Sertraline - my 8 week story

Thanks for your post Richard, very helpful and heartening right now. I'm on week 4 going into week 5. I was on 25mg for first 3 weeks. Initial side effects were mild nausea, burping, one day of a headache, then fatigue and lethargy in the afternoon for several days. This eased up at the end of week 2. I had a business obligation, so decided to hold steady at 25mg for another week. I reported less worry to my doctor at this time, and an ability to let worries go more easily. I also noticed a little less care about what people might be thinking of me. Normally I obsess over every word/move in relation to external perceptions. So this was encouraging. At day 21 I increased to 50mg. No trouble for first 6 days, but now side effects are coming back and are stronger: day 27 bad headache/nausea all day, in bed most day. Yesterday, day 28, woke up feeling good, but by 5pm headache and nausea came back. I'm also noticing bruising, which I've read some people experience. Woke up at 5am to headache and nausea again (day 29). So your post is giving me hope to persist and keep going. I'm hoping the side effects will ease up again after another week, which is what happened at 25mg-two weeks of up and downs, then improvement.

thank you so much @richard30

this is so helpful. i was on 50 of Zoloft from March of last year and eventually it worked wonders. in april of this year i reduced to half under the guidance of my doctor and was fine at the beginning. however i am going through marriage troubles so the anxiety and depression came back with a vengeance. i have increased back to 50 and its been 4 weeks. i still feel terrible super anxious, hopeless and full of despair. it gives me relief that you said you started to see light at the end of the tunnel after 8 weeks so i know i need to be patient. the biggest thing for me is being scared that i will never feel better.

so thank you for sharing

Hi Rich,

Thank you for posting your story. Its given me hope that i just need to wait a bit longer!

I started on 50mg on 13th June for bad anxiety and panic attacks. Few side-effects but nothing major. Didnt feel any difference after a month so Dr increased me to 100mg. Ive now been on that dose for 2 days shy of 8 weeks. Woken up this morning feeling crap! Anxious and overthinking and just want to curl up and do nothing. Dr recommended i give it another 6 weeks before increasing dose. I just feel like I'm never going to get "there"....where I feel normal again. Seeing your post has helped me realise its going to take a while and its not the same for everyone.

Thanks

Sharon

wow great news! i have been on 50 mg for 11 weeks, and though anxiety has lessened, worry is still there and the butterfly stomach nervousness has not decreased. wondering if i should bump it up to 75 mg? i know a lot is going on in the world and therapy has helped a lot. i am also realizing how much of a worry wart/wanting to control thoughts, etc. has put me into this position. what do you all think?

Hi Richard

I've been on Zoloft for 8 weeks, its getting better but still not myself. i was wondering if its better to take it a night instead of in the morning.

I have been taking zoloft for about 5 weeks now and noticed my panic attacks are getting less and less and eating a little a better . Does that mean its working ? I am on 75 mg for a about a week now.

hi Richard I'm new to this forum so I hope you dont mind me picking your brains..I came of sertralin for 6 weeks but went bk on them because I could feel my anxiety kicking in again..I did well with them befor but being bk on them this time seems to be slow working..I started bk at 25mg for 2 weeks and have been on 50mg now for the past 6 weeks..I'm still getting anxiety attacks every few days I just wanted to no if it took as long for your anxiety to ease of after this long. I also had all the side effects which I dont remember having b4..sorry for the long post but I'm just desperate for some positive feedback. really dont want to up my medication..many thanks for reading and I hope your doing well..

Its great to read this type of story as most forum's people are comparing how they feel so they dont feel alone and its not in there head to speak, i came off sertraline in the summer after being on it 5 years biggest mistake of my life, then got covid in october and my health anxiety returned ten fold, i have been back on sertraline now for 6 weeks and like before ive got all the nasty side effects which really make you feel like utter crap and hard to belive that it is just the side effects of the medication, im one of the ones that is always seeking reassurance and like minded people but dealing with this is very isolating, i know i am the cause and the solution to my problems but my mind wont let me believe that right now, i am one of the ones stuck with the do i continue or quit, ive come this far and it worked before but it dosent make it any easier.../!