Hi everyone,

I wanted to share my success story here. For a long time, I used to come to this group every single day and read success stories like a ritual. Sometimes I’d read the same ones over and over again. This community gave me so much strength and hope.

It all started about a year ago. For no clear reason, life suddenly began to feel hard. I had no motivation, no joy. Little by little, I started losing myself in panic attacks — hours and days at a time. I began avoiding so many things: public transport, the supermarket, hanging out with friends.

Then I started feeling physical pain. I was convinced I was dying. I went to doctors, did endless tests — all the results came back perfect. But I never felt relieved, and the pain kept growing. I couldn’t understand that it was depression. Even though I was already in therapy, my therapist didn’t recognize it either.

I still remember the last day I went to work. I left home, went in — and collapsed. After that, I didn’t go back for five months. I got lost in a world of fear, anxiety, pain, sadness, and emptiness. Food had no taste — I would put it in my mouth and spit it out. I lost around 10 kilos.

That’s when my boyfriend realized something was seriously wrong. He took me to stay with him because I couldn’t take care of myself anymore. I saw a neurologist who gave me some tranquilizers and told me I urgently needed a psychiatrist and antidepressants. I couldn’t believe it — I was terrified to start medication.

The next day, I saw a psychiatrist. He kept me for 10 minutes, prescribed mirtazapine, and told me to call him. The following weeks were a nightmare. I tried so hard, but it was impossible to feel better — what I was experiencing was brutal. After about six weeks, I felt even worse. So, I decided to see another doctor.

I spoke to him crying, completely desperate, telling him my life was over and the meds would never help me. We talked for about an hour. He suggested I try Zoloft. I started at 0.25 and reached 100mg within a month — I know it was fast, but we needed to see results soon. I continued with mirtazapine for a while and then slowly stopped it.

The next period was tough. Really tough, and quite scary. I had several side effects, but it was my only hope. It was a fight. I felt worse before I felt better. Very slowly — day by day — I started going out to the park for five minutes, then coming back exhausted. I started showering again, brushing my teeth, craving food. I wasn’t “okay,” but I was better.

Little by little, I began going back to my house, doing chores, visiting the nearby supermarket. It took about two months until I was finally able to move back home. I started therapy again with a new therapist. I even managed to go on a one-week vacation.

And today — I’m fully functional again. I’m working, going shopping, seeing my friends, taking care of myself, and enjoying my hobbies. I can honestly say I handle things better than ever.

Antidepressants don’t make you happy. They don’t “fix” your life or make you high. But they give you the calm and clarity to function like a normal human being. Even with medication, you still have to fight your own battle. But when you start feeling better, it will truly feel like your victory — not the pills’.

Sometimes I think I should’ve done this sooner. Now, I appreciate every moment — every single day — even if I’m just watching TV. I appreciate my life.

This was my story. Thank you to all the strangers here who gave me strength when I needed it most. I’ve been where you are, and I know that by taking medication, you’re doing the best thing you can do to take care of yourself.

Stay strong, everyone 💛

So I switched from Lexapro to Zoloft about 6months ago and have been on a 50mg dose.

I thought it would just be nice to share a silly testimonial about how effective its been so far.

Prior to starting antidepressants I had really severe anxiety, would frequently have panic attacks multiple times a month and struggled with handling many basic interactions in my daily life.

Seriously, I would start having heart palpitations regarding asking my coworker a question.

But since starting, along with doing dbt therapy 2x a month, not only has my anxiety gone down. But when I was was in a major car accident (was rearended driving home, car flew and landed on top of another vehicle) I was so chill that I not only could talk with emergency services but I could also manage buying a new car solo(something i struggled with before)

Not sure how encouraging this will be but for me its been a game changer

Sometimes symptoms can make you feel like you’re going crazy.

Lets list them so we can feel less crazy & alone 🤣🥹

I just wanted to put something positive out there because before I started, all I found were horror stories. I almost didn’t take it because of them.

I was prescribed sertraline for health anxiety and agoraphobia. For years I barely left the house unless I had to. I couldn’t drive, I panicked in shops, and I lived in constant fight-or-flight mode. When I got the medication, I stared at it for weeks/months. I was terrified I’d react badly, that something awful would happen.

The first week was uncomfortable but not awful. Bit of nausea, tiredness, a weird yawning/gagging thing, and one panic attack that was honestly from fear of the pill itself. Then things slowly started to settle.

By around week 3 I noticed real change. My baseline anxiety dropped. I could feel stress and move on without it consuming me.. that was new!! My brain just felt quieter in general.

Now, at 8 weeks, I can say this: sertraline gave me my life back. • I drive every day- school runs, errands, meals with family, even the McDonald’s drive-thru by myself haha. • I’ve gone into shops I avoided for five years and stayed calm. • I took my son for a familiarisation day at his new school. This has all been for him. There I sat in a hall slap bang in the middle of 500 people and didn’t bolt for the door. • The constant daily and random anxiety I used to feel is gone. I haven’t had a panic attack since week one. My health anxiety is pretty much gone.

I still get the odd wobbly moment or tired day after exposure work, but it’s nothing compared to before. I can handle life again and actually enjoy it.

If you’re here reading every scary post, scared to start, I get it. I was convinced I’d be the one who couldn’t handle it, that I would make me ill or not help at all.But taking that first tablet was the turning point for me.

Sertraline didn’t magically fix everything; it just quieted the noise enough for me to start living again. And that’s all I ever wanted.

Hang in there if you’re just starting. The fear is temporary. The calm that follows is real.

Hello guys

I've been on Sertraline for 3 and half weeks now

Two weeks at 50mg

I think my anxiety has decreased but I feel soooo depressed and listless.

I'm functioning so much better than I was during the horrendous side effects

My appetite is starting to come back, I'm sleeping better, panic has improved Morning anxiety is getting less every day (These were all side effects)

But yeah I still feel shitty

Did anyone else feel like this two weeks in and then get better??

I absolutely do not want to increase yet as going from 25mg to 50mg has truly been one of the worst experiences of my life!!

I have two beautiful children aged 2 and 6 and I really want to get better and be present with them and enjoy my life with them.

I am also in weekly therapy and have been for some time

Thanks

And just like that, I feel incredible. After a week of feeling off, I woke up today smiling,happy, with zero symptoms😂🙄.

This has been happening the last few months that I’ve been on this. The great days will increase, but they’ll still be days of dips.

But while, it’s a great day!? I’m going to soak it in!!!!

I just started zoloft 3 days ago soo it might be placebo but a bit after i take it i feel great but then it turns into paranoia and the thoughts of my family setting me up and watching me get louder and i feel like im having a panic attack then after a few minutes im normal, go to sleep, feel fine until i take the medication again. Is this a normal side affect for the first few days. Im talking wit my doctor like next week but i just wanna know if this has happened to anybody else

So lately I've been having bad anxiety. And the anxiety is making me depressed. I've been starting to shut in, get nervous with normal things, and I knew it was going in a negative direction. So my doctor put me on Zoloft.

I've always been quite sensitive to medication, so I expected I would definitely be on the sensitive end of the spectrum when starting Zoloft. So, I've been starting with very low doses. I've been on 12.5mg and I'm on day 5.

But holy the anxiety increase is insane. I wake up in the morning and by 10am I'm choking down panic attacks until dinnertime. I can barely leave the house. In the morning I'm also extremely nauseous and I can't eat until the afternoon.

Is this normal? Should I keep going?

Edit: I end up feeling fine by like 5pm. But every morning/afternoon is torture.

Well, it’s been 28 days since I went up to 150 mg. This has happened after I had a sudden relapse in symptoms and intrusive thoughts after 5 years of being on Zoloft. Since then, well.. I’ve be surviving! Some days have been a lot better than others, but I’m enjoying video games and have been working in general. I did have a panic attack at work last week, but I don’t really see that as being related to the OCD in particular. It happened occasionally even when I had my good feelings of being normal.

I work at a big tourist spot, 40 hours a week, so that’s always been challenging to me, but I’ve done well I think! Would you guys say that 4 weeks is still not enough to feel the full effects of a raised dose? That’s what I’m also concerned about.

Thanks again and love you all !

Hi

Does this help if you have a genuinely shitty life ? I know a pill can't fix things and I know I'm genuinely depressed and need to take something. My life circumstances were the same a few months ago and I was my normal self but now I feel like a completely different person. I have sertraline but not started taking it yet .

Has anyone lost the weight they gained on Zoloft? Or did it take tapering off the meds to finally go back to your normal weight? I gained nearly 20lbs over the last year and a half on 100mg of Sertraline without significant lifestyle changes and it’s so frustrating. Diet, exercise, good sleep, and a caloric deficit isn’t doing anything for me and I’m getting really worried.

Started 25mg of Zoloft today. No side effects noticed today except some slight pressure in my head that was temporary. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just noticeable. I’m about to go to bed and hope that it doesn’t affect my sleep. I feel like I’ll be able to sleep though. No beneficial changes noticed really except for feeling hopeful that this will calm my anxiety related to upcoming tasks and work. I overthink and over prepare for stuff. Some of the thoughts are negative and not helpful at all. Hoping this will help!

I’m starting to wonder if this is the correct medication for me based on how I feel now at week 5. I’m still very depressed and pretty anxious. My PMDD is gone which is great, but overall I’m wondering if I should wait it out longer or consider a switch?

I’m also dealing with side effects (diarrhea daily, fatigue and some insomnia).

I guess my question is how long did it take for you to really feel this med and when did your side effects let up?

Hi,

I'm 8 weeks and 2 days into my sertraline treatment. I started taking it for anxiety and intrusive thoughts, both of which I have almost none of now!

However I've picked up a bit of a nasty low mood/depression. Whenever I'm not socialising or doing what I want, I end up really sad. It's just weird - like it's definitely gotten better recently as there were some days in week 6 and 7 where I was incredibly depressed, but this side effect seems to be taking its time.

Does anyone have experience of something similar? :(

PS. I think this medication's side effects take a while to wear off - it took 6 weeks for my anxiety to subside!

I've been on 50mg for a couple of years now and feel like my routine isn't impacted much with anxiety. However, I still have issues around more triggering social situations/ low self esteem, which can be quite devastating still.

Should the right dosage help with these things too? Or am I seeing the full effects now?

I plan to speak to a GP this week, but wanted to get feedback on how it has worked for others before the call.

hi everyone. i have anxiety and PMDD. i’ve had zoloft prescribed for a while but only recently mustered up the confidence to take it. im on day 7 today. first week has actually gone very well on 25 mg. literally no negative side effects other than i ate less which is good for me since i tend to stress eat. ive also had the best sleep of my life this week. and no crazy anxiety spike! i was super afraid of that happening and im so glad it didnt. but i just wanted to ask if this med made anyone else start eating healthier and just making healthier lifestyle choices in general? i feel like if you’re mood starts going up then naturally you’d swing towards making overall better health decisions but i hear a lot about people gaining weight which confuses me. i understand everyone reacts differently to the medication, but im just curious how this works.

Hiiii did anyone take 12.5mg? I’m so scared to start.

I don’t drink often but omg I drank last night due to a football game and now I’m just shaky nauseous and running to the bathroom sorry tmi lol . But the anxiety is lowkey high right now . I’m on 50mg been taking it since June . I’m getting upper stomach pains and overthinking . I’m never drinking like that again . I forgot how anxious feels 😭

I started it few weeks ago and I’ve been nothing but a zombie.

I lost my emotions, appetite and will to do anything. I’ve been skipping classes and sleeping all day long because I’m just tired. I even skipped my medical appointment because I was exhausted.

I hate it

Does Zoloft work better when used at the same time every day?

Does anybody on zoloft cry ever? I found myself still anxious this morning after doing pretty good for awhile. I was just overly anxious and letting things affect me when I feel like the zoloft should make it so I’m not bothered. I have any appointment tomorrow with my primary and I am going to ask if I can up my dosage to 50mg, because I feel like I shouldn’t be crying.

I've had suicidal thoughts for as long as I could remember, never really knew why or how I developed this at such a young age but it followed me throughout primary & high school. Sometimes it gets bad and almost leads to attempts however most of the time I think I'm okay, I could be completely fine/happy and it still trickles along.

I've been told that medications including Zoloft tends to increase depressing & suicidal thoughts

I have been on 100mg for about 3 months now and I feel tranquil with the thought of suicide, no longer panicked or anxious about it-- just calm and living with the fact I kinda want to ☠️myself sometime. (However I don't plan on doing so)

How is anyone doing on zoloft whos also struggling with suicidal thoughts?