Hi there, just want to let people know my experience. I started sertraline for severe anxiety on the 28th June. I started at 25mg for the first week then went up to 50mg. Okay, so the first week was good, no increase in anxiety or other adverse affects...then into the second week I started to get really bad headaches and problems with my near vision, sore jaw, sore shoulders weird sensations in my legs, no appetite, insomnia, bad fatigue, this all made get health anxiety which I don't normally suffer from, started thinking I had a brain tumour, ms, mnd, you name it, I thought I had it! I realised that the symptoms were side affects and so was the heightened anxiety, but It's hard convincing yourself that.
This carried on until about the 6th week then I started to notice a small difference in the way I was feeling, the side affects had more or less gone, I wasn't so tired, started feeling a bit more positive, started laughing more, felt more positive about the future...I was still suffering bad insomnia though so I asked the doctor about this and he has increased my dose to 100mg, I've been on that for a week now and it's been great sleeping better, feeling better, probably the best I have felt in a few years....I'm so glad I didn't give up on them in the early days. I hope this helps anyone who may need some encouragement.
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MissMog
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I was exactly the same, I had them for a week before I started them, I just kept staring at the box, but figured I had to at least give them a try, okay it was a rough ride, but the results are positive. Good luck!
antidepressants take about 6 weeks to properly get into your system and for any initial side effects to subside.
Doctors really do know best so if they give you medication it's because they feel you need it. It really is a waste of resources and money if you go to your doctor, who gives you a solution ie medication and you then decide not to take them because you have read someone else's horror story.
Hi MissMog, I hope to find you well and was wondering what the weird sensations in your legs were like.
I have been on sertraline for about 8/10 weeks and have numbness in one of my legs, feels like its coming round from bad pins and needles the whole time and quiet heavy. Is this the same for you?
I am waiting on a diagnosis for |Fibromyalgia and didn't know if it was the Sertraline or that that is causing the pain.
Hi tigger1971, It was pins and needles, numbness and kinda like they weren't doing what I wanted them to do, more so in one leg, I'm still getting some pains though and also in my arms, I'm wondering about fibromyalgia too, I might mention that at my next doctors appointment.
I wouldn't wish fibro on anyone. Im 99% of the way to my diagnosis after almost 2 years. Its been an uphill struggle. But I'm feeling so much better since being on sertraline, was on citalopram before and felt tired all the time, needed day naps everyday now i only have them on bad days.
So glad to see this post! I am into my third week of a top up to 150mg from 100mg , and i'm having lots of side effects, jaw clenching, dizzyness, increased anxiety, insomnia, etc. I only just joined and am glad to see i just need to ride through it.
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