Hi I’ve been prescribed sertraline for depression has anyone got any advice for me or any stories of there journey on it ? Also I’m 11 days clean of alcohol and cocaine today .
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Sertraline (aka Zoloft) on a low dose helped me in my early recovery. It helped me get through the initial mental health struggles (both depression and anxiety) when I first got sober. I only took it for three months, I believe, and was my choice along with doctor’s counsel to taper off at that point. I felt like I was much more stable with some sober time at that point and wanted to try not taking it. Since my main issue was anxiety more than depression, it made sense to me to handle it this way. Ultimately it is a potentially useful tool in your overall toolbox to treat and manage depression and overall mental wellness, but meds are not a silver bullet fix-all. In my experience, a well-rounded approach is important, including looking at diet and exercise, spending time outdoors and doing things that bring joy, connecting with loved ones, and sometimes therapy or counseling.
Hope this helps. Glad you’re getting help.
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I was prescribed a low dose for post partum but it was hard to get off of for me. I felt very suicidal trying to get off.
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I’m sorry you had that experience. Meds affect everyone differently. I can only imagine postpartum being extremely challenging.
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I am on 25mg Zoloft.
If I don’t have it for a few days I get depressed and my behavior changes.
I needed something during the day, because the night meds were only helping me sleep. And I was still depressed during the day.
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I felt after a month my anxiety levels were more balanced, my threshold for stress was higher. I had a follow up appointment with my doctor after two months and had done a lot of other work around learning to cope with stress. I started having some symptoms I wasn’t happy with so we discussed tapering off to see how I did without. I felt it was a useful tool to get me to a less anxious state but I chose not to continue.
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I found Sertraline helped initially, it really made me less anxious. My depression got worse though and that continued as the dose was increased.
I only mention it to stress the importance of keeping in touch with your doctor if things aren’t improving after a couple of months (or getting worse). Different things work for different people. I am now taking an SNRI which suits me better.
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Thank you for making this point! Vitally important.
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I have been on it in combination with my usual med that im on and ive never had anything bad to say about it. It did help “lift” my mood and ease my anxiety. Just coming off of it wasnt the greatest (but i also did that without properly weaning myself off of it like ur supposed to with the help of a dr). I just quit it which isnt the way to go. But i do feel like it helped when i needed it
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I was still drinking when I took Zoloft so it’s hard to say what was the medicine vs the interaction. That said, I felt manic at times while on it, was more likely to take risks while drinking. I was told that can happen if you have bipolar 2 which I was told I had when I was younger, but later told I don’t have it. I also gained a lot of weight while taking it.
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On the SNRI I felt like I was on a happy zen cloud after about 2 weeks. Of course the zen cloud wasn’t permanent (much like the sober pink cloud, I imagine it was the novelty of it as much as anything) but after years of depression it was pretty mindblowing!
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Be careful bumping up… they eventually put my 16 yo on the highest dose possible (200 mg), she became very suicidal and ended up being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. It has since become my belief that only a psychiatrist should be prescribing that sort of rx.
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I haven’t dealt with severe long term depression, just short bouts and seasonal periods, but I can really imagine the immediate relief being a huge weight off!
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It didn’t wonders for my after I had my first child. Drinking is dangerous with these drugs.
I’ve been on it a couple years. Safer now that I’m not drinking. I take 200mg a day. No real side effects. It had been working really well for me. Less so now, but it still helps. I have severe recurring depression and have for 20+ years. I’ve tried so many different meds. Everyone is different with what works.
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I started that for postpartum depression and it did help for a couple of years. Until it didn’t. I started to have thoughts that didn’t feel like my own. My doc switched me to Lexapro and that had been working much better for a few years too. But now that I’ve been sober almost a year, it doesn’t feel like it’s working as good. Which makes sense. So I have an appointment with my doc to discuss options.
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I was on Zoloft for 3 years in the military when I was stationed in Alaska for depression and anxiety. To me it should not be a long term solution or use thing because it can have side effects for instance I had extreme night sweats on it. I was really happy to get off of it but it did help me through a tough period in my life. Back then I drank a lot also despite the warnings on the label. I have become really conscious of what can damage your liver so it’s good you’re sober because when mixed with alcohol it can cause liver damage. Congrats on your sober days so far!
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