Reassuring

Probably start off with a low dose. My doctor told me that 50 mg is usually the starting dose. I started with 25 mg. and after 2 weeks felt much better. A bit antsy and anxious in the beginning, but it gets better. Then the doctor upped my dose to 50 mg. That was too much for me and I went back to the 25 mg. I may try to increase it again, but for now the lower dose is doing okay. You have to give it a little time to work. Good luck to you.

l have started on 25 mg, now on day 12 and due to see the doctor on thursday. Having side effects of nausea, tiredness and insomnia so don't want to up the dose. l realize it is early days yet. l plan to stay on 25 mg and am hoping that side effects don't go on too much longer. I found you comments helpful. Like other people reassurance is always good. Thankyou.

In the past l took fluoxetine, it worked well and when life settled down l stopped it. Gradually anxiety crept in again and 2 years ago l started it again. Not successfully and have since tried mirtazapine, citalopram. escitalopram and clomipramine. Not successfully.

Have given my system a break and now on low dose sertraline and hopeful. It seems to be a popular choice and I have friends who have good results with it. Reading your review and experience has given me hope. Thank you for taking the time to write about your experience.

Hi Sue, Have just re read your comments on swapping to sertraline. I am struggling on day 13 of taking sertraline and your comments are helping me. Thank you. Support is so helpful when things are tough.

I m still on the 25 mg of Sertraline and it seems to be doing fine for me. It did take several weeks for the antsy anxious feelings to become less and less. Now I don't feel any side effects. So give it a little longer... and see what your doctor says. When I tried to up my dose to 50, it was too much... me depression got worse and I just felt weird. So I went back to the 25. After my follow up with my doctor, I told him the experience with trying to up the dose. He said everyone is different and if the 25 is doing well, keep with it. So I have a prescription for the 25 and the 50 - it's kind of a security blanket I guess. If I think I reach a point that I need to try the higher dose, I have it. I hope your doctor visit on Thursday is good. Share your results.

Thank you so much for the reassuring reply. Today l feel as though things are changing, l am hoping that the doctor will leave me on the 25 dose, at least for a bit longer to see if it's enough for me. l don't suffer with depression just anxiety. Side effects seem to be changing, feel quite spaced out today as opposed to nauseous. Best wishes.

Spoke to my doctor yesterday. She thought that the side effects might have subsided a bit by now.

She has left me on 25 mg dose and will see me next Thursday. l am still feeling bad in the morning and suffering from anxiety but l did improve yesterday as the day progressed and felt quite good in the evening. Just disappointing to then feel bad this morning.

thats the same as me! ive been on it 2 days now and both mornings were horrendous and then by the evening i was happy, relaxed and laughing, hopefully those morning feelings will disappear

The morning anxiety will be the last thing to get better. Since November I woke up most mornings earlier than normal, racing thoughts, panicky, dry heaving etc... 3rd week of 50mg Sertraline I am now sleeping until normal time and waking completely calm. The afternoons & evenings got better for me first and after two weeks the mornings to. I still have a few side effects lingering but they aren't as severe as at the start so I don't think its abnormal for you to still have them! You just need to keep going.

Thanks. please keep in touch and let me know how you get on. Support is such a help.

Thanks for your reply.It does help to know how other people are. It is so hard in a morning and so easy to forget how good you may have felt when you went to bed. Nausea is going now but l have a head that feels spaced out and l am tired. Determined to keep going. When did you start your sertraline?

Best wishes.

I've been on Sertraline nearly 3 weeks, but I've been on citalopram since December. I changed because 10mg wasn't enough to calm my anxiety but I had horrible side effects when I upped to 20mg so my GP changed me to Sertraline. I believe Sertraline works better than Citalopram on anxiety in my opinion, it seems to for me anyway although I am aware its still early days for me to.

yes i will keep you posted! it does really help to hear from other people in the same boat x

You are slightly ahead of me on sertraline, yes still early days. To day l have taken advice from a pharmacist who assures me that all my symptoms are normal, feeling tired this afternoon but sleep has been a problem for a long time. Your contact is giving me encouragement. Thank you.

Thanks. This is a good forum and l am finding it reassuring knowing that what l am going through is to be expected. We need to keep encouraging each other.

hi Aimee. Are you still improving? l have upped my dose to 50. Mornings are still horrendous but some improvement as the day goes on. Only 19 days so still early. Hope you are doing ok.

Hi, its 3weeks tomorrow since I started (50mg) 100% improvement in my anxiety and my appetite has come back! I am sleeping better to! As long as you're having some improvements in the day thats good and mornings should get easier soon. when did you change to 50mg?

Hi. Did 14 days on 25mg and have been on 50mg for 4 days. Not had a good day today and had a panic attack this afternoon, have calmed down again now and am quite tired and relaxed again. Pleased to hear you have some improvement after 3 weeks, It gives me encouragement, l really want to give it a go but there are times when it is not easy. Best wishes.

I'm confident that after a couple of weeks on 50 you'll start to improve!

Thank you. I hope so.

hi Aimee.How are you doing? l am persevering but it's not easy. 5 days now on 50 and nausea a bit better but head disorientation really bad. Struggling to concentrate. l am going to keep going but looking for any comments to help me.

Hi I'm ok thank you! Have you got increased anxiety to? I had increased anxiety for the first 11-12 days of 50mg I think. I think once your body is used to the medication you won't have these side effects. I've still got some muscle twitching but not as severe so I think thats starting to settle down now. You do need to keep going it'll be worth it. Are you at work or getting out and about to distract yourself?

Yes my anxiety has increased. I am retired so don't have daily commitments. Before taking sertraline I was out in my car but at the moment don't feel that I want to be behind the wheel. l do try to get out every day as my husband is able to take me. Thank you for the encouragement, l will keep going. Do you think distraction helps?

Yes it did for me but I have two children aged 4 and 7 and my husband is a deputy head teacher and out of the house long hours. So I had to get up and get on with it and looking back it helped me. What is your anxiety related to if you dont mind me asking?

l'm not sure as I have a good life and a very caring husband. I started feeling unwell several years ago following adult chicken pox. l now worry about whether I will ever feel well again and that seems to have led me to worry about everything.

Mine is similar, I had a minor health scare in November - everything was fine but I was left with anxiety and worrying also! I can promise you Sertraline does work x

Thank you.It's only 3 weeks for me and the first two weeks were at a dose of 25mg, only went up to 50mg last Saturday. l am due to speak to my doctor tomorrow morning, definitely going to persevere. So good to be in touch with you. x

I think anxiety wise you will notice a difference with 50mg once the dose settles x

l am hoping that will happen and also hoping that the nausea and head pounding will go away. l will try and get out and about a bit more. x