Sertraline_side effects

Hi there,

I had been on sertraline for more than 7 years for GAD (more like health anxiety) when I decided to stop it last summer as I was in a great place mentally (I was exercising and doing yoga every day, spending lots of time outdoors etc). This April I started having some minor health issues that have resolved but due to my health anxiety I blew them out of proportion and my anxiety got higher and higher to the point I decided to go back on sertraline. One day, I got a 50 mg before going to bed and few hours later I woke up with racing, disturbing thoughts, racing heart, sweaty, I kind of had a panic attack and then that day at work I was a mess ( racing heart, dizziness, shaky legs, felt kind of disconnected etc). When I finally got home that day, I started reading about my symptoms online and realized that they were sertraline side effects. I decided to stop it right away and be back on it over the summer break when I do not work. But of course, my anxiety did not get better, the racing thoughts and constant compulsion to check came back, I could not sleep more that 4-5 hour/night, and 2 weeks later, I contacted my doctor, told my story, and was advised to start it again but this time at 12.5 mg for a week, 25 mg for another week, and increase it gradually until I feel better. The week I was on 12.5 mg would have been ok if I had not had a death in the family that kind of threw me back to square 1, but my sleep has improved to the point I can sleep up to 7 hrs/night. I am now on week 2, on 25mg, and the last couple of days have been really rough (racing thoughts/images coming to my mind, constant compulsions - check, check, check!, fatigue) and I must admit I feel kind of defeated. The racing, intrusive thoughts usually happen when I am alone at home or in the car, almost never when talking or interacting with someone, nor when I at work. I know it takes 2-4 weeks to start working and, to tell you the truth the first time I was on it, 8 years ago, it was during the postpartum, so many of the symptoms I may have had I attributed to the postpartum changes that a woman experiences.

I went to the doctor yesterday to explain what is going on with me, and the doctor said that I have anticipatory anxiety, as my racing thoughts are basically fears of something bad that can happen. It makes sense to me as even in this moment I wonder whether the symptoms I have are really anxiety/ocd symptoms exacerbated by the sertraline, or symptoms of something more sinister.

I am a very active, outdoorsy person, but now I am so scared of going running or hiking or being around people, which makes my life really miserable. Any words of encouragements or advice are highly appreciated.

0 likes, 2 replies