My firsy few days with Sertraline

[Jon Dimond]

Hi everyone.

I started taking Sertraline on Thursday at 50mg. I had been on Citalopram for 6 weeks previously bit wasn't seeing much improvement and had experienced lots of side effects.

The first day I felt pretty good, probably better than I had for the whole 2 months previously. Obviously I can't credit the Sertraline with that.

Day 2 I felt ok, a bit down in the morning, but that's been the case for weeks. Into the evening I had a lightheaded moment for about half an hour, but have been experiencing these for months on and off. Annoyingly about 8pm I started to get a cramp/pain in my stomach and below. It was a bit on and off for the rest of the evening.

Day 3 is today. I slept pretty well and woke up around 8 as my body has decided that this is morning loo time. My stomach still hurts a bit, not bad pain, but an annoying cramp. I feel ok mentally, I'm still having a few negative thoughts but they don't seem as distressing as they have been recently.

I really hope the side effects don't last long and that the Sertraline can put me in a position to rebuild myself.

[skoosh1]

Hi Jon, I don't think they will last long. I've been on 100mg for nearly 9 weeks and started at 50mg. I had a few side effects at first but they passed within the week or so. You sound like they are helping already so keep perservering. They have helped me alot. Good Luck

[Jon Dimond]

So Day 4 today.

I had a decent sleep last night and woke at around 8 again. I didn't feel great this morning, quite a few negative thoughts, but still not as bad as has been. Went back to bed with my 1 year old son and my partner and snoozed till 11.

Side effects wise so far I've noticed the stomach cramps and some interesting digestive moments. I've had a bit of a background headache which i've not had for months and I've had the odd dizzy spell, but I'm not sure if that's the meds or the anxiety.

I'd say mood wise that I'm medium today, not too bad, but not cheery either.

Still crossing fingers that improvement will continue and that side effects are short term.

[LucyR]

Sertraline has helped me while Citalopram did not so I hope it goes well for you.

[Jon Dimond]

Thanks Lucy. It's quite disheartening when a drug doesn't work for you, especially when you've fought through the side effects. Hoping this will be better. :)

[Ducky]

That is the unpredictability of anti-depressants - no particular one can be guaranteed to help any one individual, which is why there are so many on the market. Trial and error, I'm afraid.

[Jon Dimond]

That is the unpredictability of anti-depressants - no particular one can be guaranteed to help any one individual, which is why there are so many on the market. Trial and error, I'm afraid.

Yeah, it would be far too easy if one drug worked for everyone. I guess you're always going to get 1 in 3 or 4 people that don't respond. I just don't want to fight the side effects and increased anxiety again!

[Jon Dimond]

Ok Day 5.

Yesterday afternoon and evening weren't too bad, I felt reasonable, but did have a few moments of unease. Had a pretty decent sleep again though.

I woke up this morning feeling pretty anxious for the first hour or so, but have started to feel a bit more positive since. My appetite seems to be loads better since ditching the Citalopram and I was able to have a good bowl of cereal for breakfast. That's the most I've eaten in the morning for months.

There's little sign of the stomach cramps today which is nice. It'll be interesting to see if the headache reappears.

On the whole, so far I think today is a pretty good one and I feel much more settled on the Sertraline than I did on the Citalopram.

[keithwms]

On the whole, so far I think today is a pretty good one and I feel much more settled on the Sertraline than I did on the Citalopram.

That's very good to hear Jon. I'll be following your progress with interest! I'll be jealous if you normalize quickly :)

[Jon Dimond]

Thanks Keith,

It's early days, so I don't want to count my chickens, but I'm definitely better than I have been. I'll keep you updated.

Hope you're still seeing some improvement too :).

[nevergiveup]

Hi I have just started on sertraline well I am on day 3 today and I feel okay during the day just more anxious but on a night time I seem to get the more upsetting depressive thoughts in my head and feel quite down is this just a side effect do you think? Xx

[Jon Dimond]

Hi I have just started on sertraline well I am on day 3 today and I feel okay during the day just more anxious but on a night time I seem to get the more upsetting depressive thoughts in my head and feel quite down is this just a side effect do you think? Xx

To be honest I don't know. It's certainly not unusual to experience increased anxiety in the initial period. I've had some more negative thoughts today on day 6, but on the whole I still feel better.

My advice would be to try and keep taking them for a few more days and see how you feel, it can take a while (upto a few weeks) for side effects to subside and benefits to be realised. However if you find that you are really struggling, go back and chat with your GP about it.

Good luck :).

[Jon Dimond]

I think today is day 8.

Things have been pretty stable for me. I still have a bit of an EMO morning, but generally still much inproved. I've had the lightheaded feeling quite a lot for the last few days which is getting on my nerves. I don't think that's related to the meds though.

On the side effects front I'm doing pretty well. My appetite is back to pretty much normal, so need to be careful that I don't pile on loads of weight now! The headaches seem to have subsided and my digestion seems less eventful.