Just started Sertraline for recent high anxiety and panic the side effects are awful - help please!

Posted , 5 users are following.

Hi there im male and 46 and have been prescribed 25mg of Sertraline/zoloft for panic and anxiety that has crippled me in recent months. I'm currently on day 6 and it's really messing with me, can anyone offer some help and advice please?

I take the tablet at 7a, or 8am and by mid morning im a zombie with a really foggy brain, i feel SUPER weird, almost like im doing ecstasy! I'm very restless and a bit 'up' and unable to settle and do anything, i cant watch TV or anything as the feeling is too distracting. I'm also not sleeping and i'm not getting any REM sleep so thats exacerbating the problems i think. I cant do anything, i cant work, i cant hold a proper conversation without it being anxiety inducing for me.

I sort of even out later in the day about 5pm or 6pm and feel more 'normal' and am able to be social and do stuff, otherwise during the day i feel paranoid that i'm being weird and i start getting weird anxious thoughts.

I also have a massive panic attack on day 4 at midnight hen i was sleeping, it obviously work me up and i managed to contain it eventually with beta blockers and breathing. But then weirdly i woke up a bit later and felt great, like i was cured! But then the anxiety came creeping back in.

I feel like the sertraline/zoloft is messing with me really badly, or am i just seeing this through anxiety ridden eyes and i need to give it more time? These past 6 days have seemed like an eternity.

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5 Replies

  • Posted

    hello luv hang in there buddy I'm in dayn13 of fluoxetine I was like an exorcist on day 8 til present couldn't not function I'm seeking help myself I took diazepam to counteract but managing 2hours sleep really awful I hope I can help you please reply so I feel I'm not alone too and neither are you

  • Posted

    I was having bad anxiety and had been prescribed zoloft 2 months earlier but refused to take. I had a panic attack and decided enough was enough! that night i took the zoloft and the next morning I felt super weird and anxious. I didnt put it down to the zoloft should have though. I took it for 18 days and during that time I went to er/dr 4 times for panic and wierd feeling. finally realized it was the zoloft making me feel that way. i stopped taking it and with thin 2 to 3 days felt better. then after day 3 or 5 ive been stuck in this 24/7 dreadfull anxious feeling. This is day 16. i hope it goes away its crippling and im scared im going to die.

  • Posted

    I wasn't able to tolerate Sertraline, felt soooo nervous on it, it was terrible. They switched me to Mirtazapine and that has been fine for me. So if it doesn't improve, tell your doctor and try with something else. Good luck x

  • Posted

    I'm on week two and i feel better than at the start, especially when i get some sleep. I've really been trying to stay busy wherever possible with things i usually enjoy.

    when overwhelmed I've been using hypnosis videos on YouTube like Paul McKenna happy etc and also using a meditation app has helped.

    tiny steps like walking to the end of the road or watching a film even if not paying attention have helped.

    it will get better. keep eating and drink enough fluid.

  • Posted

    look at my post on my first 6 weeks a little further down the thread. It has helped me greatly with my issues so far keep the faith CJ

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