To ask if this is ‘normal’

[GoBrookeYourself]

Sorry, not really an AIBU but I’m confused and would appreciate if anyone has any experience with this.

We had a long process of moving into our ‘dream’ home; the sale took about a year due to complications, we had to live with my in laws for 2 months as we gutted the house and my husband got made redundant just before we moved in. I didn’t realise how stressed I was feeling and started having panic attacks, not sleeping, hating the house and thoughts of suicide.

I saw a doctor who prescribed me sertraline 50mg which increased to 100 after 4 weeks. It’s been 6 weeks altogether. My question is around how I should be feeling; for the first few days of taking it there was no change, then I felt a little more ‘normal my. I’m usually SO cheerful so this completely knocked me for a six. After 3 weeksish I started having my old feelings for a few days and not sleeping; it’s weird but I know when I’m getting anxious as my legs start to shake and although I’m in control of it I can’t stop moving iyswim. That started again so they upped my sertraline and Gave me beta blockers and referred me for CBT.

Sorry this is getting really long but I’m nearly done. It’s been 6 weeks and I still feel like I have butterflies in my tummy and a sense of dread all the time. I stopped sleeping again over the last few days and can’t get used to the house. Is this normal? Will I ever feel ‘normal’ again or do I need to try different antidepressants? I thought I’d feel like my old self by now and not so sad all the time :(

Thank you for reading everyone.

Go back to the GP and ask to try a different drug. Sertraline works wonders for a lot of people, but it’s clearly not working for you, so you need to try something else.

Thank you Jessica7689, this is what I didn’t know as it’s my first time on antidepressants. I didn’t know if this was as good as it got on them or whether I should essentially feel like I did before I needed them, which I don’t.

I agree that you should probably try a different drug. I had sertraline and it didn't help reduce my symptoms, in fact I would go as far as to say it made them worse in many ways. But that doesn't mean something else won't help, they all work in slightly different ways.

Hi, sorry you're feeling so bad. I haven't taken these but my partner has and it took around 8 weeks for him to feel more in control again. That said there was a lot of adjusting his dose. I'd say speak to your doctor again, describe your physical symptoms and sleeping problems. Whatever you do don't just suffer in silence. They're there to help you but sometimes you can get lost in the system. If they know how much you're struggling you might get the therapy quicker which is what happened with my partner. FYI the therapy helped him loads

I wonder if you need to try the CBT as son as possible? That's the thing most likely to have a long term effect. Also, you have been through a big change and a very stressful time . . . . arguably it's within the realms of "normal" to be feeling very stressed and the CBT will help you get a handle on it all. The meds can help and a review of the efficacy at this stage is a bare minimum that you should be having anyway.

Thank you everyone. So should I try a different medicine now or should I wait until it’s been a little longer on the sertraline? This just seems to be taking so long and I’m so tired of it all..

Also, the CBT has a wait time of 42 weeks currently. I haven’t even had my pre assessment although this is on Tuesday.

I would go back and ask for something else. DD2 was put on sertraline and after a couple of weeks, her symptoms were getting worse. I and a nurse friend convinced her to go back to the GP and it turned out she had sertraline poisoning, and if she had waited until her 6 week appointment, she might well have died. Your situation does not sound the same, but they clearly aren't working for you.

How old are you? Peri menopause can make you very anxious and give you a feeling of dread even when dealing with stuff you wouldn't normally feel stressed about let alone a house move.
I have found that exercise has made a massive difference to my anxiety, mood and outlook after I had been anxious and depressed for 12 months.

Hi, in your situation I would give it a few more weeks to see if the Sertraline maybe is taking a bit longer than usual to build up in your system. Medications will only manage the symptoms so far, so I second the CBT as a way of managing the anxiety.

I know you can do some sessions of CBT online. Would this be an option for you while you're waiting for your sessions? I'll see if I can find a link for you.

Just remember, this won't last forever

Hi. Please go back to the docs. Sertraline is well known for increasing anxiety symptoms. IME venlafexine is fantastic for dealing with depression and anxiety, and works very quickly. Ive been taking medication for severe anxiety for 20 plus years and this is the only medication that really helps but everyone is different so speak to your doctor and do some research on meds beforehand you can always ask for the ones you would prefer. Massive hugs to you, i know how utterly debilitating this shitty little friend you don't need is!

www.nhs.uk/apps-library/category/mental-health/

I’m 30, so I don’t think it’s peri menopause. I have an appointment today at 10.20, I’m going to have a chat with them- I’m just so confused because I feel better than I originally did, but I just feel so sad and lost still and can’t stop these thoughts. I’m worried the doctor will say it’s only been 6 weeks and I need to give it more time, but every day feels like it’s taking so long..

Thank you so much StripyTShirt

Bump..

What did the doc say @GoBrookeYourself?

@Canadianpancake thank you for asking, he said he was hesitant to prescribe me anything else as they’ve only upped my dosage of sertraline 2 weeks ago, so he told me to give it another couple of weeks. A couple of weeks feels like forever but I’ll give it a go.