1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Sertraline

Sertraline is making me more anxious. What should i do?

Posted , 6 users are following.

joao75411
joao75411

It's been 7 weeks since i started taking sertraline for anxiety and i feel absolutely awful. My anxiety is so much worse, i feel tense and agitated all the time, can't even relax for a second. I'm also extremely tired all day and unmotivated to do anything. It's been more than a month since i started taking it and it's just making my life a living hell. Should i keep going? Does it get any better?

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • k80659
    k80659 joao75411

    Posted

    Have you been back to the doctor about it? I am only on my 3rd week. The first week was hellish. Second was better. My dosage has just been put up so I’ve had a couple of bad days. But my doctor has had me in regularly to ask how I’m doing. If I was really bad he was going to switch me onto something else. 

    Speak to your doctor. It is a hard one though as I’ve spoken to many people who it has taken a long while to work for. 

  • frankie1217
    frankie1217 joao75411

    Posted

    I agree with K. My CNP told me it takes about a month for your body to adjust but the heightened anxiety is a side effect that usually subsides after a couple weeks. I'd definitely talk with your primary care person about it and see what they recommend.

  • laura1709
    laura1709 joao75411

    Posted

    I have the same problem but it seems to be getting better I’m at 8 weeks now. My doctor recommended staying on it a bit longer and if it doesn’t help there’s an alternative SSRI that has less anxiety side effects so you should ask your doctor about an alternative. Hang in there though! smile
  • Hoopz
    Hoopz joao75411

    Posted

    It's early days. I too had worse anxiety, breathlessness, panic, sleepless sweaty nights, complete exhaustion, lethargy, and a bad stomach. It passes. You don't say what dosage you are on

    You need to even out and then doc will probably up your dose gradually. I went from 25mg to 50 to 75 to 100. Side effects came back with each increase but not as bad as I felt at 50mg. I have now gone from 100 to 150mg. You have to find the dosage that suits you. I would hang on in there. My dose started in Dec. Drink plenty of water and get something from doc to help you sleep ( i used pheneghan ) Take your sert at the same time every day and you will get glimmers of improvement. I started to feel better at 100mg but I'm not my old self yet. Keep posting ...and watch some comedy ..laughing is good and crying !!

    Good luck

    🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

  • lawrence71261
    lawrence71261 joao75411

    Posted

    I was in the same boat, felt no better at 7 weeks, couldn't see how it was going to work. However, as the others have said, stick with it, as I'm coming up to 9 weeks & feeling a lot better. Ask for some short term anti anxiety meds, Phenergen (spring) (an old style antihistamine) to help you sleep. Hang in there.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.