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suze79

Any advice about Sertraline

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Hi Everyone

 

My 11 year old ds has been prescribed sertraline for anxiety and i am scared to death about the side effects and if it will help.

 

Does anyone have any experience with this? Did it help? DS is so anxious all of the time and i really did not want him to take anything but it is torturous seeing him so stressed out.

 

Any advice would be very gratefully recieved.

 

Susan

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Hi Susan

 

My daughter was on sertraline for a few weeks back in '04. It didn't have any noticeable effect on her anxiety, and she developed a slight skin rash which may have been linked to it, although we couldn't prove this. She was convinced the drug was causing it and refused to carry on taking it. I don't think she was on it for long enough for any benefits to kick in, to be honest, so I can't say how effective it is. She went on to another antidepressant: amytripteline, which suited her a bit better.

 

Don't let that put you off, as everyone is different. Like all of these meds, it has to be carefully monitored and the dose adjusted if necessary.

 

If you put sertraline into the forum search engine, you may come across other references to it.

 

K x

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Good Morning

 

My son (12) was on Sertraline 50mg for the last 4 weeks and initially it was great really helped him with his anxiety and calmed him down a lot unfortunately on week 4 he became depressed and cried a lot and so I've had to take him off again - I was hoping this was the one!

 

I would try it you will know yourself over the month if it helps.

 

Karen

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I have asperger and take this. the only side effects were dizzyness at the begining of taking it but it soon dies down. I find it has helped with anxiety and made a hugh difference to my mental state and helped make me think more clearer and logical manner.

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i posted in the other sertraline thread as well so wont say too much here. The side effects shouldn't really be a problem, but i don't recommend Sertraline at all, i really feel that the chemicals used within it are not effective on autistic symptoms. Sertraline made me worse and made it harder to break out of my routines, Citalopram i feel is far more effective and has something in it that effects certain symptoms in a positive way and no areas worse. Im going to flexo something (prozac) so will see how that goes, but i wouldnt go back to sertraline, citalopram is much better, i feel for autism sufferers

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i posted in the other sertraline thread as well so wont say too much here. The side effects shouldn't really be a problem, but i don't recommend Sertraline at all, i really feel that the chemicals used within it are not effective on autistic symptoms. Sertraline made me worse and made it harder to break out of my routines, Citalopram i feel is far more effective and has something in it that effects certain symptoms in a positive way and no areas worse. Im going to flexo something (prozac) so will see how that goes, but i wouldnt go back to sertraline, citalopram is much better, i feel for autism sufferers

 

Steven, do remember that different meds work well for some people and not for others. It's one thing to relate your own experience of a medication but quite another to use only your experience to say it won't suit anyone with autism.

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I am on Sertraline 50mg, and I have been on it now for around 8 months.

It has helped me a lot by taking the edge off and my anxiety levels are a lot better

The only thing I have noticed is that is does affect me sexually, but apart from that it's been fine

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I take sertraline and it has been very useful, I have been on it more than a year now. I know another Aspie who takes it and it helps him too.

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I also take sertraline and have done for over 5 years. It helped my depression and anxiety a great deal. Many underestimate the effect of anxiety and in my opinion of medication helps (after trying other methods) then it is worth taking. I'm not sure about giving it to children or young adults though as we don't know what it does to a developing brain. There have also been concerns about an increase in suicidal thinking in some people, particularly teenagers.

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My son has been on Sertraline for about 2 years. He started on 50mg, and that increased to 200mg a day, which is the highest dose they can give to an adult. My son is 13. His anxiety and OCD kept increasing, so the psychiatrist kept increasing the dose.

 

We are now slowly taking him off it, and to be honest, we havent' noticed any increase in anxiety or OCD symptoms so far. So i'm not sure what, if anything, it was doing for him. Other people obviously have had different experiences.

 

I think the thing to remember is whether medication is going to be beneficial for the person taking it, as opposed to no medication. Then you have to try it out, and sometimes it can take a number of medication changes to get it right - or sometimes you never get it right.

 

My son had also been tried on prozac, and that made him more irritable and driven.

 

There is one other medication CAHMS say we can try, but first I want to see how he is off medication completely. He is now on just 50mg a day. If there is no increase in his anxiety and OCD, then I might keep him medication free if possible.

 

The problem is that we have been pushing for CBT for his OCD for years. Clinical Psychology have no finally agreed to get involved, and medication may help him use the strategies and approaches they will discuss with him.

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Sertraline is probably the best medication available as first line drug treatment for severe anxiety in terms of the evidence from many different scientific trials - it has a lower rate of problematic side-effects and is usually very well tolerated. It also has better success rates than most other medications particularly if there is also associated low mood or OCD. But every child is unique and success is never guaranteed. It is usual to start at a low dose such as 25 or 50mg then for this to be increased after review. Some mild initial nausea is very common and usually short lasting - typically a few days. It may take about 2-3 weeks before any real benefit is seen. But as I say every person is different and I have sometimes seen dramatic improvements within a week. Only very rarely are side-effects unmanageable and there is no way of predicting in advance the few individuals who experience severe gastritis, or lethargy/fatigue , or deterioration of mood. But don't give up other effective medications can also be used.

Other treatable anxiety provoking issues may respond to OT involvement and management of sensory issues (sensitivities to noise, lights, smells, fabrics, personal space, seating arrangements etc).

DR Ciaran Kelly, Independent Child Psychiatrist, Romsey.

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