Hi All
I am 5 years in menopause and recently started suffering with very bad anxiety. My GP has prescribed Sertraline. I have read the side effects and am frightened to take it. I would welcome any shared experienced with this medication please.
I have been on Setraline for years, it does take a few weeks for your body to adjust to the right dosage, sometimes it does increase your anxiety for a few weeks, once your body adjusts to it. Setraline has helped me tremedously.
Hi Maxine - I’ve also just been prescribed this for the same reason, been taking it a week and so far it seems ok - though I’ve only been on 25mg, increasing to 50mg next week, hope it works for both of us - I’ve heard really good things - just requires patience.
Hi Pam
Thank you for your reply.
Good to hear that the Setraline has helped you. May I ask if it had any effect on your libido please?
Kindest regards
Maxine
Thank you Karen for your reply.
I have read that our libido could suffer.
Good luck with it! X
oh yes it does, im so tired all the time. I have a very understanding boyfriend
ive been on sertraline for a couple of years now started at 25g then 50g then 100? i started reading side effects affects and realised i was in a visious circle because i was on them for health anxiety but the symtoms i seemed to have were making me anxious so the doctors kept upping my dose ! it was only when my best friend read deeper into it that alot of what i was feeling most recently
muscle twitching was linked to menopause , anxiety and sertraline can cause this too ,ive come off them which i know you shouldnt just come off bit felt i couldnt feel
any worse , well the difference is unmistakable , i feel
so much better , doctors look for the easy way out and think anti depressions will help , i am sure it does for some , bit dont be too quick into thinking they are the answer as i think for me they were the cause !
i have a prescription too but scared to take it …dont need anxiety on top of anxiety and all these pills ads seem to make you more anxious
thats what ive been reading a little too late , if you look at the side effects there are loads , which mirror anxiety and perimenopausal symptoms ! im no medical
expert but they are not slways the answer especially with people that suffer high anxiety x
yes i agree many peiple take them no problem but if youre sensitive i think its not such a good idea
I was prescribed this by my ob/gyn after I had my daughter. I took only one dose and it gave me diarrhea. So I stopped taking it. Prior to that they prescribed Paxil and that gave me terrible anxiety and I almost fainted. So I don’t mess with any pharmaceutical anti-anxiety medicine. I take herbal supplements for it like Lemon balm, Ashwaganda, and Rodalia Rosea. This comes in a combination capsule. I definitely felt the difference after the first dose. Read around and research which herbs help with anxiety. Good luck with your search
Hi Maxine,
I took SERT for Meno anxiety. initial side effects (increased anxiety) were awful (1st 3-4 weeks were the worst). i found it easier to increase in 25’s til i ‘found my dose’ (150mg). ie. when i felt normal all of the time. trouble is i put on a huge amount of weight, so i swapped to prozac, 20 mg, which sometimes doesnt feel enough! if it weren’t for gaining over a stone I’d have stayed on sert…once it worked, it was brilliant!
yea they say getting on them us the worst part and that you have to take other drugs with it to stop the side effects …thats a lot of different pills and seems like a whole rollercoaster ride to go on
Hi! This was a life saver for me! The side effects can last up to 6weeks but I feel allot better on it, have more normal energy, not wired, anxiety almost gone and it is suppose to stop hot flashes, which since taking it I have never had and haven’t had a period for 5 months so def in hormonal imbalance. I did great one it! Hope it helps you!
certainly was a roller-coaster! yes you can ask for diazepam or similar to get thru the worst. i took them now and then when i needed to feel normal (job interviews!). for me sertraline was the right thing. i needed the serotonin. when your ovaries stop, your estrogen plummets and so does serotonin, hence anxiety. So hrt to put the hormone levels back or anti anxiety meds to put the serotonin back. pros and cons to both. these days i take magnesium amongst other vits/mins, it’s great for calming the nervous system.
Hey Maxine, it wasn’t for me at all! I took a very low dose prescribed by my OB and after a week had severe depression and anxiety. When I constantly contemplated suicide, I realized it was the meds and not me. Thank God!! I’m normally a happy go lucky kind of person and on these pills understood how depression really hurts & feels. Although it gave me a better understanding & clarity what depression feels like, I NEVER want to feel that way again. I immediately threw them out, within an hour the depression left, anxiety & hot flashes returned. I’ll take the unwelcome menopause symptons any day!!!
Just not for me.
i was prescribed this for my peri anxiety - v bad side effects. insomnia & nausea the worst. but i think you have to try as Side-effects may not exist for you. I went onto HRT and that gave me my life back
Do you get sweating on it at all,
Thank you Pam, so you have lost your sex drive whilst on Setraline, is that right? or are you saying that tiredness is the cause?
Hi Deedee,
Thank you for your reply.May I ask, have you put on weight on it and lost your sex drive?