Starting off by saying that I’m aware that it is not advised to drink while on this medication. But still, I want to ask.

If I’ve been on Zoloft (50 mg) for 15 days, and haven’t struggled with any extreme side effects, could I drink? And would it be better to miss a dose for the day I’m drinking? I’ve heard its dangerous to miss doses for a few days, but I don’t know about one.

Also, I’d like to hear you guys’ experiences drinking while on sertraline. Thank you

Every time I go they say everything looks good, but I'm on Zoloft now and I'm scared of "what if it's causing high eye pressure?" I'm scared and not sure what to do

Does anyone here take ginger shots while on sertraline just concerned as there’s stuff online saying how it can be dangerous as ginger thins the blood. And ur at risk of bleeding same as the ibuprofen risk

I’m on 50 mg here and I’m suffering pretty hard. I’m only on day three, though. I know it can take up to like 12 weeks to have a big effect but did anyone get even a little relief earlier than that? I’m in agony.

Est-ce que vous vous sentez plus apaisés, moins anxieux, moins dans votre tête ? Est-ce que vous arrivez à profiter davantage des petites choses, à moins réfléchir à tout et à vous sentir enfin bien avec vous-mêmes ?
J’aimerais beaucoup lire vos expériences positives, savoir ce qui a changé concrètement dans votre quotidien et après combien de temps vous avez commencé à ressentir une différence. J’ai besoin de lire un peu de positif et d’espoir. 🫶🏻💕

Has Zoloft (sertraline) helped anyone with severe anxiety, social anxiety, and feeling stuck in life? Especially those who previously took Lexapro?

I’m struggling with severe anxiety, particularly social anxiety, difficulty making decisions, constant overthinking, and an inability to imagine a positive future. I often feel stuck and struggle to find motivation or interest in things I used to enjoy. At this point, I honestly don’t know whether I’m mainly dealing with anxiety, depression, or a combination of both.

I previously took Lexapro (escitalopram) 5 mg, which helped reduce my anxiety and overthinking, but I also felt emotionally blunted, less motivated, and less interested in life. That’s one of the reasons I’m hesitant about trying another SSRI.

My psychiatrist has suggested sertraline (Zoloft), starting at 25 mg, and I’d really like to hear from people who have experienced similar symptoms.

Did Zoloft help with severe anxiety, especially social anxiety and difficulty making decisions?

Did it help you feel more hopeful about the future and regain your motivation and interest in life?

If you switched from Lexapro to sertraline, did you feel less emotionally numb or have more energy and motivation?

Did 25 mg help you, and how long did it take to notice a difference?

I know everyone responds differently to medication, but I’d especially appreciate hearing from people who felt stuck, anxious, and unable to see a positive future, and who eventually started feeling better with sertraline.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

I am on week 3. Two weeks on 50mg and one week on 100mg. I feel lost and horrible. My depression and anxiety have gotten worse. Anyone experienced this and are now doing great? I'm so hopeless and just looking for inspiration.

I just meet my pyschatist who put me on setraline immediately. Four days on 50mgs then 75gmgs for 4 days and then 100 mgs for a few weeks. My friend has had bad experiences with this pyschatist. The side effects are hitting me like a truck. My friends are telling me that the dose was increasing to fast. This is my first time doing anything like this.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Any advice? I'm very confused anything would be appreciated.

Thank you so much

I reddit. First time posting. I would like advice about being intimate with my partner and no longer being able to climax since I started taking antidepressants(sertraline).

Has anyone experienced this? Does it go away or get better, will I be able to climax?. I just started taking it 4 days ago

I took 12.5mg for 16 days

Then 25mg for 3 days

then back to 12.5 for 3 days and have stopped two days ago.

About the time I went to 25 I developed this crazy intense upper stomach burning feeling with just waves of inner panic , worst first thing in the morning. I feel like my whole insides are buzzing with anxiety and I cannot stand it. I am not vomiting and can still manage to eat but I literally feel like I’m dying with this intense upper stomach burning anxiety feeling.

I even had an urgent upper endoscopy yesterday thinking I had an ulcer or something very wrong but it came back normal.

can this be from the Zoloft?? I mean if it’s not then I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I can’t manage this much longer.

has anyone had similar and did it go away once stopping?? I only took it for 23 days and mostly 12.5mg so this seems crazy extreme and I’m scared.

So i accidentally stopped for two days…. long story but my own fault and i do take with food, did that today with a 20mg protein yogurt with my 50mg dose today and i had the worst diarrhea about two hours after taking….. whyyyy i have not had side effects before 🥲😣

Hi everyone!

I’m 29F and I struggle with severe anxiety and DPDR. My main reason for wanting to take Zoloft (sertraline) is to reduce my anxiety, which I hope will also help alleviate my DPDR symptoms.

A bit of background:

2023: I started sertraline at 25mg and honestly, it was amazing. Within days, I noticed a huge improvement in my anxiety, intrusive thoughts, mental clarity and productivity. My DPDR also improved after some time. I felt more like myself again.

I stayed on 25mg for about a month and tolerated it well. Unfortunately, my (old) psychiatrist then increased my dose to 50mg and eventually 75mg. That’s when things went downhill. I started feeling constantly high, almost like I was on MDMA. It was an extremely uncomfortable, drugged-up feeling that I couldn’t tolerate, so I stopped taking it.

December 2025: I decided to give sertraline another try at 25mg. I took ONE pill and experienced the worst panic attack of my entire life. I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack and was going to die. It felt like a near-death experience, and it absolutely terrified me. I didn’t take another pill after that.

For context, I’m not normally prone to panic attacks, which made this experience even more frightening.

October 2026 (now): I’m considering trying sertraline again, but this time starting at just 12.5mg (morning), with diazepam 5mg in the morning and 5mg in the evening to help manage the anxiety and potential initial activation. I already got the meds prescribed to me by my new psychiatrist and they are now in my possession.

The problem is that I’m absolutely terrified of starting.

I’m scared of feeling overstimulated, agitated, drugged up, having my DPDR worsen, or experiencing intense anxiety. But above everything else, I’m terrified of having another panic attack like the one I experienced last December.

I’m also worried that my anticipatory anxiety is so strong that I might trigger panic symptoms simply because I’m expecting something bad to happen. I can’t seem to rationalise my fear, even though I know 12.5mg is a very low starting dose.

The frustrating part is that sertraline genuinely helped me at 25mg in 2023, before the dose increases made me feel awful. That’s why I still want to give it another chance. The plan is to start at 12.5mg and then go up to 25 and stop there.

Has anyone here:
- Started or restarted sertraline at 12.5mg/25mg after a bad experience?
- Taken diazepam alongside sertraline during the first few days/weeks and found that they helped reduce the initial activation, agitation or panic symptoms?
- Successfully restarted sertraline after a previous medication-related panic attack?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your positive experiences, especially if you’ve been in a similar situation. I’m trying to work up the courage to start again because I really want some relief from my anxiety and DPDR.

Please no horror stories !

Thanks for reading :)

On sertraline for severe anxiety and panic disorder. Had a panic attack on day 1, morning panic attacks increased in ferocity for at least 12 more days. It was absolutely horrendous. This whole time I was also taking Klonopin twice a day as prescribed by my psychiatrist. The panic and anxiety didn’t seem to care much about the Klonopin and ripped right through it.
Day 14 now, and getting more of a flat, detached feeling, anxiety is tamped down a bit. Not sure if the Zoloft is working yet or if the klonopin is finally suppressing the anxiety. Is that the next step- the anxiety fades and flatness takes over?

Thanks. I’ve been lurking for weeks and this forum has helped a lot.

I thought I’d start a new thread because most of the discussions I’ve found about coming off sertraline seem to be quite old. There’s so much conflicting information out there, and it feels like even doctors don’t really understand the withdrawal process or how much it can affect people.

It can be incredibly isolating and debilitating when you’re experiencing symptoms that nobody around you seems to understand, especially when you don’t know whether what you’re going through is normal or when it might end. One of the few things that has helped me is reading other people’s experiences and realising I’m not the only one going through this. So I thought I’d share mine in case it helps someone else feel a little less alone.

I’m in Australia in case that matters, I’m female and just turned 40 but am fit and healthy, don’t smoke or drink, and look about 30 haha - so no other health issues should be impacting any of this!

I was originally prescribed 50 mg of sertraline, mainly to help combat my sleep nearly two years ago. Maybe about a year ago, we went up to 100 mg. I’ve had really bad side effects while on it: in particular the night sweats in the luteal phase of my cycle were just out of control, my libido was just non-existent, and it wasn’t helping my sleep anymore, so I decided I didn’t want to be on it.

While I didn’t really experience weight gain while taking sertraline for around 18 months or so, I’ve recently completed a reasonably quick taper and am now about 5 kg heavier than I was in January (it’s now October).
I don’t weigh myself anymore, the only reason I know I am 5 kg heavier is because I recently joined up for a gym challenge and they weighed me. I haven’t weighed myself since probably March or April, and I think some of that might also be muscle.

BUT I regularly measure my waist, and since tapering, my measurements have increased significantly:
Small waist (narrowest point): 70.5 cm → 76–78 cm
Big waist (belly button/stomach): 78.5 cm → 85–87 cm

I’m only 5’1” (161cm) so every centimetre around my waist is noticeable.

I am so uncomfortable. It feels like such intense bloating and stomach discomfort, and I’m wondering whether anyone else has experienced this, whether it might be water weight, and how long it takes to subside.

I was on 100 mg for about 12–18 months. In August, I dropped down to 50 mg, initially taking it daily before alternating between 50 mg and 0 mg. I then went down to 25 mg daily for a couple of weeks before stopping completely in late September. As of today, 25 October, I’ve been completely off it for about a month.

I tapered relatively quickly because I just couldn’t deal with the side effects anymore, but now I’m feeling really down and out. The nausea has been particularly awful, especially in the afternoons. Food generally doesn’t appeal to me, and the only things I really feel like eating are sushi and chocolate. The stomach bloating is probably the most uncomfortable part. I do eat a lot of chocolate, but generally, aside from that, I eat pretty healthily and exercise a lot.

I just want to feel comfortable in my clothes again!

Has anyone experienced anything similar after coming off sertraline? Did the bloating eventually settle down, and if so, how long did it take? Did any supplements or herbal medicine help settle things? I know this is a textbook symptom, but they’re still not that much information out there from people who’ve experienced it, and I’m also aware that it’s because of the connection between the brain and the gut.

I’d really love to hear other people’s experiences, whether you’re currently going through withdrawal or have come out the other side. I think it helps enormously just knowing there are other people who understand what this feels like.

I’ve attached a screenshot of how I was feeling throughout my taper - again, I couldn’t deal with the night sweats anymore, which is why I went colder turkey, but I know this is not recommended, so be wary if you choose to do something similar yourself ❤️

Hey is anyone else on this timeline? How are you going? Each day is getting better xxx positive thoughts to all getting through the dark forest. We will get out the other side 💐💜

Good morning Sertraline buddies! I’m to give a book recommendation.

I just finished the book from my subject line (my first real book in quite some time actually) and it’s a light read that touched on a lot of the feelings that lead to me seeking help for depression and anxiety, so I’m recommending it to all of you. It doesn’t have a sad ending (though please note a trigger warning for discussion of death and suicide) but it also doesn’t sugar coat existence. It just left me with some small perspective.

Aside from that, please do post an update in the comments. How are we doing? Any wins? Misses you’re recovering from? I’m feeling a need for some connection with others I know are walking my path today so thank you for sharing if you decide to.

Hi all

I have had a horrendous flare up the last 3 weeks of anxiety in my pregnancy at about 23 weeks

I have upped my Zoloft by 50mg 10 days ago from 200 - 250 under guidance from a personal pyscistrist and 4 days ago added in qutiepine 25mg at night they said to use until the Zoloft kicks in at the higher level.

I just feel so much impending doom and the idea that it is affecting my baby is so hard and I have a toddler to look after

I desperately just want to feel back to myself.

Any idea when the increased dose will help

I feel like I’m annoying everyone being like this.

For context I’m a 30 yo male and was prescribed it because I have some issues with OCD like traits and anxiety.

Secondly I did not mention this to anyone but I’m literally a 10-15 second guy in bed and I’ve been secretly interested in taking this medication mainly because I want to last longer in bed and have a more fulfilling sex life.

For any men here who struggled similarly like me, how long did it take before you started lasting longer and did it produce the positive results you were hoping for? Please feel free to elaborate.

Thanks

I just got out of the hospital after being in there for 2 months. I'm trying to adjust to my new sober life, having a care team visiting me every day to deliver my medicine which is over 20 pillls a day. It's ridiculous, but that's the price I have to pay for being constantly hospitalized for withdrawal from drugs and alcohol. Anyway, I got prescribed zoloft and kept getting my doses upped until it reached 200 mg. It feels like my only hope that I can lead a happy life, but fear it will do nothing. I say that cause I think it has been 4-6 weeks where I should feel something. Then again, I'm also on 400 mg of seroquel, 2400 mg of gabapentin, and Klonopin. Seems that's enough medication to put an elephant to sleep, but I don't feel much. I'm not happy at all, and I just want to feel happy again.

I had to stop 50mg after about 3 weeks due to side effects and direction from my doctor.
Started slowly and worked my way up to 50mg during several weeks.
Tapered off with one week on 25mg, one on 12.5mg and finally 5mg before stopping 4 days ago.
I have pretty bad/vivid dreams, struggle a bit with my memory, don’t know if this is what people call brain fog? Also being a bit dizzy like I was when I started. Bowl movments also like when I started.

Is this normal to have after quitting and how long does it last. At least I’m not having brain zapps.

I have been on Zoloft before so I know it works! I recently went back on and went up to 100mg after 14 days on 50mg… tomorrow completes my 6th week of 100mg… my physical anxiety has gone down but still no where near feeling myself…. I was totally fine at the end of August before I had a night of panic attacks and that’s when I spiraled and went right back on Zoloft…. Anyway should I stick with the 100mg a few more weeks or up to 125mg (I feel like that is what the doctor will say ) anyone still feel bad a 6 weeks but had a good turning point at 8 weeks? Thanks!

I started Sertraline 50mg 5 1/2 weeks ago for severe health anxiety and panic attacks.

The first week was the usual start up anxiety but then it got so much better, weeks 2-4 were amazing, like I was back to my old self and really thought it had worked.

However, for the last 8 days I’ve had a massive dip, early morning anxiety is back, ruminating thoughts, dizziness, heart palpitations, lack of motivation, teary. I’m feeling so disheartened and wake up every morning hoping I’m back to how I was on them weeks.

It’s not like I’m miserably sad, but I’m also not happy either, it’s such a weird feeling.

I don’t want to try a higher dose yet as I want to wait it out but can someone please tell me this is normal and if anyone had a similar experience.

Note: I started my period two days ago so know this may have added to it, but my period at the beginning wasn’t like this.

I’m so grateful for the people who mentioned to take it at night to avoid the insane dreams that feel like an alternate reality. For a month I was taking 50 to 75 mg at about 8:30 am and I’d get extremely tired between around 2-6pm, then I go to bed around 11 or midnight and the entire night would feel like a superhero or adventure movie. My dreams felt more real in reality which was interesting but I woke up feeling like I hadn’t even slept at all. I just changed to taking it between 8-11 pm, and I definitely feel like the dreams are still very realistic but I do wake up feeling like I’ve actually slept now and I can’t recall the entire thing as if it was a movie. And I’m also not feeling the mid afternoon slump. So if anyone else is feeling as I was, maybe switch to taking it in the evening.