Sertraline story and advice needed!!!

[MariaF2021]

Hey everyone! So I was seen after many long years of plucking the courage to see a physchatrist. I was diagnosed in February 2022 with Severe clinical depression, anxiety and emotional disorder traits alongside PTSD.

I was advised therapy alongside sertraline. Sertraline I started 25mg and stayed on those for 3weeks & then told to go to 50mg to slowly and gradually introduce the drug to my system.

So far I feel calmer but I also feel extremely exhausted, nausea and have vomited a few times. I slept ALL night and ALL day the next day and I still felt exhausted. I have lost my appetite and I feel like a walking zombie. Now I'm on the 2nd week of the 50mg and I cannot seem to think it'll get any better. It's 5 weeks in total on the sertraline and I'm not actually feeling energetic or like things are getting alot better depression wise, it's strange. Sometimes have heart palpations and I do get so hot and sweaty. I wake during the night but not for long and do tend to get back to sleep. My tummy is very achey and has been for weeks. I take the medication every morning between 8am and 9am.

I'm wondering if anyones experienced the same, if anyone can give me an insight to a similar experience and how they dealt with it?

Thanks so much 🙏

[Rlj071130]

Hi, I am now 6 weeks into 50mg of sertraline. For the first few weeks it made me feel so much worse, the anxiety peaked and I lost my appetite and ability to find enjoyment in anything. Thankfully I’m pleased to say that has now passed and I’m feeling much better than I did. Stick with it but talk to your GP, it may be that sertraline isn’t for you and they need to try you on something else. Good luck x

[Loughborough53]

Hello, my son takes Sertraline and swears by it. He has also,encouraged others to ‘stick with it’ through horrid weeks of side effects but they stop and then you feel so much better, you have got this far , try to carry on ,I’m certain it will get better and you will feel like my son does now

[Hidden]

Giving increases in medications is normal practice, so you will need to allow additional time for your increased dose to work, the time level will possibly be about two weeks and hopefully you will then feel much better.

Sad to say I suppose we all feel flat and disinterested when it comes down to this medication although you will need to consider other medications you may be also taken so try and remain a little bit more positive as you wait for the medication to work

BOB

[Shaf3938]

Hello there! I was switched from Lexapro 20mg to Zoloft a few months ago! I started out with 25mg then went to 50mg then 75mg and then to 100mg when I got to the 100mg my stomach was getting really upset! I had no appetite and was getting really had headaches! this lasted for 2 weeks and I called up my doctor and we reduced to 75mg where I am currently at and it's been good! but the last week I've had 2 really stressful events happen in my life and now my anxiety is back to being heightened even with being on the meds! just stay positive!

[Klaus-sperger]

Hi, I take 200mg sertraline every day for 12 years.I started on 25mg a day and then took 50 mg a day and so on.

From 50 mg a day I would get a wide variety of negative effects, these were quite overpowering, awful,I was in living hell! As I continued to take daily dose after 2 weeks the awful hell effects simply faded away,much like when you feel better after an infection.it took once about a month to recover fully but I was amazed that all the negative horror symptoms just faded away and I felt so much better.

After this,sertraline cured me of all my major depression,anxiety,and horrendous collection of symptoms I was truly astonished.

It is essential for me and a magic pill!

[Susan353 in reply to Klaus-sperger]

I’ve just increased to 150mg so your message has really reassured me

[Klaus-sperger in reply to Susan353]

Good,we are all unique but unique so I feel there is no exactly the same response but I know that initial toxic side effects are quite common and that if you go slow but keep taking they very often diminish as your system gets used to the drug. Not pleasant but I guess we have to put up with these things.I felt I experience an activation of my illness at its worst

If I'd have known I would not have started the drug or certainly would have stopped taking it very early on.

There is very little I have not tried to reduce my depression. As a last act of desperation I asked for anti depressants resentful in taking them ,very anxious about negative effects and not believing in them,I just hoped that somehow they might reduce the suffering and misery.

They seriously transformed my life abd showed me that 95% of my problem was a lack of serotonin in my brain.,unbelievable.

I now feel so so much better it is like a magical elixir.

I know a lot of people say these are harmful toxic,no better than placebo and I'm sure for many this is absolutely the case, I spent decades tackling succesfully every single problem with psychotherapy , will power positive thinking,confidence and success but not depression.

I hate taking pills but there is no choice and I am so grateful .Good, luck,talk anytime to me klaus

[Vicss in reply to Klaus-sperger]

What med do you take Klaus? X

[Klaus-sperger in reply to Vicss]

I take many for various health problems.Psychologically I take sertraline 200 mg plus supplements of probiotics and epa fish h oil.