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Sertraline and sunburn

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mike27127
mike27127

I'm 22, with epilepsy and some anxiety.

I've taken sertraline for the anxiety for 1 1/2 years. First I think it was 25 mg once a day, 75 for about a year, and now this month 100 mg.

Before I started on sertraline, I almost never got sunburned. I'd tan nicely, and it would take a lot of sun to burn my skin.

Then last year, while still on 25 mg, I was outside, wearing a winter coat, in 45 degree weather, for 15 minutes, and my hands burned bright red.

Ever since then, any sun, even a weak sun for short exposures, just burns me red wherever it hits.

Even using SPF 50 sunscreen seems to have no effect.

So my two questions are:

  1. Could the sertraline be the reason for the sunburn? I do also take Lamotrigine for seizures, and the dose was upped last year, from I think 300 mg a day to 500. But before the sertraline, I was on Lamotrigine for seven years with no burning.
  2. If you or someone you know has sertraline-related sunburn, what are some specific sunscreens or other methods that work, allowing you to go in the sun without burning?

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1 Reply

  • Dazfoxy530
    Dazfoxy530 mike27127

    Posted

    Hey, I've been on sertraline for many years now and never had any sun burning issues with. I've not heard its a side effect either tbh. All I would say is I think we all tan easier when younger, maybe the skin gets more damaged with age or sommit 😊

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