Struggling with Depression and Anxiety: Seeking Help but Scared of Side Effects

I started on sertraline which made me gain weight and lose my libido. I switched to sertraline 20mg for the past 6 months and have found no negative side effects whatsoever, I told my GP I didn't want to take something that would increase my weight or make me lose my libido as that would make my depression and anxiety worse. I've just started taking propanolol for my panic attacks too :)

I took 20 mg for a while, and didn't notice any adverse effects. I eventually got switched off of it in favor of venlafaxine, but that was mostly because the prosec just wasn't doing enough for my depression and PMDD. I mean, the thing is every medication has side effects, and that doesn't mean that they're going to happen to every person. If you really want help with your depression, I would recommend just trying it, and letting it have the time to get into your system. If you notice it's not helping with your depression, or that it's making other problems worse, just talk to your doctor. If they are worth anything at all, they will listen to you and try to help you find a medication that has the biggest impact, the fewest side effects, and the right dosage for you.

I'm on 40mg and no side effects. It's different for everyone, but many people I know haven't had bad side effects. I hear it can give you trouble sleeping though, so I take mine in the morning to avoid that.

If you are very worried about side effects, I would recommend asking for the genesight test before you have to try medications. I tried around 20+ medications and was diagnosed as treatment resistent before they finally signed off on the genetic testing and found out I only properly metabolize 3 antidepressants due to a CYP2D6 mutation, and I have other mutations that effect medications and the MTHFR folic acid gene alteration which can cause depression, anxiety, and other illnesses. I went through a lot of hardship trialing medications that certainly would never work for me for months at a time because I figured I had no choice and was consistently told to "give it time to work." If you feel you have to do something, definitely try the medication as well as insisting on the testing if you can. Good luck!!!!

I'm on 60mg of fluoxetine. It recently got increased, but I've used lower doses of it for years, and the only side effect I've noticed is truble falling asleep, but melatonin helped me with that.

my best friend and fellow chronically ill is on Fluoxetine! roughly 20 mgs I think, and she's noticed no bad or adverse side effects. for her it has worked incredibly, but your experience may be a little different. only side effect I've noticed is when it wears off, it wears off HARD, you can kinda crash. hope this helps!