I'm having mood problems at 5 weeks on sertraline. Is this normal?
Question posted by Santademon on 22 Nov 2020
Last updated on 20 December 2021 by Lou64v
My psychiatrist recently increased the dosage on my sertraline. The dosage was changed from 100mg to 150mg. While my thoughts have improved, my mood has become unstable.
For the last few days, my mood was okay when I got up, but came crashing down later at night. It was so bad that I felt like I was going to cry.
Today, my mood was a little on the depressive side when I got up, but now I just feel anxious and jittery.
It's been about 5 weeks that I've been on this dosage. Is it normal to feel bad this far in? Do I just need to wait a little longer, or is this a problem with the new dosage?
It happened the same to me. Got better round week four, but on week five got worse again.
Votes: +0
WI
WildcatVet
24 Nov 2020
Hi, Santademon! What you're experiencing is probably what's called the "roller coaster effect". You'll feel good then crash or feel bad and start feeling better during the day until your metabolism is well adjusted to the medication. Dosage increases will frequently cause an increase in side effects or even cause new side effects to appear. They generally resolve fairly quickly so you might want to try and give it a bit more time for your system to stabilize. It can take as long as 6-8 weeks to feel the full benefits of the drug. You're well on your way so try to be patient and keep a positive attitude. Once you're through this initial period you'll likely find that it was well worth your time and effort. Best regards and hopefully you'll feel much better very soon now.
Votes: +0
R6
R67
24 Nov 2020
I was put on Zoloft after going through a few months of bad health anxiety and some panic attacks, never previously had any issues apart from general anxiety but always managed it. Started on 25mg for 2 weeks, at first had insomnia, burning skin sensations and increased anxiety but it started to subside after 6/7 days. After 2 weeks I then went up to 50mg and all the side effects came back twitching muscles, weakness in arms and legs some joint pain and brain zaps which was making me even more anxious. After a few days they seemed to pass again and I had a really good week 4 felt great and not anxious at all so thought it had passed but now on week 5 they’ve crept back in which is frustrating and my GP said she wasn’t aware of this medication causing twitching which was concerning.
Since I’m also only 5 weeks in I’m probably not the best for advice but I would say the increase is the reason for the change and the side effects I would give your body some time to adjust to the new dose and see how you feel. Hope your feeling better soon
