Sertraline - Help!

No, pls don't stop. It does take at least 2 4 weeks to be better and at least 10 days for the side affects to wear off. Its very normal at the beginning, to get a bit worse before better, I also hardly slept, and woke up in the mornings in a state of despair! I got the shakes, cried, felt suicidal, lost a stone in weight.,pls hang in there.

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Hi , i was exactly the same as you when i was given Sertraline, no appetite for at least two weeks and had the shakes and nausea, you name it i had it, first thing in the morning i was waking really early and feeling awful but as the weeks go by things do improve, you just have to ride it out, these anti depressent/anti anxiety meds always make you feel worse before you start feeling better. Ive been on Sertraline for 9 weeks now and it was about 4 weeks in that i started to feel a little better but i still get the odd blip like yesterday and today felt low and jittery but not half as bad as i was feeling. Stick with it, it does get better.

Stick with it, it does get better. I'm in week6 now and several times I felt like giving up the meds. The doc did warn me that I would feel worse before I started to feel better and he was spot on. I think I had a couple of good days and quite a few bad ones in the first 4 weeks until I eventually reached an even keel. It is then about 6-8 weeks overall before you start to feel normal again. I had all the symptoms you describe and lost a stone in weight, it also does affect your sleep but things will start to improve once the sertraline is maintained in your system at about 4 weeks, take tablet same time every day with food then to keep it topped up. Hope you start to feel better soon.

Try to stick with the sertraline, like others on here I too felt much much worse during the first 2 weeks, by the 3rd week still felt jittery but not as bad.  I am now at week 5 and definitely feeling more normal, still get the occasional jitters but they don't last long.  I too lost a stone in weight and my sleep was badly affected with the waking early and unable to get back to sleep, have had much more settled nights lately but did wake at 3 this morning and struggled to get back to sleep.  Try to rest when you can and don't fight the medication by worrying about it, ride the side effects and you should soon feel better. I'm on 50mg and have been all the way through.  Some people up their dose after a couple of weeks but then experience the side effects again, it was recommended to me to wait at least 5 weeks before increasing the dose but to be honest I don't feel the need. Hope you soon feel better soon. 

I know it sounds stupid but I am worried about eating Christmas dinner!

I spoke to the DR today about it and they have advised if I want to I can cut in half, is this worth a try?

 

I agree don't mess with the dose amount, you and your body need to maintain consistency and it will work better in the long run. You may not feel like eating Xmas dinner but try to eat a little, your appetite will eventually return. Stay positive and each day just think you're getting closer to getting better each day. You should keep yourself busy as this also takes your mind off things. It does work but you have to believe that you will get better, and you will get there.

I have totally taken myself off of them, its not for me, I honestly can say that I have never felt so ill. I am going to try mind over matter and when I get stressed walk away from things, I feel totally calm and collected, surly the meds wouldnt have made me feel like this only after 4 days?

Sorry to hear you have done that but it is your decision at the end of the day. What I would say is that yes the meds do make you feel awful straight from taking them. I had a panic attack the following day after taking the first one. Hope you manage mind over matter!