Should I have so many side effects with sertaline 50mg

Hello, except for the freezing coldness, I experienced all of those side effects for the first week and into the second.

They then settled down and only a few remained, tiredness, dodgy tummy & teeth grinding.

I also felt up and down.

It took 8 weeks for sertraline to properly work (I'm on 50mg) but it is totally worth it.

The side effects lessen and are not as bad over time and after week 2 it wasn't daily I was experiencing any of them.

The teeth grinding is the only one which has remained but I use a gum guard. Oh and I also still have strange dreams. Not every night tho.

I've been on sertraline for nearly 4 months now.

Thanks for the response. . Yea like you I have been feeling quite down but I think that's because I feel so sick most of the time.

I am grinding my teeth all of the time (not just when I'm asleep like I used to).

Have you been grinding when awake as well?

Yes, I had most of those too. Anxiety was dreadful and it's taken about 6-8 weeks before I started to feel better. I'd stick with it if you can, that's the advice I had and it worked. I did get sleeping tablets to help with insomnia initially and propanol for anxiety.

I haven't been grinding during the day. I was biting my tongue a lot tho during the day and would have teeth marks around the edge.

I'm on them for anxiety too and it's really helped. Stick with it and remember it's not for ever!

Thanks guys... that's really helped. I think I'll have a chat with my doc tomorrow and see about getting some help to sleep.

Hi there.. I too have been on sertaline for 10 days.. And have probably experienced most of the side effects you have listed. I have been back and forth from the doctors and also decided that I didn't want to be on this medication. But after long discussions with family that have also been through anxiety, all told me to stick to the medication as you will get better. Every day has a different emotion.. Yesterday sweating.. Today.. Muscle tension. Hopefully the next few days will be better. I am confident I will be.. Have to keep telling myself I will be fine!

morning all,

i've been on sertraline for what was 6 weeks on tuesday, the first 4 i was on 50mg, from the first day, my anxiety increased and i had lock jaw a couple of times, and gittery jaw too, then i started yawning all the time!! sounds crazy but i did, couldn't stop it which i was amused by at the time!! i've only had a toilet emergency about 3 times in total so i guess i'm quite lucky, however, i have lost a stone in weight over these 6 weeks. i also have the cold chills, usually first thing and last thing at night i get really cold. i've also had the shaking hands and the bad headaches, few times turned into migranes but they have since stopped. i'm now on 100mg as my depression was too much for me to cope with so the doctor told me to increase my dose which i've done, this saturday i'll have been on 100mg for 2 weeks, usually i have 2 or 3 bad days a week, sometimes more, causes havoc at home for my poor boyfriend who doesn't know wether he's coming or going with me, but so far i haven't had any bad days since exactly a week today so, so far so good. i'm enjoying every day at the moment, just hope to god that this is the start of a new life for me, i couldn't bear it if this medication didn't work for me after trying so many different ones to wake up every day, dreading getting up and going to work or even speaking to anyone which just isn't me.

i'm so lucky to have a supportive boyfriend who has stuck with me through some horrible dark days.......lets hope this week if my first of many good ones. hope you're all feeling good today. but to all of you that have just started taking it and suffering bad side effects, stick with it and learn to trust it, i know it won't work or suit everyone but i think the majority of us will feel the benefits so stick with it guys, good days ahead :-)

I am on 150mg and wanted to give it up at 4 weeks, and was determined to give it up at 6 weeks because of panic attacks and palpitations. The doctors had urged me to stick with it but at 6 weeks were ready to discuss changing medication. However, they told me I would have to be phased off Sertraline before I could switch as it is dangerous to just stop. The thought of lowering the dose was so scary I agreed to stick it another 2 weeks and am so glad I did. Within days I started to feel a bit more like me and it's got better every day since. Try and stick with it. Don't be disheartened if you feel a bit better then feel down again, that happened to me about 3-4 weeks in. All the best x

morning kathryn2808,

can i just ask you about your good days and your bad days, do they still come and go regularly?? when i feel like i'm going into depression again, i can't do anything to stop it and i get really anxious about how long it's going to last and everything appearls black, my life, work, relationship, nothing is working, my life is just rubbish although it isn't!!?? and then when i come out the other side, i then start worrying when the next one will happen because i dread feeling this way?? did you have this at all?? i am having a really good week, but as the week is drawing closer to the end, i'm worried that i'm going to start feeling really down again over the weekend which really upsets me and my boyfriend, we've been at work all week then i'm depressed at the weekend?? is this normal behaviour or am i still ill?? i just don't know?? but all is feeling good at the moment, but is this just a good week!!?? i hope it carries on for me, my brain feels like it's resting, i don't have any bad thoughts racing through my brain or anything i'm worrying about so fingers crossed!! have a good day :-)

The bad days haven't been as frequent last 2 weeks, most of the time now I feel okay, even euphoric at times. I still feel quiet and don't always want to talk to people but I'm just going with it at the moment. It's quite common for people to feel worse at weekends. If you think about it, that's when you are you whereas during the week you may be putting on a brave face at work. I know what you mean about worrying you'll be bad but that's the depression talking. When you're better you're able to focus on positive things and how you can manage your depression and avoid getting to the bad stages. Reality is that you can do your best to manage depression and there are things that help (like exercise), but it sometimes gets the better of all of us. I've decided to stop beating myself up about it. It's an illness. My advice to you is to go with it each day and be honest and open with yourself and your boyfriend. It's hard I know. My husband still doesn't really get depression but that's why I came on here. I also try to explain it to him so he's got better over the years. He's a typical man and wants to fix it, but depression doesn't really work like that. You take care of yourself. X

thanks kathryn - that's really made me feel alot better knowing i'm not the only one that worried about that. thanks again and you have a good day :-)

Ive been taking sertraline for 17 days now for aniexty. First few days were awful but then things settled down. Then into my second week I had bad aniexty so was given another course of sertraline to carry on taking since starting my second course ive had really bad headaches and now got bad stomach cramps really feel worse than ever and making me feel more depressed as I just want to live a normal happy life. Ready to give up on these tablets n try deal with my aniexty and problems myself. Anyone get any advice when will things calm down? Can't cope with being ill so much.

Hi guys.. I could not cope with the side effects of sertaline so I went back to my docs. I have been taking fluoxetine 20 mg for 4 days now and have experienced no side effects whatsoever. I am so happy I changed. I already feel like it's working and have had no anxiety since. I'm no expert but I can't understand why sertaline is prescribed to people with anxiety when it makes you feel so much worse. Just my opinion. I hope you all start feeling better soon. Anxiety is terrible and isolating. Prayers sent out for you all!

Thank you sosh least im not alone. Think im going to go back the doctors and see if there is something betteras I cannot cope any longer with these side affects and want get back to living my life again.

You're just right clare... I hope it works out for you!