Experiences with setraline

[bowiethesdmn]

I've been on Sertraline for around three years now (early 30s woman) and it's been a lifesaver. Others have noticed a difference and personally I've noticed that I'm more able to assess things before reacting, my fight or flight doesn't kick in in tough situations, and I have a buffer where I can feel the anxiety is gonna kick in, take note, and stop it. Almost like a fan getting up to speed then stopping again.

However, this is like the fourth SSRI I've tried since I was 15 and the others would have put me right off them. I also have friends who have been on Sertraline and it's affected them badly, my wife included.

I did hit a plateau with my dose half a year ago and ended up doubling it. Interestingly I didn't feel the full effects of that til I messed up my script and suffered withdrawals for a few days. Soon as I got back on it I was a different woman. Side note, if you've never had withdrawals from SSRIs, try not to. Doctors seem to downplay it but it is not a fun time. Easily dealt with through tapering and not stopping cold turkey though so hopefully that doesn't put anyone off trying if they feel they need it.

edit: my issues were mostly with constant background anxiety, rumination, and OCD. It has taken all these down to manageable levels and it's such a relief (full disclosure: the OCD also required six months of CBT alongside the meds)

 

[Penelope Strawberry]

It was an absolute godsend!

Felt very strange and disconnected from my body for the first 2 weeks or so, but didn't have any side effects after that. Really helped me to not sweat the small stuff and I suddenly felt like problems that had seemed insurmountable before were easily solvable.

I would say that if you're on any antidepressant and want to stop, please always speak to you're GP first as you will gradually need to be weaned off.

 

[Emmy44]

Has anyone had a problem with sweating? I’ve been on it for about 6 months and can’t even walk to the shops without coming back and needing a shower. I wore a tshirt while it was snowing last week it’s horrendous!

 

[citrineday]

i was on 50mg for about a year but noticed i was starting to feel bad again so i am now on 100mg. i’ve never been properly diagnosed with ocd but i have pretty bad compulsions and my brain feels like there are very dark outcomes to these. since taking sertraline i no longer get them. i also used to pull out my eyebrow hairs which i barely do anymore.

im 18 now and started taking it (age 16/17) because i was feeling very depressed and did not know how to go about daily life and being a person anymore. my mum had been desperately trying to get me through to a doctor who would listen for a very long time and it took a very serious breakdown and last straw for them to offer medication to me.

ive noticed that i often have random waves of nausea and now i can fall asleep randomly during the day (it was impossible for me to nap before). i also have very vivid dreams at night, to the point that very often i struggle to distinguish between what happened in a dream and reality. i also think in general i have become better in relation to social situations and other people. but im not actually fully sure if these things are due to the sertraline or are just coincidental and due to me naturally changing as a person which is frustrating- particularly the nausea, social parts and feeling more tired...

i can fall asleep heavily during the day but can’t fall asleep at night until 5:30am. great when you have online lessons at 9!

overall i think i do feel happier, but unfortunately i can’t say it has really helped my anxiety. i still feel anxious every moment of the day and dont think i’ve ever properly had a feeling of ease

 

[Dianne]

I had severe anxiety and panic disorder a few years ago and was put on 100mg Sertraline and 40mg propranolol three times daily then swapped to 80g propranolol slow release once a day.
I remember having lots of side effects with sertraline at first, mainly insomnia, dry mouth, agitation, zoning out, stomach problems and at some moments a sudden euphoria. I dropped down to 50mg Sertraline because of this and things evened out.

I was on this medication for about 8 months but stopped when I became pregnant. I’m back on it again now while breastfeeding. Sometimes I feel a bit flat and distant. However, it has helped my racing thoughts and repetitive thoughts. Doesn’t make anxiety go away entirely though.

Sertraline was difficult to deal with at first, especially when you don’t know if it’s even worth it. Overall though it works quite well for me.

 

[Youre a wizard Harry]

i was on 50mg for about a year but noticed i was starting to feel bad again so i am now on 100mg. i’ve never been properly diagnosed with ocd but i have pretty bad compulsions and my brain feels like there are very dark outcomes to these. since taking sertraline i no longer get them. i also used to pull out my eyebrow hairs which i barely do anymore.

im 18 now and started taking it (age 16/17) because i was feeling very depressed and did not know how to go about daily life and being a person anymore. my mum had been desperately trying to get me through to a doctor who would listen for a very long time and it took a very serious breakdown and last straw for them to offer medication to me.

ive noticed that i often have random waves of nausea and now i can fall asleep randomly during the day (it was impossible for me to nap before). i also have very vivid dreams at night, to the point that very often i struggle to distinguish between what happened in a dream and reality. i also think in general i have become better in relation to social situations and other people. but im not actually fully sure if these things are due to the sertraline or are just coincidental and due to me naturally changing as a person which is frustrating- particularly the nausea, social parts and feeling more tired...

i can fall asleep heavily during the day but can’t fall asleep at night until 5:30am. great when you have online lessons at 9!

overall i think i do feel happier, but unfortunately i can’t say it has really helped my anxiety. i still feel anxious every moment of the day and dont think i’ve ever properly had a feeling of ease

I have vivid dreams too, every single night at the moment! Seems to be a common side effect.

 

[Clairer86]

I was prescribed Sertraline when my little girl was a baby, and to be completely honest it made me worse! It made me so much more anxious and i was glad when they put me on something else.
But i do have complex mental health issues- im diagnosed BPD, Bipolar with severe audiotory hallucinations, OCD, Body Dysmorphia. So ive been on so many different meds and its only since July 2020 that i finally seemed to get meds that helped me. Although they have also made me put on 2 stone since July, but i would never go back on Sertraline.
But just because it didnt work for me, it works for so many others. Good luck

 

[Sunflower91]

Has anyone had a problem with sweating? I’ve been on it for about 6 months and can’t even walk to the shops without coming back and needing a shower. I wore a tshirt while it was snowing last week it’s horrendous!

Omg yes! And I got terrible night sweats. I used to wake up on a morning completely drenched.

Took sertraline for around a year and was an absolute idiot with it. Two that spring to mind were taking kalms with it (high dose + kalms left me pretty much out of it at my desk for three hours)
Then I decided one day I didn’t need them- “weaned” myself off them in a daft way (just taking them willy nilly) had an absolute crash a month or so later and thought I might end up being put on a section. Looking back I clearly wasn’t as well as I thought I was and the urge to come off them was just me being impulsive.

 

[1001 others]

I have been on Sertraline for a very long time (10+ years) for free-floating anxiety. My doctor has told me that I'm likely to be on them for the rest of my life, which is scary. I will say that I've tried a few in my time and Sertraline is the only one that doesn't leave me feeling hazy or groggy. The only negative is the weight gain, which has been huge.

I take 50mg/day but my pharmacy often runs out of 50s, so gives me 100mg with instructions to chop them in half. Despite trying very hard to cut them neatly in half, if I mistakenly chop off a bit more than that, I start to feel very ill ... as in, physically sick.

I also find that if I don't take my tablet with a full glass of water, it kind of stays lodged in my throat and causes really bad indigestion ... it's very odd. As much as I'm not a breakfast person, I try to have something to eat with my tablet too (even if just a banana), which helps it digest better.

Just lately I think something might have changed with the batch as I have a severe headache I can't shake. I remember having one when I first went on Sertraline too.

My doctor has said that Sertraline is one of the safest, most effective, anti-depressants on the market. She said she often prescribes it to women to take for PMT as it takes the edge off perfectly.

Before Sertraline I tried a whole raft of anti-depressants, some which helped me to sleep at night which was a bonus but I'd pay for it the next morning by feeling hungover.

In my experience, it can take several trials of various drugs until you find one that is best for you. You do need to give them time to work - if, after 6 weeks you're not feeling any benefits then it's time to consider something else. It's also important to know (and remember) that what works for someone you know, might not work for you.

Has anyone had a problem with sweating? I’ve been on it for about 6 months and can’t even walk to the shops without coming back and needing a shower. I wore a tshirt while it was snowing last week it’s horrendous!

Yes! But I put it down to perimenopause. It seems to be a lot better nowadays (10 years in).

 

[hereforthedrama10]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I was just wondering because I've always had trichotillomania but I feel I have a lot less control of it since I have started the tablets.....maybe because I'm more relaxed and less alert to when I've gone too far

Hey, slightly OT but I've made a thread for trich if you'd like a place to discuss! https://tattle.life/threads/trichotillomania.15674/

 

[Bitofthebubbly]

I was on sertraline for around 2 years a couple of years back. I was on 150mg in the end. Didn’t notice anything at 50mg personally so had it increased by 50mg at a time. It definitely helped me, but I was stupid and stopped taking them cold turkey when I felt I was ok/couldn’t be arsed with taking them anymore and just never went back to my gp. Don’t do that, the brain zaps drove me mad, but my mood was quite stable apart from that (by my standards anyway). Fortunately I was ok apart from that but it’s definitely not recommended to do it that way. It is something that you should be supported through with a medical professional.

I still struggle with my mental health but I manage it without anti-depressants. Some days are worse than others, I think I might have just gotten used to having a low mood tbh. I haven’t ruled out going on them again in future though if I need to but with retrospect I’m not sure sertraline was really the right one for me.

 

[Cupcakeapple]

Hi guys! Slightly OT but Has anyone taken medication for social anxiety and has it worked? I want to go on medication I feel l need it but my anxiety would be mainly social it’s very bad

 

[1001 others]

Hi guys! Slightly OT but Has anyone taken medication for social anxiety and has it worked? I want to go on medication I feel l need it but my anxiety would be mainly social it’s very bad

No, but have you looked into cognitive behaviour therapy? I tried it for social anxiety with great success.

 

[Cupcakeapple]

No, but have you looked into cognitive behaviour therapy? I tried it for social anxiety with great success.

I did I have done it and picked up some great coping mechanisms. However I still feel dread and get really worked up every time I’ve to do something social, I just know how to cope with it when I get there. But I still feel Distressed inside if you get me

 

[hereforthememe]

I've recently started taking Sertraline and struggling with the side effects... Today I'm switching to taking it at night to see if I can sleep through the nausea instead.

Although I already struggle with night sweats anyway so I'm concerned that people have night sweats while taking the meds

 

[Blowup80]

I was on sertraline for a little while. Only on 50mg.

I just felt ready to come off if, I don’t really know how to describe it. All of the reasons why I went on them didn’t feel as worrying anymore and I just didn’t order my repeat prescription.

I felt dizzy for about a week if I moved too quickly but then was fine and my anxiety hasn’t come back so far

I came off it too a few months back. I felt the same as you, I felt it was time and have also had no anxiety since stopping. I can be very angry in short snaps since coming off it but other than that fine. I know others may not be as lucky. I had no problems whilst on it either.

 

[Saddlesoap]

I've recently started taking Sertraline and struggling with the side effects... Today I'm switching to taking it at night to see if I can sleep through the nausea instead.

Although I already struggle with night sweats anyway so I'm concerned that people have night sweats while taking the meds

How long have you been taking it? It can take a little while for the side effects to subside.

I'm definitely hotter in bed since I've been taking it, but I'm a sweaty person anyway.

 

[hereforthememe]

How long have you been taking it? It can take a little while for the side effects to subside.

I'm definitely hotter in bed since I've been taking it, but I'm a sweaty person anyway.

About 5 days now, I wasn't expecting the side effects to kick in so soon.

I'm taking it at night now and just suffer through before I sleep, as taking it in the morning was ruining my day as I still have work etc.

 

[Milfordcubicle]

I’ve been on it for about 9 years. It was an absolute life saver and I wish I’d started it years ago. I have anxiety and OCD, intrusive thoughts etc. The first week I laughed like a hyena I literally couldn’t stop laughing. I think it’s caused my weight gain but I’d rather be fat and not suicidal!
conversely my husband was put on it a couple of years ago and had to come straight off it as it completely zombiefied him

 

[Saddlesoap]

About 5 days now, I wasn't expecting the side effects to kick in so soon.

I'm taking it at night now and just suffer through before I sleep, as taking it in the morning was ruining my day as I still have work etc.

I got better after about a week. I lost my appetite in the morning and couldn't sleep past 4am, but by 12pm I was ok again. Fingers crossed it helps you.