1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Sertraline

Running low on sertraline- can we cut in half?

Posted , 4 users are following.

terri04213
terri04213

My son who is 19 is almost out of serteraline and we can't get into a doctor for about 2 more weeks. He has like 13 left and we will see the doctor 5 days AFTER that. HEre is my question- he is on 50mg.  Can we split a couple here and there so that we can make them last? And if so, would it be better to take 50mg one day then 25mg the next, then 50mg again and so on OR 50mg until we only have the 25mg left.....? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  He has been on this for about 2 months.

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • GodsServant
    GodsServant terri04213

    Posted

    This happened to me, too. Can’t you call doctor’s office and explain your situation and get the doctor’s office to call in the nearby pharmacy for you to pick up the prescription for your son? You’d still keep the appointment. I’m in the States and my doc did this for me. Give it a shot. You have nothing to lose.  
  • ADPanicker
    ADPanicker terri04213

    Posted

    If you are in U.K. Ring 111. Tell them the situation they can get you an appointment or a walk in center to get a repeat prescription

    Messing with dosage isn't recommended the odd day won't be too bad. But sustained he may get some withdrawals symptoms. Everyone is diffetent he may not even notice

  • Dom05879
    Dom05879 terri04213

    Posted

    I'd agree with others who've suggested you contact the doctors and explan the situation. If you tell the surgery that you're son will run out before he gets an appointment that can give you a prescription to tide you over. This happened to me and they gave me 7 days prescription so I didn't run out before the appointment.

    If you really can't get a prescription then I'd suggest taking 50mg one day then 25mg the next, rather than dropping to 25mg. People vary so much in how they react to dose decreases and increases, so it's very hard to predict whether your son would get any side-effects, but I'd suggest that taking 50 then 25 then 50 etc would reduce the side effects, whereas dropping to 25 completely is much more likely to produce side-effects. I get side-effects if I drop does by 25mg.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.