The Positives of Sertraline

Treatment and medication
1

I just wanted to add my comments to everyone that has posted under this title and to answer questions left by some.

I have been on Sertraline for nearly 2 years now and it has completely changed my life. I too could not switch off my brain and frequently told people that I just need to be able to take my brain out and put in a jar until I've had a break from it! I thought everyone was like that.

I have always been an analytical thinker even from being a small girl but when I got older and lifes usual stresses and strains come into play my brain would go into overdrive. The scenarios of \"what if...\" would torment me for hours and hours until eventually (and this is the only way I can describe it) I burnt out!

At this point, my doctor put me on 50mg of Sertraline. I was not given these drugs for depression, it was to just try and give me a break. I have obsessive compulsive thoughts, not behaviour, on really bad days I did used to obsessively check things but not to any significant degree, it was always about my thoughts. I felt the side effects within 4 hours of taking the medication but this could be because I am small. They lasted for about a week and I had double vision, sweating, sickness, no concentration, short term memory loss and feelings like I was zinging. However, I persevered and the side effects did go.

In response to another posting, yes, I have put on a little weight since being on these tablets, but that was something else I was obsessed about but since being on these tablets I am alot kinder to myself about that too. It took time for my weight to regulate and I think it has settled down now.

After a year I felt so much better so I thought I would try and live without them so with the support of my doctor I started reducing the dose, and I did not get withdrawal effects, but unfortunately, after time I started getting the same old feelings of \"what if...\" so was advised to increase my dose to every other day again.

I guess what I wanted to say was that this particular drug has worked for me. I have obsessive compulsive thoughts, always have, and realise I always will. But these tablets have given me peace. I am peacefully happy, calmer, more positive and in control. It is particularly difficult to constantly be living inside your non stop \"what if...\" brain, so if this allows me to have a fulfilled life then so be it.

Good luck to everyone who is just getting on these tablets and I truly hope that they bring as much peace to you as they have to me.

2

Had the same issue. Brain constantly in overdrive. I too burnt out. Doc prescibed 50 mg Sertraline 10 weeks ago. Has resulted in calmer more focused thought patterns without any dulling of the thought processes and I am able to sleep.

3

Hi, i have just started taking this medication. I have been on several others over 10 years... this is the only one that has eased my obsessive compulsive thoughts. I like you both would analyse everything so much that it would keep me awake.. and was ruling my life, i have always had an overactive imagination.

I was diagnosed with an emotional personality disorder. I found i would dwell on broken relationships, and would be totally obsessed with the object of my love.

Also whatever new interest or project.. i found i would go overboard and spend hours and hours on it , perfecting it.. analysing it caring what every-one else may think of it.

This medication has calmed my mind right down. I no longer dwell on things. If i do have thoughts .. its as if there is a wall that blocks my emotion and where i would cry before i now find it difficult, its as if my feelings are numbed.. exactly what i wanted .

Down sides to the medication of 50g for me were in the 1ST week - i couldnt stop moving my leg, nervous energy prehaps, and i do find myself more active.. .especially in cleaning up and i am finding myself more orderly than before. I also had a small nosebleed.

2ND Week - I have started to have the most vivid dreams. I seem to forget things like my handbag or scarf which is quite worrying in the case of my handbag which contains many important items.

But overall i dont worry or analyse anymore, i feel good. I think if you have obsessive thoughts and an overactive mind like myself this medication will work for you. Hope this helps anyone who is thinking of taking. Side effects may change i will add if they do.

4

Hello there,

I have been taking Sertraline for about 8 weeks now and this is the first time I have taken any anti-depressant medication, as I resisted it for many years. There were some side effects, like nausea, but I could cope with that because I kept telling myself that I must persevere and I was trying to be optimistic that the medication would eventually help me. What with a horrible court case that went on for three years and now with the prospect of losing my job, and having family problems as well (I have a 14-year-old daughter who is self-harming and has made two suicide attempts recently), I knew that I finally had to admit that I needed help rather than trying to believe that I should be able to cope. The benefits have just been amazing - renewed interest in life, loss of anxiety about even little things that used to really worry me, a much calmer attitude at work and with my family and people generally - all this has made such a difference because the negative thought patterns have ceased or at least become less frequent, and if they do pop up, I am able to counter them now because the anxiety that used to accompany them is no longer present. On the other hand, I would say that because my reaction to problems and stress is less extreme, so is my reaction to good things that happen: I mean things that would normally evoke an emotional reaction to good news or to watching a sad movie, for example. I haven't cried at all since starting the medication, although I used to cry frequently for all sorts of reasons. Is this good or bad? I'm not so sure, but the main thing is that I am not so affected by the bad things and this is what has made all the difference in being able to cope with everyday life.

Also, I'm a little concerned to find that some people have found that Sertraline has caused them to gain weight. I have already gained a stone since having had a total hysterectomy 2 years ago because of endometrisis and having to go on HRT to counter the symptoms of early menopause, so I am not too happy about that, but I have started to use exercise DVDs (something I wouldn't have even contemplated before taking Sertraline!), and I hope that regular exercise will help to keep the weight off.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and I hope that you have found mine useful too.

Best wishes,

Alexia

5

Hello, i have just been prescribed sertraline and have just taken my first 50mg tablet. i am also on mirtazapine 45mg that i take at night. Do you take any medication at night or just day time. i ask this question to see if anybody else is on 2 antidepressants.

thankyou kevin

6

I have been on sertraline for almost 5 months and, while the first couple of months were pretty brutal due to the side effects, I can definitely say that the medication worked wonders once I got on the right dosage (100 mg) for me. While I lost about 2-3 lbs at first due to the side effects, overall I gained about 5 lbs. I have a pretty stressful job so I get home pretty tired and in no mood to exercise, which could have contributed to my weight gain. I really hope to lose some of the lbs gained, but I am really grateful for how this medication helped me get my life back after having one of the most dreadful times in my life ( really bad intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, compulsive behavior etc).

7

hi anne30266 . i have just been put on 50mg sertaline for my ocd intrusive thoughts and anxiety. how long was it before yoj started feeling ok on them? im scared to start them so any advice would be reallet appreciated x

8

It took me 7-8 weeks to feel better and find what dosage works best for me (100mg). I started at 12.5 mg, upped to 25, 50, 75, and on each increase i would feel better the first few days and then experience set backs. Once i started the 100 mg, I felt like a new person. I recalled reading somewhere at the time that while 50 mg is usually the right dose for anxiety, the 100 mg or more is the therapeutic dose for OCD, which definitely makes now sense for me. Therefore, once you start them, see how you feel at 50 mg, and talk to your doctor, as they may gradually increase the dosage, should 50 mg not work for you.

I strongly agree with Guest, i had to accept that obsessive compulsive thoughts are part of my being and that I have the choice to treat them or let them torment me.

9

hi, I'm currently coming off mirtazapine as it stopped working, dropping from 45 to 30 and now 15 at night and been on 50mg sertraline for nearly two weeks. side effects have been awful with worsening anxiety and very agitated when i wake up. i feel spaced out all the time. The mirtazapine helps me sleep but just desperately waiting for the new meds to kick in.