150-200mg, I've just increased back to 200 five days ago). Side effects - dry mouth (gone now), vaguely sleepy & a bit fuzzy/dizzy, nausea (gone now), muscle pain/tension in my head & neck, headache, insomnia. None of it bad but it can be a bit alarming if you're not expecting it.

When I first started on 50mg I was very drowsy for a week, none of the dose increases have made me as sleepy as that. The worst side effects were 50mg to 100mg ... I had a massive increase in anxiety which was really scary but settled within a week & also a lot of jaw tension.

It usually all settles within a couple of weeks.

Thanks everyone!

So you've never had sun sensitivity from it?

no, no sun sensitivity. The worst thing for me is the headache (I've just taken so more paracetamol) I think.

Just a bit dozy to begin with. Also get occasional nausea- if I don't eat I can get a wave of sickness which I didn't before.
Very vivid dreams- not bad though, just clear and a bit strange!
Started on 25mg, up to 100 now and it seems about right.
No other issues and it's really helped me so far. Fingers crossed it continues.

I didn't know Sun sensitivity was a thing but that explains a lot!
Otherwise sertraline saved my life. Literally.
I also had a week or so of feeling a bit spacy. I take 100mg now but started on 50mg.

I started a few days ago, I've had dry mouth and really bad nausea which have improved since I started taking them at night time, I'm also really tired, like fall asleep kind of tired, during the morning, I have this pressure in my head aswell, it's like I'm going to get a nose bleed but don't. That's it I think. OH and zero appetite but for me that's not a bad thing

I have been on it for about 6 months and have had a 7 month course a couple of years ago. Each time I have felt a little bit nauseous and sometimes dizzy for about a week. I tried taking it before bed but I found that I would be absolutely exhausted during the day, almost like I'd been sedated by late afternoon. Taking in the morning works for me although at first it meant I would wake up around 4am and not be able to sleep. This passed after a few weeks and now I don't notice any side effects at all.

Despite all of that I have found the experience to be very positive. Stopping the first time was a bit strange but again, it passed quickly.

I take 200mg. I've been on it for years. Side effect of insomnia has much improved over time. I have zero libido and can't climax, which isn't ideal...but the improvement in mood has made it worth tolerating

Not Sertraline but a cautionary tale... I suddenly developed a reaction to SSRIs after 7 years. I couldn't stop shaking. I came of the one I was on very slowly and the shaking gradually stopped. Started on an SNRI after 6 months as I wasn't coping with nothing. After 3 weeks started shaking again, after 4 weeks stopped the medication and the shaking continued for 2-3 months after stopping the meds. I think they were the worst months of my life. It was awful and worse than the original depression. I took beta blockers for the shaking but they didn't work until the evil SNRI was out of my system. Have since had psych consult who on my behalf had a consult with a specialist in psycho-pharmacology and between them they have found the one thing I can take that doesn't have this side effect. It's not as effective as SSRIs or SNRIs but... no shaking is a big plus!

Thanks everyone!

Kipperiscool when you say that explains a lot, what do you mean, how does the sun affect you?