To think increasing my antidepressant is a weakness

[EmmaLouu]

I started on sertraline for postnatal anxiety/panic attacks, after the birth of my first child in April. Since then I have more good days than bad and therapy has helped me no end.

However, I had a panic attack last night at 3am. Out of nowhere.. while my husband and baby daughter were safe and sleeping well. I just feel defeated and I’m posting here for traffic.

I want to go back to the doctor but I know they will just say ‘increase your dose’.. I feel I should be able to deal with this unmedicated. My pride is getting in the way… I’m pretty sure I know the answer.

Has anyone else felt the same??

I feel I should be able to deal with this unmedicated. My pride is getting in the way

If you broke your leg and decided you needed two crutches and not one, would you struggle along on one out of pride? you wouldn't, would you. Ask the doctor for what you need.

I would let the doctor know you had a panic attack. But I’m not sure this would mean an increase in sertraline, as it’s an SSRI antidepressant. It doesn’t do anything for anxiety which is the root cause of panic attacks. I get panic attacks infrequently, and have “as needed” clonazepam tablets that I take for them. So that is an option to discuss..getting an as needed anti-anxiety medication rather than upping your daily dose of an anti-depressant.

I'll start out by saying I don't think it's a weakness to tweak the dosage of a medication that's helping you.

But maybe it would be helpful to reframe your gut feeling against it, not as something in terms of weakness in resisting it, but as some internal signal prompting you to explore other options first?

It's sensible to have a little bit of resistance to automatically reaching for more medication - not as a blanket "never medicate!" rule but just as a rule of thumb, to start by looking at anything in your environment/daily life you could change first. Maybe something to talk about in your next therapy session? Even if you decide to go ahead with an increased dosage, you would be doing it with a greater sense of confidence that it was the right thing to do.

So if you broke your leg, would getting a caster plast be seen as being weak?

Thank you all so much! I honestly will take on board everything that’s been said on this thread! Some really helpful insights and opinions.. also a lot of reassurance which is bloody brilliant - exactly what I needed.

I’m going to cut out caffeine for sure and try to get out each day.. failing that I’ll be going back to the doctor for a discussion. I’ll also be doing some reading around the subject as you guys suggested.

thank you very much 🤗

Are diabetics weak for needing insulin? This is a medication that your body needs to work, so take it. Not admitting that you need help, now THAT is weak.

Just a random question - are you just about finished with breastfeeding? I had a panic attack out of the blue just as I was ending breastfeeding and I have heard a couple of women saying they got panic attacks just after weaning too. If so, maybe it's just a change in hormones. Sorry you are struggling though. Postnatal anxiety is really tough, and I hated the thought that my brain might just keep needing higher and higher doses of ADs. I didn't find that though - I found it very easy to come off them when I was ready.

As I posted earlier, I was on citalopram from 2005. A few months ago I wasn't feeling too good. GP suggested a change of ads. Over 6 weeks I reduced the dose from 40mg, dropping to 30mg for 2 weeks, 20mg for 2 weeks and 10mg for 2 weeks. As I expected I felt pretty awful but I didn't fret over it because I knew that was what would happen.
Last Friday I started the fluoxetine, expecting that to take a week at least to have any effect. But by Sunday I was beginning to feel more like my old self and the improvement continues.
I'm not being weak - there's a chemical imbalance in my brain and the fluoxetine is adjusting it. OK, so it might not be the same for other people, but it certainly works for me and I can get back to making the most of my life again.
I hope my story might help others. Good luck!