Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi all,
I started 50-mg a week ago, and have had a lot of the 1-10 side effects in addition to nausea. My GP told me to increase to 100-mg after the first week, which was this morning.
I am having a terrible time today, worse than last week.
Is this what it like?.
Not sure I can hack it for 6 weeks to see if they are right for me.
0 likes, 24 replies
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Potatoghost peter83078
Posted
omg please dont increase to 100mg that early it's way too soon no wonder why you feel so horrible!
I started on 50mg and wow that was a shock to the system and i know people on 25mg
25mg is the lowest starting dose to ease you in and 50mg is the lowest therapeutic dose.
this is very bad advise from your gp and going straight to 100 can be way too much straight away.
I'm not a doctor but I'm sure everyone will agree with me to go back down to 50mg tomorrow. you need to give 50mg atleast 4 weeks for side effects to decrease at the earliest, I'm 5 weeks in and still getting side effects. you should leave it between 8-12 weeks before increasing your dose as upping so soon you might find 50mg is your dose that works and you've skipped straight past it.
there is a brilliant facebook sertraline support group that I have found very helpful. have a look on there aswell to help with this journey x
peter83078
Posted
Thanks.
sue74917 peter83078
Posted
Hi Peter as potato has said it is far too early to increase, did your GP give a reason why he wanted you to be on a 100 so early in your treatment? The usual route is low and slow, starting at 25 for a week or two to see how your body and mind is going to react, if you are new to antidepressants then building up if need be, I spent 2 weeks on 25, 2 weeks on 37.5 then went up to 50, this way I managed to avoid all the really bad side effects, still had some but nothing major, once you are on 50 it is best to wait anything up to 12 weeks for things to really settle in then you can assess if you need an increase. Its up to you but I would go back down to 50 and see how you feel in 8 weeks time
FranzSchubert peter83078
Posted
Hi Peter.
Color me shocked as well at your doctor's advice of increasing your dose after just one week. I bet your doctor has never taken this medication him or herself. In order to gauge whether the 50 mg will be enough of a therapeutic dose, you have to wait out at least 6 to 8 weeks (which is the time frame given by the manufacturer). When you updose so quickly, you will never know whether 50 mg would have been enough. Plus, your initial anxiety will be worse due to increased side effects.
I have been on 50 mg now for seven weeks, approaching week eight. I have been able to notice substantial improvement. My anxiety level is down and my sleep has become better. Lots of ups and downs on the way. And perhaps some more to come (knock on wood)! But altogether chances are that this medication can help you for sure.
You'll read this a lot on here but the start-up with sertraline is ROUGH. It feels like it isn't working for quite a while, making you feel like cr... . Don't let the common side effects scare you. I felt on edge and felt horrible for quite a few weeks. There just isn't an easy way around that for many of us. For most people the side effects will subside, though, over time. I still have a mild burning sensation in my eyes.
I have now also started to explore mindful closed-focus meditation which I think can have great benefits. I am happy the sertraline works for me (and hopefully for you eventually) but I also want to have more agency in dealing with this condition. The thing with the meditation is that you have to consistently practice it and learn it over a period of many months. It's more involved than taking a pill. But there are serious studies that show its efficacy. Again, nobody can guarantee you any certain outcome, but the best practice is still to explore more than one option for improvement.
Best wishes for improvement. If it's just a day or an hour where you feel good, then that will be a good start. Enjoy it and don't get frustrated when you go through ups and downs for a while.
peter83078
Posted
Thanks for you help all.
I felt so bad that I ended up ringing 111 and got a out of hours gp's appointment at a walk in centre.
The doctor said drop back to 50 or if I really cant take to stop.
I didn't take it this morning, but will look at taking the 50mg tomorrow and see how I get on.
Its the additional side effects that are doing me in (over and above the increased anxiety and nausea).
e.g. numb bits on my body (outside of thumbs and fingers), jaw pain, ear pain, random spots of pain that come and go and last about 30 minutes. I have had floating numbness in my face which really made me worried (i.e. numb left side of face). Ive even had a runny nose, flushes etc. I also have times were I have to pace about for hours (but walking is part of my flight response to anxiety).
I explained all this to the gp and she said all drugs have side effects and wasn't overly concerned.
I don't do social media (I know I posting here), so appreciate you comments. I know I am more than likely over worrying about the above extra side effects but I scared myself by reading the leaflet in the box of Sertraline.
AxleWilliams peter83078
Posted
I'm glad your doctor changed your dose. Titrating up to 100mg so fast caused me to go into crisis the first time. It was a GP that had prescribed them and I was not educated about these meds at the time. If it was'nt for my support group of family and friends, I may not have made it. I literally thought I had lost my mind. I was so agitated that I could not stop moving. I had hot and cold flashes. I did not sleep for almost a week and had crazy thoughts of ending it. The response from my GP "Well you have to take them if you want to get better." Okay, I get that, but there has to be a better way. After educating myself using Google I titrated more slowly, letting how I feel dictate my dosage increase. My doctor wanted me on 150mg ASAP. I found out that 75mg (half) was enough in the end. My mistake was stopping the meds when I felt good. Every time I've gone back down the drain. I will probably have to be on them for life.
Listen to the forum members. Low and slow if you can manage it.