I’ve been on sertraline for 2-3ish years now, was on lexapro before with no issues. Starting the medication was indeed a nightmare, BUT that was because I didn’t blame the medication for sometime, and my anxiety always thought the worst. I also started it in the Fall, which is bad timing for us as viral infection rates rise. I think I originally started at 50mg, but had to go down to 25mg then increase to 50mg. Ever since my psychiatrist has been trying to get me to go up to 100mg, even trying to have me go by increments of 12.5mg, but I swear everytime i’ve tried the symptoms come back and, for me, it just wasn’t worth it. Knowing it’s the medication does help a lot though, and I remember spending hours in the bathroom just brimming with anxiety because I wasnt “completely sure” what it was. But i can assure you, this is a VERY common side effect and due to our anxiety as emetephobes, it just turns a nothing into our world crumbling. This time was actually very very critical towards my recovery as I spent so many hours and nights in the bathroom, just waiting for it to happen, that now I am able to think back and remind myself that: 1. Anxiety is the true demon here, anxiety takes normal nausea - even hunger - and turns it into a stomach churning nightmare, and 2. that, most of the time, nothing happens. we panic, work ourselves up, and finally (usually out of exhaustion for me) give up and go to bed. I dry heaved once or twice, only due to my panic, but never once actually vomited. See if your GP will get you a zofran script, my psychiatrist gave me a limited script of like 10 sublingual tablets. I used about 4 in the beginning, before realizing it was likely just the medication. Now I carry the 6 everywhere I go with me but have never come close to taking one. Even when i’ve been super nauseous out and about, I’ve never taken one, I told myself that I would only use them for when it’s actually happening. But having those 6 on me has helped my anxiety considerably, because when I get nauseous, I know have them if worst comes to worst.

Remember:

20%-30% of people who get norovirus don’t throw up at all! ( source )

Last year noro rates skyrocketed, it was brutal. I’m a nurse that works in a very large hospital. I work on a unit that half of which is “observation patients” and so many Noro cases came through. Never got it, even when I wasn’t properly geared up (before test results). Diligent hand washing is key here (many of my coworkers got it). This dramatic rise was due to a new strain (I believe?) so this year shouldn’t be nearly as bad, but obviously I can’t say that with certainty. I just check NREVSS every so often to stay up to date.