Taking 50 mg setraline for just over 3 weeks, anxiety got steadily worse

I am with you on that. We do need to fight this and not let it take us over. I have appt this morning thinking of increasing so i have time to adjust before the 'happy season' arrives. Hang in there.

Lattifa how long u take diazepam and wot dose u take in Plzz tell me thanx

I took 3mg in the morning for about 3 weeks everyday , sometimes 4mg at night to sleep . I still have 3 tablets in my handbag a year later just as a security mesure

Hi Sparrow,

Glad you have improved. Just curiousvasvtovwahtvdose ofbsertraline you are on? Been on 50mg for three months and still havent been able to shake the anxiety. Thinking it may be time to increase. Just afraid of going through side effects again...

Thanks!

hi holly, it sounds like you are in the same boat as i was;  i gave 50mg of sertraline about 8 weeks and then decided it was not working well enough, so i increased to 100mg, and that has proved to be perfect for me.  so give 100mg a try, but do be aware that it may take a few weeks, or perhaps longer, before you settle in properly on 100mg... and yes you might get some side effects again as your body gets used t the increase, but i cant stress enough how worth it is persisting through, because for me at least personally, i have never enjoyed life as much as i am enjoying it now.  i had a long wait  waiting for sertraline to work.  it really was worth going through the adjustment/side effects to get to that great place where you can live again and feel normal.. well.. healthy.  so dont give up ever ok

ok i better get some sleep now.. 4:30am here  

Thanks for replying sparrow. I really appreciate it. I was thinking of going to 75mg first. I tend to get bad side effects. How long did you have side effects or start feeling the improvement when you went from 50mg up to 100mg? Was it as bad as when you started the med?

I am going today to gp. So hopefully get something - an increase in dosage.

i wouldnt say the side effects after increasing were as bad as when i started the med;  i would say the main thing which was a right pain was that dreaded anxiety (for me it was mostly on waking up).

100mg is a standard adult dose and not classed as high so while you could try to go up slower (With 75mg), i wouldnt be too put off with the idea of simply switching over from 50mg to 100mg.  you may feel a bit crappy for a couple of weeks but dont worry, it will settle down.  some people get lucky and actually feel better instead of worse as soon as they increase, so who knows, you could be in that category

ps. im surprised people can manage to take 75mg.  because at lease in my country (england, uk), the pills only come in 50mg or 100mg sizes.  i think if i was trying to take 75mg,  so trying to take 75mg would mean having to start trying to cut the pills in size to reach 75mg, but i imagine that would not be very accurate trying to do that yourself, so eg. one day you might take 80mg, then the next, 65mg..  seems a bit 'hit and miss' to me.. probably better to just go with the 100mg so you are getting the exact right dose each day

but anyway  do what you feel is right for you.. if you want to go with 75mg,  do so.     just remember that 100mg is not classed as a high dose, that's just a normal regular standard dose for adults, and may be exactly what you need to defeat your depression and anxiety, so you might as well get started with that and just bear the crappy adjustment side effects for a few weeks..assuming you ge them at all, which you might not

best of luck

Hi. I went back to GP yesterday and he changed my meds to mirtazapine. Last night i got the best sleep ever. This morning i slept till 11. He did warn me the first week will be like that. However now that i am up the tightness in my tummy and chest is no where near the way i was yesterday and although i am thinking of the things that get me anxious, they don't seem as bad. My head feels clearer. So lets hope this works. Go back to your GP and tell them you dont feel its working. My friends made me see this and made me go. Sertraline doesn't work for everyone. X let me know how you get on.

Aw that's fab that something is working for you. I'm waiting for the doctor to call me. I'll ask about a meds change or increase. Fingers crossed it continues to work for you xx

Thank you.. as the day has progressed i still feel the same.. just taking one day at a time. Not expecting this to be a quick thing, so now i have realised that, it has taken the strain off too. Please make sure you tell your GP everything. I held back alot and it didn't help. I can see a glimmer of light now which i haven't had in a while. I have started mood book now as well. Because sometimes i forgot some of what i go through. So this helps to remember and its just easier to write how i feel than tell someone. Just let them read it. X Tell me how you go... take care

X