Hi i know these meds can take a while to kick in but i feel worse than when i started last thurs been on 50 mg yrs ago an i cant remember it being this difficult i tried 50 mg for 2 days last wk and i was on the verge of pulling hair out was far to strong. Im only tiny abt the size of an 11 yr old. Please tell me theres light at the end of the tunnel b4 wks!
I've been on it 3 times before and just started it again 3 weeks ago. I've never felt this bad on it either. On 25 prob going up to 50 tomorrow and I'm scared. Side effects have been awful and physically I've felt like c*** hope there's somebody out there who can reassure it gets better!
Me to what have urs been? R u taking it for anx or depression
What the side effects?? Much more increased anxiety ( taking it for depression and anxiety but started on 25 to ease it into my body supposedly!!) sickness, diarrhea, constant pacing, sweating so bad! Can't breathe, heart palpatations. Just feel so nervous. It's easing a bit after almost 3 weeks but worried about increasing. But to be honest I think all the other times I've been on it I went straight in at 50mg. And I'm sure I didn't feel this bad! Also the difference may have been that this time I had a really bad bout of anxiety before I started the meds and I was a complete mess, so I've been anxious about being anxious anyway if that makes sense?!
hi, early days on sertraline and other ssri meds suck unfortunately, the important thing is to keep going, dont increase your dose until you are used to the current dose u are taking, and once the sertraline is working (can take 8-12 weeks), stay on it, for years, because if you stop and then your depression.anxiety returns, then you have to go through all that again of starting over, and in may cases, the new episode you experience will be worse than previous episodes. so long story short, i really recommend staying on antidepressants if you are a long term depression/anxiety sufferer, and don;t let anyone tell you it's a big deal to do that, because it isn't
If i was you id start taking half the dose you are. 50 was far too much for me too and im 8 stone and petite.
Total sense i feel the same way r u still on 25mg? An have felt this bad for 3 weeks? Oh god im bricking it lol have u seen any improvements
Did u find 25 mg works for u
Why would you tell someone to stay on this awful drug?? It may have worked for you but statistics show a very different story for most! Law suits have filed and won against sertrline as its harder to get off than herion. Being a fully qualified psychotherapist and work in rehab i can back this up 100%.
You must work for a pharmaceutical company!
No not at all...it was preventing me sleeping properly. So ive come off. Day 13 and im finnaly feeling great. The first 8 days were total hell. But i stayed strong and took supplements. And im out the other side.
For me and meny others the side effects of this drug far well outweigh the bennifits.
Exercise and cbt work wonders
25 doesn't work for me, I know I need it higher. Therapy has been my life saver. And I got off a whole mixture of prescription drugs that I'd been on for years with therapy. But just come to the conclusion that I do need a little something med wise as well. And I've finally accepted that, it's just getting through the first few weeks of side effects that's the pain! Even though I know 25 isn't enough I have had a few better moments in my days the last few days. But the anxiety has been hell to start with. That's why I'm worried about increasing!
Wat suppliments do u take/can you take for anxiety?
Magnesium and 5 HTP they are brilliant and vit b and c
ooh a psychotherapist... i love these guys 
(hi)
actually, statistics show sertraline to be one of the better ssri meds available, assuming you can get through the often lengthy startup phase (which you couldn't).
lawsuits have been filed against every drug, including plain old aspirin (google it), but go ahead and spread fear and paranoia if it makes you feel better.
ssri meds can be difficult to get off of because, if you dont taper off slowly, you can get discontinuation ('withdrawal'
effects, and also, your depression/anxiety can return, because ssri meds treat the symptoms of depression/anxiety, not the cause. so it's no wonder a lot of people cant get off ssri meds, because when they try, their depression/anxiety comes back. what's the solution..? STAY ON THE MEDS! 
have a nice day
magnesium, 5HTP, high EPA fish oil, vitamins, excercise, bananas... in many cases can be good for mild to moderate depression.. for major/clinical long-term depression/anxiety though, the right meds are often what are needed (how do we know this? because there are people who do/try all of the above long term, but still suffer from depression and anxiety).
for me personally, i take sertraline 100mg a day, i eat a couple of bananas a day, i eat a small can of sardines in spring water a day (very high in EPA), and i get some exercise (at work)
My main issue is anxiety wats good for that? All of the above? I have pretty bad anxiety tho
My anxiety is bad too, it stops me from doing so much. I've missed out on so much in my life.
i find sertraline to be good for both anxiety and depression, but really annoyingly (and the last thing depression/anxiety sufferers need) is, the 'feeling worse before feeling better' which often happens in the earlier stages of treatment (of all ssri's). i was quite unlucky in this department, having to wait around 10-12 weeks for my anxiety and negative/intrusive thinking to be stopped, and during this time, my anxiety did get worse for a while (it was worse than when i wasn't taking sertraline, and that was very difficult to have to put up with).
you also have to find the right dose for you. too little and it wont tackle your depression/anxiety, but too much, and you might have increased/difficult side effects
in hindsight, i wish i had some benzo meds on hand when starting out with sertraline for the first month or two, just to take during the tougher times of getting used to the sertraline. one of these benzo meds: alprazolam (xanax), diazepam (valium), lorazepam (ativan), clonazepam (klonopin)
but if you dont really like taking meds and would rather not take additional ones such as benzo's if you can help it, it's just a case of trying to keep occupied as you wait for the sertraline to get working. try to do the usual things really, try to eat well, go for walks even if u dont feel like it, talk to people, dont isolate yourself, read other peoples stories on the internet and learn about depression and anxiety, and use the forums as talking helps, stuff like that really.
with anxiety, what i did was explore all of the different ways that anxiety can be reduced, and then the stuff i found worked for me, i stuck with. so personally i have ended up taking sertraline each day which absolutely helps me the most, and then i do some other stuff which helps, such as improved my diet.
there's lots of things to try, such as meds, exercise, diet changes, vitamins, supplements, therapy, CBT, books, yoga, meditation, and so on. it's a case of trying lots of things and seeing which works for you. don't feel bad if you don't like the sound of most of the stuff on that list though, because for some people, the best thing for them and all the really need for starters is to simply get on a med which works. then, when you are feeling better, you can make further changes, such as diet changes, exercise, and so on
Thank you Sparrow, that's such a big help. I feel I am getting better every day now, thank god. Xx