please please help sertraline!!

[sandysan]

my anxiety is getting high worrying about these sertraline tablets.
i came off seroxat after 21 years from post natal depression , i thouhgt its about time i started a new drug as i didnt think after all these years seroxat was doing anything but i stopped them , and went right down in myself ,

my gp started me off on 50mg sertraline for 2 weeks , then upped them to 100mg and after 2 weeks i feel really depressed and rock bottom low, is it the sertraline side effects?
i called my gp yesterday and told her i was even more depressed and she told me to up them to 150mg ,
i am so scared its giving me bad anxiety ,

i took 125mg last night as i was scared to take 150mg and i have woke up with a banging headache ,
please please ,does anyone know about these tablets and is it normal what i am going through on them

[Tufty]

Hi sandysan,

I've been taking Sertraline for 22 days, I'm only taking 25mg as I've had unpleasant experiences with other SSRI's. Even at this small dose I have noticed an increase in my anxiety and a definite decrease in my mood.

Before starting these tablets I would not say I was depressed, for the past week I have been feeling very low, I have no motivation, no energy, I feel like all my defences have been removed and I am at my lowest ebb - I wake up not knowing how I'm going to survive the day. This is the drug, I am sure of it, the same thing happened to me with Escitalopram, the start up of the SSRI's are brutal.

We have two choices, either sit it out or stop taking the drugs. We've got to go through the storm to reach the other side so to say, to stop taking the drugs would be easy - that's what I've done in the past - and it's not going to get us better. We should start feeling better after 6 weeks on the same dose.

I would go to see your Doctor again and agree a plan with him, I am not going to increase my dosage until the side effects including nausea and increased anxiety have abated, until my body has adjusted to the new drug an increase could make me feel a lot worse. A chat with your Doctor may help you feel more confident with the drug and feel supported.

Take care

Sam