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Sexual side effects on increasing dose

Posted , 4 users are following.

Boodles
Boodles

Hi there

I have been taking Sertraline at 50mg for 3 weeks now and didn't suffer too badly with side effects.  However it is not having as much effect as I had hoped so far and I am still suffering with intrusive thoughts and low mood.  At my last visit my doctor said to leave it a bit longer and then if there is no further improvement he would increase my dose.

My main concerns that I have experienced some sexual side effects almost from the word go with this lower dose and am so worried that and increase in dose will make this worse.  

I have been doing some research online and have found some evidence that Sertraline is unique amongst the SSRIs as it has the effect of increasing dopamine at higher doses so, as seratonine is at 80% at 50mg (according to studies) the affect on dopamine can counter the sexual side effects to some degree or at least it might mean the don't get any worse.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience of this side effect and increasing the dosage?  I am a young woman and in a fairly new relationship and the physical side of our relationship was one of the few things that made me feel better about myself so this is quite important to me.

Many thanks for reading my post smile

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • danny09
    danny09 Boodles

    Posted

    When I was taking Sertraline, yes, it did effect my sexual drive. I was taking 50,75 and finally 100mg, so it didn't matter what dose I was on. As you know all Antidepressants do cause this side effect to some extent. Antidepressants with the lowest rate of sexual side effects: Bupropion, Mirtazapine, Vilazodone, Vortioxetine. as far as the other issue, you've been taking Sertraline for about 3 weeks, not enough time to know if this is the right medicine for you, it takes close to 8 weeks to know. Have a good day.

     

    • Boodles
      Boodles danny09

      Posted

      Thank you very much for your reply. 

      Do you remember if the sexual side affects got worse with the higher doses or stayed the same? I can manage them as they are now but would be really unhappy if they were to get worse. 

      I realise it is early days with regards to the original problem but I think over the past few days there has been a possible small improvement in my mood.

      The other ADs that you mention either seem to cause weight gain or are not licensed in the UK sadly (or have very strict criteria for prescribing ).  I really don’t want to gain weight as I have low self esteem as it is ....

      Hopefully the sertraline will do the trick and not cause further problems if I need to up the dose.

      Thank you again 😊

  • Laburns20
    Laburns20 Boodles

    Posted

    When my doctor initially put me on sertraline I was told it may take a few weeks before I would notice a change. And it did take a while to kick in.  Sertraline is not like a narcotic that kicks in right after you take it. I hope that helps. 
    • Boodles
      Boodles Laburns20

      Posted

      Thank you very much for your reply.

      I will persevere with sertraline. I think I may have started to see a small improvement 😊

  • val55431
    val55431 Boodles

    Posted

    I was at 50, then 100, 150 and 200. My lack of drive got worse which each elevated dose. I recently switched to wellbutrin to help combat that and the weight gain from sertraline. Good luck.
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