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.

I've been taking Sertraline for just over 2 years for reactive depression due to serious health problems for me & DH leading to employment & financial & legal probs etc etc etc. My GP started me off on 50mg, increased to 100mg 4 months later & 150mg 12 months later as the probs got worse. Have to say I didn't notice any side effects other than having a very dry mouth most of the time. Life is now returning to some kind of 'normality' & so with my GP's approval, next month I will begin to decrease the dose by 25mg over 4 weeks, then a review with GP & if all ok will decrease by another 25mg over 4 weeks & so on. Without the Sertraline I would not have been able to contest the legal probs etc & get through the past 3 years.
The best advice I can give is to have regular reviews with your GP as I did with my wonderful GP so any changes to dosage etc are done under medical supervision.

Liveinazoo, different people have differing reactions to these things. You'll need to experiment a bit to find the one/combination that works for you. I'm not on them, but am posting on Hathor's other thread.

Good luck to you all. :)

I feel very nauseous, headachey and cold, and am clenching my jaw a LOT

Don't like this. At All.

Thanks Maryz. I daren't give up DP would be more than a little unhappy.

As long as I think it's just the side effects or a temporary thing I think I can stick it out.

That's a good point about feeling like a failure - I feel like that

I know all that intellectually and if it was me talking to anyone else I'd be telling them not to be daft.

But it's different when it's me iyswim?

Hi, can i join in? Another one with anxiety here (health). Am seeing gp on tues to talk about ads and have been recommended sertraline so will put in for that one, but not sure i've got the strength to cope with the side effects. Just seems ridiculous to take a tablet to help with anxiety that's probably going to make me feel anxious. Already feel like chicken licken, so this is really worrying me. Feel so weak after over a month of panic. Need to get it sorted though, have had this on and off for years and these episodes seem to be getting more frequent. Prob not the best time to start in the school hols? Am worried about frightening the kids if i end up spaced and sweaty with massive pupils. Pleased i found this thread though, will be back.

Welcome Deleting. This is a support thread so just dive right in. You've very bravely made the first step. Now, just in case things get on top of you on Tuesday write down a list of your symptoms to give to your doctor. Don't forget, these feelings of being spaced out might be a reaction to you actually being open about things. Take the meds, and allow a couple of weeks for them to work. Good luck.

Hi Deleting I'd recommend going to the doc with a list

I can cope with the side effects that I'm getting (so far anyway) by remembering that they're side effects and they'll go - and the doc is keeping a close eye on me so if they don't go she can change the dose/type of tablet if needed.

Headache this morning. Took the half a diazepam last night and felt totally spaced out but my shoulder definitely isn't so sore this morning so that's a positive.

thought id update. it looks like the reason that i might have felt so odd is because i took another tablet at the same time.

i took half yesterday in the day and didnt feel much different, a bit spacey and on edge but ok.

i am debating continueing with them, as i have these herbal ones here.

im just not sure

LWM - that's exactly how I feel and I'm taking a whole one. A bit spacey and edgy but not too bad.

Why not hold my hand take them for a couple of weeks and see how you are after that? That's what I'm determined to do.

LWM I'm due to take my first half this morning. Have started smoking again in anticipation of panic

I know the tablets you mean - are they 5htp ? Was it you asking for advice on them ? I don't know much but can try to help you out if you like, let me know.

Hathor You sound very determined. Last time I took a whole one I scared myself off taking anymore so am now starting with half doses. I just keep thinking that by this time next week the side effects should be mostly gone and by the following week (i.e my DDs birthday) I may be noticing some difference in my anxiety levels. Good luck!

Morning folks! Hope everyone's feeling ok and got some sleep. After waking up at 4am yesterday, I was up at 3 this morning. Littlest DS woke up 5 min later, hopefully that's a coincidence (he's BF). I'm gonna walk to the shops and get sunday papers in a bit. I bloody am!

Not currently on ssris but just wanted to say that when I took them it took a while for them to work, but once they did it was amazing. Nothing dramatic in the sense that I didn't feel falsely elated or anything, but I just felt like "me " again. When I'm depressed I tend to feel full of regret and really hung up on the past, whereas on antids I just felt a lot more positive, forgive myself and look to the future. I would really notice it if I missed a day at first, but I didn't become dependent on them. Around 6 months later I fell pg and decided to stop them, and because by then I was better, stopping them was fine. So ladies PLEASE persevere because the side effects ime are very transient. However if they reasly are unbearable, just switching to another may do the trick which seems odd as they all work in the sane way, but ime I tolerated one far better than I dud another. It us no good taking something that makes you feel awful, or worse still, stopping them altogether. I was always a bit suspicious if antids and avoided them for a long time, but will now not hear a bad word said about them, as they changed, and probably saved, my life.

Btw, sorry for all the typos, just read that back and it's awful! trying to give dd breakfast at the same time us my excuse!!!

And my fecking phone that "corrects" what I DO get right!

yeah Busty thats them.

Ive just taken one but i might still take half an s later

I have just taken mine.

No effects yet but it's only been about a minute

Hi all

Started taking Sertraline again 10 days ago (50mg). I find them a god send.

Yes, I have some side effects, dry mouth, spaced out and jittery.

But within 24 hours they have a sedative effect, and I feel calmer. I did up the dose again after 3 days to 75mg, as I sort of knew that 50 wasn't going to be enough.

The OCD behaviour has calmed which is a huge sign for me that something is wrong. It can take me an hour or so to leave the house at my worse, and its mental agony.

The panic attacks are still there, but not as prolonged, as is the insomnia and whizzing thoughts. But the tears have stopped, along with the paranoia.

All in all getting better, going to Doc's this week so will ask to be upped to 100 I think.

I have taken them for years, but what I was thinking stopping them before Christmas, I don't know.

Husband been off sick for a year, filling in Bankrupcy papers this week, and on verge of loosing home.

Terrified, but in a muted way - I know that Sertraline works. Stick with it people.

Duckety that's good to hear.

i really really Do Not Like the buzzy face thing I have going on.

thanks teakozy and hathor. i know it has to be done, so will have to just bear it. it really can't be worse than living like this. had a bad night last night, headache and couldn't sleep, mind was whizzing. really tired this morning and the kids are hysterically running round. thank god it's sunny here, i'll try and get out, usually feel a bit better outside. good to hear from people further down the line, that it's worth it, but why do we have to get worse before we get better? seems so cruel.