Sertraline

[Gillybean123]

Sertraline

To everyone on here who takes Sertraline. Now on my 4th day and yesterday afternoon I started with an upset stomach and have still got it today. How long will it last. Thanks Gillian

[Paulbounce]

Hi Gillian.

Do you want the good news or the bad news first ?

OK the good news first. I will have been on 50mg a day for nearly 7 weeks now - there have not been any side effects at all - no feeling tired or anything like that.

Except for......

I still have an 'upset stomach' putting it politely. I went out for lunch today and that did it. It's a good job there was a loo close by. My doctor said it takes around 6 weeks for the body to fully get used to it so I'm hoping this will pass soon. It will pass but expect another few weeks at least before it does. Try to plan around it and make sure you can access a toilet quickly after you eat. In the meantime you'll just have to sit it out (pun intended).

Paul

[Gillybean123 in reply to Paulbounce]

hi Paul, I haven’t had diarrhea yet just an upset stomach and cold sweats. Thanks Gill

[Paulbounce in reply to Gillybean123]

Hi Gill.

That's good news but don't worry if you do - it's quite a normal side effect of Sertraline. My GP said it takes 2 weeks to take effect and 6 weeks to fully kick in. It can / does help with anxiety which will all know does not help with afib. The two go hand in hand. In that respect it might help with your afib. It can though increase your HR - I'm on the lowest dose so it's highly unlikely and hasn't happened so far. My cardio said I could increase it to 75mg a day. I'm not going to do this though as I don't want to become over reliant on these med's. In an ideal world I would like to come off the lot but I know that's not possible right now. For me personally I'll stick with it for a few months and see how it goes. After then I might knock it on the head unless I see real benefits. You could try taking it after a meal as this will slow down the rate it enters your blood stream - that could help with your upset stomach. It can be taken with or without food but try to take it at the same time every day.

Paul

[Gillybean123]

hi there, yes I have it with my porridge. Thanks for replying. Gill

[Tarikor]

there is only bad news with Sertraline. That thing is poison and it ended up destroying my gut completely (six years on after my last pill and I am still suffering horribly with a destroyed gut, where I can barely eat anything without massive gut issues, constipation, etc.), it also affected my nervous system, my heart, my sleep (have not slept properly since I started taking it and after six years clean, I am still suffering from insomnia issues). Taking 5HTP, or St John's Wort does the same without (most) of the horrendous side effects. Sports, working out, swimming, eating healthy, walking in nature, getting enough sun (this is vital), etc. all helped me get better without this poison. Doctors will never tell you the full story about this poison. I strongly suggest you read people's life stories with this drug on survivingantidepressants.org.

[Timetraveler67 in reply to Tarikor]

20 years ago I was put on Prozac and was on it for years it destroyed my life and coming off it was hell I’ve never really recovered and I will never take another antidepressant but do understand that they do help some people. I’m newly afib and feeling so fearful and scared, I’m getting no help or support from the medical side and I only have one family member who told me afib is nothing and can’t understand my concerns

[Tarikor in reply to Timetraveler67]

I feel you and am sorry to hear that! I went through the same thing with so many different doctors. I have to admit I have developed a strong negative bias against them due to how I have been treated and ignored around the world (Europe, Africa, America and Australia).

When I was taking Sertraline, I felt like I was someone else. Like my brain was not my own. It was horrible. I would wake up in the middle of the night feeling like my heart was going to jump out of my chest, could barely breathe (also have asthma and fibrosis) and my gut was just in a state of shock. It was hard on me and my partner and we nearly divorced because of this. I had no help from the medical system at all. Zero.

My suggestion is light activity (some resistance training, some cardio, spin bikes are great), get as much sun as you can (careful with how much depending on your skin tone and where you live, etc.) and just enjoying yourself with non-judgmental people. Good friends are great in this regard. Family members, in my own experience, have not been that great, that includes my partner.

Afib is crap, but it is not life-threatening, mostly. I have gone through four heart operations already and not sure if I will need more, but determined to remain healthy to avoid further ops. I am thankfully off of pills and just use flecainide as pill in pocket if I need to. Not sure what more I can say Dear. Just enjoy life as much as possible and get close to friends/people who actually listen to you and don't judge you. Try some alternative things as well, some work or help a bit, but never stop taking any meds, especially for the heart, unless told so by your doctors, etc.

With Afib, slow and steady wins the race. All the best!

[Timetraveler67 in reply to Tarikor]

bless you your reply has really lifted my spirits I’m happy to hear your marriage didn’t actually end because of the antidepressants, thanks again I think your a gem x

[Ppiman]

Sertraline is an SSRI and they all have a similar side effect profile. Side effects can go on for up to a month or more and the full useful effect can take that long, even six weeks. If after that time you don't feel decidedly better, I'd ask your GP to come off the drug, myself.

Steve

[Hatten28]

Hello to you, I have been taking 25 mg of sertraline for two months and have had no problems at all, however my brother was prescribed 100 mg and has been extremely unwell, feeling nauseous constantly.

He does have other problems regarding heart related things and has lost a lot of weight.

A good thing his daughter is a theatre sister and realised he was very poorly and took him to A and E .

Unfortunately his doctors surgery is only open twice a week with a doctor in attendance. When my niece rang for results from the hospital visit, she was told nobody there could read them, she asked for them to be forwarded to her because of her profession she was able to interpret the blood results.

Not everyone has a nurse on standby it is a disgraceful state that allows a surgery to be run as a business, how many people are being given this shocking service and probably losing lives because of it.

He lives in a very built up area and with such a poor service it’s no wonder that A and E are over worked.

[Paulbounce]

Hmmmm. After reading the answers here I'm going to look into this more. @Gilly- please follow your doctors advice about taking it but personally I may knock it on the head reading some of the other comments. It was already in the back of my mind anyway but I would talk to my doctor first before doing so.

Paul

[Gillybean123 in reply to Paulbounce]

Hi Paul, I think it is if your body accepts it. There was one particular reply!! My daughter was put on Sertraline when she was 17 she had loads of problems with bullying and all sorts of things going on. She is still on medication now She was taken off the Sertraline last year. She is 43 this month owns her own florist and is fighting fit literally. I am fine this morning no tummy ache had a normal you know what and then a bit of diarrhea but I do eat prunes because my other medications make me constipated. I had three glasses of honey and hot water yesterday and one peppermint tea which was disgusting but stomach ache eased last night. Have you told GP about the diarrhoea because someone said you can get something for this. There are more positive answers on here about Sertraline than negative. X

[Paulbounce in reply to Gillybean123]

Hi Gill.

I'm pleased your problem seems to be clearing up. Good news about your daughter and the fact that Sertraline did not effect her. I'm still going to dig a little deeper and decide from there. Have a great day.

Paul

[Gillybean123 in reply to Paulbounce]

hi Paul, well after speaking to you earlier I have felt so poorly. I thought I was going to throw up. My stomach was hurting. I didn’t tell you that I woke up with a cold sweat yesterday my temp. Was 35.8 then last. Night it went the opposite way not much. Anyway have just called my doctor and they have advised me to come off it. I have only taken 5 x 25 mg. I might feel a bit off but it is a relief to come off it. I didn’t like feeling off. I can feel off without adding anything else. Just had my cardiologist appointment come through as well which took three messages but got it. Have an appointment on Wednesday to have a steroid injection for my hip. Anyway hope you sort out what you are going to do. All the very best Gill. X

[Paulbounce in reply to Gillybean123]

Hi Gill.

I think that's a wise decision if your doctor has said to stop. 5 x 25 mg is only a small dose and you are likely to find it clears from the system quite quickly. The half life is 24 - 26 hours and another 24 hours takes away a further 25%. The rest (25%) takes about a week to be totally out of your system. I should think by this time tomorrow you will start to feel better. I'll give the usual disclaimer that I'm not a doctor but that's what my research suggests.

Good news about your cardio appointment and hope steroid injection goes well.

Let us know how your feel tomorrow.

Best wishes Paul

[Gillybean123 in reply to Paulbounce]

hiPaul, yes I am at the moment lying in a chair with a heat pad on my tummy and a lambs wool blanket over me and somewhere in there there is a tiny chihuahua. Walked my other dog but was so out of breath feel fine now. So two of them have gone to bed and my little Nellie is here with me. I feel relieved now that I have come off it. X

[Paulbounce in reply to Gillybean123]

Great news Gill that you feel better. Try and get a good nights sleep and I'll bet you feel even better tomorrow. I'll stick with it a while longer but might show it the door before long.

I once had a rescued chinchhilla too. What a terrior he was if someone came near me. He was very old and didn't have any teeth but he took a real shine to me. He would stand his ground against cows / dobermans / goats and all sorts - he saw them all off. I know this is off topic but made me smile. I had a letter one day from a firm of 'no win no fee' lawyers saying he (Henry) had mauled their client and they wanted damages. I called them up (the guy I spoke to was really cocky) and explained Henry was about 5 inches tall and didn't have any teeth so go ahead and sue me - you won't win. I'll also put in a counter claim for lost wages / travel expenses / harassment and anything else I can think of - I will win. I have an Hons degree in Law and studed at post grad level so I'm proberly better qualified than you are. Henry and I look forward to seeing you in court and hung up.

Needless to say I didn't hear from them again heheh.

Paul

Edit - I tell a lie. There was one animal who did beat him. A chicken ! I looked out of the window and saw Henry chasing one of the chickens who ran into a bush with Henry in hot pursuit. 10 seconds later Henry ran out of the bush followed by the chicken who was going bonkers chasing him. He didn't go near the chicken again and had learnt his lession

[Auriculaire in reply to Paulbounce]

Most antidepressants have been shown in independent trials to work little better than placebo for the majority of people. Only 15% of people benefited . Apart from the side effects whilst you are on them ( not everybody gets these -only 6 out of 7 !) the long term danger is not being able to get off them . It has been discovered that long term use can cause the very same changes in the brain that SSRIs are supposed to fix - a lack of serotonin. Except that the hypothesis that low serotonin is responsible for depression has never been validated. Investigators looking into whether depressed people had low levels of serotonin before taking SSRIs found that levels were not connected .But long term use can result in the brain naturally producing less serotonin - thus the awful withdrawal symptoms when trying to come off. My sister has tried to come off SSRIs at least twice without success. She got repeat prescriptions from her doctor for 6 years with no monitoring ! When she tried to come off she got very bad withdrawal symptoms. Now she is resigned to taking them for life despite an enormous uptick in her life circumstances - no financial worries any more and a new happy stable relationship . Most "depression" is not actually an illness caused by any chemical imbalances in the brain but a natural and age old reaction to life's vicissitudes. It has been medicalised in order to sell us drugs which we do not need and which can actually make patients far worse off in the long run. A lot of the people prescribed antidepressants are really suffering from anxiety but because of the addiction issues round benzodiazapines doctors are very reluctant to prescribe these any more although clinically they are more appropriate for quelling anxiety.

[Tarikor in reply to Auriculaire]

It also causes permanent changes in the enteric nervous system. Turns out a place that produces a huge amount of Serotonin is in our gut! Not a single doctor ever mentioned this to me. I now have chronic constipation, inability to digest fats properly, have constant daily gas no matter what I eat, my stomach and intestines are not moving food along properly anymore, etc. All of these issues I never had prior to starting Sertraline.

[Gillybean123 in reply to Tarikor]

Hi, sorry to hear this. That must be what causes all the tummy ache. I couldn’t explain the feeling it was all over my stomach like a sponge does that sound weird. I think the doctors don’t really say much I wish I had never gone near the things now and that was only 5 days. All the best.

[Gillybean123 in reply to Auriculaire]

Well we have to have a laugh don’t we?

[Qualipop]

I wish I could help as my son was on sertraline at one time. I know he had problems but he's mid air to America right now so I can't ask him.

[Gillybean123 in reply to Qualipop]

what a fantastic name Qualipop.xx

[Palpman]

I restarted Sertraline a week ago.This Friday past I was so nauseas and dizzy I thought I was going to die.

This lasted for 2 hours then abated somewhat.

Saturday morning and Sunday the same.

Today I went to the GP and he took me off Sertraline and put me on Mirtazapine.

[Gillybean123 in reply to Palpman]

Thats exactly how I have been but with cold sweats and later a temperature. Hope you are feeling better now.

[cbsrbpm]

Hi Gillybean, I have been taking Sertraline 100mg for about a year. I was suffering severe depression and was prescribed 50 mg to start, it took a good couple of months for my body to accept it, all sorts of side effects but it is now difficult to know whether some of them were also due to the depression. With some psychotherapy and Sertraline I now feel a lot better than I was, I thankfully received a lot of support from my cardiologist, doctor and the local mental health team. I don’t suffer side effects from the Sertraline anymore but would like to gradually reduce the dose as I am taking so much medication but I really don’t want to trigger a resurgence of the depression as I was not in a good place mentally.

I think it all depends on the severity of your condition as to whether you ride out the side effects or give up on it. I wish you good luck.

B🐝

[Stu13]

Hi Gillian

Was recently put on a low does of Sertraline as a treatment for IBS, as had the most horrendous abdominal cramps that over the counter medications barely touched. GP warned me it could interact with the Sotalol I'm currently on and cause "some rhythm issues".

Boy, didn't it just. After about eight days I developed the most debilitating PVCs that knocked me for six. The GP advised me to come off it straight away, however it took another 5days for the PVCs to ease. Even now I'm still getting episodes, but not as violent.

Of course this could be coincidence, but an out of hours GP plus a pharmacist friend also confirmed that Sertraline was probably the likely culprit as it can cause irregular rhythms anyway as a recognised side effect. Obviously the Sotalol only exacerbated the situation.

[JoseT]

100mg with no side effects for me. It will also depends on which other drugs are interacting with it. And of course every person is different. Anyway i would advise you to take daily probiotics as any medication including the heart one can really damage your gut.

[Gillybean123 in reply to JoseT]

hi there, they took me off it I was so poorly. Today is the first day that I haven’t had stomach ache. And managed to eat my dinner. X