Hi all. I’ve just started my 5th week of 50mg of Sertraline to help me overcome my GAD which also drives some OCD type tendancys. What a roller coaster ride this is, not an enjoyable one at all. Day 2 / 3 were pretty good but since then I’ve been up and down like a yo-yo. Last Friday and Saturday I felt I was in a great place but since Sunday things have just gotten worse. It’s really bad today, I’m sat here at work signing up to this forum to try and make myself feel better and that these dark times will pass. In reality I just want to be in bed until this all passes but I feel I’d be letting others down doing that so I’ll slog it out.
Like many others I am having all kinds of intrusive thoughts about anything and everything, it’s exhausting. One that pops into my head a fair bit is that things will continue as they are and never get better and I’ll be riding this roller coaster forever more. From reading other threads on here I think week 5 is quite early days when it comes to Sertraline? Also that 50mg is quite a low dose. My Doctor will reassess things during week 7 for me.
It’s on my mind a lot whether I’ll need a higher dose or is it just a case of riding this out until week 8 to 12 and seeing how things are then? I appreciate we’re all different, I just want these low times to not happen any more. I guess it is a good thing that I also have some good moments? Though they’re still dwarfed by the feel bad moments. It does give me some hope that Sertraline will end up working for me. If anyone has any tips how to get past the thoughts that’d be great to know. I’ve tried breathing, distraction etc. The other week in the gym literally my whole gym session I couldn’t shake the thought I was having, even though I was pushing myself really hard exercising. That’s never happened before, most annoying.
I’m not entirely sure what I’m actually asking here, I guess just looking for hope that things will get better….
Well things don’t seem to be much better for me at the moment. It’s starting to feel like my anxiety is non stop again. Nigh on everything makes me have a little spike of cortisol / adrenaline, even just my phone receiving a message. So weird. I have trawled through threads on here and whilst many have said they had a blip around where I am now I also have read some negatives which obviously play on my mind.
How long did those who had a blip around week 5 to 6 last? Mine has been pretty much a week now. After reading I know I should stick out for a bit longer on 50mg but like others I’m also starting to worry / feel desperate that the pills aren’t going to work and due to that thinking I will need a higher dosage. I’d just like a few of those nicer days again, just to give me some hope. It doesn’t help my stress / anxiety bucket is and has been overflowing for a very long time now. I am also on my third round of CBT at the moment to help me try to deal with that. Tough times, I just want the worry about anything and everything to go away!
I’m just trying to get my brain to believe that these pills will likely work and have for many an it is just a time thing. My brain is a stubborn thing though….
Hey Paul. Really feel your pain mate. I have been on Sertraline on and off for last 4+ years. Started taking it during Covid. Started on 50, then 100 all the way to 150. Each increase would trigger same side effects (gastric, sweating, desperation, sleeping issues etc)but THE WORST of them is the intrusive thoughts. It seems your mind is boiling. Constant chatter and inward pull. Things do get better but you need to be really patient and give yourself time. First time round it took me around 6 weeks on 150mg to feel better, this time I have been on 150mg for the last 9 weeks and still get a lot of bad days when the mind just wouldn’t stop. My psychiatrist said that there is some evidence to suggest that on subsequent occasions some people need more time to feel normal again. My next review is in 4 weeks. If no improvement by then will go to 200mg.
For you, though, just try and do whatever distracts you from your thoughts. Gym, listen to podcasts, watch TV,read, meet people. Whatever pulls your attention outwards. As weeks go by you will see that your mind is getting quieter and less intrusive. Stay strong mate! This shall pass too…
Hi Vitali. Thanks for the response. My main side effects are heightened anxiety, sweats, jaw tension, desperation, involuntary leg twitching (agitation?) and those horrible intrusive thoughts.
I am hoping to not have to go higher than 50mg but we shall see. I will hold try to hold out for 12 weeks I think at least. I just have to fight those intrusive thoughts as they drive a will to just up the dose in the hope that it’ll shut them down. This is my first time on Sertraline, though I would have likely benefited from them during Covid as I was a mess with anxiety during that period too.
As for distraction that is what I’m struggling with. Even going hard in the gym the intrusive thought spirals still plague me. It’s very frustrating. It’s bad but I just look forward to getting into bed each night at the moment as I then have the hope tomorrow shall be better….
Good luck on your journey and hope things settle soon for you too.
I’m about to restart this medication myself and I struggled with the same side effects for a long time the first time around. I have the same issues now where I can’t focus because it just feels loud in my head I guess is the easiest way to explain it. Anywho, I hope you start improving on it soon. It’s not a run ride but you are absolutely not alone.
Sorry to hear you have to get back on the medication. How long were you off of it for? I am hoping to not have to take the meds one day but first need to get a level head and tools to help me deal with anxiety without the need for meds. I understand what you mean by the loudness in your head, it overshadows everything. The logical part of my head can register hypotheticals, things I can’t control etc however I can never manage to park those thoughts and move away from them. Just too loud like you say.
I hope you don’t get too many side effects starting up again and they provide the relief you’re looking for.
Thanks, Paul. I got off of them back in I wanna say 2020 which was probably the worst time since COVID was happening but the worst I dealt with getting off was some pretty gnarly rage episodes. I might just stay on it this go around if it works like it did before. This is just too much for me to deal with
That wouldn’t have been a fun time at all to come off of them! Strange about the rage episodes, but that doesn’t sound as bad as others have had it when coming off. I understand why you feel like you’ just want to stay on them this time around.
Still up and down for me. Last Wednesday I woke and felt different, kind of light, like something had lifted. That lasted until mid Saturday when I started to feel a bit odd. By Sunday I was well on the way down again. Not as down as last time but still getting pangs of anxiety over totally random stuff and the intrusive thoughts coming now and then too.
I have a catch up with the doctor today and I’m nervous they’ll suggest upping my dose. I’ve got myself nervous as I stupidly signed up to an FB group called ‘Sertraline should be illegal’ thinking (for some reason) that it meant it worked too well. Hell no, it was all negative stuff about it, which I read some of and now it’s planted the seed I’m wondering whether to continue or not. Stuff like permanent brain damage! It’s tricky as those days I feel good they’re great but the days I feel rubbish are very rubbish. I’m still only 6.75weeks in though. All I can cling to is that many on here saw the full benefit from week 8 onwards. I just need a way to shift the negative thoughts about the downsides of this drug, especially when it comes to getting off of them, which I’d like to do once I’m sorted.
Obviously, this drug affects people differently but last time when I went from 50 to 100 it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Some of the same effects but not nearly as intense as when I started them. Hopefully if they do increase your dosage you have the same luck.
Just started again last night at 25mg and I’m already feeling super restless. Barely slept and feeling very shaky.
It’s a tricky one. The doctor didn’t seem to keen to commit to anything. Suggested I spoke to my therapist to assess my anxiety levels, but I know those anyway. They’re better but I am still getting cortisol / adrenaline shots over thinking what would be laughable things to others. If I go up I think I’ll just go to 75mg and try to keep my dosage as low as possible but give a benefit I’m happy with. I think 25mg setups will be enough….
I started straight in on 50mg, that likely hasn’t helped as the side effects have been quite intense over the past weeks. That makes me wary about upping the dose too, as I have not enjoyed the side effects. I hope your side effects settle relatively quickly for you.
I think, and I could be way off base, that if they’re gonna try switching you to a different one they probably only want to go to so high of a dose? Just a thought as to why they didn’t want to increase you this go around. Are you having any better days at this point or still pretty down most of the time?
If anyone it is me driving the not want to go to a too high a dose. The doctor simply asked how am I getting on with the drug. It’s a tricky one for me to answer as I’ve read a fair bit about sertraline, both good and bad. That causes me to have worries about the drug itself creating a ridiculous loop.
Today I’m feeling like I’m balancing on a knife edge and dipping my toe either side into feeling OK and not OK. I’m not getting the same ‘UP’ I did last week yet. That could be down to me not helping myself partly though as I looked up something yesterday that planted a seed in my head. My wife was diagnosed with bowel cancer in March 24, it spread to her ovary. She’s been no evidence of disease since March 25-ish. She started getting cold sores recently and because she was getting lots of these just prior to her diagnosis it’s triggered me a bit. So I went looking up average time stats for remission etc, bad move…. On top of that my dad was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia late last year. I had a pre-cancerous mass removed from myself in summer 2024, caused by HPV, and no one can tell me whether it’ll ever return etc but I am now at higher risk of cancer myself. Tick season is just about to start and our allotment has many. As a family we were bitten 12 times last year. Health stuff triggers me and I worry our young children will contract lyme disease. Later today I have a scan on my back as a lump appeared on it last year and I’m having some nerve issues in the area the lump appeared. I buried my head in the sand on that one a bit, probably stupid of me! Then on top of those life / health issues I have all the other stuff GAD gives me, worry about war, work, politics (UK is a mess) etc. Hence I’m on the pills now, tried for two years to tough it out.
Sorry, bit of an offload there. Just want the pills to get shot of the horrible anxiety reactions I get and allow me to think more rationally without the worry so I can actually deal with it. I always thought I was quite head strong, seems I am not….
Last time I went to the clinic, the doctor I talked to was explaining that we think we’re in control of our brain but when it comes to this stuff we indeed are not. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for but I know the feeling of not feeling strong enough to continue handling this. It’s exhausting in its own right.
I know you’re hesitant but I can say that at least last time around, 100mg ended up working for me. Obviously, it’s different for everyone but might be worth trying for.
Hello, I’m new to the forum but have been reading these posts for a couple of years. I suppose I’m looking for reassurance and hope. I was first prescribed sertraline 50mg Feb ‘24, and I was terrified of taking them. I was already in a dreadful state due to undiagnosed illness after covid and I was having some sort of mental breakdown. Over the months the dose was gradually increased up to 125mg and although my life started to return I still felt grim a lot of the time. Felt like I was plugged into the national grid all the time. Evenings always better and I started to be able to meet friends for dinner etc. Because I was starting to feel better about 12 months later I asked the gp if I could start to reduce the dose very slowly. She agreed and I had an appointment with her every 4/6 weeks. Things were going well and by Christmas just gone I was down to 12.5mg. Then a perfect storm arrived, my sister who has severe dementia and I had t seen for several years arrived on the doorstep completely delusional and so the anxiety returned with all the overwhelming feelings. Managed to get through Christmas, sisters behaviour escalated and then our very dearest friend died unexpectedly. And I fell off a cliff again with extreme panic and anxiety. So, back to increasing the sertraline, 25mg for a week and now 50mg and I feel dreadful. Sleep dreadful, suddenly awake at 3am with my insides churning and unable to get back to sleep. Awful panics attacks every morning and tears. Feel dreadful all day, can barely function. Bit better in the evenings but not always. Can’t see friends or socialise. I guess I’m just wanting someone to tell me I’m going to be ok and that the awfulness will stop.
Sorry for unloading to anyone who might read this, just feeling desperate for reassurance that I’m not going mad.
It sounds like you’ve been going through a really tough few weeks, so it’s completely understandable that you’re looking for some reassurance. From what I’ve seen in discussions like this, a lot of people mention that the early weeks on Sertraline can feel quite up and down before things start to stabilize. It can definitely feel like a roller coaster during that adjustment period.
The fact that you’re already having some good moments, even if they’re short, might be a positive sign that your body is still adjusting. Everyone seems to respond a bit differently and sometimes it just takes time for things to settle.
It’s good that your doctor plans to reassess things in week 7 they’ll be the best person to guide whether the dose needs adjusting or if it’s worth giving it more time.
In the meantime, try not to be too hard on yourself. The intrusive thoughts and ups and downs can be exhausting, but many people do say that things gradually improve as the weeks go by.
Hopefully you’ll start seeing more of those better days soon.
Wishing you the best, and thanks for being open about what you’re going through.
Hi User. Sorry to read about your relapse, that must be really tough. I feel for you having those side effects, they are not fun at all. I’ve had a real roller coaster ride and felt really anxious and down for many a week. My peaks and troughs are now not as extreme, I’m just starting week 7. It is really tough getting through the side effects but you can do it, you’ve done it before! try to focus on how you felt and were on the higher dosage in the past. You’ll get back there and then it will all be OK. The awfulness will stop eventually! You most certainly aren’t going mad either, at one point I thought I was too. You’ll get through this. One day at a time.
The doctor didn’t really provide me much guidance. In short she asked whether I still wanted to continue, which I said yes to. She really said it’s up to me and how I feel whether I try a higher dose or not. I am thinking to try 75mg. The peaks and troughs feel far less severe now, however I am having more down days than good at the moment.
Hi Paul, thank you for replying and your kind words, very much appreciated. Some people seem to be able take sertraline and sail through. They manage to go to work and look after the children, they must be amazingly strong people.
I do hope your peaks and troughs settle down and you start to feel happy and content. I’m just desperate to get my life back and not feel awful both in my head and physically. I spend most of my mornings lying on the sofa sobbing and frightened that it’s never going to end. I’m very lucky to have my husband with me all the time, he sits and holds me and tells me it will pass, we spend hours like it with him trying to reassure me. By the afternoon I can start doing the odd thing and by the evening I’m starting to feel slightly better. Is it like that for you too? I’m 63 years old and I feel I’m wasting the last few years of my life being like this but I don’t have any control over it.
Anyway, enough misery, I need to do something to try and distract myself!
Hi Georgina, it does seem like it’s a complete lottery how you’ll react when taking Sertraline. My doctor did warn me it’ll likely get worse before it gets better, I just didn’t contemplate how much worse. I did drag myself into work and I have two young children (6yo and 8yo) to deal with at home. It has been interesting to say the least. I am very open with my boss about my situation and he is very supportive luckily for me. There were many a day I just sat at my desk a gibbering wreck and on here trying to find something to read to get me through those darker times.
Like you I just want my life back. Also like you mornings are always worse, it has been like that the whole way through. Some days the clutter up top never went away completely which was exhausting. All I looked forward to was going to bed in the evening. It does feel like it is taking forever getting through this but in reality I keep telling myself even if it is for 3 or so months that is a very small blip on our timeline. So try not to focus on thinking you’ll be wasting your years. We do not have any control over this like you say, which is something I struggle with, I don’t deal with uncertainty at all well.
You’ll get back to where you were I am sure and it’s great you have a husband that sits with you and supports you through the darker moments. Take it a day at a time, you’ve got this!
Hi, just wondering how you were doing. Steady progress I hope. Have your cortisol spikes calmed down? Do hope so.
Hats off to you for being able to go to work during all this, you’re obviously made of strong stuff.
Mornings still tough for me, waking too early, 5-am and feeling grim. Always take my meds at 6.30am and in less than a hour the jitters and tears overwhelm me. Managed a walk before lunch today in the sunshine which was nice. Do you have problems with socialising whilst you’re like this? I want to see my friends but feel too fragile (completely broken actually!). I usually play golf (very badly!) twice a week but haven’t been able to go for several weeks, I miss the people and it’s good to be out of the house but I just can’t whilst I feel such a wreck.
Thanks again for your kind words and reassurance. G.
