Starting on Sertraline - advice and support wanted!

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

A bit of background about myself before I get into the reason for my post. For as long as I can remember I have suffered with anxiety. Its made up of different parts. GAD and social anxiety mainly with a touch of body dysmorphia thrown in now and then. But it fluctuates and sometimes I surprise myself by how well or how badly I have reacted in situations. I can't always predict it but generally I can.

For the longest time I just thought I was a 'worrier' and a bit 'vain'. that's what people would say to me, as I am sure many on here will know all too well. But a few years back I realised my symptoms were impacting my life more than I'd realised particularly professionally so I sought help. I was placed on 40mg Propanolol to take as and when needed and did CBT, which I'm sorry to say did absolutely nothing for me.

But i have continued to take the Propanolol ever since when I suspect i am going to need it but more and more as I advance and progress in my career I'm being 'caught out' by situations in work which then kick off an anxiety attack of shaking hands, trembling voice, blushing and sweating etc That awful vicious cycle when fight or flight kicks in. For what its worth I don't like taking the Propanolol because I know that night I will be wiped out and unable to play sports and so on, anything physical, due to the fatigue

Recently I have come to realise and begin to accept there is more to my feelings than just being a 'worrier', that I have a condition and I need to face up to it to beat it. What has helped is how in recent years more and more people have come forward to discuss mental health. I would be reading things nodding my head knowing all too well what they were talking about and in a sense it provided comfort for knowing that I wasn't alone in dealing with this daily tiring battle. Its odd but on the face of it no one knows what is going on in my head each and every day. people generally think I am confident and maybe even sometimes a little arrogant. This is because I use avoidance behaviour and have become skilled it in so they couldn't be any more wrong if they tried!! Even some of those closest to me have no idea of the daily battle that goes on in that head and body of mine. That's why I tend to be caught short more in work situations even though my symptoms do impact my personal life too.

In the last few months my anxiety has been gradually getting worse to the point a recent event in work in which I wasn't able to take a Propanolol ahead of caused me to have one of the worst attacks I've had in years. So I decided enough was enough and went back to my GP to explain that I wasn't happy with how I was feeling and didn't want to feel this way anymore.

He has prescribed me Sertraline to take 25mg for 28 days and then will bump it up to 50mg after that. I got them yesterday and have spent the last 24 hours obsessing over the side effects and just looking at the packet. I haven't taken one yet.

I have a family party to attend on Saturday and would like to have a few beers with my family so having read some things on here I don't want to ruin the event for myself. I am also working on Sunday and don't want to have a worse hangover because of the medication.

So I am trying to get myself in the frame of mind to take my first one on Monday morning but being honest I am very scared of how I'll feel afterwards and then going forward throughout the week when I cannot take time off work and have more social events planned for the following weekend.

I guess what I am after by posting on here is some encouragement or some advice really. ultimately it is down to me to take the medication and get over my hangups but I am feeling a bit wary and also a bit upset by the thought of taking it even if it is a very low dose to begin with.

Jimlahey, you have dicribed what we are to all going through and it's not easy I feel your pain. Many years ago I was sertraline and I only had mild effects and was on them for 2 years and felt good to be weaned off. I had a relapse in December and went straight back to the docs and he gave me escitalopram and it messed me up so bad so switched to sertraline. It was such a rough ride, side effects were horrendous (even though I have taken them before with min side affects) and I'm sorry that's not what you would want to hear. Everyone is different and you could have mild effects or worse but untill you start to take the tablet you would never know.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Horrid worst side effects!!!

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

I’ve been on Sertraline since November. I started on 50mg and bumped up to 100mg around Christmas. Everybody’s side effects are slightly different - I felt extremely nauseous for the first day, and jittery with severe jaw clenching for at least a couple of weeks. But it’s making such a positive difference to my health anxiety. In my experience, Sertraline has a better initial phase than Citalopram, in terms of psychological adjustment, but slightly worse physical side effects.

If you want to enjoy a party on Saturday, maybe it is worth postponing your first tablet till the next day. My GP actually signed me off work for a few days to deal with my initial side effects; I don’t know if that’s an option for you? But don’t put it off too long - the sooner you face the beginning, the sooner you grow past the side effects, the sooner it starts to help you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CatLady1

I’ve been on Sertraline since November. I started on 50mg and bumped up to 100mg around Christmas. Everybody’s side effects are slightly different - I felt extremely nauseous for the first day, and jittery with severe jaw clenching for at least a couple of weeks. But it’s making such a positive difference to my health anxiety. In my experience, Sertraline has a better initial phase than Citalopram, in terms of psychological adjustment, but slightly worse physical side effects.

If you want to enjoy a party on Saturday, maybe it is worth postponing your first tablet till the next day. My GP actually signed me off work for a few days to deal with my initial side effects; I don’t know if that’s an option for you? But don’t put it off too long - the sooner you face the beginning, the sooner you grow past the side effects, the sooner it starts to help you.

---

Thanks, CatLady1 and everyone who has replied.

I have put off beginning them until Monday so I can enjoy the family party today. I cannot get time off work so I will just have to deal with it as best I can once I do begin.

I am still incredibly nervous about taking them and the side effects. Even as I type this now they are just there staring back at me in their little white box. Im hoping the dose of 25mg won't bring on side affects that are too bad but you are right in the sooner I take them the sooner I move on and hopefully stop feeling the way I have been feeling. I really appreciate the messages and the support.

How are you??

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Hi isn't it good that we can all support each other and share our experiences. I am an excellent actress no one has a clue at work, only my husband really. I'd rather people see me as happy with no worries, i suppose thats really the perdon i want to be. Anyway i too have decided enough is enough its about a quality of life and if meds can help me then why not. I too was frightened to take them my doc said the side effects don't help anyone with health anxiety but to please hang in there. I was prescribed 50mg but decided to halve them for the first week or so in the hope of less side effects. Well it's day 3 and I'm no more anxious which is good and to be honest i haven't really had any side effects, fingers crossed it may continue. I hope you find the courage to take them i know how hard it is, take care x

Hi guys thank you so much for your messages and checking in on me.

So an update on where I am at. I kept putting off starting the sertraline and just kept looking at the packet. In the meantime I was doing a lot of research and decided to give CBD oil a try as a last resort before medication so for the last five days I have been taking that.

I have been pleased with the results so far. it may be a placebo effect or something else but certainly I have felt a positive difference in my overall feeling, my wellbeing and my anxiety. I have felt more chatty and confident around people and I have also slept much better. But I haven't been in the kind of situation where I know my anxiety would go into complete panic mode so far, only social situations which I feel I have handled better than usual and with more confidence. We will see how it progresses but I know the sertraline is there for me if I feel I need it and I can begin it at any time. for now I ill keep taking the CBD oil each day and see how I go.

Maybe something will unfold when I realise its not having the impact I'm hoping it is and I am not by any means saying it is a 'cure'. it isn't. But all I can say is how I feel and right now I feel better than I did before I started taking it. So for now I want to have a positive mindset about it.