New on sertraline

Hi everyone.

I have recently been prescribed Sertraline for PTSD. I am in my late 50's and have trained in psychology and mental health and so I am fairly knowledgeable about medication and other forms of help. I'm also a trained psychodynamic counsellor, even though I no longer practice.

Over the years I have been on a few different SSRI's , usually as a result of some difficulties/family deaths etc. .. life stuff.

As I am very slim, I tend to be very sensitive to large doses of any medication. It makes sense to me that if someone has a low BMI but are prescribed the same dose as someone who is large, they will metabolise the drug differently.

The GP I spoke with last week was outstanding. She was on the phone with me for around 30 minutes and incredible compassionate and had so much empathy for my particular situation. It is the first time in many years I have experienced that with a GP. A very positive discussion. She even said that she wanted to get advice from the MH team with regard to which medication would benefit me the most, rather than just taking pot luck.

She phoned me back a few hours later to say that Sertraline would be the best and to start of 25mg. She also advised that (due to initial raised anxiety from the sertraline), it would be a good idea to take 2 x 2mg diazepam per day. Or at least to see how I feel and use them in I need to. She knows I'm very sensible with medication and even though diazepam are a controlled drug and you can build up a tolerance to them, I have never experienced that. The benefits of using them if I need to, whilst the sertraline settle down, is better than having a frightening raised anxiety.

I have read a lot of various posts but felt I'd like to add my own. I guess we are all looking for 'positive' reassurance in the beginning. And goodness knows, there have always been enough negative reviews online. Whilst I am a health conscious woman and prefer not to take medication for anything, I am also sensible and I do need these to regain some quality of life again.

This is Day 7 for me and whilst I feel a little tired, I am sleeping really well and able to motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning, and complete chores, I still have that awful sense of fluttering heart rate and that feeling at the back of my mind that I'm about to receive bad news for something or that I'll never feel like my old self again. I know of course that this is a symptom of the PTSD but it's incredible draining. My normal self has always been as a very adventurous, cheerful and confident woman. So, this is really alien to me. I feel a prisoner based on my thoughts.

I have also reluctantly agreed to some CBT although my first telephone assessment isn't until 28th July. As I was trained in person centred therapy, I have always been slightly cynical regarding short term CBT as I think that each person is individual and they each have a back story that affects how they see the world and themselves. However, my GP was incredibly supportive and so I will give it a go. I did try EMDR for PTSD but that did not do anything for me.

It seems to be trial and error as to who of us responds positively with medication. I've noticed already that I'm extremely thirsty and my facial skin looks awful and dehydrated. I'm downing water like it's going out of fashion.

Are these side effects short lasting until the medication kicks in properly? I have also noticed that the texture of my hair has become brittle. This happened once before with another SSRI. It's not great when you start to lose your hair!

Be lovely to hear from someone who has PTSD who is using sertraline, as I'd like to hear how you have found it. It's specifically this condition that I am interested in.

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