Sertraline and any other ADs support thread

[hathorinareddress]

Following on from a suggestion by LittleWhiteMice on a thread I have going on here, I am starting a support thread for anyone taking Sertraline or any other AD.

I started taking it yesterday after eventually plucking up the courage to go to the doc on Thursday.

I feel a bit weird but not too bad.

Welcome Maw and Poppy.

Maw, I think you're right to ask for a different drug. Loss of appetite is quite scary on top of everything else.

Poppy, I know from experience how bad sinusitis is, so have a (((hug))). When I am ill I do feel low and a bit anxious too, so you're not on your own.

Busty, Loopy is right. Just take a quick walk round the block, nothing too heavy, this is not going to beat you.

Mumto, it's interesting but not entirely surprising that your mental state could indeed have been altered by a physical ailment. See how you feel once they start treating your thyroid imbalance, it may be that you feel better mentally too. Don't ffs feel bad if you don't though, just carry on with your meds as you are now.

Good luck with the appointment mumto hopefully you can get some answers!
Hi to mawbroom and poppy hope you can get some support from this thread.

Well im still very very restless,though i think the dc are enjoying all the baking so far we have made 2 cakes,a fridge cake, cookies,cheese straws and a trifle. We ran out of stuff this morning so dragged all 3 dc to the shop for more supplies. Between baking stuff I am sorting out junk clutter for a car boot sale and cleaning cupboards at the same time. I have so much energy its scaring me.
Last night i was trying to sit down for a bit and couldnt.I ended up in the garden digging up weeds (wtf?!?)
Oh and i have also alphabatised my and the kids dvds.
Has anyone else experienced this and what have you done to stop it?
I feel like if i stop i am going to explode.
And i feel that my constant racing around is going to have an ill effect on my dc....

Thanks for your warm welcome guys. Have had similar restless feelings Foxeeroxee, with me however it was intentional. I had to constantly keep busy to stop myself overthinking things. I suffered with anxiety after my first child and that was my way of running away from my thoughts. Think I had an element of OCD too which didn't help matters. It is exhausting :(.

Pleased this thread exists. It is nice to of load to others who are going through a similar tough time.I feel really guilty about my constant need for reassurance from friends and family. I must be driving them to drink at this stage.

Thanks for the welcome. I recognise some of the feelings that you are talking about, I swing through all sorts of stuff. Feeling hopeless, everything is too much effort, getting restless and a bit panicky sometimes. When I feel a bit restless, I really get worried that it is the psychosis returning. I always thought I would recognise it, but I realise now that it may be completely different because I am medicated.

My appointment is on Tuesday, but I will have to check out the drugs in breastmilk website because I know the gp will probably say there are no other drugs that I can breastfeed with, which I know is crap, so if I do my homework first he might listen to me.

Afternoon all, I really need someone to give me a good kick. Driving myself mad looking up symptoms of everything under the sun. I mentioned that I have infected sinus and have been feeling unwell with that. Now I have infected wisdom tooth that the dentist has cleaned but thinks I need stronger antibiotics than the amoxicillin that I am on for the sinus infection, day 3 now. Problem is you can't breastfeed and take the stronger antibiotics so I am holding off until tomorow to see how I respond to the amoxicilin.

Feel so horible and miserable. Don't want to stop feeding but feel awful with my collective problems. Can't decide what to do. :(

Does anyone know if it is ok to take ibprofen whilst on serraline? Have been having paracetmol but obviousy not strong enough.

Worried that I am now on so many meds that I am having symptoms of serotonin syndrome. I am officially mad! I know I don't have the main symptoms but my anxiety overrides logic.

Sorry to be self indulgent today. Hope everyone is well x x

Don't apologise chuck. You're ill. You're allowed to moan on this thread. I'm not sure about mixing ibuprofen with your ADs, but they're ok while breastfeeding. Go to your GP and see about Lorazepam and use that in the short term. I put an explanation as to why that and not Diazepam upthread somewhere. Try to be kind to yourself and focus on getting better. You will do this. :)

Does anybody have any advice? I have been having horrible side effects from Lofepramine and think I should change to another AD, but I am not sure whether to get the GP to change it or wait until i see the psychiatrist.

I was under the intensive home treatment team for several weeks with my psychosis, and they signed me off at the end of Jan. I feel like I have been dumped by them, and have had a really long wait with no support until my new patient appointment which is at the end of this month. I got ADs from my GP, but I don't know whether to get the GP to prescribe me something else now, or wait another two weeks to see the psych who presumably would know more about it than the GP.

I have an appoinment on tuesday, but if I wait til I see the psychiatrist in 2 weeks, then the GP appointment would just be a case of asking for a repeat prescription. I don't know what to do. Has anyone changed ADs? Is it like going back to the beginning and having to wait 2-4 weeks for them to kick in?

poppypops, can you really not breastfeed on the stronger antibiotics?

check here Lactmed

Afternoon Mawbroon, certainly raise your concerns with your GP. He or she will be able to switch you to a different medication if your side effects are so extreme. Don't suffer. If necessary go to your local unit to see if they can help.

Poppy, looking at the Lactmed report for Metronidazole it appears safe to take while breastfeeding. I took this for an abscess and it works quickly. A word of warning: don't drink alcohol on this stuff, another use for it is for aversion therapy in alcoholics. Basically these plus booze equals projectile vomiting.

Hi! Hope everyone is ok? Sounds like your all still having a tough time.
maw id deff talk to your gp regarding side effects, ads dont have the same effectiveness for everyone.
Well im still pretty much the same...
Restlessness, cant sit still, too much energy, cant sleep, cant stop sorting, cleaning and trying to control things....
Im scared now because this isnt depression is it?!? I was up at 3,30am mopping the kitchen floor, oh woke up and had to prise it from my hands. I have low level ocd which presents itself in sorting,ordering things,boxes with labels on, i suppose quite stereotypical ocd traits bit i have never been like this.
I feel erratic and like im trying to jump out of my body.
I think oh is getting very scared and has mentioned taking time off work, but just cant afford it and plus im a lot more productive when hes not here.

Oh dear that just looks like a incoherent ramble.

Aw no, Loopy! I know how you feel. It's a horrible feeling, isn't it? It's hard, but try not to beat yourself up- accidents happen sometimes, and she's ok.

I've been taking Citalopram for almost a week and I do feel calmer, I drive better and more patient with dd. I do still feel like my life is fucked up though. But on balance I feel better about my life being fucked up!

Afternoon everyone,

Loopy, hope you are feeling better today. Accidents happen, we have all been there! Thanks for the offer of looking up hale book re metronidazole. Have spoken to friend GP and pharmacist and both advised not to combine feeding and tablets. Took the plunge and have started the antibiotics as not feeling any better today :(.

Going to formula feed and continue to express in the hopes that I can return to breast feeding in 5 days. It is going to be a complete pain in the neck and time consuming but I have to give it a go. Don't want to give myself another reason to beat myself up down the line if I don't try. Silly I know but never established feeding with my first child due to my stupid anxiety and panic attacks and it was a huge source of guilt for me. This time round I wanted to prove to myself I could do it and I have been really enjoying it :(

How are you today Foxee? You sound like you are really struggling at the moment. Have you told your doctor about this 'jump out of your body' feeling? It could be a side effect of your meds?

Poppy, if you read the link I posted yesterday at 15.50 that shows Metronidazole as being safe for breastfeeding. As is Ibuprofen. If th Amoxycillin isn't cutting it go to OOH doctor and get some better stuff.

Welcome Toptramp, looks like you might have found the right drug first time! That's a good thing.

Copied and pasted from the Lactmed page for Metronidazole as my link has timed out:-

'Sixteen newborn breastfed infants (aged 0 to 22 days) of mothers receiving 200 mg or 400 mg of oral metronidazole 3 times daily reportedly suffered no observable adverse reactions during the 9 days of the study.[10]

A case of diarrhea and secondary lactose intolerance was possibly caused by metronidazole in breastmilk transmitted to the infant in the early neonatal period.[13]'

It infers that stools may be looser, and in a total case study of 51 there was one case of oral thrush that might have been caused by the drug. I'd say it's pretty safe.

Hi everyone, I hope you have all had reasonable days. I only lasted two days on my citalopram, I wasn't finding it too bad tbh but have since been diagnosed as hyperthyroidism. Since a major symptom of this seems to be anxiety and panic and generally feeling rubbish, I have taken myself off the meds and will be seeing an endocrinologist in a couple of weeks. Hopefully things will improve once I start treatment, I think the anxiety has lessened already tbh now that I know the reason why it's occurring.

Just wanted to post this as I have been really shocked that there's a physical reason for my problems. Most GP's have just diagnosed post partum anxiety. Make sure you all get your thyroids checked if you haven't already.

Good luck Mumto, we're on your side. I said upthread somewhere I hoped this was the physical cause of your problem. Or words to that effect. Let's hope that is the case. :)

Thank you NT :) I really hope so too.

busty have you had your thyroid checked? Just found a thread of yours from last month and you sound very like me.

Hi mumto its funny you mention that as I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and was going to ask them to check my thyroid then. The panic attacks have been going on for such a long time but its only recently that all the anxiety feels as though it has spiralled out of control.

Its been two weeks for me today since starting ADs and not much change :( - I'm still very on edge and anxious, with prolonged periods of high anxiety. Going to docs tomorrow to see if I need to up the dose or change the meds. DP is off this week as I still don't feel able to look after DD by myself - too anxious. It is her second birthday on Thursday and I'd really like to be able to get to the park for her.

I'm glad you are going to ask at your appointment busty. It's only when I saw a different GP that he thought to check. I never thought it would come to anything. This new GP said the blood tests are costly and that's why the others probably didn't do it. So be prepared to insist if you have to, tell them about your quality of life etc.

You sound like you have a very supportive dh :). Mine is too though he really needs to get some work done this week, he's going to stay at home tomorrow though and see how I cope. I've been very anxious today too :(. I hope you all have a good day for dd's birthday. Totally with you with the feelings. It is dc2's birthday soon and I am dreading it. Nothing organised yet but at the moment I couldn't cope with a party, even a simple soft-play one.