SSRIs

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Just had a physical and talked to with my doctor about some of my issues. He gave me a perscription for Sertraline (an SSRI.) I've never been on one before so I'm not quite sure what to expect. Anybody here have any experience with this type of drug?

I'm not expecting a miracle or anything but it couldn't hurt for a little anxiety reduction.

They suck.

i dont like them. Just my view.

I'd give it a second thought before going on SSRI for several reasons.

First of all how bad is your anxiety? Is it crippling? It sounds like you're looking for a minor anxiety reduction. If that's the case then SSRI would be a bad idea.

Second how much is your doctor aware of your anxiety? I think a doctor should spend a lot more time with a patient then just one session to make such a big decision or otherwise his only job would be to just try and sell you and orange bottle. Have you worked on other options with your doctor in the past?

I dunno anything about your situation but your post make it sound like this may spell trouble. My personal experience with SSRI has often been the result of extremely uneducated and careless professionals who cared more about selling me the drug then they were about keeping track of my condition. That is the big thing I think you should be concerned with when going on any medication.

I was on Effexor for several years and to be honest, in hindsight, I felt no real difference. When I came to the conclusion that I would like to see what life was like without them, the withdrawal symptoms were horrendous.

While on them I had some side effects like weight gain and it totally removed from me an already low libido. This is in no way me telling you to ignore your doctors advice, but please take the advice I was never given and that is, when the time comes that you plan to come off them, you will experience at least 2 weeks of the most profound and all encompassing suffering that you can imagine.

I had to take the SSRI Fluoxetine (Prozac) as I had depression, 3 years ago. At first I experienced nausea but not actually vomiting, and that went away after a week. Did they help my depression? I did get better eventually, but I'm not sure what was the main cause; it could've been a combination of things.

I was on sertraline for a while a year or two ago. It didn't do anything to help me, but I know a few people for whom it has worked. Side effects I experienced were weight gain and pretty bad drowsiness and fatigue, especially in the first few weeks. Also, I have been on medication that made me feel faint and nauseous when I smoked a cigarette, though that may not have been sertraline, I can't remember.

Hope this helps and that, if you do decide to take it, it works well for you.

Tried welbutrin, celexa and a couple of others. All caused weight gain and more misery. Only celexa helped because it limited the intensity of my emotions. But once I started eating right and got my life in better order I realized I didn't need crutches anymore. It's okay to be a little strange, many people I respect greatly are oddball types. As long as it's not out of control.

I'm on a low dose of Setraline and Olanzapine (an atypical antipsychotic).

Apart from pain medication (and only some) I seem immune the the effect of most drugs but often get one or two side effects. I'm only on the above because my tests results shows super low seratonin, and somewhat high dopamine levels. Which is bad for other things and not just your brain.

I have felt no difference while on them. The olanzapine reduced my stims just a bit, but I've started to stim in other ways (repetitively listening to certain songs). So it like lessened physical stims, but it's hardly noticeable. Also it gave me headaches and low blood pressure but when I added the setraline that stopped.

I have severe social anxiety problems and there's been no difference. I've also tried a few anxiety meds (at doses that knock other people out) and there's barely any reduction in anxiety. I'm still working on this problem with my psychiatrist.

I am on 50 mg of Sertraline HCl (Zoloft) per day, and it has nearly eliminated my anxiety.

I suspect it kind of amplifies some of my autistic behaviors, but it also seems to have diminished my stimming.

I am on 40mg of Cipralex for ocd/gad/asd related anxiety...so I am on quadruple the normal dose of 10mg. I can say a few things about it:

-I talk a lot more to people
-I smile more now
-I feel less frustrated at work
-I feel very relaxed and calm
-My mood is lifted and I have boughts of pure joy (It is difficult to fully embrace the joy because i'm not used to it)
-Noticeably less rumination, worries don't stay in my mind for as long.
-No more adrenaline rushes from things that spike my anxiety
-I feel *stoned* without the psychedelic aspect, eyes half closing...but not tired
-The side effects even on such a high does go away after much persistence (2 weeks the side effects lessen noticeably)
-You may feel sleepy during the first two weeks
-The only long standing side effect I noticed was excessive yawning but you can control this and it feels really nice to yawn during the first two weeks.
-After the first week I noticed how calm and relaxed I was, noticeable affect on anxiety levels.
-Every time you change your dose you need to wait at least 5 weeks for the effects to come fully back, it is worth it to wait. When the effects hit it is like a light switch is turned on in your brain.
- I still have emotions and I still feel like a person, it has not robbed me of anything, only improved.

My advice for you is to stick it out, It took around 5-6 weeks for me to really start seeing change in my mood and the first week was generally full of anxiety. The problem is most people take it for 2 weeks hate the side effects, spread the word online and never get to experience the helpful mood lifting effects that come after 5 weeks.

Serotonin needs time in the brain the reason is because your brain adapts after your first does of Cipralex...SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin. The brain in response throttles back serotonin production and down regulates serotonin receptors to control the flux of extra serotonin in the synapse...it takes around 5 weeks for the brain to adapt and the serotonin to desensitize the auto receptors on the pre synaptic neuron. These auto receptors regulate how much serotonin is let into the pre synaptic cleft, when they are desensitised that is when the extra amount of serotonin becomes available.

SOURCE

Most SSRIs seem to work well for most people I have known who have taken them. More importantly they are backed by a decent body of evidence that demonstrates that they are more effective than placebo in most people. My experience of them was quite different though: I have had a paradoxical reaction to every SSRI I have taken i.e. they make my anxiety and depression worse (edit: and we are talking over a long term period here, I didn't quit after 2 weeks cos I felt crappy). Such reactions are pretty rare so don't let people's scare stories put you off. These drugs work for most people so imo if someone has anything more than very mild anxiety or depression they owe it to themselves to at least try some antidepressants with an open mind and see what happens. Also don't fall for the trick of feeling worse in 2 weeks (you may well do so - it will most likely pass 2 weeks later) and deciding they aren't working - 3 months is probably a more reasonable time frame in which to make a decision about whether they are helping. Don't be scared by the list of side effects as most of them are fairly uncommon and the common ones are nothing too unpleasant such as sweating more, slight nausea, effects on your libido, feeling a little unusual - kinda sedated or spaced out.

Well I would like to say try it first with an open mind. Just like any other medications, some experience side effects in varying degrees. Common side effects such as headaches and nausea do go away with time. If they are persistent and severe, talk to your doctor to see what works for you. There are lots of resources available online on SSRIs if you need any information. Sertraline worked for me but made me gain a lot of weight.