Hi
I've been on Sertraline for nearly a year now, i currently take 150mg per day for OCD and depression all rounded off with a nice bit of anorexia. I am very scientific and hate the ide that im on medication as i think i should be able to combat this myself. Recently i have felt at a bit of a plateau with recovery and am just doing the minimum to stay out of hospital, but i want to start getting my life back. The doctors say that i should increase to 200mg a day, but i don't see how this will make a difference. Can anybody tell me how sertraline is meant to help and whether it will actually make a difference by increasing my dose.
Thank you
xx
Hi Lucien, the meds. are an antidepressant, I'm not sure how it is designed to help or what you mean. I never found that increasing my dose helped a whole lot, but I'm not a Doctor either, I think you should talk to your Doctor. I think 200 mg. is a high dose and I took 150 at one time, never thought the extra 50 mg. helped any more than taking 100 mg. except that I felt really tired. You need someone to talk to and work this out. What ever you do I wish you luck!
Hiya Lucie, i'm also on sertraline for similar reasons to yourself. In the past I have felt the same way you describe in terms of not wanting to be on medication. But please remember that it is not a sign of weakness to be on medication, you are clearly a strong person as you have sought help for your problems. For me the hardest part was opening up to someone about all the problems I had inside my head. You also have to remember that depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain, therefore you need medication to rectify this; it isn't something anyone can do by themselves. As for increasing your medication I can't really comment. However, if your doctor believes that it would help, then maybe it is worth giving it a try? All the best, Amy.
Yes thank you for that. I think i heard the most useful thing that i have heard in a while. It was from my doctor and he said that depression is something that anyone can be given as long as you subject them to bad conditions for as little time as a few weeks. This is even the same as animals and it is due to the chemical imbalance that you suggested. The medication is needed to change the imbalance back to normal. So far i have upped my dose, i have had a few nights of bad sleep and tummy ache but it is ok as so far have kind of been able to concentrate on my a levels :P
Hi again Lucie, sorry that its taken me a while to reply, i've been on holiday with no internet access. I'm glad that you found my post helpful 
How are you getting on with the dose increase? Wow, I remember the stress of my A levels, sounds like you've got a lot on your shoulders. Hope your sleep and tummy ache have gone. What A levels are you doing?