So far so..

Hi Kay

I was on 50mg Sertraline for 6 weeks and it didn't make much difference to my depression so my gp put me on 100mg and I felt great. I have now been on this dosage for 7 weeks and I feel on top of the world although I am suffering with insomnia at times and other side effects. Sertraline takes time to build up in your system, normally 4 to 6 weeks before you feel the benefit.

Are you sleeping at night? Sleepness nights can make you feel hazy.

Hope this helps.

Take care

Sukhi x

Hi Sukhi

Maybe I'm being a little impatient? Side effects begun to subside for me come the 5, 6 day mark.. (I'm not complaining, was just expecting them to be around for longer)

I had a few really bad nights when I begun taking sertraline, but when I sleep now I don't find myself waking for no reason.. so it couldn't be that? I don't feel tired, just like everything has a haze to it (like you have a camera and yore focusing on whats in front of you but with a really soft edging) and the days feel like slow motion sometimes lol.

Could it be down to my moods causing this? I find myself being a flowy (in the tide) type of person as I'm a pieces, but never experienced days being this hazy/slow motion/ dream like before.

I've also been speaking to my councillor about alters in my personality, like different traits coming out and 'acting' so to speak - my memory can get hazy and sometimes non existent too?

I don't know haha! Maybe I just need to curl up with a film and some ice cream.

Hopefully it's just today as I'm at work tomorrow and need to be on the ball lol

K x

Hi Kay

You should definitely go to your gp and tell him what you are experiencing and stay in touch with your counsellor.

Sertraline can cause all sorts of side effects. What I would say is that the 100mg is giving me bad insomnia, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss, vivid dreams, nose bleeds......but I feel so good that I am willing to suffer the side effects.

Sukhi x

Katy

It's really good that your through the worst of the side effects, I have had some spikes of anxiety today and

intrusive thoughts but i tend to get bursts of what i would call hyperactivity which is good but hard to control. Ive had the daydream feeling aswell it doesnt last too long but it is weird all the same.

Im on Day 13 of 25mg Sertraline starting to feel better but still getting the tremors/shakes especially in my

hands (has anyone else experienced that?)

My doctor advised me to take a full tablet (50mg) after 2 weeks of 25mg as i have been tapering off from Fluoxetine, so needed time to build up to 50mg.

Are you getting the weird dreams aswell? The dreams on Sertraline are so vivid i could write novels from the details in my dreams lol. My housemates have noticed a change in my personality, so i have that a bit but the migraines have started to kick in now

Its really encouraging that your starting to see improvements and that can only get better, you are so not alone and i was diagnosed with anxiety and depression aswell so i know how it feels, there is a really good video on you tube called the "black dog of depression" i cried when i watched it because it struck a chord with me, i would definitely advise watching that on the bad days.

I wish i had started on sertraline 6 months ago rather than Fluoxetine as the side effects arent half as bad as Fluoxetine.

hang in there and it sounds like you have a good support network around you and thats excellent.

Feel free to ask about side effects as you get them because i think ive had to suffer most side effects and i have lots of suggestions to get through the nasty ones which worked for me.

oops soapbox again lol

keep strong, thanks for sharing.

Mark

Thanks Sukhi, glad you're feeling good and I hope the side effects calm down for you soon

Hi Mark, Oooooooh yeah I get the hyper feeling from time to time - probably one of my favourite feelings to be honest, but feel as if it can come crashing down anytime, at any little sign of negativity around me. Luckily that hasn't happened yet.

I haven't had any weird dreams, apart from the one of my boyfriend cheating on me. Dreams are very rare for me anyway, well remembering them anyway. Maybe you should keep a notebook (if you don't already) to write your dreams into when you wake?

Migraines are the worst - I hope they subside for you soon.

'Black dog of depression' - I'll check it out when I'm home from work tomorrow Thank you.

Oh dear, well at least you're on something better now!

Thank you. I want to keep up with this forum as I go through my progression. Hopefully turn this thread into something everyone can use to keep each other updated, along with hints and tips for others so we can all help each other through this

Thank you, speak soon & I hope you're well

K x

Hi all,

I've been reading all the forums here I am on sertraline 100mg I dont feel much different at all I just feel very blah at the minute xx

Hi Sandra

How long have you been on Sertraline for? Takes some people a while before they begin to feel anything from it, different tollerences and so on.

Hope you're feeling a bit better today

K x

Hi Kaytii,

I can surely relate to a number of things you have mentioned. I have been struggling with short-term memory loss in the last few years, and docs have said it was due to stress and depression. Anxiety is another problem and while sertraline was originally prescribed for depression after several other meds failed, now the doc wants me to take it to calm me down and for anger management. It's not that I am an angry guy, just a really frustrated one. Anyway, I was on and off sertraline at 100 mg and one doc said I was UNDERMEDICATED. Duh, I take 10 or so other meds fairly regularly for a host of ailments, and detest the fact some make me so tired and affect my libido. I am 62, but not dead yet! Now the latest doc upped it to 150mg/day. All of this stuff makes me seriously wonder about doctors, drug companies, and cover-one's-butt care providers. But then, I wonder about a lot of things in this crazy world.

On a positive note, the weather down here in Germany has been incredible lately (except for today): beautifully sunny, warm, and best if all, dry. I have been to England and yes, the weather there can be aggravating.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

A supporter

Hya k,

I've been on them about four weeks now, they just kinda made me feel a bit sick when I first started taking them. I don't feel any better infact I feel like my mind is going completely bonkers with some of the thoughts I'm having .... Maybe it's the tablets maybe I am actually bonkers who knows not me because I couldn't even remember where I was this morning, also I had no recollection of writing in this forum till I looked at my emails I'm got very confused and forgetful and have got worse with taking these, I just don't know how there suppose to be helping me???? Aaaaarrghhh!! It's frustrating.

Sandra x

Hi David, I've always been very 50/50 with doctors and prescribed medication.

I like to believe that positive and healthy thoughts = a positive and healthy lifestyle. (my heart belongs in the 60s I'm sure) But after fighting my problems for a very long time now it's become not only physically exhausting, but also mentally exhausting. Luckily for me, this is the first time I've been put on long term medication, and so far so good. I've had the bad few thoughts and felt low, mostly recently. Re-occuring thoughts of suicide and so on but nothing so strong that I cannot stop myself. But yes, doctors hate to admit that they were wrong the first time around. But with everybody being different, not all meds work for all people and sometimes even the doctors find it hard to work out. I hope it settles down soon for you and you begin to feel brighter

Ooooooh Germany?! One of the places I'd love to visit on my top 5 list haha!

Hi Sandra,

Oh no Have you got an appointment made with your doctors? As I was saying above maybe Sertraline just doesn't agree with your body, or there's an underlying issue that the doctors may have missed?

I hope you're feeling a little less frustrated. Maybe a hot chocolate and a bubble bath could help ease your mind?

K xx

Hi Sandra

Did your gp put you straight on 100mg or did you start at a lower dosage? What you are experiencing may be due to Sertraline. You should definitely go to your gp asap and tell him everything. Maybe you should write down everything you are experiencing and take it with you when you go to the doctors.

Take care

Sukhi x

Hi everyone,

This is my 5th day of taking 50mg of sertraline and its been my worst day so far. In terms of my mood i actually feel better already and just feel good about things now but the side effects are then making me feel so ill that all i can do today is just sit here and look out the window.

I never get headaches so im finding it very difficult to cope with them. Everything has been a haze today and my eyes are hurting so much. I am seeing my doctor again in a week so see how i am getting on with taking them but they are making me feel so sick that im starting to think that i shouldn't be on them.

Is anyone else struggling to get over the side effects - i'm afraid that if i feel like this tomorrow i wont be able to go into work and that's making me anxious =/

Hannah x

Also, i have had 3 nights in a row that i havnt slept well and its making me feel exhausted all day long. I wake up feeling like i did when i went to bed. Insomnia isnt helping either - does anyone know if you can take sleeping tablets with the sertraline?

Hannah x

morning everyone,

i've been reading all your posts on your experiences with sertraline this morning. all i can say to the newer users is stick with it. i started just short of 8 weeks ago on 50mg, 4 weeks in, i was still having trouble with depressions, up and down all the time and it seemed to be getting worse, week 5 i increased to 75mg, and felt worse, i rang my GP and she advised me to go up to 100mg, which i did, just over a week later and i seem to have settled down, seem alot more relaxed and able to cope, no racing thoughts and negative thoughts coming into my head at all, i've felt good like this since thursday last week, so hoping that this isn't just a stretch of good few days, which i've had before, i just started to enjoy it and really relax back into normal life and there it was again, the depression came back and i felt terrible, no warnings or anything, but i'm hoping that this time will be different, now i'm on 100mg.

On the plus side, i have lost nearly a stone in weight and the migranes have stopped, the first 6 weeks was bad for migranes regardless of my dose, but i don't have them anymore. i'm alot more interested in doing things and going out and about, where as before i just couldn't be bothered doing anything or going anywhere and was low all the time. some days i just couldn't face it. work was really hard, i wasn't concentrating, falling behind on deadlines etc, but now i actually enjoy it again.

so far so good...........hope my post has helped and you all have a good day today :-)

Hi all

I have read all your thoughts.. I have been struggling with depression for the past couple of years.. I was

taking Citalopram for a year before I came off of it.. Believe me that wasn't a nice experience.. I was never

really happy with being on medication because of the side effects but I'm also not convinced that Citalopram was ever right for me.. Instead of changing medication I decided to come off of the drugs totally..I've managed

to deal with my feelings since November 2013 without medication but I'm now in the predicament that I am no longer able to cope.. I have spoken to my doctor and she has suggested putting me on sertraline.

After reading your thoughts I'm not sure it's the right thing for me to do.. Has anyone been on Citalopram and now on sertraline??

I would be grateful for any views