Experiences with setraline

[soapybubbles]

Praying for you all with the sertraline sweats this week I’m a puddle.

they are horrific arent they! Desperately trying to find a solution to them

 

[anon411]

i got really bad side effects, almost uti like symptoms & a sore jaw from grinding my teeth but it settled and they ended up being really helpful for me (ocd), i ended up coming off accidentally & have seen a massive improvement ever since like i can actually function. think my max dose was 150mg x

 

[theghosttown]

My sweats have got even worse. I am waking up absolutely drenched. I’m going away next week and will be in a double with my husband (rather than our king where I keep keep a distance) so I’m feeling a bit rubbish about that. Every single part of me is dripping and it’s making our bed smell awful. Not of BO, just musty from it constantly getting soaked. Has ANYONE found anything that gives even the slightest relief?x

 

[Skyla]

Honestly, if you’ve got PTSD and they’ve given you Sertraline then you’ve basically been fobbed off. I have similar issues as you, but just anxiety and PTSD rather than specific health anxiety. I was on Sertraline years ago then went onto Venlaflaxine. In my experience, no antidepressants really work on anxiety, although they claim to.

50mg of Sertraline for something like PTSD is like throwing a sausage down Oxford Street. You need a major antidepressant and EMDT or therapy for that. Though getting those on the NHS is easier said than done.

I hate that GPs do this, think if they fob people off with a tablet they’ll just go away even if it does nothing for the problem. It’s like they work from the assumption everyone is exaggerating their mental health problems and they make patients jump through hoops to prove otherwise.

I go to therapy, and receive EMDR sessions through the NHS, my therapist is funded by the NHS and she happened to just have trained in EMDR so asked if I would be willing to do the sessions. I do find them brutal compared to normal sessions, and linger for days after. I went for peri menopause symptom aid funnily enough, and she advised that sertraline is a helpful aid to the symptoms of it. I was against it because I’ve always tried to do without any mood enhancements. Spoke to a lot of people in the same health situation as I am, who were all placed on sertraline and said they have never looked back. Because I have chronic fatigue from pretty much fighting for my life health wise she said that my anxiety around my health etc will all be contributing factors to my fatigue, so to try the sertraline for all the collective issues I am having.
So I actually never went looking for anything to help with my moods etc at first, it was a by product of going about menopause symptoms.

I took the first one this morning, I never read not to have caffeine and also had 3 coffees I’ve felt tuned to the moon, redecorated the bathroom. I hope to god I sleep tonight

 

[itsnotmereally]

I feel like I’m constantly napping right now and have zero energy after a day at work! I’m wondering if my vitamin D levels have taken a hit with the darkness and that coupled with the meds are making me a zombie

This this this! The yawning too

 

[swimming]

I’ve been on 100mg (up from just 50), for just over 2 weeks now and I’ve also got that achy leg feeling tonight. It’s a mixed feeling between restless legs and like I’ve been pushing weights with my legs. Also getting leg cramps in my calf’s and thighs too.

It’s only come on the past couple of days. I’m definitely not as emotional so something good must be happening

 

[JSquared]

I’ve been on Sertraline for a couple of months now and I’m only now getting the night sweats and bad sleep

 

[itsnotmereally]

The fatigue is killing me. I’m on week 3 right now so I hope it gets better

It does xx

 

[itsnotmereally]

I started on 25mg last week and am due to increase to 50mg tomorrow. I have no energy or motivation. When I do have to get up and be normal I am exhausted afterwards. Does it get better?

It does take a while. And for me the yawning seemed to last for a couple of weeks. I’ve been on it several months now and am on 150mg, I finally feel like this is the dose for me. Give it a few weeks and see how you’re feeling, although I know at the time it feels never ending. Take care x

 

[JSquared]

thank you, did you find you still have really bad symptoms or were they okay if you don’t mind me asking ?x
---


can I ask what symptoms you had if you don’t mind?

Also if someone could tell me how soon the symptoms start that’d be great. I have really bad anxiety especially health anxiety.

what I will say though, headaches, restless, bad sleep, lack of appetite and brain fog i experience now so I suppose it can’t be that much different

Of course, I lost my appetite for a week or so and then I just had an emotional block. Felt very numb. Think I had some teeth grinding as well. All very mild so I think I was lucky tbh. All I can say is for me, the first two weeks were worth how I felt after. Hope you get on ok with them x

 

[Dianne]

I think it really depends on the person. I felt sick at first (even on 25mg). When i upped the dose I had quite a lot of side effects, but I know people who hardly had any. I was prescribed for anxiety and panic disorder, I remember feeling an increase in anxiety, sweating, insomnia, stomach problems and giddiness. However, they did go away after a while. Everyone will react differently. I know it can feel daunting taking new medication, but see how you get on with it. xx

 

[aidil]

50mg and I have been in them for about 6/7 weeks now

Please talk to your doctor lovely I felt exactly the same six weeks in on the 50mg. Moving up to 100mg was a gamechanger for me!

 

[aidil]

I’m on week three and have started experiencing this. I am SATURATED when I wake up. I’m not even hot either which is the weirdest thing. It’s vile. On the plus side I’m not suffering from the absolutely crackers dreams I used to get when I was previously on them. I really hope this symptom stops because I’m fastidious with my hygiene and I wake up feeling absolutely disgusting.

Ugh same! I feel like I spend 50% of my week in the shower or washing my duvet covers now You feel so grotty when you wake up don’t you! Never even knew knees were capable of sweating till I started Sertraline 🥲

 

[Cackstinks]

Without this thread I would have never made the connection between my mysterious bruising and my medication.

 

[theghosttown]

I was prescribed this a few weeks ago, had been prescribed it in my teens but never took them. I’ve been doing a lot of reading of peoples’ experiences and know it’s all individual but I’m reluctant to try. I collected the prescription this time and got as far as putting the tablet in my mouth but took it out again I was only going to take half of 50mg as a lot of American redditers seem to think our starting dose of 50mg is high. I feel so lost, would like a bit of help now I’m older but apprehensive of side effects with living alone.

That really resonates with me!! I was prescribed it in my teens and I really didn’t bother with it or take it properly. I’m now on 150mg having started on 50mg. There is zero point starting on any lower in my opinion. You need to persevere for what feels like eternity but after about 6 weeks you should be through most of the side effects. I suffered awfully with a bad stomach, extreme tiredness, severe night sweats and thirst. I’m not going to bullshit you and say that it’s a bed of roses to begin with because it’s not. But I am now on 150mg and my life is SO much better. I still get night sweats a few times a week but it’s so worth it x

 

[theghosttown]

@aidil speaks

Me:

Omg same. I have days where I am as sharp as a knife and days where I stumble my words and forget things. When I am tired it really exasperates it.
I have been working out way more than I ever have before and I think that has also hugely contributed to me feeling a lot better.

 

[thenoodle]

I’m picking up my prescription for this tomorrow, reading about the side effects hear making me more anxious
I’ve got an event a week tomorrow, have the bad things usually phased off by a week in

 

[GingerJones50]

Found a thread!!
I have just been prescribed this for health anxiety/PTSD.
I’ve always seen it as an anti depressant which is something I’ve always tried to avoid.
I’ve had the box sitting for 5 days terrified to start it. I’ve been put on 50mg dose.
How were peoples first 6 weeks ?

Honestly, if you’ve got PTSD and they’ve given you Sertraline then you’ve basically been fobbed off. I have similar issues as you, but just anxiety and PTSD rather than specific health anxiety. I was on Sertraline years ago then went onto Venlaflaxine. In my experience, no antidepressants really work on anxiety, although they claim to.

50mg of Sertraline for something like PTSD is like throwing a sausage down Oxford Street. You need a major antidepressant and EMDT or therapy for that. Though getting those on the NHS is easier said than done.

I hate that GPs do this, think if they fob people off with a tablet they’ll just go away even if it does nothing for the problem. It’s like they work from the assumption everyone is exaggerating their mental health problems and they make patients jump through hoops to prove otherwise.

 

[aidil]

I think I’m going to make an appointment with my GP and see if I may need to start something like Setraline but I don’t know if things are bad enough for me to take it.

I’ve had the lowest year of my life and I struggle to get through most days and I’ve developed anxiety. I countdown until I can get into bed at night and I hate that my daughter can see me looking sad.

I know it’s stemmed from heartbreak but I’m not sure if I just need to suck it up and get over it on my own.

Please go to your GP lovely Like the others have said, if you had a physical problem you’d treat it and mental health is no different! I think we often don’t realise how bad we’ve let things get until we seek treatment, we get so used to ‘sucking it up’. I liken going on sertraline to when I first started wearing glasses. I didn’t realise just how bad my eyesight had got until I started wearing them. Likewise, I didn’t realise I’d been living with background levels of anxiety for so long until my brain suddenly went quiet on the meds

Even if you just look into it temporarily if you think the reason you’re feeling down is because of your current life circumstances. Sometimes we just need something to help us see the light at the end of the tunnel

 

[Nfylt]

It doesn’t stop the sweats but if your hands are bad (like mine) liquid talc keeps the moisture down a little bit. I also use it on my lower back!