Hi I’m just wondering if anyone has t... - Mental Health Sup...

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Hi I’m just wondering if anyone has taken 50mg of sertraline and how long it took for them to work ?

JamieC12 profile image
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I’ve taken for 15 days now and around 7 days in I was feeling the effects of them. No panic attacks at all for like 3 days. But now I’ve gone back to feeling worse again. I’m just wondering has anyone had this experience as worried they won’t work. Thank you.

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JamieC12
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purplevscoteen profile image
purplevscoteen

Yes I have been taking it for 8 months now. 50mg is technically below therapeutic dose but you have to start with a low dose like that to deter side effects. I am currently on 150mg but my doctor had me going up in 25mg increments at a time so I wouldn't have any side effects. I find that for my anxiety and panic attacks it has been a great tool as it contributed to me no longer suffering from either. However I did also use other helpers to supplement the medicine mainly peppermint essential oil, meditation, and changing my diet for a healthier one. If you have depression as well though the medication can be not enough. Although I am less suicidal I still get down quite easily.

purplevscoteen profile image
purplevscoteen

O yeah and my doctor said it can take up to a year of taking this medication in order for it's effects to really be good enough to the point where you will be asymptomatic.

Allow five weeks for the drug to settle be patient it will possibly take longer than this to feel positive benefits

BOB

On_The_Mend profile image
On_The_Mend

Hi JamieC12 - I’ve been taking 50mg Sertraline for 3 months now following an anxiety crisis at work, followed by a month of sick leave and a depression/anxiety diagnosis by my GP. I was constantly anxious about everything and felt that there was nothing to look forward to in life - just a thankless grind. It took around 5 to 6 weeks for the Sertraline to really start to stabilise my feelings - before then, I was “up-and-down” as you say, with a lot of insomnia (quite “trippy/buzzy” insomnia, if that makes sense?). I can honestly say that I’m now feeling the benefits of Sertraline from a few angles - my work anxiety is back down to “normal” levels (I worry an “appropriate” amount about things that would previously make me nauseous/frightened), I am more agreeable to be around (according to family) and I have realised I was quite socially anxious too (I now look forward to social events rather than find them a chore). I have a close friend who has been taking Sertraline for nearly a year - I only found this out when I told him of my diagnosis - and his experience was that it took him over 6 months to feel the full benefits of constantly stable mood.

My opinion - I’m no medic however - is that SSRIs do take quite some time to take effect and it can vary person to person, but my experience has been really quite profound. I feel like “myself” again and have positive thoughts about the future. I still have bad days when thoughts of failure/hopelessness still pervade, but they’re rare. I will say that I do drink alcohol and have found that I become intoxicated a lot more easily on Sertraline, but that might be just me. I’m having a conversation with myself/family about stopping drinking alcohol too, but that’s a different story.

All the best from a middle-aged man in the UK - hope it works for you.

JamieC12 profile image
JamieC12

Thanks for taking your time out of your day to send me that.

Really appreciate it.

Thank you.

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