Lewis Capaldi opened up on being on sertraline as NHS issue severe warning on potentially lethal side effects
Millions of people in the UK are prescribed sertraline to help treat their mental health conditions, and Lewis Capaldi used to take it too.
The Brit Award-winning singer, 29, has been admirably open about his struggles with anxiety and panic attacks, as well as how being diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome impacted him.
He battled to finish his Glastonbury set in 2023 before announcing he was taking a break from music to get his 'mental and physical health in order'.
Capaldi then made an epic comeback last year, seeing him return to the Glastonbury stage, release a heartfelt track titled 'Survive', and announcing a string of gigs. What a turnaround, eh?
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The 'Someone You Loved' singer also revealed that he had stopped taking sertraline, the antidepressant he had been prescribed to help treat his anxiety, in July 2025.
"I am doing much better," he said at the time, as per The Sun. "I’m not on antidepressants any more.
"It was f***ing hard to get off [them]. You could say I’ve survived getting off sertraline, but let’s not get into that. This is happy stuff. I’m trying to share less."
Capaldi said he had found solace in therapy, adding: "I think I will always be an anxious person. Accepting that’s always going to be there for me is a a big thing. It’s about how I respond to anxiety."
He had previously told fans that he had also tried medical cannabis to help his mental health, but he 'absolutely freaked' out.
It goes to show that mental health treatment often takes a lot of trial and error, as although therapy proved to be his saviour, Capaldi said it initially made him feel even worse.
In the 2023 documentary, Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now, he opened up about some of the avenues he had previously explored and how effective they were.
Interestingly, he also revealed he had experienced an intimate side-effect after taking sertraline for a prolonged period.
"I've got a therapist...but just finding one is a f***ing pain in the ring," Capaldi told Netflix viewers. "One gave me homework and I was like, 'You're adding more anxiety in my life'.
"I was doing the homework out in my car outside her house just before I went in. I was like, 'This is awful'."
Capaldi continued: "I'm on these f***ing pills, sertraline...they're not really doing anything, except for I can't get a f***ing hard-on to save my life. Sorry! And they gave me the s**ts for six weeks, so that was great."
The antidepressant – which treats depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety – comes with a few side effects, like a lot of medications.
It works by increasing the level of serotonin, which is a chemical in your brain which controls your mood. However, it can be a case of too much of a good thing.
Taking sertraline comes with the risk of developing serotonin syndrome.
This describes an excessive build up of serotonin in the body and, if it goes untreated and reaches high levels, it can be fatal.
The NHS explains it is 'a rare but serious condition that causes a fast heartbeat, sweating, shaking, twitching muscles and feeling confused or agitated'.
Other symptoms include dry eyes, excessive sweating, stiffness in the muscles or joints and hyperreflexia. It is important to seek medical attention promptly if you experience any of these symptoms.
Explaining the potential causes, the NHS states: "It may be produced by large doses/overdose of a single drug or by combinations of drugs.
"The most common causative combinations include a monoamine-oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)." Sertraline falls into this category.
Medics also urge people taking sertraline to avoid the herbal supplement St John's wort, grapefruit juice and alcohol because of the impact it can have on how the medication works.
Capaldi will be glad to know that he wasn't the only one who experienced intimate problems, as a loss of libido is also another common side effect that comes with taking the antidepressant.
Others include headaches, nausea, dizziness or drowsiness, dry mouth, diarrhoea, sleeping struggles and weight gain.
Make sure you inform your doctor about any other medicines, herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements you take while discussing your treatment options.
Topics: Lewis Capaldi, Mental Health, Drugs, UK News, Health
Olivia Burke