Experiences with setraline

[Vivian124]

I'm on it seven weeks and I'm gone very forgetful. I don't like that.

 

[StillLucilleBluth]

Hey again! I remember you saying you were visiting the doctor in the depression thread around the same time as me - I see we’re both on the sertraline train now! I feel exactly the same as you right now

I’m about three weeks in and feeling awful this weekend. It’s like the tablets have removed some of the physical signs of my anxiety like panic attacks, raising heart etc, but the intrusive thoughts and compulsions are all still there? Feel like a bit of a zombie. Really hoping things improve soon!

Aw, thank you for remembering! And sorry to hear you’re feeling similar. I’ve got a physio appointment shortly and after that I think I might go back to bed or at least sit on the sofa and not move. People did warn me I might feel worse before I feel better but for some reason I thought that would be straight away and not after a couple of weeks. It just scares me to think that maybe I’ll never feel better. I’m also heartbroken and hopeless after a breakup and being around my happy coupled up friends is unbearable and I can’t think about anything other than how lonely and tragic I am.

 

[theghosttown]

How long have you been on it now? I used to get like this for the first few months before my body acclimatised to it. Now I can drink alcohol and coffee and usually be okay! I do find that I get more anxious when I take it on an empty stomach though, I get kinda jittery!

2 months today, went up from 50mg to 100mg after the first month!

Yes I definitely am jittery. I just can’t bloody stomach breakfast so just take it first thing when I wake up so I don’t forget. My only real side effects are the real tiredness and the awful night sweats. Hoping it’ll level out!

 

[StillLucilleBluth]

For people who experienced things getting worse before they got better when they started Sertraline, how long did it take? I’ve been on them for 2.5 weeks and at first felt fine but the last few days I’ve felt brutally sad again and I don’t know if this means I need a higher dose, or if it’s normal and in another couple of weeks things should improve? My doctor implied that I might start to feel something after two weeks, but friends who’ve taken it said much longer than that in reality.

 

[Vivian124]

Is anyone else struggling with the dreams?

Do you take them am or pm?

 

[Eyeofthetiger]

I started on sertraline and it was the best thing I ever done, I actually felt like a person again… until I had an allergic reaction to it. It felt like I couldn’t breathe and was only taking tiny breaths, doctors said to just stop taking it immediately. Took 3 months for my breathing to go back to normal and during a pandemic with health anxiety that was awful.
I started on fluoxetine and the ‘getting used to it’ period was horrendous then I started to feel better then same reaction.
now I’m apparently on a list for therapy but it’s been a year and nothing yet

 

[bitterntwisted]

Sertraline was the second antidepressant and the first SSRI I was put on. The first week it killed my appetite, but the second week after not eating, my trousers didn't fit me. Figure that one out. Went up to the max dose until I experienced poop out, aka it stopped working. Then I went on a journey with Effexor and that effing drug? I rue the day I every took that one.

 

[StillLucilleBluth]

Hope everyone is doing OK. I’m still loving my sertraline but struggling with the timing of taking it.

When I was taking it first thing, I found the next morning I was insanely tired and struggled to get up, and I wondered if that was because the dose was naturally wearing down after 24 hours (don’t really understand half life but something related to that).

But if I take it before bed, I sometimes find I wake up more during the night and then wake up super early and struggle to get back to sleep.

Tbh it’s worse when I’ve got less going on, so when I start my new job I’ll probably be more busy and tired and it won’t matter as much, but I just wondered how others manage the timing of taking it? I’d like to take it midday but I fear I’ll forget / not be able to if I’m in a meeting or something and then I’ll get inconsistent which is probably worse? Any advice would be very welcome

 

[Nebbymoo]

Iv just changed to sertraline from mirtazapine and wow it was genuinely horrific. I was hallucinating, paranoid that my friends and family wanted me dead, my husband was cheating on me, at one point there was a fox tail that walked past the bed my mood swings out of control and everyone was an enemy along with a constant noise in my head that I cant describe. Then one day after about a week I was just "normal". And it's like I have a whole new found lease of life again.
I hope it continues as it currently is because I cannot go through that again switching to other medications.

 

[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.

 

[shadowcat5]

I don’t think it showed up that quickly for me so it took a while to correlate it. I was stuck eating gluten free and following the restrictive FODMAP protocol for several months. Since stopping the medication, I’ve been able to reintroduce many, many, many foods.

I am actively trying to eat serotonin promoting foods now. I also keep red meat to a minimum because it’s bad for my mental health but it’s proven necessary for certain aspects of my physical health. Sugar, also, exacerbates my mental health.

I don’t feel 100% all the time but for most of the day I feel okay.

I already had mild ibs so I’m quite familiar with my bowels I’ve never had an issue before as it’s usually only triggered by stress. I now almost shit myself when I drink orange juice and eat gluten

 

[thenoodle]

I’m a month into it now and oh my god I have never felt so tired, I had a medical review a couple of weeks ago and I was fine but now I can’t get through the day without an hour nap and I’m sleeping for 10 hours at night

 

[aidil]

I wonder if it could be down to me taking it on an empty stomach. I take it at about 6am on an empty stomach and then after I’m drinking 3 cups of coffee and then have lunch.
I feel absolutely catatonic today. So so so tired with a weird anxiety and a bit agitated. I was absolutely fine on it until the weekend when I drank too much and it absolutely floored me!!!

How long have you been on it now? I used to get like this for the first few months before my body acclimatised to it. Now I can drink alcohol and coffee and usually be okay! I do find that I get more anxious when I take it on an empty stomach though, I get kinda jittery!

 

[theghosttown]

Yes I would probably say so. I forgot two doses the other week and I started to get random brain zaps which is typical in anti depressant withdrawal. I’m on 150mg though.

I have heard of people saying they are sick when they reduce Sertraline.

I’m thinking of coming off of it. I cannot handle the night sweats anymore. They are just getting worse! It’s been nearly a year too

 

[Chewingthefat]

I asked in the depression thread the other day about alternatives like ashwaghanda gummies as sertraline makes me feel so sick, I ordered some on Amazon and they’re great! My mood is fab and no sickness what so ever. Also no heart palpatations from anxiety


I noticed my memory has been poor on both sertraline and ashwaghanda, why is this I wonder? I can’t find information online.

At first I didn’t relate my memory loss to the setraline and started to think I had early onset dementia! My memory is so bad it really affects my day to day.

I’ve just switched from sertraline 150 to venlafaxine. My brain fog was absolutely horrendous on sertraline. I’d been on it for three years with the brain fog getting slowly worse and worse. It helped massively with my anxiety, didn’t do much for my depression as my main symptom is lethargy anyway, so in some ways made it worse. My anxiety is a bit worse in venlafaxine but at least I can function, I’ve started reading books again and my memory has improved x100 (it was absolutely horrendous on sertraline). I’m glad I went on sertraline, it helped me at a time when my anxiety was killing me but I’d rather not ever go back on it.

I’ve never heard of that one but I’m considering switching to something else purely due to my memory loss! But I’m apprehensive as it really does help my anxiety. Did you have to wean yourself off setraline first before starting another?

 

[shadowcat5]

God I’m praying someone here has some sort of solution for these sertraline side effects.

I’m on 100mg after 50 had no effect on me. I am CONSTANTLY sweating, and boiling hot. The sweating is mainly my face. Forehead and top lip.

Ive got an active 2 year old and any sort of activity from me, even sometimes just walking or getting on/off the floor I’m as red as a beetroot and sweating.

the social embarrassment is huge and I’m starting to become a recluse because I know people are staring at me when I’m standing there sweating buckets.

bit of a moan …. I feel so stuck because 100% the sertraline is working for me and my mental health has improved. So I am happy to stay on it for that reason, but I am fed up of feeling like a sweaty unhygienic Furness.

have you mentioned it to a dr? they might be able to give you something for it.

also do you consume a lot of caffeine? I have no personal experience to back this up but my friend had an issue with sweating on it and she said reducing her caffeine and keeping it to first thing in the morning helped. I want to say again, I have no experience with that so I have no clue, that’s just what she said happened to her.

 

[Lucyxxxx]

I was prescribed sertraline a few years back. Turns out I'm allergic to them. I'm also allergic to paracetamol. Citalopram gives me the 1 in 100,000 side affects. Jaw swinging, dilated pupils, can't sleep properly.

 

[Slaybutter]

I already had mild ibs so I’m quite familiar with my bowels I’ve never had an issue before as it’s usually only triggered by stress. I now almost shit myself when I drink orange juice and eat gluten

So I used to have ulcerative colitis and one would think it put me more in tune with my stomach but it did not Thankfully that has also gone with changes to my diet. I first developed it in 2016 when I moved out of my family’s home and began cooking for myself. I was avoiding preparing animal protein like the plague. Not anymore though - now I get excited to cook new types of meat. I’ve done a complete 180!

 

[RoseRazor]

I’ve given up with AD permanently. I’ve tried several and my body violently rejects them. I go on the worse trips you can imagine plus other symptoms, i find them horrendous. I took Hydroxyzine Hydroxhloride for a while though. It’s an antihistamine that’s used to treat anxiety and I found that extremely effective even on low doses. It sedates you slightly and takes the edge of and is also non-habit forming. Might be worth a look? Personally I’m looking at HRT now. Think all my problems have actually been hormonal and no amount of AD, sedative or therapy is going to help me!

Good luck everyone.

 

[planetzanussi]

I'm currently going without, just with doctors/pharmacies hours over christmas/new year...not intentional just me not getting them picked up on time. So unwell with flu like symptoms, feel dreadful!!!!!! Honestly stick with it give it a chance people. And if its not right for you it's not the only anti depressant out there.

sounds horrible! Can you call 111 and explain and see if an out of hours doctor can prescribe you some? I’ve always been told never to stop taking them abruptly

Hey. I've been on citalopram before and it didn't help.

Sadly I'm having to wean off Sertraline because after my last dose increase I've experienced horrendous tremors and akathisia. Doc is keen to try me on something else. I've been on a dozen meds in the last 20 years - escitalopram worked for 7 years to a reasonable degree.

I wish you all the best with this medicine. Here's hoping I can find "the one" and get some peace at last

Oh yes that’s what I meant escitalopram (I always thought it was spelt ‘S citalopram’ but now I’ve seen you write it down I realise they’re different)

sounds like your doctor is on it though, hope you find something