Sertraline

[Button11]

Just been to the gp who has given me Sertraline ( my first med for anxiety after having Cbt 3 times) I was VERY reluctant to take meds but he doesn't know what else to do after other tests were clear. so I look at the side effects which read;

Common side effects between 1-10 people in 100: anorexia?!, depression, anxiety, agitation, nervousness, palpitations,upset stomach

are these not symptoms of anxiety anyway?! What's the point ? Now I feel stuck as to do I take it or not, I think I'm more afraid of taking them with the advice he gave me with it may be awful for the first week but you have to stick it out and then also reading about bad withdrawals too all just doesn't make sense

[Cares179]

Ultimately this is your decision but you will tell you I am 47 days into Zoloft and at first I had diarrhea and dizziness but am feeling much more calm and getting back to feeling myself. Yes the start up side effects suck but they do go away. You can also try magnesium,fish oil, and b vitamins which have been shown to aid in mental health. Good luck in whatever you decide to do..

[Button11 in reply to Cares179]

Thank you Cares179 Im just not convinced it's anxiety that's causing all my problems I think that's why I'm so reluctant. My head feels ok from the Cbt I have techniques etc but my body has other ideas but I feel I should try them just to see I'm just worried about becoming dependent on them which I really don't want

[Cares179 in reply to Button11]

I definitely understand and it is a big decision. Just know you have us here for support..

[Button11 in reply to Cares179]

Thank you Cares179

[Hidden in reply to Button11]

Try Magnesium glycinate, it's a simple mineral that helps reduce anxiety and depression. I was offered meds and also refused, did some research​ and found alot of people take it for that very reason. Am I glad I did !!.

[daisy-17 in reply to Hidden]

I have just ordered some magnesium going to give it a go not keen on taking antidepressants.

[Button11 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Hidden can you take that even if your magnesium levels are ok?

[Hidden in reply to Button11]

Your Magnesium levels in your blood will be ok if tested because it is stabilised by the body to be 1.5<1%.

But that does not mean you do not have a defiency because your body draws it from muscles and cells to keep it at the level so you don't have a heart attack. So as you can imagine when your body pulls it from these cells and organs you start having symptoms because your body is becoming deficient in Magnesium.

Palpitations

Depression

Anxiety

Foggy head

Aches and pains

Skipped heart beats etc.

Do yourself a favour and rather eat a very high​ Magnesium diet or supplement.

You will definitely feel the difference.

In a answer to your question though, yes !!.

[Jenrolil in reply to Hidden]

Hi Daveywavey, I've seen that you're a bit of a magnesium expert and wanted to ask what you think of magnesium l theonate or magtein? Apparently it's supposed to be the best magnesium for crossing the blood brain barrier.

[Hidden in reply to Jenrolil]

Yeah, Magnesium l-theonate. I've not taken it myself but I've heard about it and it's connection to memory and cognition. The more Magnesium in the brain the higher the IQ ?, Apparently so.....that's about all I know.

[Jowness]

Cares, I'm in exactly the same position as you. I have my first prescription of sertraline at home on the bathroom counter and I have magnesium glycinate arriving in the mail tomorrow. I too want nothing to do with meds, I've felt bad for so long I don't want to take something that might just make me worse. I have searched for positive testimonials on sertraline and there are plenty of them out there. (I'm sure there are plenty of bad ones out there too, but if I read those I'll be even more reluctant to try them.) I'll try the magnesium for a week or two and hopefully I won't have to open the sertraline up! Good luck you! I hope you find something that works for you as well!

[Hidden in reply to Jowness]

Make sure you start off​ on a low dose, say half a tablet. To much too soon isn't good.

[Jowness]

Make that reply to button!

[Button11 in reply to Jowness]

Jowness haha i thought that was meant for me. I'm just annoyed about how they hand them about like so many times I went and my doctor kept mentioning them and I was refusing and I just gave in in the end as I feel I have to try them for his sake just to shut him up as he doesn't know what else to do. He asks me so what do you think we should do? I'm like I don't know your the doctor but I know hes just been waiting for me to accept the anxiety meds. I'm not in denial I have anxiety and have done for a while but I've pushed myself so far over the last 18months done things I'd never have thought of doing and I made it though I was fine, Yh I felt stress and panic but I did it yet here I am suddenly taking over he counter drugs for anxiety all these years later. Hope the magnesium works for you so you don't need to open that box x

[Nancyinoc458]

Hi Button 11, this is a big decision and ultimately you are the only person who can decide whether or not to take the sertraline, but I would like to share my experience with you as food for thought. I have just gotten off sertraline (Zoloft), and I have to say that it seemed to help me for a period of time, but the side effects can be the same as the effects of having a panic disorder, so it was hard for me to sort things out. I took sertraline for 18 months. I have been off it for 2 1/2 months. I never felt well while I was taking it, but I also didn't have panic attacks, so that part was positive. Now that I'm off the sertraline, my feelings have returned, including some anxiety. I have not had a panic attack, but I've come close a few times. One thing I wanted to let you know is that sertraline can take away all of your emotions, not just your anxiety. That was my experience. Very exciting things would happen in my life, and I would know intellectually that I should feel happy, but I felt nothing Other times things would happen that would normally make me angry, but I would feel nothing. When I mentioned to my GP that I had no emotions at all, he said that is a common side effect of sertraline, but that I should be thankful that I don't have panic attacks. I was extremely thankful to not have the panic attacks, but I honestly felt like a robot because I felt absolutely nothing emotionally. Now that I have been off the sertraline for 2 1/2 months, I am enjoying feeling human again.

I'm not telling you what to do because I'm not a doctor, but if I could go back in time, I would try the magnesium before taking the sertraline. I didn't know about magnesium for panic attacks at the time I started taking the medication. I wish you the best, and hope you will stay on this forum because the people here understand what you're going through and they have a lot of wisdom to share with you.

[Button11 in reply to Nancyinoc458]

Nancyinoc458 thank you for your reply it was a refreshing and honest read, glad you shared your experience. I'm scared to take it because the doctor said the first week will be hard but I have to stick at it no matter what which frightened me as to what was going to happen seen as he was forwarning me. I just don't see how a tablet with so many side effects can help with the same symptoms as the side effects, makes me worry it will make me worse! I know I have the anxiety but I challenge it, probably not as much as I should but I try. I feel like I've just taken them off him as a last resort as it's what he thinks is the route cause to how ill I'm feeling. I think I'll look into the magnesium before opening the anxiety meds.

Thank you again

[Nancyinoc458 in reply to Button11]

It took my doctor 10 years to talk me into going on sertraline! I am a person who is terrified of all types of medication it is unusual for me to even take a Tylenol. After 10 years, I was just feeling so terrible that I was willing to try just about anything. I told my doctor that I would try the sertraline but I wanted to start on an extremely low dose. He said that he normally starts his patients on 25 mg, so he agreed to start me on 12.5 mg. I don't know what strength of pill your doctor prescribed, but 12.5 mg. had no effect on me and I continued to have panic attacks. My doctor gradually increased the dosage every month. It wasn't until I was taking 50 mg that the panic attacks stopped. I still wasn't feeling well, so my doctor told me to start taking 75 mg. No panic attacks at that dosage, but I still didn't feel well. I stayed on 75 mg for 8 months, hoping to feel better eventually. Finally, I changed doctors because my doctor told me that I would be on sertraline for the rest of my life I wasn't feeling well physically, and I didn't have any emotions, so I wasn't willing to keep taking it indefinitely. My new doctor told me I could start cutting back by 12.5 mg each month, so that's what I did to wean myself off of it completely. All that is to say that maybe you could talk to your doctor about starting on a teeny-weeny dose if you are feeling afraid of the medication.

[Button11 in reply to Nancyinoc458]

Nancyinoc458 I think I have 25 or 50 I can't remember he'd probably tell me that 25 is the lowest they give to be honest.

I get that now like you had like exciting events are just anxiety building events but I've always had that since I can remember everything just makes me think "what if" all the time, but I don't know if that's confidence or anxiety.

Have you had other things checked or do they know it's just anxiety?

[Nancyinoc458 in reply to Button11]

Hi Button11, My doctor prescribed me 25 mg to begin with and told me to cut the pills in half. That's how I ended up taking 12.5 mg to begin with, and honestly I think I cut the 12.5 piece into two so that I ended up only taking 6.25 mg at first !! As you can tell, I was extremely reluctant to take the medication! Also, I'd like to say that my new doctor said that sertraline is an antidepressant, and not an anti-anxiety medication. She wondered why my other doctor gave me sertraline when I do not suffer from depression.

To answer your question about having other things checked out, yes, I've had more medical tests and blood samples done than I can count. I come back healthy in all areas except that my previous doctor said I have fibromyalgia. I'm not sure that I have fibromyalgia though, because the main symptom of it is achy muscles. I don't have achy muscles. I have a lot of pain here and there in my body that moves around from day to day. I think it's caused from stress.

[Button11 in reply to Nancyinoc458]

Nancyinoc458 oo ok I never thought of doing that thank you. He never told me they were anti depressants either!.

Sounds like me it's so hard to take isn't it when you feel so physically ill but can't find anything

[Nancyinoc458 in reply to Button11]

Exactly!

[BookieWookie]

Hi,

I'm 18 and I've been taking sertraline for at least 3-4 years I think for my OCD. I started with 50mg (with 25mg increments with each agreed increase in dosage). This was then upped to 100 mg after a year. I think I have now been on my current dose of 150mg for a year maybe two now. It sounds alarming as I'm on the second highest available dose. But don't worry. I have had zero side effects myself, and I have seen a massive difference in my symptoms (or my capabilities in dealing with them) that countless CBT sessions didn't seem to achieve.

Because I'm 18 now, i've discontinued my therapy but my doctor said that I can come off of the medication at any time i feel I want to as long as I do it gradually to avoid 'cold turkey' side effects. I take my medication every night before i go to bed (two tablets; one 100mg and one 50 mg that i get from my local GP/doctor's surgery) and I feel that it helps to make me calmer, reducing my stress and anxiety levels; almost mellowing me out if that makes sense.

Of course, it goes without saying that it's entirely your decision but personally, I find that it is invaluable to me. I am part reliant on it at the moment (i'm not addicted - don't worry) but feel this is only to get me through the stress of upcoming exams. I'm hoping once this period is out of the way, I can feel comfortable (and brave enough) to ween myself off of it and confront my demons so to speak.

Wishing you all the best,

Georgia.

[Button11 in reply to BookieWookie]

BookieWookie thank you for your reply and I'm glad the tablets are working for you and one day you can come off them and be able to cope with your symptoms naturally but when the time is right.

I'm just worried they will make me worse. I mean I only have to take kalms natural remedy and I'm asleep im just worried about being doped to solve the worries which is not what I want. I don't like the constant worry but I want to challenge them to show myself I can do it.

I also think I have something else going on that's caused my anxiety to worsen but my gp doesn't

Thanks again,

Wish you all the best with your exams

[MOJOWIC]

I was given sertraline. My husband had died 3 months previously and I was obviously stressed. Lovely doc said it could be his death, although it was 3 months ago. Started taking a tablet, then checked on the Internet and saw the reaction some people had to this drug. Took it for 1month and decided to come off very slowly. Took me 5 months doing this very slowly, down to a fraction of the tablet. I felt better after about 6 months. Sorry to be of little use to you but I would try to find another doctor, as I was given the first thing that came into his head. I've had panic attacks etc for many years but luckily I'm retired. Please answer this and I will see if I can be of any help in any other way

[Button11 in reply to MOJOWIC]

MOJOWIC aww I'm so sorry for your loss and I can understand how that would cause you a lot of stress and make your anxiety increase.

I still haven't taken mine I can't bring myself to do it he asked me how I am getting on with them and I told him and he said well you were very reluctant to take them. But he didn't seem very positive about them either to be honest he suggested maybe I come off the pill see if that changes any of my symptoms. He still won't accept my thyroid antibodies test and anxiety does not cause folate and vit d definitely either or low b12 so really I'm still stuck in the same place at the mo

[Deannajean]

I've never known anyone to actually be addict d to Zoloft befor. It's not much of a habit forming drug. It mad me feel l littlenoff at first but then it was like I was wearing glasses for the first time when I started taking it and everything became clear and bright and new and fresh to me. It was amazing. Then after a while I got a pesky yawning side effect that would t go away. I stopped it. I had a son years later struggling with depression and at age 6 or 7 he was put on 25 mg of it and it worked well for him for 4 years. We took ours for depression not for anxiety. But it can help with both.

[Button11 in reply to Deannajean]

Deannajean and did you just stay off them after you had the side effects or did they try you on something else?

[Pandorasbox]

Hi Button 11,how are u feeling today ? Yea the effects of Setraline is just like u described. Not everyone gets these side affects n I'm on setraline 100mg in morning n probably wouldn't have noticed these side effects as that's wat I was suffering frm. My youngest daughter whose nearly16 asked me why do Drs prescribe these meds if u can commit suicide with them or already have these thoughts of suicide n the drug that's supposed to help only exasperates ur condition ?? Though that was quite insiteful for her age,but she's right. I suffer frm really bad appetite n nearly starved myself to death wen I was really depressed yet they gave me setraline wich as u said can reduce ur appetite. I used to live in Scotland that's where I'm originally from n my Dr used to look for meds that upped my appetite !!! Hope ur well

[Button11 in reply to Pandorasbox]

Hi Pandorasbox thank you for your reply. Im ok the anxiety seems to just come at random moments but I've still not taken the medication, I've thought about it but still not plucked up the courage. Your daughter makes complete sense but I guess everyone reacts differently and you don't know until you take them unfortunately.