The side effects can last for weeks. It’s like a really shitty onboarding process. For some, the side effects are not bad. Personally I can say that the first 2 to 4 weeks are usually filled with nausea, extreme fatigue and exhaustion.
The way that these sorts of meds have been described to me is that “they give you a leg up”, meaning it gives you just enough of a “boost” that you might actually follow through on therapy and the strategies it offers.
It has been years now, and still no luck. I’d love to live a normal life, whatever the fuck that means lol