Sertraline

[jacobite33]

Hello everyone

Finally succumbed to ask for ant-depressants to help with the anxiety and fearfulness daily that comes I feel through exhaustion and insomnia

Usual huffing and hawing from the doc not wanting to believe the other meds never worked

The conversation focused on my TSH results as she said was within range and to be truthful it was my cortisol levels I was concerned about

It never even got mentioned and I felt defeated after the call that I let it go as it was the focus in the beginning as to how I felt previously and now

Anyway a starter does of Sertraline has been waiting at the chemist for me since Tuesday just need to admit defeat and that I tried over a year to go without

My question if anyone can help is does it help with sleep and lowering cortisol?

Upped my dosage of levo to 75mcg but stuck at 12.5mcg Tiromel split twice a day to bring the cortisol down

Not sure if it’s my situation at the moment that’s causing palpitations again other the Levo still trial and error

Long post but would appreciate any advice from anyone who has been prescribed Sertraline and the benefits

Thank you once again in advance 😊

[Lalatoot]

Was on another SSRI, Citalopram, for years because of anxiety and panic attacks. Because the SSRI medication affects serotonin which in turn alters gut function, some folks need a slight boost in thyroid hormone doses.

Takes a while for the SSRI to kick in and when you come to stop it taper it off very gradually.

I don't know about it lowering cortisol but it allowed me to get on with my life. However, because I believe in being truthful, it was really a sticking plaster for my low thyroid hormone levels. If I had been properly medicated I wouldn't have been running on adrenaline. For years my TSH was at the top of the range 4.75ish and FT4 at 15 (10 - 25) and this was under the supervision of an endo. Obviously I didn't know any more about thyroid then than she did. Blind leading the blind.

Anyhow it was a very useful support for me when I needed it and I hope that gives you the benefits you need at the mo.

[Abi-Abster]

I have been on and off Sertraline for years. For me personally it works: I think my body just needs a chemical boost every now and again.

Initially I took it because I struggled with PMDD (suicidal PMT) and low level anxiety. After a year off Sertraline, a couple of months ago I went back on it as I felt like I wasn't coping with life too well.

I don't fight taking meds anymore: on and off I've lost years of my life being obstinate and not taking anti-depressants. Now I know the signs, these days I like to nip a mental dip in the bud before it turns into Depression (I have SAD so this often happens to me in winter) and as usual the Sertraline's done the trick.

Currently I take a very low dose of Sertraline dose every day (just half a tablet - so 25mg daily) and increase that as and when I feel I need to, and likewise decrease it if I've been doing well for a long time and have built a strong mental foundation on which to stop.

The thing with SSRIs is to start them low and increase slowly, and taper off even more slowly over a couple of months.

Sertraline works for me, and is a useful tool to use when I need to, but every body is different (literally).

[humanbean]

My question if anyone can help is does it help with sleep and lowering cortisol?

From your last set of test results on

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

I see that your cortisol is over the range.

Unfortunately, according to this link :

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

sertraline is likely to increase your cortisol levels, not reduce it.

I can suggest a non-prescription alternative to SSRIs, if you're interested.

Have you ever heard of or tried 5-HTP?

I wrote a reply to another member about 5-HTP a couple of years ago:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

It is actually quite hard to find 50mg doses of 5-HTP. Normally doses are much higher, and over time the doses available just get higher and higher and higher, and I find it quite shocking.

I'm currently taking one a day of these, about 3 or 4 times a week but I took it every day for at least 8 years (although it wasn't the same brand the whole time).

amazon.co.uk/Supplement-Rel...

Before I started taking 5-HTP I had tried, over about 15 years, four different SSRIs. They either did nothing at all or gave me unpleasant side-effects.

...

Regarding your cortisol, I have issues with high cortisol too. I have reduced the symptoms that it causes me with Holy Basil, which can be bought without prescription. The one I take is this one :

dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/swa...

I've been on it for several years, and started it on a very high dose. But over the years I have gradually reduced that to just one a day as my high cortisol symptoms reduced. I take it in the evening because it helps me to sleep.