Taking Sertraline for first time

Oh, that sounds awful!  It might be worth asking your doctor about starting at 25 mg (maybe even lower at 12.5 mg) and then work up to 50 mg.  It is so important to start low and increase slowly with SSRIs.  It sounds like you are very sensitive to medications and that is perfectly normal (I am as well).  I am experiencing a lot of issues coming off of 2 years on 50 mg of sertraline myself and I wish I had tapered off as slowly as I titrated onto the medication.  Hang in there, if you really need the medication it is worth giving it a go, but you might just need to do it slower (or perhaps another SSRI is better for your body).

I'm not sure if this has effected you already but insomnia is one of the side effects I had when starting Zoloft. Week 1 I had no appetite at all. Week 2 I was extremely dizzy, nauseous, hightened anxiety. Week 3 I was back to new.

The side effects are worth it in the long run. But I agree with the person above. I would ask to start at a lower dose. I started at 12.5 and then up to 25. It's always better to move up slowly rather than jump right in.

I hope I was able to help. Xoxo

Hi there,

This is perfectly normal. I was exactly the same from day one. I ended up taking mine very early in the morning. I would get up at around 4.00am and take it then go back to bed as after taking it, it initially makes you tired but beyond that it heightened my anxiety and I would be wide awake come 6.30am.

For me SSRI's didn't work and I tried 3 variations of the drug and all provided the same symptoms for me personally which were poor to say the least and i was off work for 3 weeks (not ideal being a self employed architect).

In any case I was diagnosed as having serotonin syndrome which basically means I am highly sensitive to serotonin and jumping straight in with 50mg of Sertraline once a day ramped up to 100mg after 2 weeks messed my head up pretty badly. This is not to say this happens to everyone. Serotonin syndrome is in fact very rare.

I've stopped all meds (bar Zopiclone to help sleep), stopped drinking alcohol completely, and exercising every single day especially when I feel a panic / anxiety attack coming on.

Following the above regime, I feel better than ever. Don't get me wrong, I still battle my anxiety on a daily basis and some days are better than others but on the whole exercise has really helped and is of course natural and free!!!

I hope you feel better soon and find some peace within yourself, god knows its not easy and feeling the level of anxiety we do on a daily basis is just exhausting.

The road to recovery is finding out what works best for you. This can only be achieved through communication with your GP, family and friends etc.

Whilst I am feeling somewhat better, I am also attending CBT sessions which are hugely helpful.

Anyway, I feel like I've rambled on a bit there.

Stay strong. Hope you feel better soon.

I take mine in the morning, and I can sleep at night, only I woke up at 4 or 5am!...

Check with your doctor, he will help you. And feeling rough is normal for the first week or two, it will pass.

good luck

I would agree with John, sometimes SSRI's do not work for everyone, I had severe side effects and could not continue, have embarked on a more holistic approach to my anxiety , which has been brought on by chronic migraine. Try the suggestions of taking it at a different time, smaller dose etc , this may work for you as many people on this site tolerate the medication well and it is effective, it is getting the balance right and finding out the best regime for you, hope things improve soon.