Sertraline Advice

[Millidog]

Hi Friends, My husband is taking 100mg Sertraline daily. He is very withdrawn and won't speak about his PSP condition or in fact speak much at all. Recently he has expressed his sadness at helplessness and seemed very down. I spoke to GP who has increased dosage to 150mg daily. I have 2 questions- is increasingly Sertraline a good idea and when is the best time to take it? I have read conflicting advice on this and gp has given no advice so I wondered if you could share your experiences thanks 😊

[Sun-flowerwearer]

Hi Millidog

My husband doesn’t speak other than the odd word early morning and looks very sad as his face is frozen. He has said he feels fearful of his diagnosis and feels he’d be better dead. He takes 15mg of martazipine which is a similar drug to sertaline. He takes it at bedtime. It helps him sleep at night but it doesn’t seem to change how he feels. The increased dosage of sertaline may well help to numb your husbands mind to what is happening to him but I don’t know if that would also mean what little spark of communication that’s left will disappear too… I am thinking in terms of my own husband but his communication and mood seem very similar to your husbands. I guess it’s worth a try taking an extra dosage to see if it helps.

[lunarquasar]

Good Morning my wife is on sertraline and has been for quite a few years initially on 100mg and then as her anxiety seemed to worsen she was increased to 200mg last September. Unfortunately she has had really bad problems with Diarrhoea . After consulting with her GP we decided to reduce her sertraline to 150mg which has now been reduced to 100mg these have all been given first thing in the morning with breakfast. The GP thought that the sertraline might be the problem but we are now looking at some of the other meds she is taking. Just as an aside she is also on a thickener gum based for liquids which could also be causing the problem so we have now changed to a starch based one. My wife cannot articulate at all so communication is zero. She has had CBD since 2016.

Best Wishes hope this helps.

Barrie

[carehope]

Hi ! I can really relate to what you and your husband are having to cope with even though my experiences with PSP involve my sister who's had PSP for 10+ years.Here's some input from our long history of dealing with PSP . By the way , I've found this site to be so helpful due to the input of people with PSP and people who are assisting them . Though a GP can be very helpful , I strongly recommend that you find the best and most compassionate and open minded neurologist or neurology group practice that you can uncover through personal referrals or online searching. Most physicians , which unfortunately includes most neurologists , have very little knowledge of PSP and/or the ways in which PSP actually affects people in real time. People who have PSP are the most qualified to let us know what they're going through if we're tuned in. Chronic illness is depressing . Life limiting neurological illnesses : depressing , challenging on every level ; functional changes , possible behavior and personality changes . The list of PSP symptoms is so varied , often changeable and different from person to person. Withdrawing from social interactions is sometimes a reflection of this. Increasing difficulty reading . Difficulty processing info . Light sensitivity . Sensitivity to multiple stimuli . Apathy . Decreased empathy . Irritability. OCD symptoms . Impaired judgement . Difficulty verbalizing , vocalizing , impaired motor skills . If you come across ideas for interventions that you think may help , bring them to your doctor's attention . All of us aren't optimists and sometimes optimism is a really tall order , even for an optimist !

Essential : A sense of humor , assertiveness when necessary . Straightforwardness , and genuine empathy . Regarding Sertraline : basically 100 mg to 150 mg per day is an acceptable dose . Ask the doctor about what to look out for , etc.. The doctor needs your and your husband's input. Info on all meds including vitamins and other supplements can be found online along with dosage levels , side effects , adverse effects , interactions , etc ..... We need to do research and inform ourselves . A qualified doctor is essential , but we are around our loved ones on a day to day basis and the patient is living with this dx , so caregiver and patient input is vital .

Sertraline/Zoloft didn't seem to be of much help for my sister . At a certain point we d/c'd it and Rx was changed to Amitriptyline/Elavil which seemed to have a more positive effect . My sister is still using it .

Sending you best wishes from us in NY.

Elise

[Bristolgirl]

hi Millidog! sorry to hear about your husband. I had sertraline then changed to Citralapram last year. Everyone is different on anti depressants so don’t read anything into this. be guided by your gp re increasing the dosage but be aware of recommended doses for over 65 s . Time of day- it is down to the individual what works best. As long as you stick to the same time each day . It’s important to keep to a 24 hour gap . Good luck!

[LFG3]

Hello,

My husband is in year 6 of PSP. He takes 100 mgs of Sertraline each morning at breakfast. It has taken away all of his anger and irritability and within a week or so on the medicine he is back to the sweet, loving man I married years ago. He seems content and happy, and I can easily make him laugh. He doesn't talk much at this stage of the disease and what he does say is garbled and difficult to understand. When we have talked about his disease and our situation, of course he was sad and upset about the cards he has been dealt. But he has accepted it and we just take one day at a time, doing the best we can. After all, we all will die of something, one day or another. If I were you I'd give the increased dose for about 2 weeks, then reassess. Maybe like others have said a different drug might work better for him. We have had great success with this one so I hope just increasing the dose will help him. It's often challenging to figure out a new medicine and the right dosage of it. My thoughts and prayers are with both of you. ❤️

[ChocolateFaceTeddy]

I used take mind last thing at night I have CBD xx

[LuisRodicioRodicio]

Hi Millidog!!

These are our experiences:

*Symptom control: Most people only take medication for symptom control.

• Control of palliative medication against depression, as well insomnia and anxiety. In our case, one pill of Sertraline-50 at breakfast (depression) and one pill of “Lorazepan-1mg” (insomnia and anxiety), one hour before dinner (*). Of course all these drugs were prescribed by a physician. After around 6,5 years with this medication no appreciable side effects on our case.

(*) I have read that to improve the patient's sleep are using "Melatonin" successfully. Others use “Trazadone”. Ask physician.

In our case there was no need to increase the dose of Sertraline throughout the process.

Hug and luck.

Luis

[Richard33]

Millidog,

Ruth has been taking Sertraline for 6 years or so now. We have progressively increased her dose over the years when she has started to feel down. She is now on the maximum (I think) of 200mg taken in the morning. There do not seem to have been any side-effects and her mood is definitely improved. (She also takes 15mg of Mirtazapine at night to help her sleep).

Richard 😊

[avijapura]

Sertalinine (Zoloft) can be used up to 200 mg/day. It is a good medication for Depression in PSP. If some one knows about their own diagnoses of PSP. able to read an know possible future life, it is very depressing, but there are many positive thoughts you can discus. It is a slow progressive, you can enjoy life with some limitation, reconnect with friends and family, allow God to decide what happens to people, try think that this disease you do not get any pain. curepsp.org can provide very good scientific information, and support. God bless