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.

Hi everyone. I've been taking sertraline 50mg for 6 weeks now. After a month I felt so much better, the way I described it was it felt like someone had switched the lights on again - if that makes sense? However this last few days I've been feeling wobbly again, low self worth, sense of dread and blackness about the future, wishing I wasn't here... There have been a couple of things happen in the last 2 weeks: some anxiety about DH's job and a fairly major family upset which has bought up a lot of old stuff for me. So maybe it's not surprising that I'm having a wobble? But I just wanted to ask, is it normal to have ups and downs in the early stages if taking sertraline? Should I worry or ride it out?

Hi all,

I managed to go swimming this morning - made such a difference. it's really helped me get my good self in charge and i'm working instead of faffing around on the internet (right now not included). hairytale you're right. i actually feel a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi Deedee yes you can expect it IMO. What I found on fluoxetine was exactly the same - amazing difference. Then after a while, bad things happened, and I'd feel the feelings that I was so afraid of licking at my heels kind of thing. I didn't feel those bad feelings as badly, and they passed eventually, just as they would if i wasn't on meds. Afterwards, I never felt quite the same as in those first months cause I knew the meds weren't infallible. But I still felt miles better and when something went right, which it always does eventually, I felt fantastic - maybe as good as those first months in fact.

xxx

somewhere thanks for your reply xx I think you're right, if this stuff that's happened recently had happened when I wasn't on the sertraline, it would have probably affected me much worse than it has. I just feel scared about going back to where I was, I don't want to be that person any more. Hugs to you xx

Hi guys
So I'm not doing too good but I've made sure I've seen friends today. I guess it makes me feel safer. Not being on my own.

I had some kind of funny turn on Saturday too. Not sure what it was. But it hurt and it wasn't very nice. I think maybe some kind of panic attack or something but not entirely sure what that would be like. Any advice??

I've downloaded a meditation app so think I'm gonna try that tonight, see how it goes.

Not doing great. Definitely worst day since starting the citalopram. Managed to make a call to set the ball rolling for the counselling/cbt referral. Back on verge of tears constantly and a back ground feeling of panic but am now nauseous and yawning all the time as well. Just going through the motions. Hope everyone else is ok.

Hi, hoping people don't mind my popping in with a question... Was switched from citalopram to sertraline after two weeks (lord knows why as I know now side effects take a couple of weeks to die down) as they gave me tremors. Sertraline is still giving me tremors but not so bad.

Upped the dose from 50mg to 100mg two weeks ago as still felt low (have been on sertraline for about six weeks now). Since then have had a lot of headaches and permanently feel sick. Mood still crap. Anxiety still crap. Should it last this long? Shouldn't I be seeing an improvement? Any advice much appreciated, thank you!

don't want to just moan - but really missing my meds. i am now feeling clearer-headed but just low and grumpy. my poor DP is getting really stressed out by me.

i'm getting stressed out by myself!

i need to do the meditation again i think.

coconutter it sounds like they don't agree with you and you should try something else. why did you stop citalopram?

xxx

Hi, may I join you?

I had pnd and was on paroxetine for a year, I came off them last September.

I have recently been having symptoms of depression again and my gp has put me on fluoxetine 20 mg. the side effects have been awful and I am only just starting to feel slightly more human. I have been taking them for just over 3 weeks. I have never felt so ill, nauseous, lightheaded, dizzy and zero appetite.

I am really looking forward to feeling better and more like myself again.

somewhere I had bad side effects on citalopram - but now I think doc should have kept me on them instead of switching after only two weeks. A lot of my depression is reactive so maybe there's only so much the pills can do and that's why they haven't made any difference, because my situation just keeps getting worse. Fed up with the headaches, feeling shaky and jittery, tremors etc when they're not actually doing anything.

Just glancing over this thread - hope everyone is okay. It's such a stupid, pointless, bloody crap illness!!!!

coconutter I'm on sertraline and I get a lot of headaches too (something that previously I've only had when I've been pregnant) I've been on it for 8 months though so not sure if it's the medication or not.

Hi shaky how are you doing?

Finally got the girls back at home and functioning much better. Don't feel a whole lot better in myself but they give me a reason to be here.
Wanted them back all week and been a bit of a mess, but feel for them because they've had to come back, no choice in the matter. And I wonder if they did have a choice would they actually want to come back to me??

Stocked up on a whole load of pills last week and now feel like the worst mum in the world for even contemplating it.

Hello everyone, a bit of advice and your experiences please. I'm coming off fluoxetine and have had a wobbly weekend which has put my anxiety up. Been doing so well but my anxiety and panic keep coming back and it seems to be about 7-10days after I've reduced my dose. I'm on a tablet every 3days and foolishly didn't take one on sat, by sun night I was in tears, anxious and had the shakes. Pmt hit hard and the whole thing got a bit mixed up. Do I continue on one every 3days, do I go back to gp. Is this normal for anxiety to go up with withdrawal or is this me coming off the tablets too soon? Confused

Cupcake. The every other day thing is not good, your body needs a constant. Look at the link on strawberry17 profile to her blog. Ask your gp for liquid fluoxetine and make 10% reductions every 6 weeks. I'm going through something very similar so I feel your pain x

I've read blog this morning and it was amazingly accurate! Trying to get gp appointment but prob not till next week now.

If your anxiety is bad and your w/d symptoms are bad I would suggest reinstating your original dose of fluoxetine unroll u can get to the dr. Then start the 10% taper. I've just swapped from Prozac to sertraline. I was put on Prozac to help me withdraw from paroxetine but it gave me insomnia and increased anxiety so I'm now trying to get stable on sertraline x

cupcake78 why are you coming of the drugs? have we already had this conversation?

i feel for you. Have you tried meditation?

i've quit fluoxetine in a hurry cause i'm pregnant. as the drugs ebbed away, the PG hormones and morning sickness has flooded in. it's been really quite awful. i have had terrible rows with my DP. not sure if now i'm off the drugs i'm seeing reality for what it is, or am i just unbalanced? maybe on the drugs it was brave new world where everything was distorted to seem better than it was, including my DP. I'm trying to resist that dark interpretation.

i've turned down work, partly cause of nausea but also partly cause of my instability.

We're really, really desperately poor so that is making me anxious.

i'm thinking i must get a really low paid job that is really easy (are there such things?) that i feel safe doing.

anyway, momentarily i feel ok and my concentration is better than during the full blown withdrawal phase (whichi s now over i think) which is good.

I did use meditation during the withdrawal phase and it really helped enormously.

But if you were happy on the meds, why not stay on them? I'd be back on them like a shot if i could be.

xx

If you are coming off ADs and getting anxious and depressed then I'd say you need the meds.

Hi, I'm starting to feel slightly better, the side effects seem to be wearing of an I have a little more energy. Saw the gp today and I have got a sick note for another 2 weeks but I need to feel a lot better before I go back to work. However I think I laughed at something today, which was nice

The problem is that withdrawing from ad's can increase anxiety levels causing a catch 22 situation

i would like to take them but can't take them cause preggo... that's the thing. it doesn't seem fair to take the risk with my bean.

if i was eg suicidal i'd take them but i'm not - just finding life more painful.

xxx

Shaky glad youre feeling better - its so good when the laughter returns

xxx

Well ladies I'm now totally blinking confused! Yesterday after 5days of panic, insomnia and general shittyness I decided going back on meds is the best option. I went to dr who was again useless and has prescribed me citalopram despite being told by him that sertraline is better should I get pregnant, but don't get pregnant. This is after being told fluoxetine in a no go in pregnancy by another dr and being told by another that fluoxetine is not the worst drug to be pregnant on and can be done????

Help I'm confused and anxious enough, I obviously need to drugs for longer 3-4mths just isn't going to do it and as a lot of my anxiety is surrounded by my past pregnancies and my want for baby no 2 I frankly don't know whether I'm coming or going

Do I ask for sertraline, do I go back on fluoxetine. It seems pointless going on citalopram if I'm going to have to be moved off them to get pregnant! Dear god my drs are being rubbish

wow! i am in The System! i told the midwife i had antenatal/postnatal depression and now two seperate arms of the mental health services have made contact with me! I have an appointment tomorrow and an appointment on Tuesday! A psychiatric nurse just told me over the phone that I can take sertraline!

don't know if that's useful to know cupcake? also cupcake my thought for you is take as much meds as you need - once you are pregnant you will find it so much easier to quit. this was my experience. quitting wasn't great but i just did it. that is if you want to quit. you may not and it's not essential. but don't try to quit before your even pregnant - it's just an extra spanner in the works when there's already so much on your plate.

anyway my other news is that i've been feeling a bit desperate so have decided to nibble on a stash of amitriptyline i've got. i took one dose of it about a year ago and it was literally a chemical cosh - i slept for 24 hours and could hardly function for about a week. but just as it wore off i did have a noticeable lifting of spirits.

so last night i nibbled on the lower dose pill. it made my tongue numb which was encouraging. can't say i've noticed any difference yet but will let you know if this does me any good. these doctors they don't know. they say i have to take 75mg and if that's too strong then i can't take it. what if a tiny nibble was enough to take the edge off?

oh yes my other news is i've scraped together some money for 1 month of therapy to get me through this miserable, nauseous, uncertain first trimester. at least after that, once i've had my nuchal, i can tell everyoe i'm pregnant and that i have terrible 'morning sickness' (which i actually do) as a proxy for 'mental health problems'.

ultimately i could cope with the mental problems but we are just in such a desperate state financially that i feel i should work - and i barely can.

xxxx

ps cupcake i went through exactly the same thing with my doctor 'most people quit their medication before they start trying' she said with absolute conviction. i simply do not believe that. i tried and it just created unecessary problems - honestly when your period comes what is the point? - so i decided to ignore her.

Thank you south for that! I've decided I'm going back on the meds and have made an appointment to tell my dr what I'm doing. Sick of being told different info etc. it's so unhelpful when your feeling confused enough.