Is 25mg of Sertaline enough to help anxiety?

Posted , 10 users are following.

Hoping to hear some success stories on 25mg for anxiety, as I can’t increase my dose until I have time off work over Christmas (due to struggling with side effects) and want to feel semi normal again! This is day 30 on 25mg. I tried a week on 50mg but struggled with bad side effects and couldn’t work for a couple of days. I went back to work today which added to my anxiety, after having time off. 

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  • Posted

    Use ativan or xanax if you need to take the edge off. Typically speaking, people with ocd and anxiety do not become addicted to those because they are too afraid to take even one. I guess that's a benefit!

    It will take you time, but slowwwwwly you will feel better. Hang in, i m waiting to bump to 75 then maybe 100 till Christmas break too

    • Posted

      Geez kmom.  I never thought about that!  Must be why I make myself suffer instead of taking the Ativan lol.  I rarely take it.  My doc says I don't get brownie points for not using it😂

    • Posted

      Does the Ativan or Xanax make you drowsy? I woke up at 3am again with heart racing, sweating and shaking, nauseated and can’t get back to sleep. I need to work and my anxiety seems to hit its peak early hours of the morning. Will this pass?  
  • Posted

    Hi chev85,

    I have been on 25 for a year now!! The first month was rough but I just slowly started to feel mor like myself.  When my anxiety was really bad I couldn’t breathe, heart would race and then eventually I would feel like I was going to pass out. It was awful and it kept me confined to my house..... I haven’t felt like that in over a year.  So it has worked for me.  I would say if you’ve felt any improvement on 25 just stick with that.... that was the advice my doctor gave. Good luck to you 😊

    • Posted

      Hi Andrea, how long did you feel like that for? I feel like that right now and need to go to work soon, struggling so bad!! 
    • Posted

      Hi Chev85,

      I feel terrible that you are going through this. My anxiety symptoms began to affect my work environment. I started having attacks on the way to work, sleeping 2 hrs a night and also that weird out of body feeling while at work. Long story short I had to go on stress leave.  This had been building for about 7 months and then had a complete breakdown.  We then moved to the US which caused my anxiety to sky rocket,  another 10 months later I finally went on the meds because my quality of life was terrible. For me I would say 6-8 weeks on 25 mg and started to feel better.  It was a slow process combined with therapy, deep breathing, a lot of exercise and a lot of suppprt from my husband... I was a train wreck but today I feel fine.  I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, you feel like you will never get better.... you will, have faith.  Sorry so long, keep in touch.  Andrea

    • Posted

      I’m sorry to hear you went through all of that Andrea. The dr has given me escitalopram 10mg in case the sertraline isn’t working and if i want to give that a try instead. Not sure whether to stick with the sertraline or try the escitalopram. Scared to change meds in case it makes me feel worse.  Dont know if the sertraline is working...
  • Posted

    Hi. 

    Iv been on 25mg for 9 months, 

    it took me a about 6 weeks for the side effects to subside and about 8 weeks for me to feel like I was in a good place again, I’m on it for Anxiety and 25mg taken the edge off it for me. 

    Good luck 

     

    • Posted

      Hi Julie, please see my other replies. Will these side effects pass? Really struggling every morning to go to work!  
    • Posted

      Hi Chev.

      when I started on it the dr told me its the best one for Anxiety and it takes 6 weeks + for it to get into my system, I phoned the receptionist at around 4/5 weeks because I didn’t think anything that was supposed to be helping me was making me feel so ill. But I stuck it out and around 6/7 weeks I started to feel the benefit of sertraline. 

      Ano having to work when all you want to do is stay in bed all day, is horrible, I know 

      Stick it out for another 2/3 weeks to see if it settles. Ano it seems along time away but you’ve come this far. 

      Good luck we’re all here if you need to ask more questions 

       

    • Posted

      Hi Julie,

      I’m off work again today. Feel so weak, dizzy and nauseous and feel like such a failure and so scared i’m going to lose my new job. I haven’t told them about my anxiety disorder yet, just that I’m having side effects from medication and they didn’t ask what it’s for. Thinking I should maybe tell them what’s going on. I don’t know how I’m going to continue to work feeling this way.

      I just want to feel better, this is taking over and ruining my life! 

    • Posted

      Bless you.

      ano I was in the same position as you, I was worried about taking time off work because we are getting a new boss, due to my place of work being sold. I work in a busy kitchen I really don’t know how I got through to be honest, I carnt remember how I did because I was l8ke a zombie for a few week, 

      i told a few of my work colleagues that I was on A/Ds cause I knew it would get back lol. My boss doesn’t do iLL so she told me once, it’s a worr

      iv got to go to work soon. 

      But have you had any good hours/ days creeping through yet?? 

      But saying that like I said in a earlier post it took at least 6 weeks with me.

      i feel for you the side effects are horrendous, let alone how you are feeling at the moment. I did keep a diary, start one, even if you have a good 30 mins write it down. 

      Hope you see a difference in taking it soon x

       

  • Posted

    I  just started this medication last week 25mg I take it at dinner the next day when I woke up I felt like I was gonna pass out my dr. Said first week start with 25mg then second week start with 50mg .. but ever since I started it my anxiety has come back more and I hate this feeling as I’m home alone with my 4 month old .... if I up to 50mg is it gonna get worse??????
    • Posted

      Unfortunately i found when I increased my dose i got the side effects all over again including increased anxiety. I really hope you feel better, i don’t wish this on anyone! 
  • Posted

    It's day four for me on 25mg of sertraline and I am not at work u til next week so luckily for me I can stay home for abit...my gp precribed 50mg but on the advice of ppl in this forum I have decided to start with a smaller does and cutting my pill in half. I am keeping a journal to log my side effects, I thought I'd be shaky and sweating and anxious but all I feel is NAUSEOUS 🤢And I have had direah along with symptoms of a urine infection.its horrible...I really hope it will get better....if 25mg would work for me I'd prefer to stay on it but I think I will take small steps until I can get up to the 50mg as that's meant to be the correct does for anxiety and depression 

    • Posted

      I really hope you feel better soon, i suffer terrible nausea and increased anxiety, panic attacks at 3am and increased anxiety in the morning 
    • Posted

      Hi again, anxiety always seem to be worse in the morning for me too... but if you trust the meds, you will notice that it will start to subside as will the shakiness.  But don’t feel you have to go up to 50, if you start to feel the benefits at 25mg just stick with that.  Andrea

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