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Help! Strong side effects with 12.5.mg Sertraline

Posted , 5 users are following.

Caroline71441
Caroline71441

I took a quarter tablet yesterday and within hours started getting side effects such as dizziness, headache, nausea, cold fingers of right hand, muscle twitching, acid and painful stomach and a burning feeling in my bladder. Later in the evening I got a pain in my liver area. any of these symptoms coininued into the night and the headache and nausea are continuing today along with a pain in my stomach, very cold fingers in the right hand and feeling particularly low. I am so worried by this extreme reaction I do not want to continue. In another discussion someone talked about drug metabolism and how differences can mean someone experiences many more effects as the concentration is higher. As I only had 12.5mg I dread to think what I will experience on higher doses. Has anyone had anything similar or can anyone offer any advice - i feel i just want it out of my system.

1 like, 31 replies

31 Replies

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  • iris46
    iris46 Caroline71441

    Posted

    Hi Caroline, I went up to 150 mg last year after a death in family and a near death experience myself in summer. By Nov I was starting to feel pretty good but had huge row with my daughter and she didn't speak to me for 3 months. I've now been on 200mg for 6 days, though I'm very anxious...like a robot in fact. Many of your experiences are truly side effects...do read the leaflet about side effects. I'd say that if there's anything you are concerned about, do speak to your GP. Good luck
  • HBT27
    HBT27 Caroline71441

    Posted

    Hello, I started on 50mg last night at 6 pm by 7 30, I felt very strange odd vision, at 8 30 decided to go to bed as felt so unwell then started with severe stomach pain and diarrhoea vomiting and whole body shaking, hot and sweaty, this lasted about 4 hours , I felt awful, still feel totally washed out , now 3 in the afternoon. I will not take these again , even at a lower dose as suggested by my GP.
    • iris46
      iris46 HBT27

      Posted

      It sounds like the worst side effects have gone for you. Read the information leaflet that comes with your meds and I think what you experienced is start up side effects. They DO level out in a few weeks, but certainly talk to your doctor again. Good luck
    • HBT27
      HBT27 iris46

      Posted

      Thank you, GP has now suggested something else at a low starting dose.
    • Caroline71441
      Caroline71441 HBT27

      Posted

      Hello - what has the GP recommended. Your reaction sounds horrible but given mine on just 12.5mg I am not surprised - it good 48 hours to feel it was out of my system.
    • iris46
      iris46 HBT27

      Posted

      I'm pleased about that for you.  Do bear in mind though that you MIGHT still get a few side effects, but do read the patient info leaflet to see whether which side effects are common......they don't last very long fortunately
    • HBT27
      HBT27 Caroline71441

      Posted

      I have to collect the prescription tomorrow , when speaking to the GP this morning my brain was not working that well, I am suffering from chronic migraine which is making me depressed, will let you know when I pick it up. Have to say the side effects were pretty scary. 
    • Caroline71441
      Caroline71441 iris46

      Posted

      Hello Iris - the side effects listed in the leaft are so scary and any combination of them surely woudl cause you to feel much worse particularly the increased anxiety and depression let alone the insomnia and nightmares. I don;t know how that can help someone aready suffering. For me the side effects were the strongest I have experienced on any medication which I don't need when I am already very vulnerable. What scares me is that they are affecting your brain, yes I know depression and anxiety does but these types of tablets can cause extreme reactions and some people get suicidal. I was also very anxious and scared about the effect on my bladder - I hve never had any bladder burning or urination issues and the ones I got were on just 12.5mg /the circulation and twitching were also scary. How could I cope with them - I am no longer taking the tablets. You say you are anxious on 200mg. These things seem so experimental with reactions varying so much. It really felt as if they were damaging me.
    • iris46
      iris46 Caroline71441

      Posted

      Hi Caroline..just found your message in my Spam folder! I'm sorry the effects have been so nasty for you...you really must see your doc...you might get withdrawal symptoms. Don't be scared by the info leaflet....the manufacturers have to report EVERY side effect ever reported, and that's what scares people. If you read the info leaflet for paracetamol you wouldn't want to take those I assure you. Do see your doc though for reassurance that side effects do pass in time. Antidepressants are notorious for making you feel worse before better.
  • HBT27
    HBT27 Caroline71441

    Posted

    Will not be able to pick up the medication to tell you what it is as still feel unwell plus have another migraine, will let you know asap. 
  • HBT27
    HBT27 Caroline71441

    Posted

    Collected prescription it is Mirtazapine 15 mg half tablet at night. Not starting yet as still feel unwell from the others, how are you doing.
    • Caroline71441
      Caroline71441 HBT27

      Posted

      Not good. Feel so very anxious and very scared all the time as well as depressed. It is so difficult getting things done. I have said to Iris that these tablets seem so experimental. Let me know how you get on with the Mirtazapine. So you are starting on 7.5mg at night? What are you taking anti depressants for - is it anxiety and depression or mainly depression or anxiety??
  • HBT27
    HBT27 Caroline71441

    Posted

    I went to the GP with anxiety more than depression, suffer with chronic migraine which is so painful with other symptoms ,can't plan anything, life is dominated with them at the moment and my anxiety levels were going up. I really wanted a small course of something like Valium , but he would not give me any, just to take the edge off the anxiety. Anyway after the side effects of Sertraline I am not sure I even want to try the new ones as with Migraine anyway I am sick and have diarrhoea so I had to recover from side effects after just having a bad migraine. I am going to hold off for a while and see how things go. Maybe you could go back to your GP and discuss with them how you feel or any other health care professional that you are under.
  • HBT27
    HBT27 Caroline71441

    Posted

    I also feel that you need a good support system near you if you do embark on medication such as Sertaline, I live on my own, family live abroad and my friends which I have a few good ones, not lots have their own life demands at present. Having to deal with side effects on your own is difficult and adds to anxiety and as you said to Iris it is not the time to deal with added difficulties. 
    • iris46
      iris46 HBT27

      Posted

      I am widowed and live alone too.....I sometimes think that just having someone else to talk to would be a good distraction from the side effects
    • Caroline71441
      Caroline71441 HBT27

      Posted

      Hello

      Have you taken any Mirtazapine?? I'm still stuck and feeling worse if that is possible. On the one hand is the intolerable anxiety and depression on the other intolerable side effects with highly possible increasing anxiety and depression to start (and for some people the anxiety does not seem to go away) C

    • iris46
      iris46 Caroline71441

      Posted

      They do say that with ADs you get worse before you start to get better
    • shelby29017
      shelby29017 iris46

      Posted

      Hi, did anyone feel very anxious and restless when they woke up? I wake up during the night and then I feel a rush of heat and nervousness. I calm myself down and it kind of goes away. But I wake up at 4:30 and am extremely restless. Today is my 6th day on 25mg sertraline. I was feeling better in the beginning. Now I don't know sad
    • iris46
      iris46 shelby29017

      Posted

      It's early days for you.....you are going through start up side effects....read your patient info leaflet, especially Very common side effects, and Common side effects. Your body will adjust to sertraline
    • shelby29017
      shelby29017 iris46

      Posted

      Thank you for replying so quickly! I wasn't given a patient info leaflet. I was just told I had anxiety and depression and given 25mg sertraline. I wasn't really educated about it. I've just been talking to others who have gone through the same situation.
    • iris46
      iris46 shelby29017

      Posted

      Shelby...... Do a Google search for them......side effects of Sertraline
    • shelby29017
      shelby29017 iris46

      Posted

      Thank you, Iris! I did a Google search and they give me reassurance. It's just that it's awful that you feel worse before you get better. I feel like I have something a different side effect everyday.
    • iris46
      iris46 shelby29017

      Posted

      That's EXACTLY how I feel! I'm on day 25 of increased dose. Fortunately my sleep didn't suffer, but appetite and energy were much better within a week. I did have shakiness at first (gone), last week it was fuzzy headache, tinnitus and slightly blurred vision. I'm making myself function, go out and see people. I've got one symptom left and it's a nuisance....that tense feeling just underneath the sternum and in the diaphragm. I cannot shift it.....yet
    • shelby29017
      shelby29017 iris46

      Posted

      Yesterday I had tightness in my chest. It just came out of nowhere. I almost had a panic attack. But I have Xanax for those particular moments. Tightness of my chest is gone today and now I'm just extremely restless. I can't wait for the day when I wake up and all the symptoms are completely gone.
    • Caroline71441
      Caroline71441 shelby29017

      Posted

      Hello Shelby - how are you getting on - what side affects are you getting? How are you coping with the restlessness? When I took a small dose of Sertraline I got a burning bladder sensation and urination was painful - that was one of the awful side effects i was not expecting. How is your sleep? C
    • shelby29017
      shelby29017 Caroline71441

      Posted

      Hi Caroline,

      My doc actually switched me to Effexor because he didn't like the way sertraline kept me feeling sedated all day long. Today is my first day on it. But the restlessness eventually subsided. My sleep was awful. I know take an alprazolam (short term) to help me sleep. Need to let the old brain rest and heal.

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