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.

just got a work setback, some negativity, to which i have overreacted. [worried face]. this is when i miss my meds. i just get so traumatised by everything to do with work that i need people to be showing me they love my work all the time. this usually results in me doing good work, as that's the only way to get that reaction, but without the meds im not sure i can sustain the quality.

so tempted to get a prescription for sertraline.

congrats btw MrsNPatz and thanks for the info. so your little boy sleeps well and isn't jittery?

He doesn't seem jittery at all and sleeps as well as we expected for a newborn, I'm breast feeding and was advised Sertraline is one of the best to use when breast feeding. It's working for us and I don't intend stopping the medication for at least 6 months but probably longer term than that to be honest! Hope you are feeling ok today!

Anyone feel like this is never ending?
All I want to do is crawl somewhere and sleep for a week. I'm so tired. Tired of putting on a front. Tired of being tired.
In my head I think I've completely lost it.
I just want to sleep

I need a cuddle

uptothestars sending you a huge cuddle! Stay strong!

slightly teary cuddle uptothestars. it's so hard.
had a row with my sister now. think my mental health is fraying a bit. its scary - part of me knows what 'sane' and' coping' looks like but another part of me has gone awol and is firing off cross emails to ...clients? as crazy as it gets the customer is always right ... and getting riven with anxiety by harsh words with my sister.

it's just so frustrating - knowing there's a better way to live and think and feel, but not being able to achieve it.

still don't think i'm bad enough to go for meds so its like i'm stuck in limbo.

My heart goes out to others who are struggling. I hope you are getting lots of support and that the bad times pass.

on the bright side my NHS counselling is beginning in a week. i really hope they've got something up their sleeve. even if i was suffering inside it would help if i could behave properly and kind of cover up what's going on inside.

also on the bright side my morning sickness is going. I am hoping i can spend some time organising my life on monday - everything has turned to chaos since i got PG.

xxx

uptothestars sending a big hug, and to you, somewhere

Thanks guys.
Today I want to stay in bed but dd is back at 2ish and has a party. Which obviously I've not bought a present for yet.
So that's first second thing on my to do's for today. first being a big cup of tea in my big mug

somewhere so glad your morning sickness is getting better. And that your counselling's starting too.
Feeling a but muddled this morning so don't think I've got anything useful to say.

Thanks again though. The support on here is amazing

How's everyone doing?

I've had a bit of a relapse I'm afraid and as of tomorrow i'm switching to Citalopram as i don't think Sertralene is working for me.

I am back at work on monday and bricking it a bit.

Not good. Not bad. Bit up and down really. But muddling through anyway as best I can. Finally been discharged from tac meetings so no support as such. Not really 'clicked' with new HV so no biggie as I don't have to see her.

hairytale take work one day at a time. Good news on switching meds if sertraline's not working for you. It makes me feel a bit detached I think.
Good luck on Monday. Let us know how it goes xxx

Hope you all dont mind me joining in but I'm so pleased Ive found this page!!
I have been suffering with anxiety and panic attacks for the past 3 weeks and finally plucked up the courage to see my doctor today. She has prescribed me Sertaline and has left me to make the decision on whether I take it or not. As my anxiety mostly relates to health I am now anxious about taking them but i know I cant continue the way I am at the moment. I feel detached from everything and I constantly worry about mine and my familys health. (I would make a brilliant google doctor!!) I get married in January yet the way I am at the moment is stopping me enjoying the planning and the thought of the actual big day fills me with dread, I am worried about everyone getting on and the guests enjoying themselves.I feel like a shell of my former self and just want to get back to 'normal!' Any advice would be great and personal experiences!x

Hiya folks- been away for a while- moving house. V. stressful, and internet access was curtailed.

hairytale - hope the last couple of days have gone well. Sometimes I think going to work would be just the thing- just a different perspective for a while and a break from 'mummying' and the same bloody 4 walls. Anyway, hope it went well and wasn't as scary as you were thinking.

I partly wanted to pop in to pass on my sorry tale- well, tell the error of my ways, really. While we were moving and everything was stressy I couldn't find my meds, so, feeling reasonably ok I left it 'in the meantime'. And I really was ok for a bit. I didn't really even feel too bad by the time I found them again. However, I have crashed since then.

It didn't seem, at the time, to be that much of a priority. If I'm honest, I felt like I shouldn't be so weak as to need them anyway. And even though obviously that was utter bollocks, I let it go. Bad, bad idea.

I am just hoping that now that I've been taking them again for a week they will kick in again soon, because it's like pulling teeth getting through the days. I got to 5.15 this evening and then had to beg my partner to take our sprog out as I had to go and lie down, I felt so shit.

Aaanyway. I have sat in bed this evening and polished off half a bottle of wine, some chocolates and some really brainless documentary. Feeling a wee bit better, but it's probably passing-out time now. Hope you're all OK.

Hello, have posted on another thread but am about to start escitalopram. Sertaline did not agree with me and I have been told now by 2 docs that this might be helpful. I am starting on a very low 5mg dose to see. The 50 mg dose of sertaline sent me into orbit - not nice and I had very unpleasant time.

I have severe health anxiety - long story but a rubbish year all round with lots of stress. Glad to have found this thread.

hello heather and twolittlekings

heather i say get on your meds immediately. i am PG and can't take mine and wish I could. If you ever do stop taking them it's hard, but at the same time they leave a legacy of having known what it is like to be less troubled, and that all that psychic pain serves no purpose. Which is strangely helpful.

while you're on them, you can get on with your life.

twolittlekings (like your nickname) sorry sertraline didn't agree with you, i am hoping to take that when breastfeeding. it sounds like you are the princess and the pea - very very sensitive! i thought i was princess and the pea but you sound even more so. let us know how it goes.

world of meh hey i am still doing meditation on your recommendation and it does help. i hope you feel better. like i said to heather, as someone who ha quit meds, it is horrible on the way down but eventually you reach the bottom and stop falling and can start to steady yourself. it sounds like you've accidentlally sent yourself falling with no real reason. so you're just having a horrible experience. i am sure you will feel better soon - let us know.

AFM I am much less sick and occasionally on days i feel physically well feeling quite elated. but on other days still sick and headachey and on those days i feel like a shadow of myself mentally. very paranoid about work - i have very low self esteem about it after a horrible experience now seven years ago. we have no money my DP is fundraising for his business startup and we have NO MONEY. like we have fresh air. or about 10k 0f debt we can access.

What with being PG it's hard to tell what's physical and what's mental. Im definitely much more snappy and irritable without the meds. but when i say there's a legacy, i think there is. i still feel a lot of the psychic pain but i don't see it as a useful warning, i see it as interfering with me. i managed great without it - better in fact - on the meds so now i know it's my enemy. it doesn't rule me quite as much. but it's tough.

i have come to the conclusion that I can't work now. Physically and mentallyits just too much for me. i am so much happier justlookng after my little boy. I am doing the bare minimum work-wise. This is great timing given our financial situation.

anyway good luck to everyone. do update on here. us depressed people can get a bit quiet sometimes.

xxx

Hi, I was on citralopram for years and managed my anxiety very well, in fact hardly had any anxiety attacks until about 2 weeks ago when I had a major one and now suffer panic attacks every time i leave the house. The doctor changed me onto sertraline but I still feel terrible. Can't relax in my own house, feel light headed and spaced out all the time. The doctor just keeps saying give it time but after reading some of these posts I'm wondering if the sertraline just isn't agreeing with me.

I'd be grateful for any advice x

Hello again.

I went back to work on phased return 2 weeks ago (I'm a midwife). I have been on Prozac for 10 weeks. I thought I was much better and ready to return to work, I have done reduced hours and working with someone.

Today my boss asked to see me and advised me that she doesn't think that I have recovered enough to be back in work. She said she needs me to be 100 %
well to be back in work and said that I need more time off, to see my gp and talk about my medication.

I have completely lost my confidence and judgement but I can put on a very good front when dealing with patients. I thought I was coping well apart from being completely exhausted by the physical and mental effort of concentrating and talking to people all day.

I can see her point but I am so disappointed and gutted, I feel like a failure again. I have been gearing myself up to go back and actually going through that door on my first day back was a massive deal for me but now I feel like it has been for nothing.

I was on paroxetine for pnd a couple of years back and I'm considering changing back to it (I was quite well on it). I went on fluoxetine because I no longer have PTSD symptoms ( the main reason for staring paroxetine).

I just feel really sad tonight, I feel like I should have just stayed off instead of breaking my neck trying to get back to work.

Sorry for long post

Hello
Somewhere, thanks for your reply. I hope your pg is going well. It sounds like not working is the best thing. I'd love to not work but we can't afford it at the moment. I am sure that we all try to do too much (I know I have been) and it just gets to a point where we just can't.

Henners, I really did not get on with sertraline and it was only one tablet! It was awful. My friend has taken it before but said it was fine for her. The one I'm about to start is escitalopram ( not citalopram) which 2 docs have said is very good for anxiety. I'm starting on a very low dose of 5mg a day to get used to it. The GP has given me 2mg tabs of valium to take the edge off if I need to. I'm a bit scared of Valium though as its addictive and I am not going to take it if I can help it!

Shaky, I'm sorry to hear about your work. I know Ive been really knocked back with all my anxiety and it's a horrible place to be. My boss asked me to take time in the summer and I refused as I did not want to then. It now I almost think I should have done. What I am learning is that you think you ate ok but then suddenly something happens and you feel crap again and realise its going to take longer than you think. It's so frustrating. X

Thanks kings you are right, I think I tried to run before I could walk, it has backfired in a big way.

I have never been told to go off sick before!

I have been to see my gp today, he gave me a sick note for 4 weeks and wants me to double the Prozac. We talked about possibly changing to something else but it would take longer to wean off the Prozac before starting something else.

Am I likely to get the awful side effects again if I double the dose. I felt so ill when I started taking it, I'm a bit scared to double it. I will try it and see how I get on, if I can't tolerate it, I'll go back to the gp

shaky I had some side effects again when my dose went from 100 to 150mg of sertraline. But I'm not sure how other types of medication work.

I had a good run of positivity a few weeks ago (went into college, sorted the course I want to do - access to nursing/midwifery - generally felt ok and actually started to plan my future) stupidly stopped taking my medication and completely sank. Everything started getting to me again, so now still a bit up and down, making mistakes at work, irritable - especially with the dd's - sometimes having really horrible thoughts (these kind of revolve around what I can do to myself so I don't actually have to go into work)

Think I've actually made myself go backwards. Now back to taking 150mg a day. Sometimes I take an extra one or two (in the hope of feeling better quicker)
I've agreed to let dd have a Halloween party and she's really excited about it so gives me something to plan and focus on.

Feeling a little lost now I've not got the support I had before. Even though I guess it's a good thing cos I can now try and be a normal mum without having people 'check up' on me. Just feel a little alone, I think I learnt how good it was to talk to someone. I've not really got that now, have ruled family/friends out cos they don't need to know, and even on here I feel a bit of a pain.

I'm just going through the motions really. Like I'm on auto pilot.
But anyway, sorry, not only is this turning into a huge essay but it's also all over the place and I'm not even sure if it makes much sense.

Hi new people

God yes! It does make so much sense to me.

It feels like one step forward 2 steps back, all the time.

I was soooo tired going back to work, I realise now that I would be completely burnt out if I dived straight back in. I have had a bit of a taster and it hasn't worked out.

I feel really bad about letting my work mates down. They thought once I was back the pressure would be a bit less, but now I'm off sick again. I'm so disappointed.

I can really identify with the on auto pilot feeling, I still feel like I live in a murky goldfish bowl, where everyone can see me but I can't see out. It's like living in a fog and fighting to get out of it is exhausting. I have never been so tired in my life.

stars good luck with your career. I am a qualified nurse and a community midwife.

They are both very demanding jobs.

Please make sure that you are in the best health before you start any training. Believe me, you will see things and situations that will push you to the edge of your sanity.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to be on top form while you are training (and afterwards),

Good luck, all the best

Hello all.

Day 5 of Sertraline here. I feel so sick. Got a cold as well, which always makes me sicky anyway.

I do feel more even though. Please tell me the sickness wears off.

Random question; Does sertraline tend to make you gain weight like other ad's?

shaky don't be disappointed. Your gp wouldn't sign you off work if he didn't think it was necessary. Like you say, it's a demanding job, you need to be on top form, so make sure you get as much rest as you can while you're off. Do things for you..things that make you feel good and more like you again.

Everyone told me that going back to work (after maternity) would be the best thing for me. That it would help me to be me again. It hasn't.
I lose sleep over it. I panic when I'm there and I feel constantly on edge. But what can I do? I need to work. I'm there because I have to be.
Sometimes I could quite easily do something like pour a kettle of boiling water over my arm or press the iron down on myself because then I wouldn't have to go to work, I'd have to go get myself seen to.

And it's crazy stuff like that that goes through my mind. I could be doing the most normal of things and I'd think, well if I do this it could really hurt me.
I think maybe I'm starting to lose it a bit

louis the sickness should wear off. You need to take your medication properly though. I find that if I've gone without it for a few days, when I start to take it again the sickness comes back.
Sickness could also be down to nerves/anxiety?

ophelia I'm not sure on the gaining weight thing. I've lost weight whilst taking sertraline and also put some on. Losing the weight is probably mood related. And putting some on is probably down to the fact that I've started to force myself to eat more.