Sertraline

[April44]

Hi I'm new to the forum I have generalised anxiety disorder for 3 months I was given 50mg sertraline but didnt help with my anxiety after 3 wks so they raised it to 100mg but I wasnt much better and had it raised to 150mg 2 wks ago but I'm still getting feels of anxiety and feel "crazy" does anyone know how long it will take to get back to living a decent life? Also I'm not sure about sertraline as I was on fluoxetine 8years ago I didnt have as many side effects but doctor told me this would help me more but I'm not so sure. Hope someone can give me some advice.

[Hidden]

You need to allow five weeks for the medication to work. You had been taking this medication for three weeks, your Doctor increased the dose which can be standard practice. You will get some relief at five weeks although it may take a few more weeks for the medication to help. Be patient.

BOB

[April44 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Bob,

Maybe that's my trouble im always in a rush. It may of been better to have stuck with a lower dosage a bit longer. 🙂

[cow0880]

Hi April, speaking from personal experience I was on it for 4 years and come the end I thought I had bipolar I was paranoid, possessive and it nearly ended my marriage I also gained 4 stone.I’ve been off it for 4 weeks now and I feel like my old self again. If I was you I would get therapy instead of using head meds it was the worse thing I ever did

[April44 in reply to cow0880]

Thank you I will definitely consider that option I'm not a fan of antidepressant drugs. I hope I can get the right help to get through this.

[cow0880 in reply to April44]

I’m sure you will 😉

[April44 in reply to cow0880]

Im so glad life has got better for you being off the meds, it's a great achievement. It gives me positive encouragement 🙂

[jgbieugbvriburi]

Hi April,

I have been taking setraline since end of March as I suffer from OCD. It should take around 4 to 6 weeks to start seeing some improvement on your mental health. You won't experience an "all of a sudden" improvement, on the contrary, you'll start seeing positive effects quite gradualy, so my advice is to be a little bit patient . I would definetely speak to my therapist/psiquiatric before increasing the dosis, as setraline side effects can be quite unpleasant. Also, if your levels of anxiety haven't diminished at all then it might be the case that your therapist/psiquiatrist will give prescribe you other type of drug.

[April44 in reply to jgbieugbvriburi]

Hi jgbieugbvriburi

thank you for your support, I think your right I was on 50mg for over 3 weeks then went to 100mg after 3 weeks then 150mg just over 2 weeks that was 2weeks ago. I was desperate to get back to work and get back on track I probably could of tried the lower dosage a bit longer. I just hope I havent jumped to soon to a too high of dose as I am still feeling that 'im crazy' and that scares me .

[jgbieugbvriburi]

200mg is the maximum dosis a patient could get for setraline, therefore 150mg is quite a significant dosis per day. If you have raised the dose to 150mg 2 weeks ago I would definately wait a month before considering rising the dosis again. Be patient and kind to yourself. Pay attention to how are you feeling physically and mentally every day without judging yourself. If one day you realized that your levels of anxiety are slightly lower than on previous days, that might be a sign that setraline has started working.

[April44 in reply to jgbieugbvriburi]

Thanks jgbieugbvriburi

Definitely the dose I'm on is worrying I may have gone to high without giving lower dose a chance.

Hope your ocd has improved with the tablets. good luck🙂

[7774]

Hi love, sorry to hear you're having problems with generalised anxiety. I've suffered all my life with it and found meds are not the answer. Have you had D3 levels checked if not ask you're gp for a test as it's rife in the uk. I take D3 supplements and had a check which came back deficient despite gp supplements. I've been waiting 2 years for cognitive therapy for social phobia , it's partly due now to covid 19. Please ask gp practice for advice x

[April44 in reply to 7774]

Thank you 7774,

I appreciate your honesty I just felt desperate to feel better and getting to see a doctor has been impossible at the moment. It's such a rubbish time to get ill now we have the covid restrictions. I will ask about D3 supplement it could be something as simple as that. I Hope you get the CBT, I have been doing an online one that I was referred to, I'm not that keen it's better to see someone in person as I find it difficult to stick to. Good luck let me know how you get on x

[7774 in reply to April44]

Hi love, just seen you're reply. I did online therapy called silver cloud but wasn't any help and my Mum had just passed away then I was diagnosed with social phobia which treatment CBT can only be done in person. After I'd taken sertaline for 10 months I went 4 days and nights without any sleep. I cut it in half and I started to sleep again. Maybe you're gps do telephone appointments as they should be aware of D3 deficiency and can arrange a blood test along with full blood count maybe. Yes it's a rubbish time to be unwell but gps will have to Coe out of hiding sometime. Good luck x

[April44 in reply to 7774]

I'm sorry to hear that you lost your mum it's devastating to lose a parent and go through all those emotions. I too lost my dad 31 years ago he was only 45 my doctor pushed me to get a job which didn't help the only thing I could do was keep going for my mum's sake thankfully I managed to pass my driving test and being a teenager I enjoyed thr freedom driving gave me it took a long time to feel human I never expected to go through it again over 30 years later. my health as been bad for awhile it might be a deficiency. I hope you have someone supporting you through this.. x

[7774 in reply to April44]

Thank you for you're reply love, yes I've got family close by. I live alone as widowed 10 years ago and prefer my own company but it's also good to have family visits. I've been coping with transverse myelitis for almost 20 years which neurological condition. If you have D3 check and ok maybe try sertaline again and keep to low dose for a while. I know it's trial and error and frustrating getting the right treatment x

[April44 in reply to 7774]

I will try thank you.. having that for 20years is a long time and understandably it as a big impact on your body and mind. Glad you have family it does help take care x

[MissMog]

Hi there, I was prescribed 50mg of sertraline just over 6 weeks ago for anxiety and I'm only starting to notice a difference now. I also got in touch with doctors after 3 weeks as felt it wasn't working, was advised that it can take up to 8 weeks before you notice any real difference so they were reluctant to up the dosage at such an early stage, I'm glad I waited it out as think the 50mg might work out for me. I hope you begin to feel better soon.

[April44]

Thank you MissMog

I wish I'd of held out I have been on them 2months so never gave 50mg a chance 3 wks wasn't enough time, my doctor obviously didn't give me that information they just upped the dosage. I am glad you are feeling better and I wish you well. X

[PzSu]

You're doing all the right things, sometimes we need antidepressants as well as using other techniques and this is such a tough time too. You will definitely start to see improvements day by day but gradual. Just have to try to be patient and listen to your body, you'll get through this.

[April44 in reply to PzSu]

Thankd PzSu

Positive messages help so much, I think my fear is I'm never going to get better, I feel I've lost control of my life and who I am.

Ps

Everyone who has messaged have been so supportive.

thank you

[Eyeballs83]

I'm new to the Forum too... I've been medicated with Sertraline 100mg for 1 year now. It took a good 16 weeks (4 months) to feel better however Sertraline causes me to sweat excessively. My Feet have Fungal of some sort coz of the excessive sweat and constant drenched feet. The sweating is a side effect an ment to go away but a year later I'm still sweating to the point it's making me miserable... constant body odour... sticking to the leather of my couch.. an the condition of my feet. I'm awaiting to review this medication. Took forever to work an the side effects are effecting me daily. Running out is a no no too ... my head feels like it gonna burst with immense pressure in the back of my head if I run out an go 2 or more days without it. Everyone responds differently to medication but I for 1 am not getting along with Sertraline.

[April44]

Thank you for your experiences with the tablets, I to have been sweating, severe headaches and heart running faster even doing light movements. I was hoping they would help with my anxiety but I still feel I'm going "crazy" it's been 3wks at 50mg, 2weeks at 100mg and now 3 weeks at 150mg I really feel fed up that I cant get back to my old self.

I hope you find the right tablets or the help to get through these difficult times. Take care. X

[Bobeboba]

My partner gradually came off Fluoxetine as he didn’t want to be on antidepressants anymore as he had been on it for years. When he finally did stop taking it, the depression came back. He tried everything to feel better naturally but nothing helped. Eventually he went on a psilocybin trial treatment which helped a lot but he felt he needed more treatment, but the trial ended to soon. After a couple of months he felt he needed to start on a different medication to cope with the depression coming back, the doctor prescribed him sertraline as his depression was still there but this made him 10 times worse he was on it for more than 3 months and it made him have suicidal thoughts. Eventually a few months ago he went back to fluoxetine and almost immediately he was himself again! He was so relieved and I was so relieved. He is so much better, more creative and annoyingly happy most of the time a bit too confident but I would rather this than the terrible times we had before. He is only taking fluoxetine every other day but this is good for him. I definitely think Sertraline is not for everyone. Sertraline worked for me when I was on them for a few months after a tough time but it definitely had the opposite effect for my partner. It was a shame the psilocybin trial ended as he worked through so many things through it, and was feeling much better.

Hope that helps you in some way.

[April44]

Hi

It is tough getting the right treatment I've stopped taking sertraline and have been on fluoxetine for 3 days, 1st day I felt like my old self i was hopeful that it would continue, how ever it is early days and I have been abit up and down but i am functioning a lot better. I had used fluoxetine before but g.p thought sertraline would have more positive effects for my anxiety, im glad I pushed for fluoxetine I hope it does the same for me has it has done for your husband.

Thank you for your message.

April x