Sertraline

[p1234]

I've been on sertraline for 5 days now and its causing a lot of issues

- gut pain
- bed ridden most of the day (not sleeping) and sleeping too lightly in the night, maybe 5 hours tops
- I'm more able to do weight training and my chess rating has gone up, but I'm totally trashed and non functional with zero organisational skills

I was expecting the drug to take some time, but is this normal - i.e. should I stick it out or switch before I get hooked ?

This isn't for anxiety, its for pain management, and to stop my body going nuts about other health issues. I'm left wondering if this is the right drug !

I will of course talk with a doctor but I would love to hear other peoples experiences and views.

[MainerMikeBrown]

P1234, is Sertraline a drug that must be prescribed by a doctor? And if your doctor did prescribe this medication to you, did he or she tell much about it?

[Dahila]

Common sertraline side effects may include:

drowsiness or tiredness;

insomnia or agitation;

indigestion, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite;

sweating;

tremors or shaking;

sleep problems (insomnia); or

decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm.

[gypsylee]

Hi there,

I went back on Sertraline last year (I've been on and off SSRIs for 20+ years). I started it in December and noticed improvements in February/March. So around 3 months it took. These meds are definitely not a quick fix and usually mess you up for a while. A lot of people give up and I don't blame them. Doctors need to be aware of these things because often people are desperate for something that helps their anxiety/depression. They tell people a week or two.. A month or two is more realistic. Benzos can be really useful during this time.

Try and stick with them. Once your brain adjusts and the increased levels of serotonin kick in, they can be really effective.

Good luck :)

Gypsy x

[salvator here]

Sadly 125MG isn't even touching my depression but I am having those side effects. My APRN said she plans to up the dosage to 200MG and I'm like OMG

[salvator here]

Due to the unbearable side effects.. my APRN reduced the dosage to 100MG. She wanted to add more meds to my already enormous list of poisons, and I said NO WAY! Besides.. I'm not even sure its actually doing anything. I've been dealing with a lot of situational crap causing my depression and I don't know if any pill can combat that.

[Mindalex]

Our bodies will stop reacting to medications sooner or later. Not saying they are of no help at all. But the longer we stay on meds, the more we are inclined to believe we cannot be better without them. I don't have the solution for this but staying on meds it's just frustrating at times.

[salvator here]

Thank you for your input. Yeah.. good old "tachyphylaxis" for ya. It can be an endless viscous cycle with meds. It does wear you out - I indeed.

[Kirk]

A guy I know is very severely depressed. He is 56. He owns his own home and it is paid off. He works for himself and he finds himself having a harder time leaving the house and working. He mainly leaves his house to have coffee or go food shopping. He has never been married and blames some of his depression on women not treating him properly. He went through electric shock treatments and was a bit better for a while, but he is now worse then ever. He refuses to see a psychiatrist regularly and is just prescribed medicine by his internal medicine physician. If you make any suggestions to him, he gets mad. He may have given up.

[salvator here]

I'm sorry to hear that, Kirk. Depression can easily take its hold during these tough times. Yeah, meds aren't enough, he needs to (either through therapy or deep introspection) get in touch with the root cause(s) of the depression. If he get easily mad it makes it hard to reach out and offer advise. I hope you will find the words to get through to him.

That being said.. I also struggle want to go out, and I'm still dealing with a bit of Derealization that I can't shake off. But considering the state of the word, I'd bet I"m not alone; but pills can't fix that.

[Ponder]

Yea, all the best with that one Kirk.

I've been finding a lot of ease through gardening at the moment.