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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

That sertraline makes me realise how mental I've been for the last decade (at least)

386 replies

glassecase · 22/01/2021 17:02

Honestly never felt better, well maybe pre-18 years old.

Amazing stuff and I don't feel like I'm 'on' something.

OP posts:
ScarlettDarling · 23/01/2021 19:56

@PolarnOPirate

Me tooooo! Taking it 2 weeks out of 4 but tempted to take it all the time. Can't believe people go around feeling good like this just naturally. Explains a lot of why I felt so inferior!
Can I please just ask why you take it two weeks out of four? Is it related to pms? I seem to have a week in the middle of my cycle, which I think is connected to ovulation, where my anxiety becomes unbearable. I’m usually ok on my 50mg and have wondered if taking a higher dosage for that week would be a possibility.

(Before anyone worries about me I wouldn’t dream on doing this without proper medical advice! Just curious!)

Peppermintgreen · 23/01/2021 19:57

@OliverBabish

Oooh insider is going to hate me Grin I tell my patients NOT to read the info leaflet Grin especially the anxious ones. I tell them the main side effects but try not to make the process a scarier one than it needs to be. SSRIs and SNRIs are SO safe these days compared to the old fashioned ones.

I would say - if you try one and it doesn’t work for you, don’t despair. There are others to try and sometimes it’s a real process to find one that works for you. I had a patient who has just tried an SNRI for the first time after years of being on an SSRI, and they feel like they’ve got a new lease of life.

Are there different ones that are recommended for people who are on other tablets too for other health issues?
glassecase · 23/01/2021 19:59

I started this thread not knowing how it would be received and I'm soooo pleased to hear of all the positive affects on people's lives

OP posts:
colouringindoors · 23/01/2021 20:01

OliverBabish thanks so much for your post

OliverBabish · 23/01/2021 20:12

Do you mean different antidepressant medication?

Most of the patients I work with and have worked with have co-morbidities (more than one condition, so bipolar and diabetes for example) and this is always taken into consideration when prescribing medication. There’s so many different drugs available - not just antidepressants, but we use anti epileptics to treat anxiety as well as antipsychotics for more enduring cases (antipsychotics sound scary... they should really rename that category. Many of my patients on them have never had an episode of psychosis in their lives!) it goes on and on. Many of the psychiatric drugs are compatible with other physical health drugs. Talk to your GP and they will be able to advise for you personally Flowers

OliverBabish · 23/01/2021 20:12

That was @Peppermintgreen!

Peppermintgreen · 23/01/2021 20:16

@OliverBabish

That was *@Peppermintgreen*!
Thank you I am going to talk to them next week.
ssd · 23/01/2021 20:21

@glassecase

I started this thread not knowing how it would be received and I'm soooo pleased to hear of all the positive affects on people's lives
Thank you so much @glassecase
LaBelleSauvage123 · 23/01/2021 20:25

It has made a massive difference to me. I’d suffered with anxiety for 16 years - mainly around travelling away from home, driving or anywhere I felt ‘trapped’ - since starting sertraline two years ago I have lost these feelings completely. I’m much less likely to overthink things and get stuff out of proportion - I just feel rebalanced. My life can be quite stressful ( I have a severely disabled adult son) but I cope so much better now even though he’s much more difficult than he was when I was really anxious.

Peppermintgreen · 23/01/2021 20:29

@ssd

Ive had a box lying in my drawer waiting for me to start. I'm scared of the awful side effects I read about. I cant imagine being anything other than what I've always been like. Happy enough, but constant anxiety, worry, overthinking, having to control everything, feeling on edge an awful lot......is this not how just some folk are? When I read earlier about the new viruses being more deadly, I wrote out all my banking details for the dcs, I'm actually thinking of what happens when I die, I think that a lot but covid has ramped it up. I dread the future and getting old, I dress getting ill. I feel scared of life but hide it well. I'm a bag of nerves at lot. But isn't that what everyone is like?
Your post described my feelings so well.

I haven’t visited the gp yet and am scared to. I don’t know what to say.

HeadphoneProliferation · 23/01/2021 20:40

I haven’t visited the gp yet and am scared to. I don’t know what to say.

What's the issue? What are you scared of? There may be some way to allay/get round those things.

ssd · 23/01/2021 20:44

I found,because of covid, my gp did a phone consultation and it was easier to pour my heart out without being face to face. But like I said, this was last summer and I've had them in a drawer since unopened...but last night,feeling as panicky and wound up as I did, and reading this thread, I just thought I'm starting tomorrow. I'm just hoping they work in reducing my anxiety, even a little would be massive for me. I'm not expecting miracles, but anything will be an improvement 🤞🤞

wewillmeetagain · 23/01/2021 20:48

Bloody fantastic stuff! I've been on antidepressants for years and was happy on citilopram but it stopped working. Had to withdraw from that slowly ( absolutely horrific) and then started on the sertraline. I can honestly say it's the best one I've ever taken in terms of effectiveness and lack of side effects.

Peppermintgreen · 23/01/2021 20:50

@HeadphoneProliferation

I haven’t visited the gp yet and am scared to. I don’t know what to say.

What's the issue? What are you scared of? There may be some way to allay/get round those things.

Worried I’ll be told it’s normal during the pandemic to be so anxious and worried i won’t be able to get my feelings out or explain things. I’m scared to have it all on my record and that they’ll tell me off for lying because when asked last week I said everything was fine.
Cissyandflora · 23/01/2021 20:52

@teawamutu bloody love your name. I want it for myself. Are you a Finn fan?

Bobbybobbins · 23/01/2021 20:59

This thread is such an interesting read. I have two disabled children and have had counselling but definitely feel in the last two years depression creeping up on me. I feel angry and irritated a lot, teary and anxious. My hormones are also having a bigger effect on me at certain times. Thinking this might be worth considering.

teawamutu · 23/01/2021 21:00

[quote Cissyandflora]@teawamutu bloody love your name. I want it for myself. Are you a Finn fan?[/quote]
Huge Grin

HeadphoneProliferation · 23/01/2021 21:06

Worried I’ll be told it’s normal during the pandemic to be so anxious

They probably will try to reassure you by telling you that lots of people are struggling with anxiety at the moment — try to take it as an attempt at reassuring normalisation rather than dismissiveness.

and worried i won’t be able to get my feelings out or explain things.

It seems kind of awkward and alien at first, but writing things down is useful, whether you write them down just to get them to make sense inside your head, or to read yourself to jog your memory before the appointment, or to give to the doctor to request that they read it.

Something like, "I've been feeling for . My symptoms are . It's worst when , but gets better when . The reason I've come to see you about it now is . I'm wondering whether might help."

I’m scared to have it all on my record

It's extremely, extremely common to have problems with depression and anxiety; you won't be setting off any giant red flags. And if your problems were severe enough to set off giant red flags, it would be unwise to try to deal with problems that bad without any help. But I do understand your reluctance.

and that they’ll tell me off for lying because when asked last week I said everything was fine.

People do that; they're used to it. If you really have to, you can say something like, "I know I said everything was fine last week, but, well, you know." And they will know. It's totally usual to pretend to be okay. And totally usual for people to then have to admit they're not okay. (Also, pretty brave.)

Everything you've said makes total sense, but also, it's stuff that's manageable.

partyatthepalace · 23/01/2021 21:43

@insideoutsider

Yes you are - by posting ‘wow - GPs never tell you this’ faux naive fashion as if the scales have just fallen from your eyes.

All meds have side effects. Anyone with half a brain knows this. The side effects of anti-depressants are well know which is why this thread is full of people saying they are worried about taking them. Not to mention these are all listed in the leaflet you get with your meds.

There is nothing wrong with expressing reservations. There is something wrong with posting a long list of symptoms onto a thread which you know will be full of worried people, with absolutely zero suggestion of what else they might do. Neither is it OK to refer to people considering anti-depressants as ‘begging’ their GPs for them - you wouldn’t do that with any other condition would you? It is unhelpful scaremongering. And being a twat.

Devoilmum · 23/01/2021 22:00

I’ve been taking sertraline for 2 months now. I can’t believe the difference in myself. In all honesty, I probably should have started on them about 12 years ago, and at the very least, 4. This year has been particularly tough and not only due to lockdown and homeschooling. I was broken. I could barely function. I was such an anxious, nervous wreck.
Now I’m stronger and I’m believing in myself again. I can sleep without racing thoughts waking and keeping me awake.

colouringindoors · 24/01/2021 00:01

By the way, Sertraline is the most "popular" anti-depressant among GPs.

LindaEllen · 24/01/2021 00:07

@Devoilmum

I’ve been taking sertraline for 2 months now. I can’t believe the difference in myself. In all honesty, I probably should have started on them about 12 years ago, and at the very least, 4. This year has been particularly tough and not only due to lockdown and homeschooling. I was broken. I could barely function. I was such an anxious, nervous wreck. Now I’m stronger and I’m believing in myself again. I can sleep without racing thoughts waking and keeping me awake.
I should have started mine 12 years ago too! I'm only 3 weeks in and not seeing a change really. I'm hoping I will though, and that it's just a bit too soon at the moment!
Gingaaarghpussy · 24/01/2021 00:21

I found out that sertraline is prescribed for pmt/pms. Made no difference to me, still grey a week before I was due.

PumpkinPieAlibi · 24/01/2021 00:25

I have terrible health anxiety and escitalopram worked wonders. And aside from hyperhydrosis and some initial morning anxiety, the side effects were pretty much non-existent. I did have pretty vivid dreams on them also.

Coming off was pretty easy also. Having said that, my health anxiety and intrusive thoughts arr there, they just don't surface unless triggered. Probably need to try CBT but cannot find the right therapist where I am.

Anyway, they work. This isn't in your head. There is a tangible imbalance in the brain's neurotransmitters. It's like any other chemical or hormonal imbalance in the body. I just don't understand the stigma.

PumpkinPieAlibi · 24/01/2021 00:36

@OliverBabish - thank you for your post. It is so reassuring. I have taken escitalopram and it worked really well but now my DP, after suffering from double depression (Dsythmia and major depression) has been prescribed desvenlafaxine and I am concerned. It is definitely taking longer for him to see results than I did but ofc, my issues were different and not so longstanding as his. He has had some scary side effects - hand tremor, jaw clenching, headaches and dizziness but they seem to be subsiding at week 3. He has noticed a small increase in energy levels and feeling less overwhelmed but notbing too major yet. My question is, when can he expect to see a marked change in mood? I have read so much of the literature but there is comparatively little on SNRIs, esp desvenlafaxine. He believes that while the medication may help a little, that his pessimistic hopeless outlook is just who he is. I don't agree...I think he's been chronically depressed for so long, he can't separate his personality from the depression.

To anyone who has taken SNRIs, please PLEASE share your experience. Did your first med work or did your doctor have to switch or combine meds? What were your side effects and if/when did they stop? Do you feel better? When did that start happening? Are you still on the meds? Any relapses or do you continue to feel better?

Thanks again OP and all who contributed. I think this is an essential conversation, especially now.

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