Autism and Sertraline

Hi and welcome to the community.

The problem with antidepressants - or any other medication - is that the effects can vary enormously from one person to another, so unfortunately there's perhaps limited benefit to asking what has or hasn't worked well for others.

The NAS says:

"Although antidepressants are generally considered useful and safe, there is very little research into whether they help treat anxiety specifically in autistic people. What research there is suggests autistic people may be more likely to experience side effects such as drowsiness, irritability and reduced activity.

Antidepressants should be carefully considered and closely monitored by a medical professional."

My own experience with antidepressants (for combined depression and anxiety) hasn't been positive. I've tried Sertraline and various others, but they didn't help and/or caused intolerable side effects. I'm currently taking medical cannabis instead (under the supervision of a psychiatrist in a private clinic), which I've found helps to calm my mind and generally "take the edge off" things.

As  said, I suggest booking a follow up appointment with your GP - to discuss your thoughts, concerns, and any other potential options (whether with dosage or a different medication, for example).

You might also like to consider asking them for talking therapy referral (or making a self referral, if allowed in your area). If you're interested in doing this, I'd recommend borrowing or buying this book first, which many of us have found helpful. It includes discussion of various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint:

The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy

Finally (sorry for the long post), you might find the advice here helpful:

NAS - Anxiety

Hi and welcome to the community.

The problem with antidepressants - or any other medication - is that the effects can vary enormously from one person to another, so unfortunately there's perhaps limited benefit to asking what has or hasn't worked well for others.

The NAS says:

"Although antidepressants are generally considered useful and safe, there is very little research into whether they help treat anxiety specifically in autistic people. What research there is suggests autistic people may be more likely to experience side effects such as drowsiness, irritability and reduced activity.

Antidepressants should be carefully considered and closely monitored by a medical professional."

My own experience with antidepressants (for combined depression and anxiety) hasn't been positive. I've tried Sertraline and various others, but they didn't help and/or caused intolerable side effects. I'm currently taking medical cannabis instead (under the supervision of a psychiatrist in a private clinic), which I've found helps to calm my mind and generally "take the edge off" things.

As  said, I suggest booking a follow up appointment with your GP - to discuss your thoughts, concerns, and any other potential options (whether with dosage or a different medication, for example).

You might also like to consider asking them for talking therapy referral (or making a self referral, if allowed in your area). If you're interested in doing this, I'd recommend borrowing or buying this book first, which many of us have found helpful. It includes discussion of various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint:

The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy

Finally (sorry for the long post), you might find the advice here helpful:

NAS - Anxiety

Bunny thanks for sharing these links. Very interesting, adds a lot of things up for me personally.

OP, my experience of Sertraline was unfortunately negative. It works for some, but defo didn't for me, really upset my stomach and my head. The side effects were absolutely awful! My stomach is very sensitive so this might be why it affected me badly, as so many things do. I've found talking therapy helps me more than medication but I'm glad Sertraline seems to work well for you. Hope you continue feeling awemazing!

Interesting, my colleague with adhd and BPD also advised me medical cannabis but I’m somehow negative. Meds didn’t help me, only gave me side effects. 

Appreciate the links Bunny.  Some of my own health symptoms have now made sense, after recent diagnosis, including anxiety.  I was definitely at or heading towards burnout prior to xmas, poss not helped by a really busy year at work.  I'm starting therapy next week & now getting some others things checked out by GP too