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.

Wow, what an amazing thread and wonderful community of helpful caring people. Please can I join in? My story is I've had severe depression for a year now. I started on Mirtazapine (I didn't know anything about anti depressants and just took what i was given). Left on a small dose for a long time and eventually increased but it just left me shattered. Eventually after 6 months I got referred to a Psychiatrist. I'm now on Venlafaxine. I suffer with huge anxiety issues and a shattered sleep pattern. I think the Ven has an effect but I'm still in distress every day so want to go and ask for an increase in dose. And possibly some sleeping tablets. And something for daytime anxiety/fear. When I write this all done I realise how horrifying my situation is. I was once against taking any tablets. Now I just want the quickest route to the one(s) that will work for me. I'd be grateful to join your community and not feel alone. In return I'd like to offer my support of all of you battling this horrid evil thing.

I should add that I was briefly prescribed olanzapine (though have never had a psychotic episode but was becoming quite agitated by my situation) so I was on that for a few weeks (5mg) then told to come off it and I've had a rough time ever since (been off it for just over a week now).
I hope this thread is still live and I haven't missed the boat. Could do with some support right now. Thanks to anyone that reads this.

Hey, serial: just saw your post now. Haven't checked in for a while, and just thought I'd take a peek before going to bed (shattered). Didn't want to pass out before saying hello, though. Sorry you've caught this particular thread during an inactive period... will try to return over the next day or so when I can actually focus, but wanted to say congrats for just keeping going. For me, deciding to try meds when I would normally have avoided them was a positive step, if only because I was not giving in. If that makes some sort of sense!

Anyway, take care- hope things are starting to settle down for you now. :)

Thanks World, that's so kind of you. I was once someone who never took medication for anything. Now I'll try just about anything to get out of this hell. I agree it's a positive (if or maybe because it's a scary) step.
Hope you're doing ok today.

Hello again... hope you've had a reasonably positive day. :)

We had a trip out, with lots of walking- and last night didn't sleep brilliantly. (Nice day, though!) The shattered sleep pattern you mention is something many people with depression report, and it really can have some profound and far reaching effects just on its own. I have sometimes wondered if that's one of the reasons I am prone to depression... do you have really vivid dreams- even more so with the meds?

But, yeah. Well done for keeping going and trying whatever you need to. It's the not giving up, even if you just keep breathing and putting one foot in front of the other, even if you're only able to do baby steps... that's fighting it. Keep it up! Okay, fairly sure I am rambling not too coherently, so best get to bed now..!

Hi there. sorry not to reply before. yesterday i tried to reply to your PM but for some reason it's not going through. sorry. I'm doing a bit better. but it's relative isn't it. a bit better than very bad still doesn't feel like anything to be too happy about. be great to be able to believe one day this will all be a horrid dream and not something i'm STILL living through. the drugs are clearly working but i still dream of the magic pill that just puts everything back to how it was. are you getting over your busy guest weekend ok?

Heya- looks like it's just us for now, then!

Don't worry about the PM, or not replying quickly. I find it often takes me a while to get around to things: case in point, replying to this thread. Letters are particularly scary, don't know why. I have a pile of unopened letters I haven't got the energy to deal with at all, just sitting there. Occasionally I move them around into piles in different places: several have been gummed and/or mashed into unexpected places by my baby. Hey, ho.

Anyway, any improvement is good. And just hang in there, as you may find that in a few weeks you can see how much progress you've made. I do sometimes have to look for markers for myself, just to get an idea of whether things are better. Like for example, I haven't hurt myself on purpose for quite a while now. I used to dream about it every night even, but that seems to be getting less now too. If, however, you feel you aren't getting anywhere, then maybe you just need to go back to your doctor and try something else until you find the right meds for you.

It's a shame there isn't actually a magic pill, isn't it... when you say you'd like everything back to 'how it was', what do you mean exactly? Simply the absence of depression, or have you lost something by being ill- or because of having your baby?

Hope you've had some good days this week. My visitor didn't go until Tuesday, and then I went a bit mental on some hobby 'projects'. OK, must go- a long day, and my eyes are drooping. I apologise for any errors/weirdness, brain not fully engaged at this point!

May I join?

My story in very brief is that 2.5 years ago my therapist died and my partner decided he was going to pursue his dreams without earning any money, which meant i was the breadwinner. I was forced to take ADs to cope with this - fluoxetine. it worked a treat. I'd always been neurotic/sensitive and there had been some bad things that happened earlier in my life and I realised I should have taken ADs earlier. They have helped me so much. But now PG with DC2 - very early stages - and trying to quit.

I feel ok-ish but not great and I know I'm going to feel worse.

I'm on a few other threads but I'd love to find aplace where I can talk about mental health - it's still a bit of a taboo on these other threads I feel.

I'm not depressed as such although I was when i started taking ADs. I am more anxious I think and very sensitive and overemotional.

Hi there. I'm on day three of 50mg of sertralene (was given 100mg initially and I had a terrible reaction to the first tablet).

I'm suffering from PND/anxiety so am eager for things to resolve.

I'm takin it in the mornings and so far each day has got a bit better - I am waking slightly less anxious each day and after taking the pill I'm feeling less odd each day - side affects not as strong and yesterday I managed to go out shopping - the day before I'd never have been able to.

My PND seems to be a bit cyclical - so I'm keeping an eye out for relapse - seems to come every 2-3 weeks.

hairytale hello
is sertraline an ssri? i have found they are really good.
you can get on with life.

I'm sorry you have PND - i think i had it a bit but was in denial.

People talk about getting better/feeling better without meds. It happens, allegedly. I think i need to hold on to this as a possibility. It's a real possibility.

Hi, somewhere and hairytale. Great to see new folk joining in, although of course it's not so great that you're going through it too, IYSWIM.

hairytale, I am also on Sertraline, and started on 50mg: I still had quite marked side effects. It look me a good few weeks before it kicked in properly, and then my dose went to 100mg after a couple of months (I think). I have found it very good, and wish I'd persevered with SSRIs in the past. It's such a relief to be doing so much better, though everything isn't perfect- but when is it?

somewhere: is your partner supportive, and prepared to take on a bit more childcare to give you some 'you time'? One thing I can recommend is learning to meditate, if you haven't already. I'm getting to a place where I hope to start doing it regularly again, and plan it to be an important part of withdrawing from meds eventually, along with exercise. Not there yet, though! I can really recommend this book. It has a CD with short guided meditation exercises on it, which I have on my iPod. Longest is about half an hour, and the shortest around 2 minutes I think, so very do-able.

hello everyone. have just had to start back on sertraline for a few reasons. due to see gp to discuss going back on them but had some here from a few yrs ago. have only started on 25mg for a week (started today) and then will up to 50mg and see how i go. i get the side effects many have mentioned here too so have also taken half a valium to help with those. not had a good time of it healthwise for a while and had a very bad week so i think it is the right decision for me to have taken.

hello all!

I've just been hanging round my DP's friend who has bipolar and doing some work that connects with MIND and their time to change campaign www.mind.org.uk/timetochange and I just realised I was one of those people who has to pretend all the time (but not successfully unfortunately) Probably the people I'm pretending to are pretending as well, I dunno.

But anyway i'm getting to the point where I'm thinking that owning my MH issues would probably make me less mad IYSWIM.

worldofmeh meditation is a brilliant suggestion. I might be able to find a local class and i'll check out the book.

My DP is and isn't supportive. He's incredibly lovely and loving but he kind of still thinks he's ... not 18 but... 27 let's say, rather than 37 with a kid and another on the way.

I think he knows DC2 (if it sticks) is kind of the end of the road. He's nearly managed to make his own company sustainable so fingers crossed he won't need to stop doing what he loves.

We have no money for therapy but i could ask the gp, who i've got to visit anyway.

I'm currently halving my dose of fluoxetine. it hasn't really hit yet.

i'm having a very easy day today as DS is ill and not getting in the way of anything.

hairytales and madfiddler are the side effects of sertraline so bad? fluoxetine has made me less into sex and sleepy in the day and poss a bit plumper but that's it. maybe i'm just lucky. once you get through the first two-six weeks SSRIs can really make a big difference so I really encourage you to persevere. I remember how shaky and sleepy and anxious i felt the first two-three weeks and then suddenly whoosh i felt much better.

definitely the right decision madfiddler i'm impressed you went off them for so long.

i get quite bad side effects, they have already started :( but i will stick with them. i came off them when pregnant because i was on other meds such as morphine ( which i also dropped at 6 months preggers) and other pain meds and i felt it was too much. i have managed okish until the last few months when a combo of a shite relationship and declining health and pain probs hit. then culminating into a huge betrayal a few days ago by a trusted friend which sent me into a bad place and i just broke. i could work through it without sertraline but i know when i need to do a bit more that just "work through it". I feel broken. i will go to gp and discuss it but luckily i know that she will trust my decision to go back on them. am still breastfeeding but not much goes into the milk (or the pain meds i am on) so that is just how it is.

just getting on with it is a myth - it's better to know yourself and when you need help - that's the true courage and wisdom. depression is an illness with a physical cause.
I'm sorry things are not so good at the moment - I am absolutely sure it will get better. RL friends are very difficult.
xxxx

Hi thanks for the welcome.

I'm on sertraline as it's breast feeding friendly - the side effects are the worst of any I've tried previously - citalopram and prozac.

But I'm going to persevere.

cheers somewhere. things can only go up. and hi hairytale

Hi all. hope you're all having an ok week so far. and yes it's a good outlet to be able to talk about MH issues here. saves me boring my DH to death with repeating the same old anxious chat.
i'm still feeling utterly shattered. but worried if i reduce the olanzapine, i;ll be even more anxious (and the same old stupid thoughts are still there, ruining my life presently) so guess i need to give it a bit longer.

i also think the meditation idea is brillian, worldofmeh. Thank you. how are you doing?

i need to get some excercise in to my life too. but i lack motivation and am honestly too tired to go to a gym or pool. ho hum.

finding it surprisingly easy without my fluoxetine. I don't feel anxious - yet. My sleep has gone a bit wierd and i've been feeling very tired and my concentration isn't great and i suddenly feel uber introverted but that's all. If i could stay in my house for the next 9 months and had no money worries, I think i'd be fine.

I've downloaded some meditation apps - i found a specific one for anxiety - and I've only used them once but it did really help. Knowing they're there is good.

maybe the meds DID help my brain heal - the GP said this was what wa supposed to happen but until now I couldn't imagine feeling better without them.

having said that, its early days and i've not confronted any challenges.

I don't know if that's a thought serialhousemover? Maybe just being on the meds will have helped you to get stronger?

is olanzapine a tricyclic? I tried them once - for one day - and I slept for about 24 hours and could scarcely stand up. that was the end for me.

hello all, just wanted to drop by and say hello and say that after three days on just 25mg of sertraline, i am starting already to feel better. still having side effects (panic mainly) but am managing to distract myself through them (and if i cannot do that then i have valium which i take half of ). i have stayed away from my ex apart from chatting about business stuff (which i have kept very cool about and not had any emotional stuff going on) and my (ex) friend who fucked me over is away so have not heard anything there. that one will take longer to get over because the relationship has been shite for ages and this was a shock. i feel it is important to say the good stuff as well as the shit so here it is, and i hope that all of you are ok too x

madfiddler that is really good
xxx

ps did some more meditation last night - good stuff

fiddler that's great - I'm on day 6 and am feeling better each day - no funny turn this morning!

somewhere I'm finding meditation helpful too.

Morning all. I feel less tired today. So, taking your lead Fiddler, I agree we should say the good things too. Well done.
Somewhere and Hairy - can you send a link to the meditation sites you've found helpful? I am rubbish at meditation when I've just practiced it alone so need a good site to help me learn ways not to get distracted and disappear off into the land of anxiety!
Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic. terrified me that the pdoc must have thought i was psychotic as i really didn't feel this. but have read a bit about it and it's also for anxiety (as well as various other ailments) and is regularly used in US for this. My pdoc goes to states quite a bit and seems v keen to prescribe this drug over sleeping tablets (Z drugs) and over valium etc as O is not thought to be addictive. i trust him to know what he's doing so am okay with it now.
Hope everyone has a good day.

hey serial that's good.
have you got an iphone? i got a couple of iphone apps. there's one called 'at ease' for anxiety.
the same person does another one which has lovely rain sounds. Last night i lay in bed listening to the rain sound and a 20 minute meditation. I felt anxious it was going to be too long or too short but the voiceover keeps saying 'there's no wrong or right way to feel... let your feelings be there.'

there are loads of other apps and relaxing sounds for less than a pound in the apps store