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Irregular compliance with dose - help!!

Posted , 4 users are following.

Jamespa
Jamespa

Hello,

I have been on Sertraline for some time now at 150mg but, i think due to taking it inconsitently, have caused a relapse. Not sure the best thing to do so would be grateful for your thoughts. .

I suffer with OCD but have managed to get almost complete remission with sertraline. Its great to feel better but the downside is complacancy. I forget to take it one day and that becomes two or three days and then i only remember when i start to experience withdrawal syptoms.

After an OCD relapse i thought i need to get back on it again and so went from 150mg every three days or so to 150mg everyday. You wont be suprised to hear i have been experiencing difficult side affects; anxiety, restlesness, teeth grinding.

So my question, should i :

a) go back to 150mg every three days for a weeks and then increase to every two days for a week and then to every day?

b) Stick with everyday and see out the side affects

I can see pro's an cons to both options

Many thanks

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • MibuKyo
    MibuKyo Jamespa

    Posted

    Hi!

    I also got OCD and I missed a dose last weekend and got a relapse but I just continued taking it the next day as normal and after a week I felt more or less normal again. I think its important to have steady levels of sertraline in your system to level out so it would be best to take it every day. But if you can't cope with going back on 150, then maybe you can just lower the dose and then try raising it slowly.

  • SerotoninSurfer
    SerotoninSurfer Jamespa

    Posted

    Hello, Sertraline only has a half life of 26 hours so you should definitely not be taking every 3 days let alone every other day. For consistent plasma concentration in your blood you should be taking the same dose at the same time every day. If you are tapering down or increasing you should only really make changes every 2 weeks at the minimum. It often takes us more than 2 weeks to adapt to dose changes so i would recommend a longer gap between dose changes. Best wishes.

  • sue74917
    sue74917 Jamespa

    Posted

    I think you know the answer to this one, take it everyday and at the same time, what do you do everyday at the same time? For me it is my evening meal, dinner = medication. sertraline, like a lot of other drugs need to be taken consistently as you have found before. Once you have built up a routine the side effects will stop and you will back to where you were

    • Jamespa
      Jamespa sue74917

      Posted

      thanks Sue, i have started again properly from today.

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