Anyone have positive stories about this drug ???
Sertaline : Anyone have positive stories... - Anxiety Support
Sertaline
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anxiousgirl7
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18 Replies
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Yes, I’m actually kicking myself right now for going off of it...I felt so good after being on it for a couple months that I decided I didn’t need to be on medication. Well, now after 3 weeks of being off of it, I am back to being so anxious I can barely function. That being said, waiting for the levels to even put after starting it was a really hard process, I had lots of tingling, muscle twitches and increased anxiety for about a month. All of that subsided though and then I felt pretty much back to my “normal me.”
Aw. You should try it again, what mg did you take? I just upped my dose to 50 mg but having bad jaw pain and headaches.
I’m on week twelve of Zoloft. Went from 25 mg to currently 150mg. Each time I increase I have side effects. Not horrible but annoying. The first few weeks were terrible but eventually I started seeing some improvement in my mood and anxiety. I have to say, even at 150 I have to be mindful of the fact that the medicine is not going to do it all. Self-care, exercise, meditation and yoga have been lifesavers. Interesting that you brought up jaw pain because that’s a new side effect for me that just came on with the 150.
I'm on week six and it's been helpful with anxiety levels and negative thought loops. Before starting it I was in the emergency room 5 times in two months with uncontrolled anxiety. I'm also taking small amounts of ativan - it's a necessity for me, since the anxiety levels rose at first when acclimating to zoloft. I'll be tapering off of the ativan soon I hope. So far, I'm pleased to be taking the zoloft. I tried lexapro a year ago and had a bad reaction to it - woke up feeling out of my mind with spinning thoughts. Nothing like this has happened on zoloft.
Hi, I've been on sertraline for 10 months now and I wouldn't be without it. I find it helps my anxiety, depression and I have recently increased to a higher dose. The side effects in the early weeks are hard but persevere and suddenly you feel so much better. If you want to know anything else, I'll be glad to help. 
Do you find that the side effects return for awhile when you increased your dose?
No, I was lucky, when I increased to 100mg, I didn't get any side effects, but some people do. Still worth persevering, hope this helps. x
Do you feel like yourself on Zoloft?
Yes I do now, felt bit strange when first on them, didn't like feeling like that, a bit unreal. But soon get used to it, wouldn't be without it now.
How long did it take for that feeling to go away? I’ve been on it for 12 weeks but I’ve also increased 5 times. I’m also weaning off Ativan. Just hoping this is the right med for me. I don’t want to switch.
It did take several weeks but I've only increased once. Maybe taking higher doses can cause that feeling, I'm not sure
Hi I was prescribed this drug some years ago and use it occasionally when things get too much and my symptoms become persistent. I find that if I use it when I need it and not every day then I don't get the negative side effects... maybe it's a psychological thing who knows! I'm on a low dose so if you find that it's making things worse rather than better maybe try a reduced dose to begin with.
I took it for just over a year, 50mg dose. I think it worked ok. The problem when you suffer from anxiety is that you can't always tell what is the drug and what is the anxiety. For example, the week leading up to my appointment to discuss coming off the drug I started to get light headed and a feeling of detachment. I wanted to have the appointment. I wanted to come off the drug. My anxiety demon had other thoughts. Almost like my brain was trying to sabotage me. What if you get worse again? A similar thing happened at the start. I am concerned I put on weight because of the drug. 3.5 stone in a 16months (which doesnt help the depression). I've heard that from other people too. Again it is hard because the anxiety was causing me to eat at times I wouldn't normally. However I do think it effects metabolism. Everyone is different. Just like counselling, you need to find the right drug & dosage for you.
Sertraline for me was a nightmare & I had terrible side effects - sweating, shaking & really bad anxiety. Am now on Duloxetine & feel like a new person!
I have been on 50 mg of sertraline for the last 5 years, I had no side affects at all. I feel it does its job very well !!! I still get anxiety attacks like palpitations , scared for no reason and no appetite but it's very mild in comparison to how I was in the early days. I am hoping that my anxiety is due to the onset of the menopause, and one day I will be able to come off meds all together... only time will tell (I'm 49)
Side effects kind of suck....libido was killed, ED issues (obviously more of a male's complaint, but nonetheless), weight gain, and then feeling more depressed because all of the above. Anxiety improvement was slight if at all. Didn't sleep too well on it. Unfortunately, all of these side effects are typical of the class. Some go away with prolonged use, some don't. It may work for you where it didn't work for others, so it's hard to really pin down unless you try it. Everyone is different in terms of reacting to medication. Thankfully, once you take an anti-depressant med, you can generally move onto the next one if you decide to keep going down the anti-depressant route without withdrawal.
I have been on Sertraline for over six years now. I started out with 25mg the lowest dosage. I was shortly increased to 50mg. Now I have been on 75mg for 3 years now. I am not a med person. I would testify that I would be dead now if not for Sertraline and mental treatment. I was dying with 40 years of Anorexia. Six years ago went into treatment. Like others said. No matter how strong the dose of any drug. It helps with my PTSD and obsession with food. Anorexia was destroying me. The side effects did not seem to happen. I did get drowsy at first. I was dying anyway and starvation is no fun. Yes, I felt great by eating again. I fought the war and won. So talking with my therapist is more effective than any drug. The medication does help but therapy and this support group are wonderful healing.
After just one month I found my positivve side coming back I feel like I am in control now a lot less anxious and much more able to cope. I have been on this for over a year with no side effects. It has a very subtle effect and takes about three weeks to kick in. I know everyone is different but all I can say is that it works for me.
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