2 weeks in, want to stop

Posted , 5 users are following.

ive been on sertraline 50mg for 2 weeks now and im experiencing awful side effects. ive taken these before and never felt this way. cant sleep for more than 3 hours at a time and cant go back to sleep, just lie there trying for hours while experiencing horrible anxiety and racing/intrusive thoughts. im worse off than before i started for sure. i know it takes time for these to work and side effects are common, i just dont see how im going to make it thru right now. i want to stop taking them. i have a doc appt today and will tell her how theyve made me feel but she will probably tell me to stick with them for now but I just dont think i can, its awful! ive been on SSRIs several times before including sertraline and i have never felt this bad starting out.

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    its all normal, ive been on and off sertraline for 13 years, this last time i have been on it for over 5 years, the start up of sertraline is awful and you definetely get worse before you get better. 2 weeks is not very long. i had to up my dose 7 weeks ago, then again 3 weeks ago. i am so much better than i was, im still not great but getting there slowly. you should definetely stick it out for a while longer. theres a facebook group called zoloft (sertraline) bruno truth group, its full of amazing ppl going through the same thing as us and they are all so helpful

  • Edited

    hey i was in exactly your position 2 weeks in aswell! just hold in there. This medication takes a long time to settle down and have positive effect. im on week 9 of 100mg and im just starting to have glimmers of it working.

  • Posted

    I had awful side effects from Sertraline. You need to listen to your body and discuss it with your Doctor, people told me to carry on and told me it was "normal" but I ended up in A&E and had to stop them immediately. Call your GP to discuss it and they will have the best Medical Advice

    • Posted

      I had also taken another SSRI last year and had the minor side effects everyone speaks of but Sertraline was like a whole different level and I was mentally and physically the sickest I had ever been in my life

  • Posted

    hey all, thanks so much for your responses. i went to my GP yesterday and asked if i could cut back to 25mg for now as i am somewhat sensitive to medications which i should have mentioned to her in the first place. i was also taking it at night before bed and i now realize that was a huge mistake so now im taking it in the morning. i was actually able to get more sleep than usual last night (i took 5mg of melatonin and a stress supplement with L-theanine and calming herbs). i still woke up every 2-3 hours but was able to fall back asleep in a shorter amount of time than the past 2 weeks and also slept in a little longer. my anxiety has seemed to have lessened as well. i finally have hope that it is getting better for the first time since i started taking it. i am no stranger to SSRIs including this particular one but this has been the absolute worst experience for me and im not sure why now. ive always been aware of the potential side effects but have only ever encountered mild ones. this forum has been so helpful since i found it. the feeling of not being alone has been extremely comforting during this. thank you again!

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