Early in SSRI journey, really need some opinions about Sertraline's efficacy and increasing dose

Posted , 2 users are following.

I've been on 100 mg Sertraline for 8 months now for severe anxiety and have had moderate improvement. I still get some physical anxiety symptoms and my psychiatrist thinks it's better to increase my dose to maximize the benefits before trying another SSRI. But he said I can taper off and switch to another one if I choose to. I'm not sure. I increased from 50mg to 75mg to 100mg and have been on 100mg since September. All of the increases made me feel better initially but eventually plateaud/wore off somewhat. I worry that if I continue to increase, I'm just going to be wasting my time. Or could it be possible I haven't found the right dose on Sertraline and I won't know unless I increase the dose?? I don't get a lot of side effects on it except some stomach issues here and there and trouble crying (some emotional blunting I guess)

I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this. Not experienced with SSRIs. It's frustrating because I do so much work on myself to improve my anxiety: restorative yoga, mindfulness, CBT, regular exercise, taking care of my emotional needs, diet and sleep hygiene etc. I feel like with the right medication or the right dose of Sertraline, I could be doing better than I am right now.

Thank you

0 likes, 1 reply

1 Reply

  • Posted

    Hi, firstly I hope you're feeling okay.

    It sounds like a different type of medication is what's needed. I started on 50mg and was on that for around 5 months and I experienced a plateau or that my overall wellbeing was going up and down throughout the day that i couldnt keep up. going up to 100mg solved that for me and whilst on that dose I rarely experienced any anxiety episodes.

    it's key to remember the medication wont solve everything and make the anxiety go away but from what you've written for your experience - if i was you, id try a new drug!

    wish you the best of luck!

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.