Any tips for getting through first weeks of sertraline?

[CG1964]

I'm a 51 year old mother of four and have never had any mental health issues until now.  Worry about family members over the last 12 months (Alzheimer's father, transgender son failing college, other son moving overseas, another son choosing college, brother with cancer) has brought on crippling anxiety attacks - racing thoughts, jitters, insomnia, stomach cramps , ringing ears, muscle ache headaches, ... My Dr has put me on 25mg sertraline and I am on day 8 - feeling worse than before and getting no sleep. Have started taking melatonin before bed but I always wake up between 3 and 4am with my mind racing.  Not getting much done during the day except pacing around my kitchen.
I need some advice on how to survive this initial ramping up period of the next few weeks - please.

[Paxiled]

I guess what I mean is, I'm not sure you're having a mental health issue -- you're having a life issue.  Most of with mental health issues don't have a clue why we're suffering.

[Paxiled]

My own opinion is, given you know what's causing this, is that medication might not be the best option.  I would see a good psychologist who specializes in anxiety and in helping you figure out why you're reacting this way.  But if you're going to insist on the meds as your first option, a psychiatrist is the person to see, and while it does take 4-6 weeks to notice if a drug is the right one or not, everyone has a very different experience with drugs and their side effects and the difficulty of starting and stopping, so it's impossible for any of us to know how it will affect you.