Now on day 4 of Sertraline 50 mg. I'm so scared and worried about the side effects, is it true you feel worse before you feel better. I've had the anxiety and depression for around 2 months and I battled up until 4 days ago without medication because it scares me so much. Thought I could do it without meds but realised I cannot do it. Just feel so awful right now, anxiety is through the roof and feel even more depressed. Can anyone help please?
Hi Patricia, I have been on Sertraline for many years and not had any side effects. It does take a while to kick in and I would suggest your talk with your counselor or pharmasist about how long before you feel help from the drug. Keep in mind that our processing systems are all different and each of us may respond slightly differently. Hang in there!
Hello thankyou for your reply, its just that you feel so alone going through this, it's very unsettling. I feel worse today than I did yesterday. I will hang in there, I've got no choice now.
You have to wait at least 6 weeks for the full effect. However within 2 weeks you will feel a difference. Different people react differently to the drug. So it is not necessary that what side effects others are having you will also have it. Other than loss of appetite i did not have any side effects and i took it for four years. I had weaned off but after two months had to go back on it as the withdrawal was unbearable. Even.now its been almost three weeks but no side effects. So hang in there and dont be scared.
Hello Anna, thankyou for reply, it's a horrible scary place to be right now, I'd give anything to feel like my old self again. I'm already dreading tomorrow because of how I'm feeling today, part of me think I cannot do this. It all seems too much.
is it true you feel worse before you feel better
Short answer: yes.
You will experience side effects during the first 4-6 weeks of treatement. Some of them may be really unplesant. Just tell yourself that no matter what you will continue to take these pills for 6 weeks. One morning you will wake up feeling much better 
Is your doctor willing to give you a benzo until your zoloft kicks in?
Thanks for reply green tea but I'm not very knowledgeable about tablets so what are benzodiazepines?
Thank you John for your reply, you are right about them being unpleasant. Trouble is I'm frightening myself with all this anxiety, that was one of the reasons I've had to start on the meds. I hope I can soon wake up feeling like my old self again.
It's different for everyone, but it usually takes 1 to 2 months for sertraline to start working for me. There's relief within the first few days, but I attribute that to just knowing that help is on the way. I know how you feel about trying to go without meds. I've been on and off of treatment for over ten years, but I've finally decided that the quality of my life (and the lives of my family) is 200% better. There comes a time when you just have to admit that your mind doesn't work the way it's supposed to work without medication. That's me. I'm currently taking 50 mg's of sertraline and 300 mg's of buproprion. There is definitely a chance that you will feel much worse before you feel better, but that's probably just natural impatience. You want to feel better NOW, but it takes time.
I'd like to weigh-in with an observation. I used to feel like I wanted to be "my old self again," but then I finally realized that my old self wasn't everything he was cracked up to be. When my medicine first kicked in, I was shocked to discover that I had never experienced anything close to happiness. It's like the old cliche: The clouds lifted for the first time in my life. People like us don't really know what it's like to be free from oppressive anxiety. I still have problems, and those problems weigh on me, but I'm able to deal with them effectively. If you can just muster enough patience to make it through the first several weeks, you might find yourself experiencing better mental health than you ever thought possible. I hope it works for you the way it works for me. If not, there are other treatments. Hang in there.
Thank you Phillip for your reply. It makes very interesting reading. As you so rightly say our minds don't always work the way you want them to, I know mine is playing havoc at the moment. I'd rather have a broken arm or leg, people can see the plaster and know something's wrong but they cannot see what's going on in your head. Well I'll be on day 5 of sertraline tomorrow and I'm already dreading it. But I've got to do this. I know I shouldn't wish my life away but I wish I could fast forward it about 4 weeks.
I completely understand just what you are saying Phillip, maybe I can emerge from this a bit stronger and confident. It's going to be a strange journey ahead of me, not looking forward to it but it's got to be done. I love your story though.
Don't take them I have PTSD and depression as a result but won't take any antidepressant evet. The side effects are dreadful!
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Thing is Sam i battled the anxiety and depression without meds but couldn't do it. I tried and tried but couldn't handle it any more and the last thing I wanted to do was take meds. Hopefully it will only be short term.
I think it's different for everyone, Sam, because I also suffer from PTSD and the antidepressants have been a lifeline for me. It's different for everyone. I've never had any side effects.
Hi I am on sertraline at 150 mg. I don't remember any problems at first with them but they did take a while to kick in.
The only side effects I get now are a dry mouth and vivid quite nasty dreams sometimes. This is a good trade off though as they help me a lot.
Yes unfortunately this is true you will feel crappy before you get better, but you CAN do it, quite simply also there is unfortunately no choice but to do it, if you want to get better, I had side effects for a good few weeks after I started taking it( increased anxiety, panic, nausea, sleeplessness) but they will pass