The pros and cons of taking Sertraline 50mg for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder PMDD ~ contains gifted items

Sings “I’m only sleeping…” she wishes! In fact, I’m not. Not sleeping properly anyway… I haven’t had a full, unbroken night’s sleep now for a month and I am feeling it.

Nope! I do not have a child waking me up in the middle of the night. Yes, my partner does snore occasionally… and I am the lightest sleeper in the world… but even with industrial-style ear plugs, a silk eye mask and glorious Mulberry silk pillowcases from the Fine Bedding Company and a dab of Scentered Pulse Point sleep balm on my wrists, chest and forehead… I am still waking up between the hours of 2am and 4:30am and then fighting with my brain to switch itself off, so that I can get some much needed shut-eye before i start my day all over again.

A few week’s back I finally started taking Sertraline 50mg, as prescribed by my GP, to combat the horrible PMDD symptoms I was experiencing each month - take a look at my post here and here to find out more about Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and what it feels like for someone who has it.

For the first 5-days of taking Sertraline, I was struggling to keep my peepers open during the daytime, had a weird salty taste in my mouth, a bit of an upset stomach (tmi - sorry!) and zero appetite! You know…. I’m not really a nap sort of person, but just a few days into taking this medication and I almost needed match sticks to prop my eyelids up!

Bedtime scenes: Philips Hue bedside light on ‘reading lamp’ mode - mini angle poise-style ‘Lizzie’ lamp from Habitat, the flicker of a diptyque figuier candle from Liberty London and Mulbery silk pillow cases [gifted - The Fine Bedding Company]

Orange satin jacquard short sleeve shirt & shorts pyjamas ~ ASOS

On the plus side, the fluctuating hormones and sudden bouts of low mood associated with my PMDD had subsided considerably in the first half of my two week luteal phase. I’d also read that the drug needs a little bit of time to get into your system too, so things could only improve from there on in…. or so I hope!

In week two of taking Sertraline at 8pm each evening, to try and counter the daytime sleepiness, I then started waking up in the middle of the night and have been doing so ever since. Even after stopping taking it, once my period had started. GAH!

John Lewis & Partners Mongolian Sheepskin Ombre Cushion in Carbon Blue

I did a bit more research online, and read that many people actually find they are better off taking it all of the time, so that the medication has time to stabilise in your body. As a result, I’ve just asked for a repeat prescription from my GP, to see if taking it every day, as opposed to just 2-weeks of my cycle, can help alleviate the sleepless nights and still provide relief for PMDD. Do check out IAPMD for more info and support.

Update: My partner kindly bought me a pair of Bose Sleep Buds! They are brilliant! Quite the indulgence for any sleep-deprived tech geeks like me. Nope! They’re not cheap, they don’t play music…or podcasts… just purely ambient, white noise-masking soundscapes. A plethora of them… which make for a super comfy, snooze-able night’s kip!

To shop, search ‘Bose Sleep Buds II with Alarm’ or read more reviews, if you’re like me and need a little more persuasion before making a big purchase like this.

Have you experience Insomnia from taking Sertraline? Any tips are much appreciated!

Say hello on Twitter @LucieKerley and Instagram @LucieLoves

Disclaimer: Thank you to Scentered and the Fine Bedding Company for kindly gifting samples of your lovely products. Having trouble sleeping too? Check them out.