Day 36 on Sertraline. 21 @25mg and 15 @50mg. For the last 4 days I have experienced many UPs and DOWNs in my mood. Sometimes the UP periods will last for several hours before I feel the wave of anxiety start to build.
Is this a normal part of the process of ramping up to a therapeutic dose of the meds?
I am working towards the UP periods being longer and the DOWN fewer and farther between?
Eventually should I be UP all the time, even in the mornings when for me its the worst time right now?
I would really appreciate advice and anyone's experiences with taking these meds and what to expect. thanks for your input.
Yes this is perfectly normal. They are blips. You'll start having good days and bad days and eventually there are more good than bad. Ive been on sertraline for 8 and a half weeks. The 1st two weeks on 50mg and 6 and a half weeks on 100mg. I feel much better now than i did the first month. I hardly have down days. They still happen but not as bad. And the anxiety has subsided a lot. I still feel it but it's easier to handle. You just gotta give it time to do its thing. Mornings are still a little rough but only the first hour or so.
Thanks so much for the reply. Did you find that the duration of your Ups got longer as time went on? And then did you have fewer down times during the day? I am waiting for a truly good day, that hasn't happened yet by a long shot and I'm starting my 6th week today - I am anxious to know if the dosage is correct or if I will have to increase to 75 or 100mg.
i appreciate you advice.
He I have been on sert for 7 weeks the first 4 weeks I had no good times but the last 3 weeks part of some days alright the doctor is putting me up to 100mg at the weekend so I will have to hope they good times will get longer take care x
Best of luck with the increase in dosage - please keep me posted with news of your progress. I fear I will be in the same boat within the next few weeks - looking at an increase to sustain the normal feelings longer than a few hours. I would be particularly interested in the side effects and increased anxiety you might experience because these were particularly bad for me the last two increases. Take care of yourself.
Its normal even out of the anxiety to have ups and downs during the day since our moods constantly change. But yes i do have longer periods of good times during the day. It was a slow progress. I don't know what u are on sertraline for, im in it for panic disorder and GAD. The higher doses tend to be prescribed for those disorders but it also depends on the person. Some people can do great on just 50mg. You also need to keep in mind that everytime you adjust the dose you are starting over. This is changing yoir brain chemistry and creating seratonin transmiters and receptors and thats a lengthy progress. Which is why there are so many side effects we are literaly remapping the brain. So at 6 weeks on the 50mg you should know if its working or if you need to up your dose.
When I increased from 25 to 50 at 3 weeks it was because I had felt absolutely no improvement, actually worse. Now at the start of the 6 th week overall I do have moments of feeling normal but not more than a couple of hours while busy. Should I be waiting until I have been on the 50mg dose for 6 weeks (9weeks total) to determine if my dosage is correct?
also, if I increase will I not retain the periods of normal that I experience now or will they be overrun by the horrendous side effects that I have had the last two times?
Thanks so so much for the advice - it's keeping me going.
My experiance was like this: started on 50mg and the first 8 days where hell. I didn't eat, would sleep all the time, couldn't leave the house and had almost every side effect. Around day 12 i felt better but not 100%. Then when i upped the dose to 100mg I didn't get all the side effects. Just no appetite and weird dreams and a little bit of stomach issues. But that only lasted a few days. At week 4 of my increse i had my first blip. Lasted 6 days. I had derralization and thought the meds werent working and that i was back to square 1. But i got much better and its been uphill since. I would recommend you wait the full 6 weeks on the 50mg to see if thats enough. I wish i would of waited. But once its been in your system that long the increase shouldnt be too bad.