5 weeks on Sertraline

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Hello all,

I've been on Sertraline now for around 5 weeks and I'm looking for a bit of reassurance. I switched from Mertazapine to Sertraline around 5 weeks ago now, 50mg, to help with my extreme anxiety and slight low mood as a result of my constant worrying. Mertazapine made me feel so disconnected to my emotions that I needed to switch to something different.

To start with and I didn't really get any side effects. I felt slightly nauseous on the first day and have experienced night sweats and disturbed sleep, but nothing I couldnt handle. Around week 3 I really started seeing some improvements! I was less prone to anxiety attacks, felt a lot more upbeat and my invasive thoughts started to decrease. Fast forward to now and I feel like the effects arnt lasting.

I don't feel like they are doing nothing, I'm so much better than before I was on them, but I feel like I've plateaued and my gradual increase in mood and decrease in anxiety has halted, as to where I don't feel like I'm making progress any more.

Maybe I'm worrying for nothing, cheers anxiety! 😂, but have any of you with experience felt this way after 5 weeks? And do the improvments eventually pick up again? I can feel depression and hopelessness starting to settle in a lot, which wasn't even an issue for me before. At least not at the level that the anxiety was.

Anyway, I would be grateful for any replies or advice. Even if its just 'wait it out'. I've posted on here a few times before but with no responses, so I hope to gain a little bit of reassurance, or perhaps some advice!

Hope you are all staying safe and making progress!

Lauren xo

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3 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi, I've been on Sertraline for 8 weeks now and it's definitely a rollercoaster ride with lots of ups and downs. I was on 50mg for 5 weeks and felt better but still had anxiety so I upped it to 75mg. Was on that for 3 weeks and although I seen improvement still anxious. Today was my first day at 100mg per my doctors advice. I know all doctors are different just like we all respond to different doses, but my doctor says anything below 100mg isn't really therapeutic? He wanted me to move up to 100mg 1 week after being on 50mg but I was too scared lol so I've gone slow. I can tell you this medicine takes what seems like forever to start working so you could definitely wait it out a little longer. Also someone posted on here before they were afraid to increase and their doctor said what are you afraid of if you aren't feeling like yourself anyway what do you have to lose? You can always go back down. I agree with that! Hope this helps!!! Hang in there, you got this!!!

    • Posted

      Hey Tina!

      Thank you for your response. After hearing that 5 weeks in you still felt anxiety has made me feel a lot better about my journey thus far, its nice to know that its usual not to feel totally better at this point!

      I talked to my GP today and she said that I should just see how the 50mg goes for another month and then if I still feel a lot of anxiety to up my dose from there, which I think does make sense!

      I'm scared of upping the dose too tbh 😂 but working past that fear and feeling better seems totally worth it!

      Did you find that you had a major side effect increase when you upped your dose originally? I feel very lucky to have avoided a lot of the bad ones so the thought of having to go through the horror stories I've heard from people is a little daunting!

      Thank you again for your response! I hope your journey towards good mental health keeps improving!

      Stay safe

    • Posted

      Thank you me too! ❤ like I said I had so many side effects when I started but going up to 75mg was fine and today is my second day on 100mg and so far nothing! Maybe just a little tired! So don't stress about increasing, if you do it slowly I think you reduce the chance for side effects! Please keep me posted on how you are doing! Fight on!!! You got this!!

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