After feeeling like ive reached the end if my sanity and tether i went to visit my gp who was very helpful and reassuring. She prescribed 50mg of serataline in addition to my 80mg slow realease propanalol. Im really quite apprehensive about taken the sertraline as ive read the side effects initally can make anxiety worse and the way i feel at the minute i cant stand it to become worse. Ive also read abiut sleep distrubances and really really dont want to have this as my sleeping is shocking just lately and i tend to have palps throughtout the night if i wake. I know whats exacerbating my symptoms and its my work place. The job is fine but the workplace has been horrendous and i need to get out and im seemingly having have panic episodes about panic episodes.
Enough of my waffling..... Please can anyone advise me about the sertraline, symptoms, wht you feel like on them and how soon do you feel better? Alos best time to take them so i dont have sleep issues.
As you can probably tell, im bit hesitant to start incase my symptoms worsen.
Thanks in advance. Kelly
Written by
Kellt
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi kelly. I took Sertraline some years ago and, although the symptoms do play up a bit more in the early stages, the side effects eventually subside and usually you start to feel better. How they react with Propanalol I do not know. Coming off anti depressants is fairly easy compared with the Diazipams, so do not worry if they do not suit you and you have to come off them. Hope you are feeling btter. All the best. jonathan.
I took sertraline for panic disorder about 15 years ago, not only didn`t it help one bit, but it made me so nauseaous that my gp had to prescribe maxalon to conrol it. I stopped teking the sertraline, & I felt a lot better & my anxiety decreased a lot. From then on I decide that pills were not the answer, & I`m much better off now.
I've been taking Sertraline for about 3 weeks, to treat depression and social anxiety.
Nausea was pretty bad for the first week, especially the first day when I had to stay in bed. My heart was beating very fast on day 4, but that hasn't happened again. It has increased my anxiety slightly - physically and mentally. I sweat more than usual, and sometimes I have more difficulty concentrating. I had a significant increase in sexual desire during the first ten days, but now it has significantly decreased below normal. Achieving orgasm is very difficult.
My doctor has increased my dose from 50mg in the first 2 weeks to 100mg. I may be starting to feel the benefits, but he said it can take up to 6 weeks or longer before I really start to notice an improvement. He also said that the negative side effects I'm experiencing are typical, and that they should start to subside.
It's too early to tell what the long term effects will be, but now that the nausea has stopped it's not an unpleasant experience. It's similar to the anxious buzz I get from caffeine. I feel more alert and jumpy, but my depression isn't as bad as normal. Social anxiety is possibly slightly worse, but if this is a side-effect that will wear off (as my doctor says it will), I feel like once it does I'll find it easier to relax in social situations. I'm finding things more pleasurable and interesting, so having fun and enjoying the company of others seems like it will be easier.
Well i have to thanks you for your insights. They were very interesting. I have to say ive just had a horrendous reaction to my first 50mg i took this morning. I just sat down after being busy cooking dinner, and had an over over body, what can onky be descibed as hot/cold/tingly/numbess that radiated up and down my body, as i stood up i was very dizzy, could see straight and felt like i was about to collapse. This scared the life out of me. I thought i was dying. (this then triggered a terrifying panic episode) i had anticipated a rection but that was very scary. I need to see out some gp advice tomorrow. I am plagued now with recurrent episodes of panic which are happenign 2,3,4 times a day and im in despair as i hoped sertraline was the answer. Im so fed up and my family see me as a burden.
Hi kelt I was prescribed sertaline about 2 months ago at first I felt much better, I wasn't so depressed, but about three weeks ago I had this very strange and frightening feeling my heart began to palpatate and I kept having these waves of ice cold going up my body, I became sort of breath which excelled my panic, and I ended up in hospital, I spoke to the doctor and decided to stop taking them ,I was on 50mg, I.do not have the symphoms as bad now but am.having further tests, it may be that they reacted with my other medication. I feel I just need some answers to what's happening and then its easier to deal with really understand how u feel, but like everything else what suits one person dosent always suit another good luck and I hope u feel better soon x
Oh my goodness, you have just spelled out my exact episode last night, it was like ice cold pins and needles up and down my body. I was truly terrified. Ive nt aken it this morning and tried to get into to see the gp onky to be patronsied by the nosey receptionist. Im going cold trukey now (for want of a better term) im tring to concentrate on my breathing and hypnosis.
Thank you so much fot this reply its made me feel like im not cracking up. I hope you feel better now, id be interested in how you resolved the symptoms.
I have been taking sertraline for nearly one year now. Before this i was taking fluoxitine(prozac). The sertraline are better for my anxiety and i have not encountered any major side effects. I am reducing the dosage from 100mg to 50 mg as i am feeling much better. I have taken lots of different anti deps, but this one seems the best for me. Its also easier to come off it, unlike prozac which was a nightmare. Hope this helps.
I've been taking 20 mg fluoxetine since 1999, and am about to switch to sertraline, just to see if it helps lower anxiety, and because a GP has advised it is better at treating GAD than Prozac. How did you switch over? Do I take both meds , overlapping them , and then taper down the Prozac and then go solely onto the 50 mg sertraline?
Any advice welcome!
I have been taking Sertraline for 7 weeks now and there is some reduction in fearfulness and social anxiety and I am less depressed. However when inactive I become apathetic and sleepy though this is not necessarily unpleasant I do feel a bit numb. I am urinating more frequently, have tinnitus,am gaining weight. When active and in company I'm a bit over-freindly and talkative. I feel a bit "stoned". There is some difficulty concentrating but thought processes do seem to be "healthier" less anxious,less depressive. I notice my unhealthy thinking more and am more detached from it. I think Sertraline may be combined with cognitive behavioral therapy to good effect. I am also alcoholic and Setraline seems to help with abstinence and reduces craving.
I would say that it's worth giving Sertraline a good go and that it's worth persisting with so that at least you know for sure one way or the other i.e. don't bolt at the first hurdle and of course work closely with your g.p. and share your concerns with those you love.
I take my Sertraline at bed-time. It seems to help me feel less drowsy during the day. I might just be imagining that but it's a routine that seems to suit me.
I started this 3 months ago and feel brand new, i didnt think anything would help me with my social anxiety disorder but this has changed everything. Side affects - I feel really shattered at 4pm each day but this passes pretty soon. Everyone is different but i had no other side effects and am nearly 100% cured. I read all the bad storys about this pill and did think about not using it but when at work i couldnt handle certain group things and started to take it and within 2 weeks i was a different person. If you are in doubt just take it and see what happens im on 100mg a day. Hope this helps anyone
Just been prescribed sertaline 50mg for severe anxiety. Been told to take it at night, but is it not more effective if taken in the morning? Anyone got any experiences of when to take it? Thanks and stay healthy!
I have took many differen a.ds over the years and have been on 200g of sertraline for about 12 months religiously taking them everyday, I take them at night as my gp hoped they would help wiv my terrible sleep patterns but they don't seem to help & I require zopiclone if I want more than an hr or two without night tremers & broken sleep.
I also have gained weight which I am not happy about but I guess I can sort that when I feel more able to interact with the outside world.
At first my symptoms were heightened as they got in my system at 50g & then the first few days as I was increased to the max, I felt somewhat high n kind of floaty & numb. I guess they have helped a great deal with my depression as I am not self harming as frequent as I was but unfortunately I don't feel they have helped so well with my anxiety & OCD.
Time to see my gp again as I have read that other meds work well along side this one for my conditions.
Thing I hate the most is the sweating but that maybe the anxiety & meds combined.
Good luck on ur mission to findin something that suits for you.
Thank you for your reply, I still after all this time haven't taken it since. My anxiety is much better but not fully resolved. Hope everyone is well x
I took 2 doses of 50 mg of Sertraline and experienced a sensation of ice cold fire running from the base of my spine, up through my body and creeping along my arms, it lasted e few minutes and as I was out with friends I managed to keep very calm but felt disengaged. The next day I took my next dose and experienced severe palpitations...I was advised to go to have it checked out and was told its probably Anxiety...I have experienced Anxiety, etc but I knew this was a side effect. I reported this to my GP and she took me seriously and advised me that that the Ice cold sensation was a neurological response and not v common...the long shot is that anti depressants are not for me and I am sensitive to chemicals. The good news is that I am using Mindfulness strategies, breath work is key! All the obvious things like reduce workload, sleep, good diet, and accept that life is not always simple, share your difficulties with friends and seek Counselling....oh and speak to an understanding GP.
I've been taking Zoloft (Sertraline) 50 mg for a couple of years now and I love them. Became less emotional and therefore able to function better in everyday settings, especially as I experienced no side-effects. I would recommend this drug to anyone who is suffering from depression and anxiety. I commonly order my pills via generic-meds-store.com without danger. Never had any issues with them! Hope I was helpful. Wish you good luck and take care !!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Sertraline and suicidal thoughts
3 weeks on sertraline
Starting Sertraline
Sertraline 
