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Sertraline dose increase advice

Posted , 4 users are following.

whodareswins
whodareswins

If anyone could share their experiences regarding dose increases and side effects I would be very grateful. I spent 8 weeks on 50mg for anxiety/mild depression which resulted in a terrible first 3.5 weeks. From then on it was a case of ups and downs but a definite upward trend on the road to recovery. Not quite there I have gone up to 75mg as of last week with a view of perhaps 100mg in a few weeks. Its not as bad as the initial start up but its not great either, insomnia and heightened anxiety are back to name a few. I'm hoping this will be short lived, how have others found the severity of side effects and how long have they lasted, after a dose increase. Many thanks.

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • alissa_94010
    alissa_94010 whodareswins

    Posted

    Hi, 

    Just wanted to let you know a little bit about my experience with sertraline. It took me 4 months to finally get my therapeutic dose correct. I increased every two weeks and every time I increased it was like starting over. It was horrible. Worst months of my life. I never thought I would feel back to normal but you have to be persistent and one day you will start feeling better. I would get increased anxiety, sleepless nights, no appetite and start sweating. It was worse before it got better. I kept in contact with my dr through every increase. Please stay with it and don’t give up. You’re not alone!! Sorry you’re going through this. Feel free to ask any questions as I have been there and I know it helps so much to talk!! 

  • kerry56645
    kerry56645 whodareswins

    Posted

    Hi, for me when I increased from 50 to 100 I didn’t have any side affects however when I increased again I had the same symptoms as when I first started the medication and it lasted about 1 week. It wasn’t as bad as when I first started as I knew what to expect and I found this helped. Good luck x 
  • whodareswins
    whodareswins

    Posted

    Thank you very much for your replies, much appreciated. It seems we are all different along with how our bodies interact with these drugs. I'm a 39 year old male, 6ft,13st and this drug has completely floored me. I read some of the doses and increases and think OMG!

    How long did the side effects last with each rise, it was 3.5 weeks on my initial dose and a few weeks longer before they entirely went. I'm unsure how long to leave each dose increase before I make the decision to move up again. I'm don't want to keep raising in the hope of finding my therapeutic dose without giving it time to settle. Especially when the side effects are so awful or do I just take the hit and go up quickly to say 150mg. The trouble with going slowly is it could take an age. I hope and pray it works, I cant even think about coming off Sertraline and starting from scratch with another AD, so will give it 100% no matter how difficult it is.  

    Many thanks for your kind words, its a definite low point. Hopefully it will be behind me soon and I can move on.

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