Restless legs . . .

[Scared_11]

Hi guys,

Has anyone experienced restless legs whilst taking sertraline?

I have had this the past few days and it's starting to worry me?! I also noticed I am tensing my jaw slightly. Don't know if I am just being super sensitive to these things because I realy want these meds to work for me.

[Emphyrio]

Its normal to feel restless and have jaw clenching on an SSRI. These side effects usually resolve themselves over a few weeks, though I'd limit caffeine and alcohol which can exacerbate these side effects, at least in the early stages.

This restlessness is a mild form of akathesia which appears to be caused by a downregulation of dopamine during the initial start-up stages of a serotonin-boosting medication. Propranolol or diazepam can help somewhat, as can chamomile tea.

[Scared_11]

Thanks got ur response! I have been on them for 5 weeks now and only experience these on the last few days!

Hopefully it will die down soon.

[Emphyrio]

Yeah - those particular side effects show that the drug is increasing serotonin reuptake in the brain. From my own experience, certain side effects such as nausea, blurred vision etc seem to show up in the first few weeks of taking an SSRI, whereas teeth clenching and restlessness show up later.

It would be worth just mentioning it to your GP though.

[Scared_11]

I am thinking that I may need to up my dose to 100mg but I am terrified that these restless symptoms will become more severe.

I have heard that upping the dose can cause akathesia.