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Sertraline - getting dose right

Posted , 4 users are following.

Dove_from_above
Dove_from_above

I've got to 150mg Sertraline and think dose is about right. How can I be sure and when will it stabilise?

Currently off work with stress induced by a bullying boss. Suffering constant anxiety.

Started on 25mg for a week moved to 50mg for 4 weeks. No real improvement. If anything more out of it.

Increased to 75mg for week then 100mg for 2 weeks. Felt more with it but had some really bad suicidal thoughts. I was hating it at this stage. Reviewed with GP she was nervous about increasing dose due to increasing anxiety and wanted to leave me for another 2-4 weeks at 100mg. In the end I went back to the GP after talking to a psychiatrist friend and she agreed for me to step up to 150 mg.

Have been on 150mg for 6 days. I am a lot brighter already, I'm able to express emotions and have been able to enjoy socialising?. Still suffering with anxiety. I am restless but have slept a lot. Also have had diarrhoea. Anxiety has increased due to stress of work not undertaking investigation they said they would do, reduction in sick pay, interview for another job next week and first therapy session in two days time.

I think the dose is about right now but just wondering how long it will take to stabilise. Have taken SSRIs before but never beyond basic dose . Have also never been ill like this before.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • julie7525
    julie7525 Dove_from_above

    Posted

    Hi Dove, sorry to hear youre having s hard time. A lot of my stress has been down to having my hours reduced to the point im signing on and was going for interviews on diazepam cos i felt so ill a few months back. I had anxiety disorder, looping panic attacks, palpitations. So, ive been on 150 for 5-6 weeks and this last week it has just clicked. Ive felt good each day, got motivation back to do things, not getting dizzy in supermarkets and fearing an attack, just feel normal, bit probably a bit more positive! So id suggest sticking with it and im sure you will just notice one day soon that you feel fine. As for the work situation, this illness made me reassess why im even putting up with the way im being treated and that im too long in the tooth to put up with s*it! So ive recently started painting and decorating for friends of friends which i enjoy and im my own boss. And if the b*tch decides to text me at 6.20am for emergency cover, i will no longer be available! So, i suppose what saying is use this condition to your advantage, when youre ready. Dont put up with it. Anxietys hard enough without people sticking the knife in. Find another job where youre valued or work for yourself. Let me know when the Sert clicks, im sure it wont be long x
    • Dove_from_above
      Dove_from_above julie7525

      Posted

      Thanks for your kind words. I have come to the conclussion that i need to move on from my employer. I know everything will be alright in the future but at the moment things are tough.
  • Eleven11
    Eleven11 Dove_from_above

    Posted

    Hi , seems like you have so much stress and tension around you, i really hope it settles soon.

    It worked for me pretty much in the first week...but have noticed if i get extremely angry, or upset....anxiety tries to creep in but it cant completely. Hard to explain. I have a little trouble with sleep now a days. Been on 100mg for 2 weeks after been on 50mg for two. I only sleep about 3hrs per night. My gp has given me valium but that doesn't even help. And she said the increased dose might help my sleep it has made it worse where before it was much better.

    It should get better definitely in the second week. Have you asked for valium to take even during day when you feel anxiety getting the better of you? That is something to consider and my gp has sais its ok to do so....cuz i suffered from extreme anxiety and panic attacks....before starting meds.... haven't had one since started meds. So I'm a believer that this stuff works. Hang in there.

    The diarrhoea does calm down and isn't an ongoing thing but i have experienced somedays it is bad....somedays I'm fine. Btw my only real side effect has been no appetite.

    Hope you stabilise with the med. Plz ask about valium. Good luck and all the best. Xx

    • Dove_from_above
      Dove_from_above Eleven11

      Posted

      Have some valium as last week I developed a muscle spasm in upper back. Valium was the only thing that would touch it. It was in exactly the same spot as an injury I received in a car crash three years earlier.

      I've not had any panic attacks instead it is a constant on edge feeling. Valium is amazing good for calming but not really needed it apart from the neck spasm.

    • Dove_from_above
      Dove_from_above Eleven11

      Posted

      One new side effect I have had is loss of appetite. Prior to the step up to 150mg my eating has been normal. For the past few days I have not been hungry.

      I've had bad sweats so coupled with the hot weather and diarrhoea I've had to drink loads.

    • Eleven11
      Eleven11 Dove_from_above

      Posted

      The loss of appetite i have had ever since i started even on 50mg and it hasn't gotten any better. I just don't even think of food. Don't recall the last time i ate a meal, forced myself to eat a few slices of cheese, it was tough!!!! But no sweats or anything else. Just no appetite whatsoever.

  • kerry56645
    kerry56645 Dove_from_above

    Posted

    Hi sorry to hear about your situation, firstly this is a terrible thing to go through and it's only normal for it to make you so ill and on edge, I've been there with a bully from work and a company reluctant to act! Secondly I've been on sertraline around 6 months, I started at 50 and upped to 100 after 3 weeks I then just around 2 months ago noticed the anxiety starting to creep in so I upped to 125 and it took around 2 weeks for me to settle into the new dose. The drug can make you feel a little wired on edge and anxious until your body gets used to the medication but for me this did pass but you need to give the drug around 6 weeks to feel the full effect so stick with it it does work. My only symptom at the moment is itchy hands and feet !. Make sure you stand up to that bully and tell them exactly what you think of them it will make you feel so much better xxx

    • Dove_from_above
      Dove_from_above kerry56645

      Posted

      Thanks for your kind words. Unfortunately one of the reasons I am so ill is I tried to stand up to my boss but he carried on. I even told him he was making me ill and he pulled more pressure on me. I think that he was working under the instructions of a senior director hence the awkwardness of HR dealing with this. Only now am I starting to feel equipped to deal with the situation.

      The wired sensation is the worst I've had it with this increase in dose as my mind is now working more normally. I am persisting with the Sertraline as it is clearly making a difference and have used other SSRIs in the past albeit at lower doses.

    • kerry56645
      kerry56645 Dove_from_above

      Posted

      Ah I see well good luck with the job hunting, I've certainly found sertraline has enabled me to leave my work life at work and allowed me to face situations that I just couldn't of dealt with before good luck with everything x

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