Has sertraline actually helped anyone?

[MidnightDream]

I'm diagnosed bpd & autistic.. they're giving me this to try before referring me to psych for anything else.
I've always been absolutely terrified of medication, but needs must.
Has anyone actually had a good experience with it? Or if not, could maybe give me an idea of what to expect in that first week of taking them? I've never heard anything good and ironically the thought of taking them is making me more anxious than anything else rn.

 

[[HNO]]

i took escitalopram and venlafaxine, both are SSRIs in combination with antipsychotics. i didn't noticed any changes except for being sleepy/lethargic all day and gaining weight. in my opinion one should correct internal causes of mental illness such as thyroid dysfunction, micronutrient deficiency from poor diet, abnormal sleep schedule and sedentary lifestyle before take on trust what psychiatrists say that all your problem are external and you needed meds to regain 'normality' (that's very broad definition)

 

[Lonerzepam]

Sertraline and Prozac are the reason why I'm in this forum...But I have to say I also smoked weed additionally but my doctor said it was fine. It wasn't.

Yeah anyways if you only take them and no additional recreational drugs you'll probably be fine. By fine I mean you'll feel like shit the first few weeks of taking them.
diarrhea, nausea, confusion, feeling more suicidal (really ironic), very rare hallucinations but you can develope HPPD even just by taking them but this is alaso very rare but it's the reason why I'm here in the first place. Yeah idk they work different for everybody. My mom's on them and she really seems less depressed and more energized but I think this is only because it dumps/numbs her true feelings and emotions. Sometimes I feel like she's a robot. This is my experience with SSRIs. Don't recommend.

 

[MidnightDream]

i took escitalopram and venlafaxine, both are SSRIs in combination with antipsychotics. i didn't noticed any changes except for being sleepy/lethargic all day and gaining weight. in my opinion one should correct internal causes of mental illness such as thyroid dysfunction, micronutrient deficiency from poor diet, abnormal sleep schedule and sedentary lifestyle before take on trust what psychiatrists say that all your problem are external and you needed meds to regain 'normality' (that's very broad definition)

Sertraline and Prozac are the reason why I'm in this forum...But I have to say I also smoked weed additionally but my doctor said it was fine. It wasn't.

Yeah anyways if you only take them and no additional recreational drugs you'll probably be fine. By fine I mean you'll feel like shit the first few weeks of taking them.
diarrhea, nausea, confusion, feeling more suicidal (really ironic), very rare hallucinations but you can develope HPPD even just by taking them but this is alaso very rare but it's the reason why I'm here in the first place. Yeah idk they work different for everybody. My mom's on them and she really seems less depressed and more energized but I think this is only because it dumps/numbs her true feelings and emotions. Sometimes I feel like she's a robot. This is my experience with SSRIs. Don't recommend.

See this is my fear. I've never cared what other people do, but I always said medication wasn't for me, as for me it would just be masking the overall problem rather than actually doing anything to help. Plus, I'm scared of something altering my brain, my mind, my thoughts, NO thank you. Horrendous.
But it's got to the point now where I feel like I have to do SOMETHING or else it's game over.. I won't survive going on like this. So maybe the risk is worth taking? I don't know. I'm just scared.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

I'm taking sertraline at the moment - this is not the first time - and actually I never had any side effect. And I can say that they help me a lot.

 

[MidnightDream]

I'm taking sertraline at the moment - this is not the first time - and actually I never had any side effect. And I can say that they help me a lot.

I appreciate your input, glad they've helped you :)

 

[Regen]

I took sertraline for many years. I stopped taking it every now and then because it caused me great problems with sleeping.

But at some point I started taking it again and again because it really helps me significantly.

For me Sertraline is one of the drugs with the best effect with the least side effects. I like it and it helps me. I have more drive, I'm clearer in my thoughts, I can communicate better with people, I'm less angry, I'm more loving, I can feel more joy, I feel less depressed, I'm more balanced, I don't get caught up in suspicious thoughts about other people as easily.

It's not a drug you need to be afraid of. It is definitely worth a try!

I really don't like taking medications. But they do help.

 

[Venus13]

Sertraline is top 3 in the worst meds I took. You couldn't pay me to take it again.

I don't think bpd can be helped with meds but what do I know.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

I took sertraline for many years. I stopped taking it every now and then because it caused me great problems with sleeping.

But at some point I started taking it again and again because it really helps me significantly.

For me Sertraline is one of the drugs with the best effect with the least side effects. I like it and it helps me. I have more drive, I'm clearer in my thoughts, I can communicate better with people, I'm less angry, I'm more loving, I can feel more joy, I feel less depressed, I'm more balanced, I don't get caught up in suspicious thoughts about other people as easily.

It's not a drug you need to be afraid of. It is definitely worth a try!

I really don't like taking medications. But they do help.

Definitely. It helps me a lot too. And sometimes in sos I take one benzo (cloxam).

 

[achromatic]

No - but I never noticed any sort of effect from ssri (or snri) - really I could be eating chalk instead lol that doesn't mean it won't be helpful for you - it may be worth trying

 

[Eternally Dottie]

I've been taking it for 7 years at different doses and overall I feel it does help me. I didn't want to go on medication and held off for a long time but in the end I didn't really have a choice as the anxiety wasn't improving with various talking therapies. The downside is I now see it as a safety net and am worried about being able to cope without it.

 

[blackwidow]

everyone is so different so it's a hard one for anyone to answer.. I was on citalopram can't spell it sorry, for 15 years.. no idea of it made any difference really as I still felt shit on it.. I changed to sertraline about 6.monthes ago and made no difference at all from citalopram.. feel no better or worse.. no side effects nothing. May as well be eating a duff tablet really.. certainly hasnt had any profound effect on me at all.

 

[Ashu]

Always to be mentioned are the SSRIs' debilitating sexual side effects, long denied but very common, often devastating, and sometimes irreversible.

Always to be mentioned are the SSRIs' debilitating sexual side effects, long denied but very common, often devastating, and sometimes irreversible.

Lives have been destroyed by the sexual side effects alone. Let the buyer beware.

 

[MidnightDream]

Sertraline is top 3 in the worst meds I took. You couldn't pay me to take it again.

I don't think bpd can be helped with meds but what do I know.

You're right, it can't. But I've been dealing with a lot of anxiety with it recently so hoping it'll help with that
Thanks everyone, appreciate all your input :)

 

[PartlyHuman]

I was diagnosed with depression and some mild bpd, was prescribed sertraline and valproate to help with mood swings and hydroxyzine to address sleeping issues/anxiety. Side effects were quite bad but it helped with depression a lot and bpd got better more due to the fact I discovered I have it and now understand what is happening to me. Now I'm off sertraline, no lasting side-effects, a bit worse sleeping, maybe.

 

[Nerozero]

I started with sertraline some days ago. I have some diarrhea the first days

I don't see any change but I don't know how much time it gets

 

[LittleJem]

it can take 8-12 weeks for the effects to kick in for SSRIs. You might have start-up side effects that pass with time - for example some people get extra anxiety/depression (maybe you will be given Benzos to help with those?). I'm on Fluoextetine and ti took five weeks for a partial response and 12 weeks for a greater response.

Here are reviews from Drugs.com for Sertraline for BPD

I would say it's worth trying - wish you luck. I really recommend the Facebook support groups for starting on SSRIs. They have them for each med and you will see success stories on there as well as people supporting each other with side effects:

Sertraline User Reviews for Borderline Personality Disorder - Drugs.com

Reviews and ratings for Sertraline when used in the treatment of borderline personality disorder. 37 reviews submitted with a 6.6 average score.

www.drugs.com

 

[jodes2]

It just gave me migraines when I came off it

 

[LittleJem]

I got quite agitated during Week 1 and stopped it - but better to sit through side effects and see if it works afterwards. I dont' have much courage with side effects.

 

[theboy]

Not me

 

[Seiko]

I think it all depends on the person. Sertraline didn't have much of an effect on me.

 

[goodnighttime]

I took it for anxiety and depression over the summer. For me it helped quite a bit and I didn't have to worry about those things for quite some time. Take it with food or water! It burned my throat otherwise. It made me sleep for like 12 hours a night too lol.

 

[donealready]

I have been steadily increasing sertraline over the past 4 months.

Weeks 1 + 2 nausea, headaches, dizziness and random muscle aches.

Weeks 2 + 3 turned into a mega bitch. Saying things to people that were possibly correct and accurate, but could have gone about it in a much, much better way.

Weeks 5 + 6 slightly more get up and go. A massive reduction in the incessant need to communicate every thought and emotion. The days on end of hysterical crying are now patches of an hour or so. Hasn't changed any emotions inside me, but changed the way I communicate this stuff. That's the emotional blunting I guess.
So, helpful in some aspects, but the starting side effects are not pleasant at all.

 

[makethepainstop]

I'm diagnosed bpd & autistic.. they're giving me this to try before referring me to psych for anything else.
I've always been absolutely terrified of medication, but needs must.
Has anyone actually had a good experience with it? Or if not, could maybe give me an idea of what to expect in that first week of taking them? I've never heard anything good and ironically the thought of taking them is making me more anxious than anything else rn.

Its works great for constipation, had the runs for days after starting that crap. I said no more after that.

 

[StolenLife]

Tbh for me it helped with my social anxiety, though at first I was feeling very tired and sleepy. Withdrawal symptoms are hell though.