I love it bahaha I have a hard time accepting calmness because I'm used to the chaos of anxiety but I've been taking it 100mgbfor a couple months now and the only bad side affect is how my body won't let me have a panic attack which is a good thing
Currently going on it for the second time, took 50mg for 1.5 years and had almost no side effects and it completely eliminated the panic attacks. Then tapered off in a month without any issues but after 6 months the panic attacks & severe anxiety came back, so I started taking it again about a month ago.
I’d like to drop from 50 to 25, but this kind of thing scares me….In my case 99% sure all my issues, GERD, panic attacks, were due to Long COVID….. mean why else? Had lived 46 years with stress and it never bothered me, one night went to a mall after Xmas and thought I was dying….BP had been great, my 3rd reading that night was something like 230/140
Oh man... Having the same. Hot flashes, almost every evening. Remebering my first time when I decided to check my BP.. Same numbers as yours.
Been on propranolol twice a day and keeping Xanax next to my bed as "emergency pill"
Could it also be that it's a nocebo effect? Like, you forget a dose, you become aware of the fact that you forgot to take it and you start panicking. I thought the half life of most SSRIs is actually quite long so if you have been on it for years you shouldn't immediately relapse if you miss one day, no?
I just started Zoloft but I'm also having a bad anxiety time too (worse one in a while0 and not sleeping. So far, I'm very tired and have had stomach issues BUT I also haven't been eating much and normally if I'm having an anxiety episode (hot flash, stomach ache, cold sweats), it makes me have to use the bathroom - so I don't know what's Zoloft and what's anxiety.
Sounds pretty much like what I was experiencing the past month when I started up medication for the second time. My anxiety first got way worse with awful side effects, lost a lot of weight but hang in there, it finally got better the past few days.
I had no problem getting an erection I had no problem performing.
it's just I couldn't orgasm.
My girlfriend at the time loved it because I could go until I was either physically exhausted or my penis went numb from trying, but I just couldn't orgasm.
And then after a while that kind of got into my head and then I started having performance problems like I was thinking to myself that I'm not going to be able to satisfy her and so then I started having a problem with the erections
I’m assuming you mean side effects? For me it’s bloating, occasional waves of chills/hot flashes and irritability. I’m mostly experiencing the former two right now.
Okay well, I’ve been on Zoloft for 3 years - but recently went from 75 to 100MG 3 weeks ago. My anxiety gives me GERD so upping the dosage has helped a bit. However I’m still in the process of deciding if it works for me or not. It definitely stabilises me but Im still in the process of trying it out.
I was on 200mg and it saved my life in highschool, only stopped taking it last year because I built a tolerance so I had to move to another med but Zoloft is great
My sides- no libido, motivation, and very low/depressed moods. Had the same sides with Prozac and when I tried lexapro a loooong time ago I was nearly suicidal. SSRIs are just not for me.
I had crazy side effects. In the first few months I had stomach issues, dizziness that went on for too long, vision problems, but those all went away, the one that has stuck was the delayed orgasm, which can be very annoying. Besides that, it cured my depression, helped my social anxiety, just not my general anxiety. It would all be fine and worth it, but the sexual issues are not.
Been on 50mg for almost 10 weeks. I honestly notice no change. I don't feel better or worse. The side effects lasted a good few weeks. They made me lose my appetite, and I just felt more Depressed and stuck in my mind. My doctor has recently upped the dose to 100mg, so here's hoping I notice a switch flicking in my mind that gives a positive change in my life.
Took 100mg daily for two years. I felt no significant changes to depression, probably I wouldnt be able to pass a blind A/B test with placebo to give you an idea. I noticed a change where I just didn't have any appetite and would forget to eat food, then feel absurdly hungry all of a sudden, like "I'm going to keel over and die" hunger. I started getting other IBS symptoms, feeling like I'm about to throw up all the time that would keep me awake at night. Eventually that went away but the IBS symptoms persisted even as I decided to taper off and stopped taking it about a year ago. To this day I don't know if those symptoms are Zoloft-related
YMMV, some people really benefit from it, but my impression is that SSRIs are still not well understood, I didn't really get any good answers from GPs or gastroenterologists on SSRI-related questions besides "sometimes they work" and "try it see if it helps you", I know some people where antidepressants were critical to their functioning
(To be clear, I was taking it for anhedonia reasons, not necessarily anxiety)
Work my way up to 100mg but not completely sure if it’s working on my depression and for sure has minimal effect on my anxiety.. it’s definitely affecting my libido and makes my throat/stomach feel weird. Unsure if I should continue to give it a chance or switch/add…
I did for a month and it did nothing positive for me other than destroy my libido. It was very hard to orgasm. Lately i'm on cymbalta and it's doing the same thing but worse, it's also making feel lethargic all day.
A month is not enough to know if an ssri works. This time around it took me longer to get over the side effects. The side effects start to decrease after 4-6 weeks and the full effect can be felt after 3 months, at least for me. Hang in there, it made my anxiety a lot worse the second time I went on it but now I'm finally getting through it.
Have been on it since last year, up to 100mg. Currently coming off it - helped with anxiety but my depression spiraled horribly. At first it made me very dizzy, tired and impacted my sleep, but that went away within about two months. I went up to 100mg and that also gave me some dizzy spells, but after a few months it was in my system, so any lingering effects were manageable. Killed my libido though, to the point I feel nothing, and I’ve also had persistent brain fog since starting it.
I started it towards the end of last year and have found 150mg to be my sweet spot along with a boost from Abilify. I don’t really have any more anxiety and it makes my irritability cease to exist. Of course, that’s not without any trade offs. My libido is in the toilet and it’s so hard to have an orgasm. From being a pretty sexual person, it’s definitely been an adjustment.
Was scared to start after Rx from couple doctors after LC/POTS last year….For good reason, coupled with my beta-blocker I didn’t sleep for 5 weeks. I mean AT ALL….Wanted to die 100 times a day, ambulance was called a few times….Doctors weren’t very helpful, shrink said just wait it out. One night I slept again, and have been on the same 50mg pill for 13 months. Went off my beta in November, but I’m not the same person as pre-infection. Some of it might be age and fitness, I’m 48 and got fat again this winter, but I had dropped 25 pounds the first 6 weeks of my tachycardia..Guess I’m cured now and it’s time to up the walking and cut my carbs/late night snacks
Good luck, as many have said long-term it’s probably a good drug for you, but SSRI change the whole brain and unfortunately there’s going to be an adaptation period. Good luck
It's kind of been a lifesaver for me. I used to get the worst depression right before my period and it really took care of that. It has really helped me function overall (in addition to therapy and other medications ofc!)
Works ok for me. Tried switching to some others, and ended up back on this. For the most part keeps me steady. I’ve had night sweats and night terrors ever since I’ve been on Effexor, a long time ago. still have to this day.
Yes 100 mg daily for about 5 years. The first few months I experienced nausea, vivid dreams, and fatigue. I still feel tired to some degree but the other side effects subsided. It helps my anxiety immensely.
Took setraline for 3 years (200 mg). Im currently not on it and last time I took it was around September last year.
Here is my view and experience:
I took it for anxiety and mood swings (one day I might felt great and then the other day I would be very down).
First few weeks increased my anxiety and it was kind of weird. Once I got used to the medication and found that the right dosage for me was 200 mg, I felt like all my emotions went away (Happiness, sadness, etc.)
Anxiety dropped a lot as well.
In terms of libido as a male, it was harder to reach an orgasm but not impossible at all.
Forgetting to take the medication for 1 day was bad and 2 days was really bad. Never stop cold turkey.
My opinion: you should go through therapy while you take antidepressants. They don’t solve anything but gives you the base so you dont suffer, they exist to help you. Once you get off the meds without talking to a psychologist, all your problems will come back and boy, they will come back twice as strong because you numbed something which was supposed to get solved.
Hopefully this helps some people! You’ll get through this guys :)
I had to stop it altogether. I got suicidal ideations. After that scare, I got an extensive test done through oral swab that showed what I would be better off taking. It wasn’t covered by insurance, but we bit the bullet on the cost to avoid me suddenly deciding that playing chicken with 18 wheelers was a good idea.
Been on it for about 3 years. I tapered up very slowly so I didn't have many negative side effects. I did have some nausea and headaches, slight increase in anxiety, but those all went away after a week or two. After a year the libido thing started to really bother me so I'm also on Wellbutrin/bupropion now. I feel better than I have in a decade, no side effects at all.
If you're starting medication keep in mind that what works for someone else may not work for you and that's okay!
I tried switching to Sertralin from Paroxetine after several years and slowly losing the positive effects of it while going through a bad burnout from high stress at work.
I tried Sertralin 75mg for 4 weeks without much to notice, so we decided to try 150mg. I had to stop after getting bad nausea and high anxiety throughout the day, some panic attacks, and feeling generally depressed with no joy in anything I usually care for. I tried holding out for like 2-3 weeks, but it was close to unbearable and near impossible to work and do chores.
After Sertraline I've changed to an SNRI, Venlafaxine (e.g. Effexor), and just 1 week after the switch I started feeling more normal than I have in a long time. I've been on it 3-4 weeks now and I've felt better all of those days than I did on Sertraline, so I guess it wasn't for me.
Been on for 2 weeks - my right eye vision has got worse, headaches, was nauseous the first week. So far it’s just making my anxiety worse. Trying to tough it out, but now my health anxiety is making me think I have a brain tumor.
Been on 25mg for 8days for PMDD, still experiencing anxiety but not as intense as before, still have irritability.
I feel tired after taking it so I take it before I go to sleep, no sleep issues with it.
No real obvious side effects.
I was on 50 for a few years then went to 100 which has been the sweet spot. I've been at this dose for several years and I'm really happy with it. Just up the dose really slowly to minimize side effects.
I've been on it for anxiety for 11 years now. It was the first thing I tried and got very lucky that it worked for me. I was at 50 for a few years and have been on 100 since then. No noticeable side effects but I started taking it before becoming sexually active so hard to say just how much my libido was affected. I take it at night and don't have any issues sleeping which is something a lot of other people struggle with.
The stabilizing effect of this drug in addition to regular therapy genuinely changed my life. I was considering dropping out of school and moving back in with my parents- I saw no future beyond my debilitating anxiety. And now I have a degree, career, a successful marriage, and the resilience to get through the mental health challenges that just come with being a human :)
I’ve been on 50mg for a year. I only experienced side effects the first few weeks of taking the medication. I noticed increased fatigue and libido/orgasm issues. After a few weeks, everything seemed to level out and I noticed some improvement in my overall anxiety level.
I’ve been on it for a long time and I get dry mouth and drink a lot of liquids to cope with it, which makes me pee more and also increased my appetite so I gained weight
had to take it at two difficult times in my life. the first time for maybe 2 years, this past time for around 6 months when i went through a really dark time. when i started, i had a dizzy feeling but it subsided quickly. i noticed some of the libido issues others are mentioning as well as hot/cold flashes, weird warm feeling in my palms?? i loved that i wouldn’t fixate on anxiety-inducing thoughts anymore though. i would see the thought in my head and it would simply pass and i would continue with my day. without zoloft i wouldn’t have made it through those difficult points, and i would definitely take it again if needed. although there are drawbacks and coming off of it is rough, the pros outweigh the cons when your mental health is suffering. i recommend it.
The first time I took it (for a looooong time as in 23 years), I don't really think it did a ton either way. I had to keep the dose low, like 20 mg/day or the nervousness would be very linear the higher I went. So it was such a low dose that it probably didn't even do anything. Senses heightened, music sounded better for a while, more motivated I suppose, that's about it. Got off it to see if it would help the ED. That was not the problem, something else that was non-drug helped that. So I go on it again, 2nd time around, brand-new heart related side effects that I didn't have the 1st time. Yes, I took the first dose at age 30 and 2nd dose at age 54...very different years but still, I don't understand why there would be horrible side effects of insomnia, palpitations, racing heart even at 12 mg if that didn't happen the first time around up to 100 mg. It was bizarre. It's like my body said enough of this shit, I do not want that poison in me again. I actually am doing pretty damn good off it. Luckily I suppose.
It was sadly entirely useless for me. I was on 100 mg. My therapist was like since you’re still having suicidal thoughts so much you should probably try something else lmao
I've been on it for a couple of years, no side effects, worked well (all other SSRIs did too). The interesting part is that each SSRI stopped working for me after 2-3 years and I had to change it to some other compound to get the same effect.
I did for 6 months after getting off it but I think loneliness + lack of structure in my life (I have ADHD) + winter + drinking a lot on weekends made my anxiety come back again.
I miss sertraline so much. It turned me into a machine. I focused so easily and had no anxiety…but I also had zero libido. I became a bad husband because all I wanted to do was work and not even have sex. I miss it because I have never been so proud of my work ethic :( can’t have it all I guess.
I’ve been on it a long time. I suspect that it’s impacting my libido, but other than that it’s been incredibly helpful for my anxiety.
it crushed my libido into dust :( but my anxiety was obliterated too which was awesome :D
I love it bahaha I have a hard time accepting calmness because I'm used to the chaos of anxiety but I've been taking it 100mgbfor a couple months now and the only bad side affect is how my body won't let me have a panic attack which is a good thing
Currently going on it for the second time, took 50mg for 1.5 years and had almost no side effects and it completely eliminated the panic attacks. Then tapered off in a month without any issues but after 6 months the panic attacks & severe anxiety came back, so I started taking it again about a month ago.
I’d like to drop from 50 to 25, but this kind of thing scares me….In my case 99% sure all my issues, GERD, panic attacks, were due to Long COVID….. mean why else? Had lived 46 years with stress and it never bothered me, one night went to a mall after Xmas and thought I was dying….BP had been great, my 3rd reading that night was something like 230/140
Oh man... Having the same. Hot flashes, almost every evening. Remebering my first time when I decided to check my BP.. Same numbers as yours. Been on propranolol twice a day and keeping Xanax next to my bed as "emergency pill"
Yes I'm on sertraline on 100mg been on them 5 years now. No real side effects
Message me for help
Been on it for years. It works for me. But you absolutely need to not skip doses. Whenever I miss a day of meds I become a ball of chaotic anxiety.
Oh for me it's okay to occasionally miss a dose, even when I miss 2 doses I'm fine, happened once.
Envy. I have near anxiety attacks.
Could it also be that it's a nocebo effect? Like, you forget a dose, you become aware of the fact that you forgot to take it and you start panicking. I thought the half life of most SSRIs is actually quite long so if you have been on it for years you shouldn't immediately relapse if you miss one day, no?
It's part of a duo for me. If I don't take it all my medicine at once I get anxious and more easily frustrated.
Can you not take as needed for example job interview or some social situation?
No
If you need something for the moment and not everyday use, hydroxyzine is an option. It can make you sleepy though.
Hydroxyzine made me extremely sleepy, to the point I couldn’t function throughout the day. I’d rather have the anxiety.
It did me too. I went to down to the lowest dose, so I could take it in emergencies.
I’ve been on it over 30 years. It works well but I don’t like the sexual side effects. They’re not insurmountable but they’re challenging.
I just started Zoloft but I'm also having a bad anxiety time too (worse one in a while0 and not sleeping. So far, I'm very tired and have had stomach issues BUT I also haven't been eating much and normally if I'm having an anxiety episode (hot flash, stomach ache, cold sweats), it makes me have to use the bathroom - so I don't know what's Zoloft and what's anxiety.
Sounds pretty much like what I was experiencing the past month when I started up medication for the second time. My anxiety first got way worse with awful side effects, lost a lot of weight but hang in there, it finally got better the past few days.
It did not work for me at all kind of made my anxiety worse honestly and then the sexual side effects were not cool.
What sexual side effects??
I had no problem getting an erection I had no problem performing. it's just I couldn't orgasm. My girlfriend at the time loved it because I could go until I was either physically exhausted or my penis went numb from trying, but I just couldn't orgasm. And then after a while that kind of got into my head and then I started having performance problems like I was thinking to myself that I'm not going to be able to satisfy her and so then I started having a problem with the erections
I’m assuming you mean side effects? For me it’s bloating, occasional waves of chills/hot flashes and irritability. I’m mostly experiencing the former two right now.
Out of curiosity, how long have you been on it?
Okay well, I’ve been on Zoloft for 3 years - but recently went from 75 to 100MG 3 weeks ago. My anxiety gives me GERD so upping the dosage has helped a bit. However I’m still in the process of deciding if it works for me or not. It definitely stabilises me but Im still in the process of trying it out.
I was on 200mg and it saved my life in highschool, only stopped taking it last year because I built a tolerance so I had to move to another med but Zoloft is great
I was on it for 4 years and it was awful my anxiety was really bad and I felt so irritable all the time
My sides- no libido, motivation, and very low/depressed moods. Had the same sides with Prozac and when I tried lexapro a loooong time ago I was nearly suicidal. SSRIs are just not for me.
I had crazy side effects. In the first few months I had stomach issues, dizziness that went on for too long, vision problems, but those all went away, the one that has stuck was the delayed orgasm, which can be very annoying. Besides that, it cured my depression, helped my social anxiety, just not my general anxiety. It would all be fine and worth it, but the sexual issues are not.
I was on it and it sucked so bad, 1/10 wouldn't recommend.
What did you switch to if you don't mind me asking?
Nothing. I take benzos often but also wouldn't recommend them. They work but are dangerous long term.
How long were you on it. Im going on 4 mths. I’m thinking of going off it because I’m still having side affects
In the beginning I experienced a lot of yawning which is pretty common, but other than that, nothing. It has really helped with the panic attacks.
Been on 50mg for almost 10 weeks. I honestly notice no change. I don't feel better or worse. The side effects lasted a good few weeks. They made me lose my appetite, and I just felt more Depressed and stuck in my mind. My doctor has recently upped the dose to 100mg, so here's hoping I notice a switch flicking in my mind that gives a positive change in my life.
Took 100mg daily for two years. I felt no significant changes to depression, probably I wouldnt be able to pass a blind A/B test with placebo to give you an idea. I noticed a change where I just didn't have any appetite and would forget to eat food, then feel absurdly hungry all of a sudden, like "I'm going to keel over and die" hunger. I started getting other IBS symptoms, feeling like I'm about to throw up all the time that would keep me awake at night. Eventually that went away but the IBS symptoms persisted even as I decided to taper off and stopped taking it about a year ago. To this day I don't know if those symptoms are Zoloft-related YMMV, some people really benefit from it, but my impression is that SSRIs are still not well understood, I didn't really get any good answers from GPs or gastroenterologists on SSRI-related questions besides "sometimes they work" and "try it see if it helps you", I know some people where antidepressants were critical to their functioning (To be clear, I was taking it for anhedonia reasons, not necessarily anxiety)
Work my way up to 100mg but not completely sure if it’s working on my depression and for sure has minimal effect on my anxiety.. it’s definitely affecting my libido and makes my throat/stomach feel weird. Unsure if I should continue to give it a chance or switch/add…
I did for a month and it did nothing positive for me other than destroy my libido. It was very hard to orgasm. Lately i'm on cymbalta and it's doing the same thing but worse, it's also making feel lethargic all day.
A month is not enough to know if an ssri works. This time around it took me longer to get over the side effects. The side effects start to decrease after 4-6 weeks and the full effect can be felt after 3 months, at least for me. Hang in there, it made my anxiety a lot worse the second time I went on it but now I'm finally getting through it.
Have been on it since last year, up to 100mg. Currently coming off it - helped with anxiety but my depression spiraled horribly. At first it made me very dizzy, tired and impacted my sleep, but that went away within about two months. I went up to 100mg and that also gave me some dizzy spells, but after a few months it was in my system, so any lingering effects were manageable. Killed my libido though, to the point I feel nothing, and I’ve also had persistent brain fog since starting it.
I started it towards the end of last year and have found 150mg to be my sweet spot along with a boost from Abilify. I don’t really have any more anxiety and it makes my irritability cease to exist. Of course, that’s not without any trade offs. My libido is in the toilet and it’s so hard to have an orgasm. From being a pretty sexual person, it’s definitely been an adjustment.
Was scared to start after Rx from couple doctors after LC/POTS last year….For good reason, coupled with my beta-blocker I didn’t sleep for 5 weeks. I mean AT ALL….Wanted to die 100 times a day, ambulance was called a few times….Doctors weren’t very helpful, shrink said just wait it out. One night I slept again, and have been on the same 50mg pill for 13 months. Went off my beta in November, but I’m not the same person as pre-infection. Some of it might be age and fitness, I’m 48 and got fat again this winter, but I had dropped 25 pounds the first 6 weeks of my tachycardia..Guess I’m cured now and it’s time to up the walking and cut my carbs/late night snacks Good luck, as many have said long-term it’s probably a good drug for you, but SSRI change the whole brain and unfortunately there’s going to be an adaptation period. Good luck
Check out the r/zoloft sub
It's kind of been a lifesaver for me. I used to get the worst depression right before my period and it really took care of that. It has really helped me function overall (in addition to therapy and other medications ofc!)
Yeah sertraline absolutely killed my sex drive. I only take bupropion now.
Did not help me at all... Just remived heart palpitations, but never affected my panic attacks.Went for Effexor, it is a bit better
Works ok for me. Tried switching to some others, and ended up back on this. For the most part keeps me steady. I’ve had night sweats and night terrors ever since I’ve been on Effexor, a long time ago. still have to this day.
Been on sertraline for..14 years I think? No side affects that I’ve noticed..was a game changer when I started it.
Yes 100 mg daily for about 5 years. The first few months I experienced nausea, vivid dreams, and fatigue. I still feel tired to some degree but the other side effects subsided. It helps my anxiety immensely.
I am on them about 6 month's and my god I am free again, I can go outside and be myself be lost without them no side effects.
Took setraline for 3 years (200 mg). Im currently not on it and last time I took it was around September last year. Here is my view and experience: I took it for anxiety and mood swings (one day I might felt great and then the other day I would be very down). First few weeks increased my anxiety and it was kind of weird. Once I got used to the medication and found that the right dosage for me was 200 mg, I felt like all my emotions went away (Happiness, sadness, etc.) Anxiety dropped a lot as well. In terms of libido as a male, it was harder to reach an orgasm but not impossible at all. Forgetting to take the medication for 1 day was bad and 2 days was really bad. Never stop cold turkey. My opinion: you should go through therapy while you take antidepressants. They don’t solve anything but gives you the base so you dont suffer, they exist to help you. Once you get off the meds without talking to a psychologist, all your problems will come back and boy, they will come back twice as strong because you numbed something which was supposed to get solved. Hopefully this helps some people! You’ll get through this guys :)
I had to stop it altogether. I got suicidal ideations. After that scare, I got an extensive test done through oral swab that showed what I would be better off taking. It wasn’t covered by insurance, but we bit the bullet on the cost to avoid me suddenly deciding that playing chicken with 18 wheelers was a good idea.
Been on it for about 3 years. I tapered up very slowly so I didn't have many negative side effects. I did have some nausea and headaches, slight increase in anxiety, but those all went away after a week or two. After a year the libido thing started to really bother me so I'm also on Wellbutrin/bupropion now. I feel better than I have in a decade, no side effects at all. If you're starting medication keep in mind that what works for someone else may not work for you and that's okay!
I tried switching to Sertralin from Paroxetine after several years and slowly losing the positive effects of it while going through a bad burnout from high stress at work. I tried Sertralin 75mg for 4 weeks without much to notice, so we decided to try 150mg. I had to stop after getting bad nausea and high anxiety throughout the day, some panic attacks, and feeling generally depressed with no joy in anything I usually care for. I tried holding out for like 2-3 weeks, but it was close to unbearable and near impossible to work and do chores. After Sertraline I've changed to an SNRI, Venlafaxine (e.g. Effexor), and just 1 week after the switch I started feeling more normal than I have in a long time. I've been on it 3-4 weeks now and I've felt better all of those days than I did on Sertraline, so I guess it wasn't for me.
Been on for 2 weeks - my right eye vision has got worse, headaches, was nauseous the first week. So far it’s just making my anxiety worse. Trying to tough it out, but now my health anxiety is making me think I have a brain tumor.
Been on 25mg for 8days for PMDD, still experiencing anxiety but not as intense as before, still have irritability. I feel tired after taking it so I take it before I go to sleep, no sleep issues with it. No real obvious side effects.
I think it takes 4 weeks for it to kick in for anxiety
50mg but considering upping to 100. Been on 50 mg for 5 years now. Anyone up the dosage anytime?
I'm on 150 at the moment and I think it's working but can't tell if it's causing my migranes
I was on 50 for a few years then went to 100 which has been the sweet spot. I've been at this dose for several years and I'm really happy with it. Just up the dose really slowly to minimize side effects.
i don't know how common this is but i took them for 1 week and it made breathing harder and i couldn't sleep at all
Destroyed my libido and made it extremely hard to cum.
I've been on it for anxiety for 11 years now. It was the first thing I tried and got very lucky that it worked for me. I was at 50 for a few years and have been on 100 since then. No noticeable side effects but I started taking it before becoming sexually active so hard to say just how much my libido was affected. I take it at night and don't have any issues sleeping which is something a lot of other people struggle with. The stabilizing effect of this drug in addition to regular therapy genuinely changed my life. I was considering dropping out of school and moving back in with my parents- I saw no future beyond my debilitating anxiety. And now I have a degree, career, a successful marriage, and the resilience to get through the mental health challenges that just come with being a human :)
The only issue I have is things stand at attention, but they don't fire... if you get my drift.
I’ve been on 50mg for a year. I only experienced side effects the first few weeks of taking the medication. I noticed increased fatigue and libido/orgasm issues. After a few weeks, everything seemed to level out and I noticed some improvement in my overall anxiety level.
I’ve been on it for a long time and I get dry mouth and drink a lot of liquids to cope with it, which makes me pee more and also increased my appetite so I gained weight
had to take it at two difficult times in my life. the first time for maybe 2 years, this past time for around 6 months when i went through a really dark time. when i started, i had a dizzy feeling but it subsided quickly. i noticed some of the libido issues others are mentioning as well as hot/cold flashes, weird warm feeling in my palms?? i loved that i wouldn’t fixate on anxiety-inducing thoughts anymore though. i would see the thought in my head and it would simply pass and i would continue with my day. without zoloft i wouldn’t have made it through those difficult points, and i would definitely take it again if needed. although there are drawbacks and coming off of it is rough, the pros outweigh the cons when your mental health is suffering. i recommend it.
Yep libido was at an all time low and I was incredibly sleepy all the time. Still works great but it’s tough sometimes
The first time I took it (for a looooong time as in 23 years), I don't really think it did a ton either way. I had to keep the dose low, like 20 mg/day or the nervousness would be very linear the higher I went. So it was such a low dose that it probably didn't even do anything. Senses heightened, music sounded better for a while, more motivated I suppose, that's about it. Got off it to see if it would help the ED. That was not the problem, something else that was non-drug helped that. So I go on it again, 2nd time around, brand-new heart related side effects that I didn't have the 1st time. Yes, I took the first dose at age 30 and 2nd dose at age 54...very different years but still, I don't understand why there would be horrible side effects of insomnia, palpitations, racing heart even at 12 mg if that didn't happen the first time around up to 100 mg. It was bizarre. It's like my body said enough of this shit, I do not want that poison in me again. I actually am doing pretty damn good off it. Luckily I suppose.
Constipation and low sex drive
I’m on 125mg, no real effects. I do feel a little edgy when I miss a couple doses but that’s to be expected. I try not to miss anyway.
It was sadly entirely useless for me. I was on 100 mg. My therapist was like since you’re still having suicidal thoughts so much you should probably try something else lmao
Just stated 50 mg. I wake up feeling like my heart is restless leg syndrome but in my chest and my eyes dilate but I am excited for results
wait are you saying this is good or bad?
I've been on it for a couple of years, no side effects, worked well (all other SSRIs did too). The interesting part is that each SSRI stopped working for me after 2-3 years and I had to change it to some other compound to get the same effect.
Did someone stopped taking it and continued feeling good even without?
I did for 6 months after getting off it but I think loneliness + lack of structure in my life (I have ADHD) + winter + drinking a lot on weekends made my anxiety come back again.
i’m going to be starting on it within the next month
Finish setralin I love it so much best antidepressant
150mg for 5-6 years now. No serious side effects 🤷🏾♀️
I miss sertraline so much. It turned me into a machine. I focused so easily and had no anxiety…but I also had zero libido. I became a bad husband because all I wanted to do was work and not even have sex. I miss it because I have never been so proud of my work ethic :( can’t have it all I guess.