Advice please: starting sertraline 50mg this thurs
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi,
I am a 32 year old female who has depression and anxiety for most of my life, I have tried CBT, counseling, hypnosis both NHS and private but still struggle, I always said I would never try meds but finally bit the bullet and got sertraline 50mg from my gp and I am planning to start taking them this Thursday. Would just be grateful for any advice/stories from ppl who have tried it as to what to expect. I have a long weekend so thankfully won't have to go into work for the first few days of taking them, I am just really apprehensive of the side effects and worried about becoming a zombie 
Would be great to share experiences with others who have been through similar situation or taking them now too so we could compare?!
Thanks 
x
0 likes, 25 replies
UK-Rose Chocoholic85
Posted
P. S - I was initially prescribed 50mg tablets
1st week - 25mg - half tablet
2nd week - 37.5 - 3/4 tablet
3rd week onwards- 50mg - full tablet
🌹
Chocoholic85
Posted
Hi rose,
We do sound similar indeed, thanks for your response. So far I don't feel I have any side effects I feel abit nauseous but I don't think that's due to the meds. I'm only taking 25mg though so it must be very subtle.
I hate how irritable I can be, especially with a few ppl close to me who are aware of my mental health as sometimes they will say things like "you need to push yourself " and "get out" abit more, one of them claims to have borderline personality disorder herself but copes very differently to me, I just get very frustrated that it seems no one can relate to how I feel and it's quite isolating. I almost feel too scared to go out to supermarket today as I know I will be very aware of how I feel and looking out for any odd sensations etc and this is one of the worst things you can do to trigger your anxiety as I'm sure you know!
Thanks for your reasurance and response, I will be on here later 🤗
UK-Rose Chocoholic85
Posted
If you can manage the supermarket- go for it, little managable goals help to give us that sense of achievement with an added confidence boost for seeing things threw, but if you cant... then no biggie, just tackle it when you feel more better, the last thing you want is to feel overwhelmed as your starting out... And this forum is great, people actually DO understand and can relate... those they say “toughen up” & “push yourself” have no clue how tough it really is... ignorance is bliss as they say?? But your in the right place, with the right support... your starting out with your best foot forward 🌹
Chocoholic85
Posted
Just an update,I took my 25mg at 11:30 and exactly at 1:30 I started to feel VERY nauseous then suddenly woozy/spaced out/high and giggly it was abit concerning but only later for 20 mins then these feelings suddenly went away and I feel "normal" again....strange?!
I thought maybe it was already having an effect but realised I am still my old self because I got very irritable and irrationally snappy with a family member 🙄😂 I just want to stop being snappy I annoy myself with it just as much as I probably annoy others .
Rose how do you think you know whether sertraline is the right med for you? Would you give it at least a few months? I know some ppl have to try something other than SSRIS if they don't end up agreeing with them....🤗
Chocoholic85
Posted
Yes you are right some ppl have no clue but it still puzzles me how they can not have the intelligence or insight to realize they should not judge something they don't understand😕
UK-Rose Chocoholic85
Posted
The nausea/ dizziness is common Sertraline side effects... but just ride them out, they do all pass... could be hours, could be days... but they will pass. Thats why is important to have an easy day if you feel you need to... just till you get more settled and into your routine.
Try to stick to the same dosage time aswell, I find this really helped me - (mines 10am)
And as for knowing if its the right med?? You will only know if you put a good effort in, once you’ve reached a therapeutic level (e.g 50mg) at least try to stick it out for 4-8weeks, as it will take this long after your increase to see any benefits. Ive read so many people quit, saying it wasn’t working... and all they were experiencing were the common side effects that weve all gone threw... shame really, if they would of held out it could have been the med for them, instead of having to go back and start all over again. 🌹
Chocoholic85
Posted
Well it's 7:30 pm and I have been having waves of feeling nauseous with a dull headache on and off pretty much all day, it's not awful I almost feel like I have been on a ferry or a long car journey and feel a little sick. I am glad I started on the 25mg as opposed to 50... I have been eating because I find I am still hungry although I feel nauseous, I am gonna take my pill a little earlier tmw one hour earlier than I did today because I'd like to start it around 9am but my body lock has been out of sync because I have been off work. Day one over I don't feel as scared now ....
UK-Rose Chocoholic85
Posted
Just go at your own pace, and work with what feels right for you... The headaches can linger abit tbh, they did with me anyway. It was one of my more frequent side effects. I had them pretty much daily for the first 3weeks... NOT painful, just dull & annoying like I had an elastic band around my head, but they passed, and I don’t get them at all now. I found keeping myself hydrated and the odd painkiller here and there helped, anti- sickness meds from the local pharmacy can also help if the nausea becomes too much... with me it was just now and again, and didn’t really linger and passed quite quickly, so wasnt much of an issue.
One day at a time... 🌹
Chocoholic85
Posted
One thing I am abit worried about is that I am a serious sugar junkie and chocoholic hence the username😳And I know sugar is not great for depression or anxiety so I have been trying to cut down on my intake but honestly need to eat abit of choc at least once per day . This might sound silly but do u think it can impact the effects of the meds in terms of it not working aswel etc I know that you can't have grapefruit with sertraline as it says so on the packet but I'm not aware of anything else....just feel that I should be making an effort with my diet too🙈 Have most of your side effects tapered off now would you say?
I just want to wake up in the morning and feel motivated and positive about life but I don't think these pills will do that for me will they. I guess that's something I will have to work on personally. A lot of ppl take meds and say they finally feel "back to my old self" but with me I've felt like this for as long as I can remember all through childhood too. I was labeled as "moody" even as a young child by my family and I feel like it kind of defines who I am if that makes sense so I am not sure what to expect after being on these for a while...
Chocoholic85
Posted
I'm also quite an introverted person and this makes it harder for me to differentiate from when I'm bored wing anti social in an unhealthy way or when I just need to be alone and recharge my batteries. TBH I really enjoy my alone time and in not fussed about meeting new ppl or making new friends 🙈😂