Sertraline causes night sweats and vivid dreams?

[ShaunRyder]

Hey, was going to post this in the health anxiety sub but I thought IÂ’d post it here as I think itÂ’s medication related.

So IÂ’ve just finished week two on 50mg and last night I woke up a bit sweaty, not my whole body just my legs felt a bit wet. I am on medication for health anxiety so this has made me pretty worried. Has anyone else had night sweats on the medication?

Another thing aswell is the vivid dreams which keep waking me up, I fall asleep fine but keep having very real like dreams which wake me up a few times, I remember having at least 3 last night. Could vivid dreams also cause me to get sweaty?

This is my first time on Sertraline so IÂ’m not knowing what to expect really.

[venusbluejeans]

I had the exact same thing when I first started on Sertraline, not so much the dreams (but they can happen) but night sweats I had until my body got used to the med

[panic_down_under]

So I’ve just finished week two on 50mg and last night I woke up a bit sweaty, not my whole body just my legs felt a bit wet. I am on medication for health anxiety so this has made me pretty worried. Has anyone else had night sweats on the medication?

All SSRIs, SNRIs and some TCAs can cause sweating and sertraline seems to be the one most likely to do so. It may be a short lived initial side-effect, but it can be an ongoing problem for some.

Small doses of meds such as the blood pressure med terazosin, oxybutynin (Ditropan) for overactive bladders, gabapentin which is often prescribed for menopausal hot flushes and night sweats and the antidepressant/antihistamine mirtazapine can significantly reduce SSRI induced sweating, but I suspect NHS prescribing policies may prevent your doctor from prescribing them.

Could vivid dreams also cause me to get sweaty?

I doubt it. The dreams are probably no different than what you dreamt while unmedicated. The med is most likely lightening the REM dreaming stage of sleep enough to allow the dreams to seep into consciousness. It is uncommon and it is unlikely that another antidepressant will have the same effect.

I used to have some fantastic ones while on imipramine. Real old Hollywood blockbusters that would have made Cecil B DeMille green with envy. I haven't been on imipramine for 30 years and I still miss them.

[ShaunRyder]

Thank you both for the replies!

Panic down under thank you for the information and I did have one other question if ok?

So I’ve had health anxiety since 2014 but did get better and had it under control for years, unfortunately I relapsed after my dad passed away and recently back on medication, but I’ve noticed since I have been back on them I am worrying about health stuff I worried about back in 2014/15! For example I am worrying about two little lumps on the side of my neck but I’ve looked through my old posts and I posted about these lumps 10 years ago and ive noticed these last few weeks it been other stuff aswell that I have actually posted on this forum about 10 years ago. Can sertraline cause this kind of thing to happen?

[panic_down_under]

recently back on medication

So you've been on a 50mg starting dose for 4 weeks now? If so sertraline is probably not having a positive impact yet. Antidepressants typically take 4-12 weeks to kick-in and may be slower to do so if you've been on one before.

I am worrying about health stuff I worried about back in 2014/15!

Were you on antidepressants back then? If so, were you worrying about the lumps, etc, before, or after you began taking the med?