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Day 8

Posted , 7 users are following.

e97070lle
e97070lle

I am on day 8 of sertraline and so far havent had any awful side effects. However, I have experienced the following, to varying levels:

* Tiredness

* Much more easily upset or irritable or angry

* Worry - worrying about side effects, constantly assessing and re-assessing how I am feeling.

Apart from the above nothing much has happened - good or bad. Not sure what I was expecting but very little has changed :-/

I am on 50mg.

0 likes, 51 replies

51 Replies

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  • julie1111
    julie1111 e97070lle

    Posted

    hi jane . will get easier hang in there takes arround 2 weeks x
    • e97070lle
      e97070lle julie1111

      Posted

      Thanks. I am just not sure it's doing anything yet! What can I expect to notice in 2 weeks? smile

      Thanks.

    • julie1111
      julie1111 e97070lle

      Posted

      hi jane u will feel brighter! took around 2 weeks for me to feel the benefits. the side effects will pass! are u sleeping ok x
    • e97070lle
      e97070lle julie1111

      Posted

      Generally sleep ok thanks, especially if I have exercised in the day time. What dose are you on?x
    • julie1111
      julie1111 e97070lle

      Posted

      hi i was on 50mg for 2 months just been upped to 100mg as 50mg is a low dose! feel even better did have one night were i couldnt sleep but normal when dose is upped xx
    • e97070lle
      e97070lle julie1111

      Posted

      Did going up to 100 make a big difference? Did 50 help at all? x
    • julie1111
      julie1111 e97070lle

      Posted

      hi jane yes helped a bit but feel better on 100mg ..50mg is usually the starting dose xx
  • Guest
    Guest e97070lle

    Posted

    Hi Jane...I've been on 25mg for 2 weeks (Have been prescribed 50mg,but want my body to adjust gradually:must up the dose tomorrow!)and even on a low dose,felt a little more tired than normal,certainly for the first week.From my experience,many similar meds have this irritating side effect.With luck it will ease off a little.Try to stay busy,I am a terrible worrier myself,so I do empathise with how you're feeling!Also I am pretty certain,though we're all different,your anger/irritability may also wear off too.Sadly these aren't magic pills.....Take care x
    • e97070lle
      e97070lle Guest

      Posted

      Thanks! Hope it goes well when you up it to 50mg. Yes it can make you tired and drowsy but it's not as bad as I thought it may be! x
  • james56727
    james56727 e97070lle

    Posted

    Hi Jane,

    i started on 50mg about 2 years ago and it did take a little while to kick in for me. Maybe as much as 3 weeks in my case, but my doctor and I agreed I should got up to 100mg after I had been on Sertraline for about 2 months so maybe 50mg just wasn't enough for me. 

    Looking back I felt exactly the same as you, I was very worried about side effects and what to expect but this was just the anxiety still being present until the medication took effect.

    Sertraline is an excellent product that has changed my life and I have decreased and increased the dose as required several times. It makes me feel much more confident in every aspect of my life, even to the extent of trying new past times and sports I would never have dared try before. I can see myself being Sertraline for the long term but probably only a maintenance dose of 50mg or 25mg.

    The only side effect I have ever noticed is a reduction in libido which is unfortunate but nothing compared to anxiety.

    All the best and look forward to when it takes effect.

    James.

    • e97070lle
      e97070lle james56727

      Posted

      Thanks James. Did they suddenly kick in one day and you noticed a dramatic difference or was it gradual?
  • james56727
    james56727 e97070lle

    Posted

    Hi Jane,

    I would say at first it was gradual but there were a couple of reasons for that. a) my anxiety was pretty bad before taking the medication so there was quite a lot to overcome and b) both my dr & I agreed I needed to up the dose after a couple of months. I would say I probably did notice when the increase to 100mg kicked in but it wasn't sudden waking up one day feeling great, it was still gradual.

    In fact at one point I went up to 150mg for a couple of months because work had started to get quite stressful and I have to say once that kicked I felt absolutley incredible, as if nothing bad could happen to me which was a sign the dose was probably too high and looking back I probably could have handled the work scenario without needing to increase the dose.

    What day are you on now?

    • e97070lle
      e97070lle james56727

      Posted

      Hi James

      I am on day 10. I still have anxiety which rears its head now and then, still dont feel much different overall. Prior to this I was on citalopram since 2002.... anyway I went to the doctors in July due to feeling very upset all the time and anxious. I was put on sertraline, but first I had to come off citalopram (which I delayed for a couple of weeks due to going on holiday).

      I have a doctors appt next Thurs - as it will have been just over 2 weeks by then since I started setraline. That is a general check up to see how things are going.

      I just dont know if this 50mg is doing anything at all :-/

  • james56727
    james56727 e97070lle

    Posted

    Hi Jane,

    Sounds like that appt will be a good check and balance and maybe you dr will advise increasing the dose.

    Are you doing anything in addition to medication to help? I also meditate and focus on positive thinking. I also find music very helpful and my own playlist of songs that give me confidence and make feel strong.

    • e97070lle
      e97070lle james56727

      Posted

      I find exercise helpful (go to bootcamp three times a week) and I also take propranalol for anxiety.

      I find that if I think about anxiety, I become anxious. If I feel sick or dizzy it makes me anxious, then I feel weird, then more anxious. If I get worried about something, I start to feel really anxious, then get anxious about anxiety!! ARRGH!

      Does sertraline help with this do you think?

    • flomo
      flomo e97070lle

      Posted

      that is exactly what i feel jane, I am anxious about being anxious... I worry about when the next dip will come. I have just come off the tablets, so hoping that once they are out my system, I will remember what it is like to be be me again... for better ot worse... when I was on them, I didnt really feel anything...
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