1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Sertraline

When does sertraline actually kick in?

Posted , 55 users are following.

zoe111
zoe111

Hi to you all,

I've had panic disorder with agoraphobia for over 20 years. I was on the highest dose of Duloxetine for approximately 10 years, but recently my GP took me off this, as I was beginning to have many episodes of panic attacks.

I started taking 25mg of sertraline 18 days ago. Since then the GP has raised the dose to 50 mg and then on day 14 of taking sertraline she raised it again to 75mg. I wondered if anybody knows how long it takes to get in to the system. I currently feel more anxious and highly agitated. I'm finding it hard to leave the house. Any advise would be welcome, as would any information on this medication. I need to start feeling better soon, as I am self employed and need to earn some money. This is also adding to my anxiety!

Thanks!

7 likes, 106 replies

106 Replies

Next
  • lydia27
    lydia27

    Edited

    Dear Zoe, after a week I was great, I am on 100 mg but I am great now my life has change completely, I have never felt so well in my life, or I can not remember it. I got nauseas so I bought stomach protectors, and I am fine now. I am on Trazadone at nights too, and have been in sereal meds and nothing worked, I was really really depressed and suffer anxaety and thought it was me I was uncapable to feel well and relax, i just wanted to get high to stop thinking, alcohol, pills, smoke sometimes,... anything to shut my head, I could not cope anymore, I went to spycologyst and no improvement, I really really tried to change, I stopped drinking over a year now, but I was feeling the same or even worse, I realy tried to change but could not and was so frustrated I could not understand why I could not feel like the rest. And It was because I did not have SEROTONINE, and the sertraline recapted it in my brain, I FEEL CURED, I AM CURED, my head stopped.... Unbeliable... I could not understand why I was like this I have it all and I only wanted to stop my life. Nothing would make me feel Well, Nothing. SERTRALINE works, I am enjoying life like never before, I never thought I could feed this well, I can not discribe it. You might need to find some good books to help you undertand that most of our thoughts are lies and drive us crazy, they limit our lives with fears, that are not true,... I got a spycologist too, but I stopped seen her as I feel great now, but will need suport again when I try to leave the medication... My problem is now that I really am scared to give up the medication, I never want to go back to what I was, It was Hell. My spychiatrist told me 6 months and will try to reduce it to see if I can cope without it... and I am fine now and do not want to stop now.... please remember IF IT HARD TO LIVE IN HELL, SURELY IT IS EASIER TO LIVE IN HEAVEN lol
    • papote53
      papote53 lydia27

      Posted

      What a great post, love it!   ;-)  I started with anxiety around 4 months ago, Doctors said it was health anxiety.  They gave me xanax 0.5 and Lorezapam 1MG tice daily. But when my  body asked for more my Doctor wanted to change to another addictive medication which I said NO.  I suggested sertraline 25mg 5 days ago.  But in order to tap put of Lorezapam he also gave me another medicaation which I took for 5 days along with sertraline.  First 3.5 days after using sertraline 25mg alone was pretty good. Light headed which was 24/7 for me stopped and breathuing better.  Sure, I also have nasal breathing problems which is not helping. ;-(  Today is day 5 on sertraline alone and 10 days today on it and I started to feel a little strange again.  Little light headed.  I'm only taking 25mg at around 4PM as suggested by my farmacist, Doctor said before bed time but this time I took the farmacist recommendation. The first 4 nights slept great, last night not so great.  I read this medication takes around 6 hours to kick in and it normaly takes 2-4 for full benefits.  I do feel reallly tired now so I have to asume is the medication. Now I ask, is this normal to feel so tired?  Will it get any better?   
    • lynda70899
      lynda70899 lydia27

      Posted

      Lydia

      how long before the sertraline started working for you?

      lynda

    • dl283278
      dl283278 lydia27

      Posted

      I know this is an old post but I've been through hell with meds I'm now on setraline a week and feel just as bad. I know not all generics are the same since you had such a good experience I was hoping you could look at your bottle and tell me the manufacturer name? I have 3 kids and keep going on like this.
    • mo78500
      mo78500 dl283278

      Posted

      Hi. I'm new to posting on here but I was looking through posts and saw yours. The manufacturer on my bottle is Aurobindo. I have been on 50 MG since April 27, 2016 and I didn't really see a difference until after taking maybe for two weeks. It wasn't a huge difference but my family noticed. It's been almost four weeks that I've been taking the medicine. Now my husband says he feels he has his wife back. I was prescribed the meds after having a hysterectomy and being thrown into menopause. I was having anxiety and was feeling depressed. I didn't want to live anymore. I wasn't at the point of wanting to take my life, I just had no desire to live. Now those thoughts haven't even come to mind and I'm feeling like a better person mentally. I hope and pray things go well for you.
    • emma800627
      emma800627 mo78500

      Edited

      Hi,

      I'm on day 6 of Sertraline, really struggling had a couple of good days, a bad day, another good and the last 2 I just feel empty.

      I have been through this process before a few years back and feel like I'm losing control again. I took Citalopram then but I couldn't face the them this time because the starting side effects are hurrendous.

      I am just about functioning, going to work and doing my day to day thing but it's such a struggle.

      When will the 50mg start to work and do you really feel worse before better? If I didn't have this nagging sickness and churning stomach I might be able to manage a bit more. I feel like I want to cry but I can't and my intrusive thoughts seem to be getting worse.

      Somebody please reassure me that this will get better soon.

      X

    • Takoma
      Takoma emma800627

      Edited

      Hi Emma,

      I started Sertraline 6 months ago. My first two weeks were hell, my stomach wouldn't settle and I became unable to get restful sleep. After that the negatives started to fade. The only symptom that lasted was I became incredibly fatigued for another few weeks, but that too has passed. By two months I felt normal, and better than I've felt in years.

      It can be rough getting started, but the worst of it is almost over.

      Hang in there.

    • emma800627
      emma800627 Takoma

      Edited

      Thank you for your reply, it's the mornings that are a killer. I wake up and feel calm and as soon as I move or turnover, bang nausea and anxiety sets in.

      Day 9 today so I know really it's still early days I just hate how my stomach feels.

      It's strange how I feel quite normal in the hours before I go to bed but then the cycle starts again when I wake up x

      X

    • mo78500
      mo78500 emma800627

      Posted

      Hey Emma800627, have you tried taking the medicine with food? That's how I take it because I read about the upset stomach issue. I will say I haven't had that issue but I'm not sure if it's due to me taking the medicine with food. If you haven't, give that a try. I'm hoping that will help you.
    • emma800627
      emma800627 mo78500

      Posted

      Hi,

      I take it really early as I wake and then go back to sleep for an hour. Will give it a go with food tomorrow and see how I get on.

      X

    • emma800627
      emma800627 mo78500

      Posted

      Ok so the last two days have taken a turn for the worse. More obsessive thoughts have come on and totally freaked me out. Now I am thinking all sorts. I tried swapping my tablet to night time and that made me feel worse I didn't sleep so I am back to taking it in the morning yesterday and today.

      Back at the docs today I really need to tell the doc everything but scared of what he'll say?

      Is it possible that sert has triggered these new thoughts? I'm 2 weeks in now at 50mg so I appreciate its early days.

      Any advice or anyone else feel like I do. Feel like I'm going mad!!!

    • Poonam85
      Poonam85 mo78500

      Posted

      I have been on escitalopram 22.5mg since 2004 and 0.5 mg clonazepam since 2013 for severe anxiety disorder. I took lorazepam 2-3mg daily between 2010-13. I believe my condition has worsened in the last few years because of changes in life circumstances and dependence on Benzos, which I think I can never did get off. Last month I showed a private psychiatrist in Uk and he shifted me to Sertraline 150mg using a cross taper. First 2 weeks I didn't feel any difference between escitalopram and sertraline, but in week 3 when I increased to 150mg my anxiety increased, with tremors, nauseating feeling in stomach. The only good thing is my sleep decreased from 12-14 hours a day to 8 hours. I know this insomnia is a side effect and will go away soon. Now I'm on week 6, with 3 weeks on 150mg. No improvement in symptoms, if anything condition has worsened because of change in medication. Like you I have been taking the one from Aurobindo Pharma for the first one, but now for a repay prescription I got another generic brand named ranbaxy because the previous one is not available. I'm sensitive to changes in brands although my GP and everybody thinks this is psychological and I'm crazy. On one hand, sertraline hasn't done anything till now; on the other hand, this change in brand is bothersome but I have nothing to do. I know these medicines take a lot of time to kick in. When I first started escitalopram it took 3 months to reach optimum dose and 4-5 months for life to be normal. But now since I'm just shifting SSRI's I just lost the hope that it would do a miracle like before because my brain is already tolerant to these medicines. I always read these forums in search of reassurance that maybe one day it will work.
    • Poonam85
      Poonam85 emma800627

      Posted

      Like you said, mornings are the worst. The moment I wake all anxiety and nauseating symptoms come in. It takes a lot of motivation to get out of bed, but once I stand there is dizziness, brain is foggy and body is shaking. I usually have a breakdown by noon, and cry uncontrollably. In the evening, when I feel that finally the day is coming to an end and I spend time lying on the bed, I feel a tiny bit better with some hope. This medicine gives me body tremors, a weird sensation in abdomen, increased anxiety, breathlessness, fatigue besides the horrible symptoms of anxiety itself. I'm just waiting in the hope that one day it might work.
    • dl283278
      dl283278 Poonam85

      Posted

      How long you been on it?

      What dose?

      On the bottle it shows the name of manufacturer of your pill.... Just curious what yours shows?

    • dl283278
      dl283278 Poonam85

      Posted

      So aurobindo was your old SERTRALINE and that did it did not work?
    • Poonam85
      Poonam85 dl283278

      Posted

      I gradually shifted from 22.5mg escitalopram to 150mg sertraline. The shift took 3 weeks, after which it has been 2 weeks on 150mg. For the first month I took the generic one by Aurobindo Pharma and now I take another generic one from Ranbaxy Pharma. I don't know which is better, because none has showed any good effects but I can feel that they are different.
    • benji29413
      benji29413 emma800627

      Posted

      Hey emma, I've been on 50mg for one week and I feel the same way. Today was the worst with thoughts and my first child was born today. I couldn't even enjoy it. I just want to let you know that someone else is feeling what you're feeling and I hope it gets better for you.
    • aramis72626
      aramis72626 lydia27

      Posted

      Hi, my name is Aramis. And honey I can relate to you on this note because I never knew what my problem was...I tried explaining the emotions that I was experiencing. But I amma piggy back off all that you've gone through. Even though I never went to see a therapist, but I wanted to over and over, but my mind would take me into a different direction. So, I am sensing a sense of relief since I've been on my meds, for depression and anxiety. And you said it right it is hell. Glad to hear your report and your doing and feeling better.

    • Liana23
      Liana23 Takoma

      Posted

      Hi Takoma,

      I just wanted to ask how you are doing now, after some months of being on Sertraline?

      I started weeks ago and I dont feel compketely myself yet.

    • Liana23
      Liana23 lydia27

      Posted

      Hi Lydia,

      Just read ur post and wanted to asl how you are doing now after a year. I started weeks ago and cant wait to b normal again.

    • pam01968
      pam01968 Liana23

      Posted

      How are you doing on the setraline I am 6 weeks tomorrow and still don't feel myself on 100 mg

    • aimee9210
      aimee9210 emma800627

      Posted

      Hi Emma how are you now ? I'm sat here with 50mg of sertraline in my hand but scared to take them

    • julie08522
      julie08522 emma800627

      Posted

      Emma i am new to setraline too. I know this is an old post but i am the same. I am just over 3 weeks in on 50mg and anxiety feels worse and the obsessive thoughts are killing my friendships. going to GP to up my dose to see if it helps. Read some of the other posts and they seem teally positive. Here is hoping we can get sorted.
    • julie08522
      julie08522 deborah56721

      Posted

      I have had them changed to mirtazapine. And i am so much better. I have lost the friend support i had which is upsetting. So i have me and my husband dealibg with it only x
    • Riab
      Riab emma800627

      Posted

      That’s exactly how I feel Emma. I hope that after two years of posting this you feel better. I restarted Sertraline about 4 weeks. I feel better as far as the depression, but still have anxiety. I have GAD, MDD, Panic disorder and PTSD now. I also take buspar and I am on Xanax as needed. Please post how you are doing after a couple of years. Thank you.
    • jamie1907
      jamie1907 lydia27

      Posted

      How long did u find it took the sertaline to kick in as i beej taking for a week nearly now i been off work for 3 weeks as i was suffering from ansiety and i had a bad attack so i decided to get help but as you know we need money so im hoping to get bk asp

Back to top
Next

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.