How long & side effect worries

[j987]

Hi there,

Forgive me for this long post, I am new and only just started taking Sertraline this morning (50mg)

It is for low mood and anxiety, I have been reluctant to take any medication for almost a year now from my doctors, and looking into alternative therapy but have not been successful.

I keep reading horror stories on side effects and how much more depressed it makes people feel while taking sertraline, I'm worried because my mood swings are already very overwhelming - they come in waves usually triggered by something minor. Will this medication cause me to have this feeling all the time rather than in waves?

Another worry is that I have a history with epilepsy, the data sheet states that seizures can be known as a side effect, along with Steven Johnson Syndrome - which i have had before through lamotrogine (AED). Has anyone had any side effects from this that caused them to have convulsions? I am scared stiff from both of these.

Lastly everywhere I look, people have been taking them for years, how long do I need to be on these? is the outlook good to overcome the troubles and be able to live med free? Ii will also be attending CBT and looking into volunteer work.

Regards,. and thank you very much for reading this

[erin31]

Hi. I have been on Sertraline for about 10 weeks now and as far as I'm aware I do not have any side effects at all.
When I started I immediately noticed an improvement in my depression but my anxiety did worsen for the first week to ten days. I did find myself waking up two or three times during the night but this I think was the anxiety rather than the tablets directly as waking up during the night has always been one of the symptoms of heightened anxiety for me.
The time Sertratline takes to work seems to vary greatly from person to person and I think I have been very lucky that it worked for me sooner rather than later.

It is not a miricle happy pill and find I have good days and not so good days but the dark days have definatley gone. I find that Sertraline allows me to function normally and to help myself when I have problems. I sometimes feel the anxiety bubbling under the serface but Sertraline gives me the ability to get on with my life, keep busy and fight these feelings.

I am not sure about the long term out look or what you mean by is it good to overcome troubles and live med free. If you have outside problems that are causing depression and anxiety then it is obvously up to you to over come these problems and Sertraline may give you the strength to do this but it will only work while you are on it.
Some people do only take it while they are having a difficult time with outside problems and then once their life becomes easier they find they can come off it.
My own depression and anxiety is not caused by outside problems. I have a good life with no worries but my problem lies with a chemical imbalance. Things can be going extremely well and I will still have depression and anxiety. Because of this I think I will be on andepressants for the rest of my life but to be honest Sertraline is the best drug I have yet tried as it has given me back my life without effecting my personallity. I still feel like me, can laugh and can cry (at the right time) and I do not have any side effects. I really hope that it continues to work and if it does I will be happy to keep taking it forever.

I am sorry but I cannot help at all with information about seizures but I know an awful lot of antidepressants carry this warning and your GP who prescribed you Sertraline will be (or should be) aware of your past medical history. If you are still worried maybe you could ring and tell him about your worries so he can put your mind at rest.

Please let us know how you are getting on.
Good luck

[LightUpYoYo]

It gets worse at the beginning IMHO.
But for me, as I know it's the meds playing games, I find it easier to overcome the mental challenge of working through it.

I hope you can do the same.
Phil

[Brownin]

I take 50mg currently and when I started I had a few side effects but nothing of a serious nature. After the first 2 weeks I would say you should to start to feel a lot better in general as your body would be getting used to the medication. Keep us posted with how it goes

[chrisjay]

Serious side effects have pregnant women if they take Zoloft in the third trimester.