Sertraline - Wow!

[hooters123]

Caddyshack said:

A500leroy said:

marksx said:

I had some strange dark thoughts the other night. Totally out of character, and I'm not in what I'd call low mood.

Been on the pills for nearly 2 months now so I doubt it's a side effect.

Managed to snap myself out of it though.

Hang on in there, phone someone if you need to.


Personally Ive just started on depression pills and god are they making everything worse 3 days in.

Give it 6 weeks to 3 months, it will get better all the time and I would avoid alcohol.

Absolutely second this, alcohol in the first month or so really caused me problems. Now in month 4 and much more stable in terms of general mental position and reactions with things like alcohol.

Do you have someone to talk to about how you're feeling? If you can speak to someone, a friend or family member then please do try as it really does help even if getting the conversation started is not easy.

[Origin Unknown]

Has anyone successfully concluded their use of Sertraline? I am getting on for 5 years @ 50mg and would like to know if/how you came off it. I have tried reducing doses but 2 days in, the brain zaps eventually become unbearable.

[sociopath]

Origin Unknown said:

Has anyone successfully concluded their use of Sertraline? I am getting on for 5 years @ 50mg and would like to know if/how you came off it. I have tried reducing doses but 2 days in, the brain zaps eventually become unbearable.

Slowly and steadily.
How much did you reduce by?

Try reducing by 10mg and give it a month before you reduce it further. No sense in rushing

[Origin Unknown]

sociopath said:

Origin Unknown said:

Has anyone successfully concluded their use of Sertraline? I am getting on for 5 years @ 50mg and would like to know if/how you came off it. I have tried reducing doses but 2 days in, the brain zaps eventually become unbearable.

Slowly and steadily.
How much did you reduce by?

Try reducing by 10mg and give it a month before you reduce it further. No sense in rushing

As they are 50mg tablets, I halved them, so 25mg. Clearly way too much of a drop. In fact, I really should do this under the supervision of my GP.

[duffy78]

FishOutOfWater said:

I’m on my 3rd counsellor in 10 years. Feels like I’m going round in circles.

I’m trying to be kind on myself but it’s difficult. There’s a lot of guilt about what I’ve done and how I’ve ripped the family apart. I’ve got 2 young children that I feel like I’ve abandoned.

I’m living at my dads. Sleeping on a camp bed with no possessions and no money so self care isn’t easy. Yet, when I type that I know it’s an excuse and I could go for a walk or whatever. But I’m not. I’m just not doing anything.

I know this is old but i thought it was worth adding my experience. Sertraline can be a bit of a marriage killer in some instances. Google SSRI and affairs (SSRI is the type of anti-depressant that sertraline is)

[mcelliott]

Just a note of caution regarding energy drinks and caffeine, there is a tipping point where they actually have a negative impact on energy levels and in fact can make you become very tired, so of course the natural thing is to consume even more…

[Deckert]

Origin Unknown said:

As they are 50mg tablets, I halved them, so 25mg. Clearly way too much of a drop. In fact, I really should do this under the supervision of my GP.

I'm in the process of coming off of 50mg and i am following the advice on here, its basically 25mg for a number of days and then every other day and then off. I did a planner, currently still on the 25mg a day
https://westessexccg.nhs.uk/your-health/medicines-...

[loskie]

sociopath said:

Origin Unknown said:

Has anyone successfully concluded their use of Sertraline? I am getting on for 5 years @ 50mg and would like to know if/how you came off it. I have tried reducing doses but 2 days in, the brain zaps eventually become unbearable.

Slowly and steadily.
How much did you reduce by?

Try reducing by 10mg and give it a month before you reduce it further. No sense in rushing

I was on it for 6 years. I honestly don't know if it did or didnt help. I stopped taking it without weaning myself off with no ill effects. 50mg dose too.
When on it I did put on a lot of weight which thankfully I did manage to shed some of after.

[redrabbit29]

loskie said:

When on it I did put on a lot of weight which thankfully I did manage to shed some of after.

Was that due to extra appetite or lack of activity, or do you mean was it physiological affect of the medication?

[twohoursfromlondon]

If it’s anything like Mirtazepine (which I suspect it is) then it can lead you to eat more, particularly sweet foods I find, and your brain doesn’t signal to your body that you’re full, so it’s easy to overeat and gain weight.

[loskie]

redrabbit29 said:

loskie said:

When on it I did put on a lot of weight which thankfully I did manage to shed some of after.

Was that due to extra appetite or lack of activity, or do you mean was it physiological affect of the medication?

TBH I have no idea. Probably increased appetite AND lack of activity


I was started off on Mirtazepine BUT at night I had the most excruciating pain in my wrists like someone was hammering nails through in an attempt to crucify me!

Believe me I do not see myself as either martyr or god!

Edited by loskie on Friday 31st March 16:41

[markiii]

as a past and potentially future user of Sertraline I thought it worth mentioning a recent discovery.

I've been on Sertraline for a couple of years in the past both due to stressful work situations.

Since retiring I came off it and have been pretty good for some time.

Recently I'd been having trouble sleeping, with the brain racing and stressing about things outside my control. I know thats a trigger point for me and with the world the way it is at the moment, seems there's plenty of non work stuff to wind me up. Additionally I was having trouble with brain fog.

Historically these feelings have usually been a precursor to another episode requiring me to go back on Sertraline.

I have no issue with using it when needed but obviously would prefer not to. So I started looking for something to treat brain fog and sleep issues. I stumbled on magnesium deficiency.

A couple of articles I read said that Magnesium being stored in the bones means that blood tests don't often pick up a deficiency.

They stated that Magnesium is responsible for the electrical signals in the brain and claimed it has been linked to bad sleep, anxiety, brain fog, and that studies are looking at whether this is a contributory in cases of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to name but two.

They further claimed that most vegetables these days are low in Magnesium and that cooking often leaves what little there is in them, in the water rather than the veg.


I'm usually sceptical of this stuff but as Magnesium Supplements aren't expensive figured what the hell give it a try.

For the last 3 months I've been on 400mg a day. After the first week my sleep improved, after the second the brain fog lifted. I've also found that I have more energy and motivation.

If I stop taking them for a few days I can feel a noticeable drop off in energy and motivation.

Might not help everyone, but might also be worth a try. I'm currently feeling better than I have in years

[lobster940]

I've just started my third course of sertraline (50 mg) after suffering from depression/anxiety for 10 years. The black dog reared its ugly head again recently and I thought I had no choice but to go back on the meds. GP agreed.

First pill at bedtime on Monday. Felt ok on the Tuesday - a bit woozy maybe, and off my food.

Second pill bedtime on Tuesday. Woke up at 2am on Wednesday and unable to get back to sleep. Spent all day visibly shaking, completely exhausted and having dreadful "am I literally in hell" thoughts. I also felt I was losing my sense of smell.

Third pill bedtime last night (Wednesday). Woke up at... 1am and couldn't get back to sleep. Today (Thursday) I feel like my legs are made of jelly. I also have zero appetite and have barely managed to force down more than a few mouthfuls of food since Monday. GP has prescribed me some Zopiclone sleeping pills which may or may not do the trick. I can't really face a third night with zero sleep.

I never had side effects like these the first time I went on sertraline... wonder what's changed.

[A500leroy]

lobster940 said:

I've just started my third course of sertraline (50 mg) after suffering from depression/anxiety for 10 years. The black dog reared its ugly head again recently and I thought I had no choice but to go back on the meds. GP agreed.

First pill at bedtime on Monday. Felt ok on the Tuesday - a bit woozy maybe, and off my food.

Second pill bedtime on Tuesday. Woke up at 2am on Wednesday and unable to get back to sleep. Spent all day visibly shaking, completely exhausted and having dreadful "am I literally in hell" thoughts. I also felt I was losing my sense of smell.

Third pill bedtime last night (Wednesday). Woke up at... 1am and couldn't get back to sleep. Today (Thursday) I feel like my legs are made of jelly. I also have zero appetite and have barely managed to force down more than a few mouthfuls of food since Monday. GP has prescribed me some Zopiclone sleeping pills which may or may not do the trick. I can't really face a third night with zero sleep.

I never had side effects like these the first time I went on sertraline... wonder what's changed.

All normal, hold in there for another 2 weeks.

[lobster940]

A500leroy said:

All normal, hold in there for another 2 weeks.

Presumably I shouldn't expect the side effects to be quite this bad for the next 2 weeks...?

[ZedLeg]

Depends how long you’ve been off it. It can take a few weeks for your brain to adapt if there’s none in your system.

[A500leroy]

lobster940 said:

A500leroy said:

All normal, hold in there for another 2 weeks.

Presumably I shouldn't expect the side effects to be quite this bad for the next 2 weeks...?

It will fluctuate ( bad day,good day etc) but it will get better after a few weeks, if you still too rough on it, ask your gp or phamacy if you can drop to a half dose and build it up slower.

[dotty]

I’m on the taper now , 25’mg for another couple of days..

[hooters123]

dotty said:

I’m on the taper now , 25’mg for another couple of days..

Same here, dropped to 25mg about a week ago. Plan is to do 3 months and reevaluate with dr at that point.

It's interesting how it affects you, I've noticed in the last couple of days a few more ups and downs - when on 50mg things almost just washed over you which is a bit weird at the end of the day. Still, feeling better than I was 5 months ago though so no complaining!

On the plus side, some of the less desirable side effects have dropped off too. Just a shame that the whole family seem to have come down with a really grotty cold just in time for the bank holiday weekend.

[rewild]

dotty said:

I’m on the taper now , 25’mg for another couple of days..

Give it weeks, not days.

Then every other day for a month.

Then every 2 days for a month.


Don't rush, coming off it is hard. I've tapered down over many months, and I'm still not sure I won't be back on it in a few more months.