Can sertraline increase anxiety?

If you’re like most people, your brain is always buzzing with different thoughts and worries. And if you’re reading this article, chances are that anxiety is something you deal with often.

One possible solution for anxiety is sertraline – a popular medication that’s commonly used to treat depression and various types of anxiety disorders. But as helpful as the drug may be for some, many individuals wonder: can sertraline increase my anxiety?

The Basics of Sertraline

Before we get into whether or not sertraline can make your anxiety worse, let’s take a quick look at what it actually does.

Sertraline works by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. This neurotransmitter is known to regulate mood and emotions – which makes it an effective treatment option for both depression and certain forms of anxiety.

But while it’s true that more serotonin generally equates to better mental health outcomes, it may also cause symptoms such as agitation or nervousness – especially when starting off on doses higher than recommended.

Why Would Someone Choose Sertraline Instead Of Other Anxiety Treatments?

As mentioned earlier one reason why someone would refer to using sertraline could be due to its effectiveness in treating other disorders alongside generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It turns out that multiple clinical studies have shown sertralines usefulness against Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), Panic Disorder(PD) Social Anxiety Disorder(SAD ) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder(OCD)

  • PTSD
  • PD
  • SAD
  • OCD

Despite these studies proving other uses of seratonin use ,the main questions remains:

Can taking Serotonin worsen Anxiety even after weeks/months/years?

The Link Between Antidepressants & Increased/Broader Ranges Of Symptoms

While antidepressant drugs similar to sertraline are widely recognized as effective treatments for anxiety,panic and obsessive compulsive disorders ,taking them may come with a price; notably in certain cases where symptoms worsen instead of improve.

A small percentage of patients have reported that immediately after dosage -higher than recommended doses especially- they not only experienced increased agitation/nervousness but also increased confusion,drowsiness,lack of coordination– some going to the extent triggering panic attacks or heightened anxiety levels that were seemingly non existent prior to medication use.
As one longitudinal study carried out by McGill University suggested, larger antidepressant doses could bring on more frequent manic episodes among bipolar individuals.

Why Might Someone Experience Worse Symptoms Taking Higher Doses Of Antidepressants?

One hypothesis is that research proves an excess amount of serotonin availability caused by higher medication doses creates an imbalance in neurotransmitter synthesis- leading to severe mood swings including unexplained agitation,nervousness,confusion and fatigue.
It’s advised therefore,to follow your prescribing doctor’s orders vigilantly while starting off with a lower dose then gradually increasing over time until desired results are achieved

Factors To Consider Before Taking Zoloft(sertraline)

Sertraline effectiveness transcends beyond it being an affordable option coupled with very solid scientific backing/discussions around its efficacy used againt multiple other mental health presentations besides GAD .However before taking Sertraline/Zoloft,you must consider if;

  • The risk level outstrips potential benefits:In low cases for example ,if suicidal thoughts run in your family or you’d formerly committed suicide attempt.
  • History/proclivity towards addiction:The primary reason often cited by most clinicians is the tendency for seratonin option based antidepressants (depending on abuse histories) resulting in new addiction perching points raising concern about “what would happen medically” when off the medication.
  • Existential allergies/medical complications:For example its usage has been known to cause or aggravate seizures and even lowered blood pressure- hence a critical look at predisposing medical conditions will be an added advantage.

Should You Stop Taking Sertraline If Your Anxiety Gets Worse?

If your anxiety symptoms get worse after taking sertraline, it’s essential not to panic. As overwhelming as the situation can feel at first, these types of reactions are relatively common and can often be remedied with proper clinical care.

The standard practices to manage any case where patients show resistance once treatment options applied involve:

  • Careful medication dosage reduction – which involves slowing decreasing the amount of medication being consumed over time until desired results from usage are achieved : seems like cliche advice but patience is key
  • Adjunct Therapy – Including therapies such as (but not limited to) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT)

Conclusion

In summary , while for most people sertraline may prove an effective tool when used as prescribed by psychiatrists/physicians against generalized anxiety disorder (GAD),there’s still very high likelihood given that everyone’s biochemistry differs among individuals. so always reach out for medical help if you have any concerning side-effects from taking this drug.

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