I have been on setraline for just coming up for 4 weeks and my anxiety is getting worse. Its 50mg. I have been advised possible upping the dose - due to see GP hopefully tomorrow. Cant function at all in the last week and half.. what are the side effects, already struggling with eating sleeping etc. With Christmas coming, my sons birthday i want to be a little brighter if i can be.
I am on 9 weeks and still have some anxiety not as bad as it was but it's still there I am on 150mg.everyone says it will get better we just all have to fight this together.
Perhaps Seroquel or Abilify would help the anxiety.
It's totally normal for it to get worse before better, I know it so awful, but just keep going and taking ur meds at same time each day. Do you have any diazepam to help you through?
most of us had increased anxiety when starting out on sertraline, before things got better
my anxiety has completely 100% gone now, but during my first month or two of taking sertraline it was still hanging around, taunting me
it's early days julie so keep going, and if the anxiety bothers you too much, get a benzo med from your doc to help you through, such as alprazolam, clonazepam, lorazepam, etc
Hi Sparrow,
Glad you have improved. Just curiousvasvtovwahtvdose ofbsertraline you are on? Been on 50mg for three months and still havent been able to shake the anxiety. Thinking it may be time to increase. Just afraid of going through side effects again...
Thanks!
hi holly, it sounds like you are in the same boat as i was; i gave 50mg of sertraline about 8 weeks and then decided it was not working well enough, so i increased to 100mg, and that has proved to be perfect for me. so give 100mg a try, but do be aware that it may take a few weeks, or perhaps longer, before you settle in properly on 100mg... and yes you might get some side effects again as your body gets used t the increase, but i cant stress enough how worth it is persisting through, because for me at least personally, i have never enjoyed life as much as i am enjoying it now. i had a long wait waiting for sertraline to work. it really was worth going through the adjustment/side effects to get to that great place where you can live again and feel normal.. well.. healthy. so dont give up ever ok
ok i better get some sleep now.. 4:30am here
Thanks for replying sparrow. I really appreciate it. I was thinking of going to 75mg first. I tend to get bad side effects. How long did you have side effects or start feeling the improvement when you went from 50mg up to 100mg? Was it as bad as when you started the med?
I am with you on that. We do need to fight this and not let it take us over. I have appt this morning thinking of increasing so i have time to adjust before the 'happy season' arrives. Hang in there.
I am going today to gp. So hopefully get something - an increase in dosage.
i wouldnt say the side effects after increasing were as bad as when i started the med; i would say the main thing which was a right pain was that dreaded anxiety (for me it was mostly on waking up).
100mg is a standard adult dose and not classed as high so while you could try to go up slower (With 75mg), i wouldnt be too put off with the idea of simply switching over from 50mg to 100mg. you may feel a bit crappy for a couple of weeks but dont worry, it will settle down. some people get lucky and actually feel better instead of worse as soon as they increase, so who knows, you could be in that category
ps. im surprised people can manage to take 75mg. because at lease in my country (england, uk), the pills only come in 50mg or 100mg sizes. i think if i was trying to take 75mg, so trying to take 75mg would mean having to start trying to cut the pills in size to reach 75mg, but i imagine that would not be very accurate trying to do that yourself, so eg. one day you might take 80mg, then the next, 65mg.. seems a bit 'hit and miss' to me.. probably better to just go with the 100mg so you are getting the exact right dose each day
but anyway do what you feel is right for you.. if you want to go with 75mg, do so. just remember that 100mg is not classed as a high dose, that's just a normal regular standard dose for adults, and may be exactly what you need to defeat your depression and anxiety, so you might as well get started with that and just bear the crappy adjustment side effects for a few weeks..assuming you ge them at all, which you might not
best of luck
Hi Julie 😊 I started setraline 50mg, 3 weeks on Friday. I don't have many side effects apart from finding it hard to sleep and feeling tired all the time. I could literally fall asleep all day, then wake tired. I don't have that luxury though as I have a baby so I don't get much sleep. I always have a yucky taste in my mouth. I feel like mine is also getting worse. I don't know if I need it upped or a change, sorry I'm not much help. Hope ur feeling better soon 😘
I haven't posted on here before, but I wanted to share my experiences as I am taking Sertraline and experiencing similar dilemmas about changing the dose or switching SSRI as other people on here.
I started taking Sertraline a four and half weeks ago for depression and anxiety - the first five days on 25mg then after that on 50mg.
The first week I had extreme drowsiness and disorientation, which then passed. Week two I had horrible panic attacks in the early hours of the morning, which then also passed.
Since then I haven't really noticed a great deal of change. I'm still feel extremely low in the mornings and panicky during the day. I've also started waking very early.
As it has been four weeks now I'm wondering whether I should consider increasing the dose to 100mg, or switching to another SSRI. I have taken paroxetine before, and I found that that was successful for getting rid of the panic attacks.
Can anyone advise whether they think it's worth sticking with Sertraline for another week or two?
Is it possible that I can expect an improvement even though I've already been taking the drug for four a half weeks?
Does anyone have any experience of increasing the dose from 50mg to 100mg?
And does anyone have any experience of switching from Sertraline to paroxetine? Were there still side-effects to the new drug, and does it still take weeks to start working, or does it start working quicker if you're switching from another SSRI?
The anxiety is the worst for me at the moment, particularly the panic that comes with decision-making because I'm going through a break-up with my girlfriend here and a decision whether to move back home to England when my 3-month period in Germany comes to an end in the next couple of week. I don't want everything to fall apart just because I haven't had long enough for my meds to work!
Thank you!
Hi. I went back to GP yesterday and he changed my meds to mirtazapine. Last night i got the best sleep ever. This morning i slept till 11. He did warn me the first week will be like that. However now that i am up the tightness in my tummy and chest is no where near the way i was yesterday and although i am thinking of the things that get me anxious, they don't seem as bad. My head feels clearer. So lets hope this works. Go back to your GP and tell them you dont feel its working. My friends made me see this and made me go. Sertraline doesn't work for everyone. X let me know how you get on.
Aw that's fab that something is working for you. I'm waiting for the doctor to call me. I'll ask about a meds change or increase. Fingers crossed it continues to work for you xx
I would speak to your GP before upping the dosage. Tell them exactly how you are feeling. I tended to hold back alit and i think that was part of the problem, not telling everything. My GPs have been brilliant. Also see if they will refer you to a counsellor or therapist. x
Thank you.. as the day has progressed i still feel the same.. just taking one day at a time. Not expecting this to be a quick thing, so now i have realised that, it has taken the strain off too. Please make sure you tell your GP everything. I held back alot and it didn't help. I can see a glimmer of light now which i haven't had in a while. I have started mood book now as well. Because sometimes i forgot some of what i go through. So this helps to remember and its just easier to write how i feel than tell someone. Just let them read it. X Tell me how you go... take care
X
Been on sertraline less than a week and really struggling to sleep. I had a bout of insomnia during the summer off meds literally couldn't get any sleep at all and developed a drink problem partiality as a result of that so I'm really worried
Doc said give them a bit longer. Feel wired today got some sleep but only as I took a sleeping tablet. I conquered my drink problem felt loads better was sleeping again now this within first day of taking them. Don't know what to do. Thought about mirt but meant to cause weight gain or do I ride this out. I'm. On half pay at work now I need to be back in next couple of months so panicking now. Sorry just nice to offload
Lattifa how long u take diazepam and wot dose u take in Plzz tell me thanx
I took 3mg in the morning for about 3 weeks everyday , sometimes 4mg at night to sleep . I still have 3 tablets in my handbag a year later just as a security mesure