Does sertralin help with your window of tolerance?

[ATaylor]

I have a very low stress threshold and am always struggling with everyday things especially when there is a lot going on at once. I currently aren't on any medication but am wondering whether to try sertralin or not. Just wondered if anyone has found it helpful to cope better with every day stresses?

 

[Sideways]

Personally, I didn’t experience any benefit from sertraline.

It’s still a very popular first-try for depression in these parts though.

 

[ATaylor]

Personally, I didn’t experience any benefit from sertraline.

It’s still a very popular first-try for depression in these parts though.

Thanks for your reply, sorry it didn't work for you. I have been thinking about it for a long time but on the one hand I don't really like the idea of starting to take medication but also finding it very exhausting and frustrating trying to manage myself by myself.

 

[Sideways]

No worries. I had a very long period of profound depression, so it made sense to try the ssri’s.

Medications have been a key part of my recovery from that depression and management of both my ptsd and did symptoms. I still take an anti-psychotic (for the off label benefits to mood and anxiety), and an atypical antidepressant.

It was a long road to finding what works. And it required a pdoc who was really good at prescribing for those specific conditions (the catch is that pdocs who are very good at prescribing, tend to do pretty much just that, so I had to get my therapy from other providers).

Genetic testing to rule out medications would be something I’d have done years earlier if I’d known it was available and how simple it was!

 

[ATaylor]

Thanks. I didn't realise that there was genetic testing for medication so that's something I'll look into.

 

[Survivor3]

Hello @ATaylor I was put on sertraline 16 years ago and hated it, it was like taking cocaine. Made me really edgy and wanting to use alcohol.

I now take escitalopram 20mg and its changed my life. I'm so much better

 

[ATaylor]

Thanks for telling me your experience of sertraline. I haven't heard of escitalopram so will look into it, glad it has helped you so much

 

[littleoc]

My best friend, who also has generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and depression, is on this medication. Thankfully, it works VERY well for him. I saw the improvement almost overnight after the first week or two of him being on it.

It's certainly worth a try. If it doesn't work, you can move on to other medications. I've never tried this one, but agree with the sentiment that I had to look for the right medications for over a decade in order to find a combination that worked.

Each new med usually needs a few weeks to months to really get a feel for how it will work for you, and to get past the window of the biggest side effects.

If the side effects subside and the benefits outweigh them, then the psychiatrist will up your dose as necessary over the next few months or years to get to the best balance of med benefits with minimal side effects.

Here's to hoping you're as lucky as my friend and it works for you (it's apple juice -- pretty sure you need to avoid alcohol while on it!) -- my friend has had to up the dose several times in the last two years, but the results are very helpful for preventing that paralyzing anxiety and symptoms of depression

 

[littleoc]

Back to add something else he said over text:

Also for sertraline question, you can say that obviously everybody's different but the immediate effect I feel when taking it is a very mild sedative effect within an hour that doesn’t make me sleepy, it just makes me very calm, and I’ve used it before to like help me make a scary phone call etc [with phone anxiety/phone phobia]. I’d wait or take it early about an hour before the phone call to have Maximum Antianxiety

Longer term effects are that I mostly feel normal, but my negative emotions are less intense and more manageable, and positive emotions are more intense. And I can very easily hyperfocus on any random thing, such as "wow, this blade of grass is the most fascinating thing in the world," but that might be because I have autism

I was telling my friend about this post and how surprised I was that it worked so poorly for others. (The share buttons on the website are a great addition.) I hope it works for you, or works with another medication, or that the trial is quick for you if you're more like others in this thread/forum :)

If it's the last thing, you have great suggestions here, too. So you won't be as lost as the rest of us often feel when/if meds repeatedly aren't helpful

 

[Freddyt]

Everybody's body chemistry is different so the effects vary.....

For me it was a choice not to use it. I made it 45 years without it and it is difficult to stop taking it. So with a history of addiction - I just said no thanks....

 

[ATaylor]

Back to add something else he said over text:





I was telling my friend about this post and how surprised I was that it worked so poorly for others. (The share buttons on the website are a great addition.) I hope it works for you, or works with another medication, or that the trial is quick for you if you're more like others in this thread/forum :)

If it's the last thing, you have great suggestions here, too. So you won't be as lost as the rest of us often feel when/if meds repeatedly aren't helpful

Sorry I haven't replied sooner, life has been hectic. I really appreciate your response and it is great to hear how well sertraline has helped your friend in detail. Thanks

Everybody's body chemistry is different so the effects vary.....

For me it was a choice not to use it. I made it 45 years without it and it is difficult to stop taking it. So with a history of addiction - I just said no thanks....

That's a fair point, I have been struggling for years and just get tempted to try something that could hopefully make managing myself a bit easier and make it easier for my family to put up with me!