If you or someone you know is taking the antidepressant Sertraline, there’s encouraging news.
Researchers have found that some of the emotional symptoms of depression and anxiety may start improving much sooner than previously thought.
Traditionally, antidepressants were thought to take several weeks, sometimes even months, before any noticeable benefit.
But recent analysis suggests that key emotional symptoms can respond in as little as two weeks.
Zooming In On Symptoms
Most studies in the past focused on overall depression scores, which lump together all types of symptoms.
The team at University College London used a method called network analysis. This allowed them to look at individual symptoms separately, like low mood, restlessness, and negative thinking.
By studying symptoms individually, they found that Sertraline tends to affect emotional and anxiety-related symptoms before physical ones.
Early Results
The study analyzed data from over 500 participants in a trial for mild to moderate depression.
Within the first two weeks, participants on Sertraline showed noticeable improvement in core emotional symptoms.
At the same time, some physical symptoms, such as fatigue, low appetite, or changes in sleep, initially got a bit worse.
These physical symptoms often stabilized later, around six weeks, while emotional improvements continued.
Why This Is Important
For patients, this means you might see a meaningful change in mood and anxiety sooner than expected.
For doctors, it highlights that antidepressants don’t act uniformly on all symptoms at once. Some symptoms respond first, while others take longer.
This insight could help refine how doctors prescribe and monitor antidepressants.
Things To Keep In Mind
Physical side effects can overlap with symptoms of depression itself. This can make early progress feel uneven.
Improvement in emotional symptoms doesn’t mean full recovery. It’s just an early sign that the medication is starting to work.
Recovery is still a gradual process, and it’s normal for some symptoms to lag behind others.
Practical Advice for this Antidepressant
If you’re starting Sertraline, watch for early changes in mood, anxiety, restlessness, and negative thinking.
Be aware that sleep, appetite, or energy levels may temporarily dip. This is common and usually improves over time.
Even if you don’t feel completely back to normal within a few weeks, know that improvement is happening behind the scenes.
Looking Forward
Researchers for this study hope this symptom-level tracking approach will help make antidepressant treatment more precise.
In the future, it could be possible to predict which symptoms a particular drug will affect first.
It may also help tailor treatment plans to individual patients, focusing on the symptoms that matter most to them.
Sertraline can start improving emotional symptoms faster than previously believed.
Mood and anxiety may improve within just two weeks, while other physical symptoms catch up later.
This early response is a positive sign that the medication is working, even if full recovery takes longer.
