Sertraline for anxiety

Rob,

I have had a very similar experience to yours, I started on 12.5 mg (after having a really bad reaction to starting on 50 mg) and increased gradually to 75 mg over 8 weeks. The first few weeks were brutal, I had all the side effects listed for sertraline(racing intrusive thoughts, high anxiety, low appetite, insomnia, weight loss sweating, vivid dreams/nightmares, racing heart etc), but after a week on 50 mg I have seen improvements, and now at 75 feel a little better. Tomorrow i will increase to 100 mg that is the therapeutic dose for OCD like symptoms (intrusive thoughts, urge for checking) and hope it'll get better, perhaps go back to my "normal". In my case, the improvements were gradual, mostly after I started taking it in the morning instead of bedtime, so I had good days and bad days starting week 2 or 3, then on week 6 (2nd week on 50 mg( I started having more good days than bad days. I guess you could say I have 3-4 good days followed by 1-2 bad days, and what it means for me is being able to not pay attention to intrusive thoughts and keep my anxiety under control vs spiralling down due to paying to much attention to the intrusive thoughts ( health related - "what if " type)., over-thinking, checking etc Not sure this answers your question but all I can say is gang in there, you may start seeing improvements sooner than later.

Hi Anne,

Thank You for your response, it was very helpful, my biggest issue is with my health anxiety which was triggered this January after i was 3 years on Amlodipine (blood pressure medication) after such a long time on this meds it caused me a huge anxiety and panic attacks also OCD issue with constant checking of my blood pressure and heart rate and many other symptoms. GAD, social anxiety and agoraphobia too. I was weaned off of amlodipine by my GP, some of the symptoms subsided, but anxiety is still stuck with me. I never before have issues with anxieties or depression...

I am very sensitive to medication and supplements too, i tried propranolol which caused more anxiety, diazepam/vallium after few hours puts me to anxiety too. Tried supplements 5-htp,melatonin, co-q10, ashwagandha- all the same more anxious and feeling worst then before. Magnesium glycinate helps a little.

Now i am here with Lustral/sertraline 50mg, spend two weeks looking at them without opening them, 6days ago i opened box and take my first starting 12.5mg, on second, third and fourth day i felt calm in the morning, but it is bad in the afternoon from 5pm to 9pm mainly tired and dizzy and loss of appetite? anxiety and dark mood and depression. Two days ago i upped my dose to 25mg, only feeling more tired, dizzy, loss of apetite, anxiety and depression and blurry vision was also added.

I will of course continue for 4weeks with 25mg and see how things will goes, hopefully side effects will subside soon and i will be able see some progress. Once again Thank You and wish You all the best with your recovery.

Rob,

My doctor said that upping the dose from 50 to 100 would be much easier than from 25 to 50, but I was still scared of all the potential side effects so I added the extra-step of 75 mg. I can definitely understand your reluctance to start the medication as I have delayed the upping of dosage for more than 2 weeks. The hardest part when dealing with OCD is the urge to check for symptoms to ensure everything is ok, but my doctor explained that the checking part elevates the anxiety level and can change your perception of what really happens, and I tend to agree. The more I check, the more anxious I become and get convinced that something is really wrong with me. I also tried some meditation apps and read some self-help books and I feel I have gotten a new perspective on this condition (anxiety &OCD). Feel well!

Hi Rob, sorry for not getting back sooner but only just seen your post, The first week for me i was on 25mg and also 40mg of propranolol. But i had the same side effects that you listed. my anxiety seemed to be worse first thing in the morning and early afternoon. But I use to take another 40mg of propranolol to help with anxiety in afternoon. After a week I then increased to 50mg because my body seemed to get use to the medication but still was taking 40mg of propranolol for afternoon. I haven't recently increased to 75mg because but i have stopped taking the propranolol. I still get a little anxious but mostly in the morning before i take my medication. You will start to feel better a little a day, but sometimes you also get a set back, but i think this is normal. Keep going and hope your better soon

Hi Anthony,

Thank You for your help and re-assurance it is very helpful, especially now at my early stage. Today is my day 8, still on 25mg, some side effects eased, i can eat now slightly better, being so tired i can barely walk my dog out. Tried to go for a walk, but have to returned back home, i panicked, i was thinking that i may faint, felt a bit dizzy.

Anyway i will keep going with Lustral Sertraline 25mg for a while, i know i should start on 50mg or at least 37.5mg, but i will give it to it a little more time... Thank You Anthony and Wish You a fast recovery.

Hi Anne,

Thank You for your advice and help, i have my appointment with my therapist in a few weeks, hopefully he will point me out to similar change of perception too. Sertraline was prescribed by my GP and in the next two weeks i have to let her know how am i doing with Sertraline, i hope she will keep me going further with it, as i don't want to switch my meds, at least not yet, i want to give to Sertraline a chance.

I do have a few apps as well, also watching "Anxiety Guy" on his YouTube channel and reading some of his books as well. Self-therapy worksheets and writing diary helps too.

Anne, once again Thank You, hopefully i would be able feel better and somehow write a positive story and experience with Sertraline in a few weeks or months, as many of you did in here, which is helping me keep going now. 🙏

I had my first session with a therapist yesterday and I guess it went well. I mean I was shown a different perspective of the whole anxiety/OCD thing and was taught some coping strategies. Today I also started the 100 mg and have not had any significant side effects yet. I try to not overthink it as I may start getting side effects and keep myself busy with work& school projects, listen to music, watch Netflix etc. I exercise every day (running, walking, yoga) and could say I feel ok. I believe it's very important to train our minds to ignore the intrusive thoughts and develop strategies to deal with them when we can't ignore them.

I really b believe therapy could work wonders but I wont see my therapist until early September as they are over-booked now. I was also advised to read "Don't feed the monkey brain", so I ordered it and will let you all know if its worth reading it as soon as i finish it.

this is really helpful, thank you