Don't know whether to give up on Sertraline

1. Clare45 14 March 2012 at 19:19PM
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   I've been taking Sertraline for anxiety for just over a week and I'm not sure whether to give it up. I had quite a bad reaction at first with nausea/diarrhea which has subsided, but it has killed my libido and being in a relationship I don't know if this is a drug that I can take in the long run if this is going to continue. Also the medication leaflet doesn't mention that you shouldn't drink while taking it, but when I had alcohol for the first time while taking it it made me feel very strange. I also have had trouble sleeping and am feeling very tired, but to be honest I've never been a great sleeper so I don't know if that's the Setraline or not. I wouldn't say I feel depressed on the medication, but I don't seem to have the motivation to get anything done. I'm in the last stretch of my university degree and I really need to be on something that will help me function productively.

   Do you think it's necessary to reduce the dosage gradually even though I've only been on it for a short time?

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2. psychochief 15 March 2012 at 12:03PM

   hiya clare,

   after being on sertraline for one week theres no need to taper off it, you can just stop :O)

   i would suggest that if your anxiety isnt too bad to give the meds a miss, they all potentially have side effects and create a certain dependecy and can produce withdrawl symptons after being on them for some time, try and find the cause of your anxiety and eliminate the cause, look into relaxation techniques etc to alleviate the anxiety :O)

   im afraid its trial and error by the docs to find the right med for you, were all different, these drugs are very powerful mood altering substances, best to avoid them if possible :O)

   good luck with your degree, cheers,

   Ken~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :O)

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3. Neddysmate 15 March 2012 at 18:31PM

   Hi Claire i have used setraline on and off for several years, The effects you describe are exactly what I went through.I carried on but several times simply wanted to give up they made me feel so bad - nausea the "runs", not sleeping etc. However after about 18 days i noticed that everything had eased off to a great extent and i started to feel much much better and after 4 weeks no side effectes at all and I laughed about how stupid i was to panic in the first place. Really should take them continuously but sometimes feel so well I forget. BUT if you stop gent;y then and then have to start 4 weeks later you have to go trhough the whole thing again. So now I take one every other day partly beacuse I honestly hate being depenend on them and partly beacuse i dont feel the need.

   I'm not saying this is right for eveyone but in my opinion the results outweight the initial problems.

   Good luck whatever you decide

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4. julie66 25 March 2012 at 12:15PM

   I have just finished a 1 month course of sertraline 50mg for anxiety, the 1st week you do feel a bit off with nausea but mints do help and by the 2nd week i felt well under control of my anxiety. I decided myself that i would only take the tablets for 1 month to get things under control and because i had read on forums that the effects of coming off the tablets after a longer period were actually worse than my original symptoms.

   Its now day 3 off the sertaline and i can say that i have had no ill effects and i think ive achieved a win over my anxiety by actually being brave enough to discontinue them. i would say that for mild anxiety a 1 month course is really good and to people just on their first week of treatment do continue them , they do work.

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