SSRI initial side effects

[Betty_B]

I've got Zoloft 50 mg subscribed by my doc, started with 25 mg and I am supposed to up the dose on Tuesday to 50 mg. I have only been taking them for few days now and I feel really nauseous and stomach is upset in general.

I was told these side effects could be expected and that they would pass, but how long is it going to last?? Not nice to hardly be able to eat or drink anything for days now and it still doesn't feel any better. I'm afraid it will get worse too if I start taking 50 mg as I was told to, I also suffer from phobia of vomiting so this ads to my anxiety and it feels like the medicine only make me feel worse.

Anyone who has experience from initial side effects of SSRI medications and roughly how long I can expect them to last? If I can expect it to pass soon, maybe then I can hang in there and see the light at the end of the tunnel and hope the medicine can help for my panic disorder.

Thanks!

[CanuckGuy42]

I can say from personal experience it took my approx 3 weeks on Lexapro before I felt i was stabilizing and the side effects started to dissipate. The therapeutic effects of an SSRI can take up to 6-8 weeks to be fully felt so patience and perserverence seems to be the name of the game.

[Newtothesite]

Hello everyone,

    I also have been dealing with night time panic attacks. I am 40 years old and suffer from acid reflux as well. I am taking Xanax but it does not seem to help all of the time. My attacks range from waking up and just having to try and calm myself down for 10-15 minutes to my entire body trembling for 45 mins to an hour with the fear that I am going to pass out and no one will find me. This does not occur every night but only srrounding certain situations/ environments but my first major attack happened a year ago in which I ended up in the ER, thinking I had a heart attack. Now ever since I think I create the anxiety fearing that I will end up as bad as I was the first time.

[Betty_B]

Thanks for the answers! I'll really try to get through this part since I really help that the medicine will help me. Since I already took it almost a week from your experience the initial side effects will start to disappear soon.

That you felt better with higher dose also make me feel better about increasing it to 50 mg. Maybe my body then is used to the drug and the side effects won't be that bad.

[Julie359]

For most people starting an SSRI they will feel worse before starting to feel better.  The reason you are feeling so sick is because the majority of Serotonin actually resides in the stomach and intestines, and because the drug is starting to make changes in your body, for you, it is causing stomach upset.... The length of time to settle really does depend on the individual and it is true that a lot of people feel better as they increase the dose.  I would say though for most people it can take anything from 1 to 2 weeks to settle into the drug.

If at any point though you feel that your not able to cope with the side effects or they seem to be dragging on please go back and talk to your doctor, who may make slight adjustments to the dose or change the drug to a different one.  

[worrywart73]

HI in regards to how long the side effects last everyone is kinda different but wat i will tell u is im on 50 mg of zoloft and as weird as it may seem i felt better each time i increased my dose i felt better and better. I really scared of meds so i started takin a half of 25 mg then two weeks letter went up to 25 mg till i got to 50 mg. I have to admit it was very rough in the beginning and didnt think i was gonna be able to continue cuz i too felt very nauseuos and a lil shaky but thank god i continued cuz i feel so much better. Good luck tho and im sure u will feel better soon too : )