Sertraline and Suicidal thoughts

Posted , 5 users are following.

Disclaimer: I'm not in danger of harming myself but just wanted to get other peoples experiences on intrusive thoughts. 

So I've been on Sertraline for about 4 weeks (1 week on 25mg and 3 weeks on 50mg). I have very bad anxiety, panic attacks and depression. I wake up completely anxious and when talking to people my mouth goes bone dry and I start panicking. 

Since going on Sertaline there has been some good days and some bad days. Normally starts bad in the morning and gradually improves. However i've noticed that intrusive thoughts about ending my life are getting more prevalent. I went back to my DR today and she advised that this is normal for the first few weeks and prescribed me benzos. She also didn't want to increase from 50mg just yet as it's too early and could increase anxiety.

Anybody else had similar experiences?

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Suicidal thoughts can be side effects of Sert. It’s a very powerful pull but should decrease and disappear with time😐.

    You will probably feel worse before your symptoms begin to lift.

    Reassure yourself that it will improve.

    I get a very dry mouth from sert and have become obsessive about how my teeth feel. Horrible but the depression is better.

    Eve

  • Posted

    Hi John,

    Firstly I’d like to mention that I’ve never experienced depression.  My mood has always been quite stable.  I finally recognized that my anxiety related to job stress was getting out of control.

    Started sertraline 2 months ago.

    I started with 25mg (as GP wanted to carefully increase the dosage due to my history of drug sensitivity).  I did okay for 10 days, not much change but when increased to 50 that’s when the anxiety escalated horribly and dark intrusive thoughts entered like never before.

    My husband came home from work and found me in a puddle of tears and I was vocalizing not wanting to be around anymore.  I was sensible enough to believe it was the drug and reassured my husband of that but it was sure frightening.  The low mood lasted only about 2 days thank God!

    I’m now on 100mg’s and seeing good progress.

  • Posted

    It can cause increased anxiety each time you go up on your dose. I just upped 3 weeks ago and it increased ALOT but seems to be subsiding. I still get the morning anxiety but it's getting better. I have alprazalam if I feel I need it. Good luck.

  • Posted

    You're not alone John. My depression & anxiety increased dramatically in the early stages. You just have to keep reminding yourself it's the meds doing it, & just get through it. Don't be afraid to take the benzo's if you need to. Keep strong, & you will eventually feel better.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.