Sertraline - day 12. Never felt as bad

[geologyrocks]

Hey all,

Im day 12 taking sertraline for anxiety. Ive never ever felt as anxious in my life. It just doesn't seem to be lifting.

Im having frequent panic attacks (never had them before), intrusive obsessive thoughts. No appetite. I havent eaten in 6 days..i just cant face it. Palpitations. Tingling all over my body..aggitated and depressed. I feel utterly hopeless.

The doctor said if get worse before id get better. I didnt realise it would be this bad.

Should i carry on? I dont think i can face another day of this. The days are so so long

[dangermouseisace]

It doesn't sound like it's working for you. I took sertraline and it was fine for years, but then I ended up like you have- agitated and depressed, which is the worst state to be in.

TBH I'd try NOT taking it for a day and see if you feel any better. But I'm not a medic and this is just informal suggestions yada yada yada. There are other things out there.

[geologyrocks]

You know i woke up this morning feeling better than i had in days..with rational thoughts etc...took the tablet then BAM back to the intrusive thoughts and all the rest.

I thought i had turned a corner this morning

[TeamAlphaFemale]

My DH and my good friend both take sertraline and swear it's the best thing they've ever done. Both felt like you for the first bit - DH took a very sharp turn downhill but after day 9 he picked up and suddenly got loads better.
I'd be concerned about how long you are having a rough ride for but I don't think it's particularly unusual with this drug. My DH got told to expect things to get worse for up to a month until they get better. Don't think he could've coped so glad it was only 9 days, but dontbthink what you are going through is unusual.
Go back to your GP. Get some reassurance or something else to take. Hang in there in the meantime x

[geologyrocks]

Team alpha, thank you for the message.

Im so confused as what to do. Im seeing my doctor Wednesday so will probably hold until then. I felt actually ok for an hour this evening..the first in about a week so thought i was seeing the back of it but then it all came back. I opened a bottle of wine then and am feeling marginally better, but i know thats not the answer either.

If i knew it would be all ok then id carry on

[twattymctwatterson]

It took me about 3 weeks to feel better and yes the anxiety got a LOT worse beforehand. Please do stick with it for another week because it really has made me so much better

[Jenda]

Stick with it!! I remember telling myself things would b better in 14 days and they were, it was vile but the cloud soon lifts! Make sure you give your Dr all your symptoms on Weds, they will probably tell you to persevere but obviously don't suffer for much longer if it's really bad as there are alternatives xx

[PandaPop55]

I also felt worse before I began to feel better, and it did take between 2-3weeks before I noticed an improvement so I would suggest hanging on fir another few days. When I started feeling better I began feeling almost back to normal for an hour or so in the evening and gradually this started to happen earlier and earlier, and in the morning I wasnt feeling quite so bad. There were still ups and downs along the way but as i started to notice an improvement it boosted me so much.

[geologyrocks]

I took it this morning anyway. Im just going to persevere. I know the doctor said id get worse but my anxiety was nothing like this before. Im thinking and acting irrationally and i just cant shake it

[Lovemusic33]

I'm on week 3 of matrazapine and the past 3 days have been the worst (see my thread), I have had suicidal thoughts, vivid dreams and weird thoughts, no appetite and aching all over, it's the lowest I have been , I am scared to stop taking them as I don't know if they are making me worse, if they will make me feel better in another week? And I don't want to have to start again with another antidepressant incase these are about to start working. It's frustrating but I think we need to stick with it for a bit longer.

[geologyrocks]

Oh lovemusic its so frustrating isnt it. I knew it wasnt a magic solution but more of a slow burn but who knew it was this bad.

Can you try and distract yourself? Not easy when you cant escape your own mind but is there anything at all that makes you feel better?

[Corneliussnitch]

Hi Op , I've been taking sertraline for 18 months, it was awful to start with and like you felt very anxious with intrusive thoughts, if you really are struggling your GP can prescrbe something short term to deal with the initial sde effects which is what I ended up doing so had some low dose diazepam just for a couple of weeks. Once the sertraline kicks in it is very effective but I certainly wasn't told by my GP just how bad it would be initially

[Lovemusic33]

The past few days I have lost st interest in everything, I kind of felt zoned out and in a bubble (if that makes sense), I'm usually quite a busy person, I love keeping fit, going for walks and shopping but the past few days I couldn't even think about those things, I just didn't want to be here at all (yesterday was the worst day, where I had to call crisis team and I just cried on and off all day), today I have ventured out to the shops with my DC, it was hard work, I had several panicked attacks, I had to just sit in my car until I had calmed down.

I feel 10 times worse in the mornings, I struggle to get up and motivated, I'm dreading having to be up at 7am on Tuesday when the dc's are back at school. As the day goes on I feel more like doing things and I feel slightly more human. I just read something online that said that this is the norm with anti depressants and that each day my mood will lift quicker than the previous day until I might actually wake up without the feel of dread and anxiety, I'm hoping that's true.

I have to see my GP on Thursday and I'm waiting for the mental health team to see me to hopefully arrange talk therapy. Yesterday I felt that there was no hope and I wanted to die , today I feel that there's a tiny bit of hope and that I need to try for my dc's.

[geologyrocks]

Yourr right..it will get better. Its just a bag of shite right now.

[Lovemusic33]

Yep, it is a huge bag of shit , just stick with it. I'm dreading taking my med's before bed as I know in the morning I will feel crap again and I won't want to move, I am trying to set myself tasks each day so I have a reason to get up, tomorrow I have to get up and get the dc's bathed and there things ready for when they go back to school, I have also planned to take them out ( but will see how i feel ). Once I have got those things done I can crash for a bit. Hoping I will hear from mental health team Tuesday then I can talk to them about the med's and wether they are working or not.

Take it slow, take a day at a time, or even a hour at a time.

[ChristinaParsons]

Try taking it in the evening rather than the morning
I had diazepam initially with it too
Was prescribed for anxiety because I was constantly being sick
It does get better after a month I promise

[user1481490957]

I was told to persevere on sertraline for anxiety and depression, things did not get better after weeks and if anything much worse. Ive heard such mixed reviews about this drug. I was put on citalopram for my depression and propranolol for my anxiety, worked so much better for me. See how it goes but if you feel its too much then ask about other options. I had suicidal thoughts off sertraline and didnt have those before taking.

[blueistheonlycolourwefeel]

It does take a few weeks to settle down on new mental health meds. Give it chance!

[user1483367621]

Ok crikey - I started a new thread asking about sertraline before I saw this one and now I'm feeling nervous! I'm determined to give it a chance (surely I can't feel worse than I did when I eventually dragged myself to the Dr) but it sounds like some people can have a really rough time for a while before it kicks in.

[geologyrocks]

I think youre right. Ive read lots of threads on here that people get on great with the meds and then people like me...it takes time!

[OverlyYappy]

Sertraline have been a life saver for me, I used to get super anxious going into shops and supermarkets and I'm completely fine now. I would stick with them, I felt a bit nauseous at first too so take mine a bit later in the day.

[VilootShesCute]

Did you start taking them gradually op or did you take full amount straight away?

[NoMoreCricketDartsOrFootball]

Sounds to me like your dose was too high to start with. Remember everyone reacts differently to these drugs and some of us are more sensitive to the effects they have on brain chemistry.

Perhaps discuss lowering your dose with your doctor, then very gradually increasing it each week. It helps if your doctor is cluey about these drugs, as sadly many GPs have limited knowledge. Are you seeing a psychiatrist?

Sertraline did not work for me. I ended up trying 3 other medications before hitting on one that gave me minimal side effects and a noriceable improvement in my depression.

It's not fun, I know. In fact it f sucks. But trust me that it's worth it when you find the right drug. My best advice (from someone who's been through it and put the other side) is to hang in there

[geologyrocks]

I started the full amount straight away. I continued on anyway. Today is day 16. I started seeing a psychologist last night which went well. Expensive but im going to stick at it.

Im starting to feel a bit better. Finally!!

[Blackbird82]

I lasted three days on setraline. The side effects were horrendous. My anxiety was through the roof, my whole body was tingling, even my teeth.

I now take a magnesium supplement (doctors best high absorption magnesium) as well as St Johns Wort and it is incredibly effective in controlling my anxiety. Might be worth you taking a look? For me, it has worked wonders and my anxiety was crippling and ruining my life.