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Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have medical concerns, please seek medical attention.

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Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have medical concerns, please seek medical attention.

Mental health

Need advice on anti-depressants please can mumsnetters help

79 replies

Havingatoughtime · 02/08/2006 18:15

I am a regular poster but name changed. I know thare is a lot afoot on mumsnet at the moment but could do with some advice
Been prescribed an AD sertraline and am breastfeeding.
Anyone had this drug or got experience of it?
Never had AD's before but am really quite poorly - my doctor ( and psychiatrist) say i really do need to take it while I wait (!) for psychologists to see me.
Just have a few silly questions really like can you drink ( I dont drink much just a little bit and want to know if i can still have the odd glass of wine/beer)
Any nasty side effects?
a million and one questions if any one can help
Sorry its long

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Lemmingswife · 02/08/2006 18:36

You are not supposed to drink while taking AD's, as I think alcohol makes them less effective. I had the odd drink while taking them though, but I am bad & you shouldn't listen to me!!

They can have side effects, but not everyone experiences them. I felt a bit sick while on mine & yawned more than normal!

They helped me through a really bad patch & I would consider taking them again if I felt that low.

Havingatoughtime · 02/08/2006 18:38

Thanks Lemmingswife - do you think they helped you long term or just when you took them?

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loujay · 02/08/2006 18:39

Hi,
Just wanted to send you a hug and tell you to hang in there.
I have been on AD's although not the ones you have been prescribed I'm afraid.
They take about 2 - 3 weeks before you really start feeling the benefits, aometimes a little bit sooner.
Have you read the leaflet thing that comes with the tablets??
They usually say don't drink, I am not a big drinker but found that a glass of wine occasionally was OK.
Not sure about the breastfeeding thing, you should ask your GP about this.
Sorry to hear you are feeling bad, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, believe me.
Lots of love coming your way.
Lou

WigWamBam · 02/08/2006 18:39

Sorry that you're feeling so rough; depression is a swine.

I haven't taken Sertraline but have taken other SSRIs, and the side-effects are pretty similar with most of them. Initial side-effects last for a week or so and the common ones are things like nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, changes in appetite, dry mouth, headache, insomnia, shakiness and dizziness. There are some longer-term side effects as well, I became over-sensitive to sunlight (it brought me out in a rash) and had what felt like an untuned radio and electric shocks in my head. You won't get all of the side-effects, and you may not get any of the longer-term ones at all. I remember feeling really rough the first couple of weeks, until the initial side-effects wore off, but was reasonably OK after that.

Have a look at the leaflet that comes in the pack, that will list any other side-effects that you may experience - I don't think there are any that are peculiar to Sertraline but I could be wrong. And don't be frightened to ask the GP about your medication either.

You need to allow quite a while to let the ads kick in - the GP told me a couple of weeks but I found it was nearer 6 weeks before I started to feel any improvement, and even then needed to increase the dose a couple of times. If you don't feel that they're helping you once you've been on them for a month or so then see the GP - if that particular dose or that particular ad doesn't work then a different one will.

WRT alcohol, the perceived wisdom seems to be that it's best avoided but the odd glass won't hurt. Alcohol is a depressant so is best avoided anyway, and ads can increase the effects of the alcohol as well.

trinityrhino · 02/08/2006 18:39

I haven't had any noticeable aide affects from taking my ad's, I'm on citalopram so it's a different one
I had the occasional drink on them(before I got pregnant)

I think you'll be fine hun xxx

Havingatoughtime · 02/08/2006 18:40

thanks so much for those kind words - i do feel very bad

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Lemmingswife · 02/08/2006 18:40

Well, by the time I was ready to come off them, I really was so much better in myself that I coped fine. You have to come off them slowly though.
I was prescribed them for my PND & I really did need them at the time. They take away that sinking feeling that you experience with depression.

Lemmingswife · 02/08/2006 18:43

I was on citalopram too, but I think they can all have similar side effects & I am not sure you are advised to drink with any of them. It was my sisters wedding a week after I started taking them, so that rule went out of the window right away!
Good luck. I hope you are feeling better soon.x

QueenMab · 02/08/2006 18:43

I think Sertraline is a generic name for Lustral? Have a look at this It says you should consider not breastfeeding whilst you are using it. Apologies if I am talking out my arse and the AD you have is nothing to do with Lustral. Did you tell your doctor/psych you are BF?

Havingatoughtime · 02/08/2006 18:49

yes they do know about the b/f
i think it may be called zoloft?

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QueenMab · 02/08/2006 18:55

This should reassure you! Apologies, for my rambling about Lustral

Mumbojumbo · 02/08/2006 19:12

Hi there
Sorry to hear you're down.
Just a quick post to say that I was on sertraline (Lustral) and continued to breastfeed ds2 (with no adverse effects).
I felt a bit spaced out for a while (dizzy, nausea, lightheaded, headache - a bit like having a hangover), and I think they took a couple of weeks before they kicked in. I kept off the alcohol, certainly at the beginning but did allow myself the occasional glass of wine. I was on them for some time but now am not taking them anymore. They really helped.
Hope you feel better very soon.
Take care.
mj

MrsJohnCusack · 02/08/2006 19:18

hi, sorry you are feeling bad
I took sertraline whilst bfeeding DD, (and had the odd glass of wine as well to no ill effect - once I'd got used to them though). It was absolutely fine and I was completely reassured by the doctor that it was fine to take it whilst bfeeding. It does go through to the baby, but in absolutely tiny amounts; the advantages of breastfeeding far outweigh any potential disadvantages from taking the medicine.
Also, your baby will hopefully get a mother who feels much better, which is obviously a very good thing. I can't tell you how much it helped me, it was completely fabulous.
But as others say, give them a good long time to kick in. I felt a bit dizzy at the start but that did pass.
good luck!

MrsJohnCusack · 02/08/2006 19:20

meant to say, one of the GPs at my practice went to a seminar on taking ADs in pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding just before I was prescribed the pills. he was hugely reassuring and sertraline was one of the most recommended ADs for PND, both in terms of suitability and effectiveness.

Havingatoughtime · 02/08/2006 19:23

mrs johncusack and mumbojumbo thankyou so much for this ---YOU HAVE NO IDEA how much it helps and stops me feeling so alone in this

amidst all the sh#$ on MUMSNET at the moment things like this really make it a great place!

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MrsJohnCusack · 02/08/2006 19:29

honestly I hope they work for you - it is so, so worth it. I was a different person! and you feel so unbelievable shit with PND, it's just HORRIBLE

keep us up to date on how you're doing

Havingatoughtime · 02/08/2006 19:33

Had to see a psychiatrist as getting very blue and panicky and she said no such thing as pnd just depression which exhibits itself after a birth.

I do have issues which have been there since childhood and they are all 'spilling out'
My poor baby - I love him soooo much

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Havingatoughtime · 02/08/2006 19:33

so kind Mrs JC !!! so therapeutic to feel people understand...

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Mumbojumbo · 02/08/2006 19:34

Just to add, I hadn't realised how bad I had got with PND until I was getting better. Be gentle on yourself and don't try and do too much too soon - as mrsjohncusack has said they are worth it!
Keep posting on your progress, you'll get some great support on mumsnet I'm sure.
mj

quootiepie · 02/08/2006 19:35

Hiya... dont drink. I needed ADs, and im BFing but my problems are quite complex, and was given propranolol (SP?), but it wasnt strong enough, so GP gave me diazepam to take occasionally when I feel its all too much. Be wary of drowziness (if you co-sleep) and 100% dont drink if you co-sleep on anti-d's. I know im new and that, but feel free to contact (dunno how it works on mumsnet). ((hugs))

MrsJohnCusack · 02/08/2006 19:40

well I know mine was mainly a culmination of milder bouts before I was pregnant. interested that psych denies existence of PND though. ANYHOW, doesn't matter so much as sorting yourself out for you and your lovely baby.

ADs don't necc solve the depression but they do enable you to climb out of the 'fog' and function by improving your mood (the new ones especially do this without any danger of 'zombiefying' you, which I reckon was the problem/stigma associated with older types of ADs, an association which survives and means many people are v.wary of taking them), which then allows you to tackle problems with psychiatrists/psychologists.
my DH looks as though he will be on ADs pretty much for ever despite having been enormously helped by CBT, there is no shame in taking them.He is SO much better now on Citalopram (another SSRI) than he was on seroxat and experienced many fewer side effects.
I'm really rambling now but just want to emphasise that you are NOT alone.

bakedpotato · 02/08/2006 19:41

I took sertraline briefly while bfeeding. I have to say, I did not get on with it. My anxiety levels went up -- not fun . I only say this to you because I stuck with it for far too long, 4 days, and in retrospect I should have come off after two. Basically, if you start feeling worse, go back to GP quickly. But my reaction was, according to GP, very rare. I was unlucky.
The next AD wasn't an SSRI. No probs with that at all. And it made all the difference.
Someone on MN told me that ADs are like stabilisers on a bike. They help you get your balance back, but you won't need them forever. You'll be out of it soon. All the best.

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Havingatoughtime · 02/08/2006 19:52

OK thanks baked potato - is it possible that i will feel worse before i feel better?
Anxiety is my main issue

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quootiepie · 02/08/2006 19:58

havingtoughtime... did you tell GP you had anxiety aswell? When I was at my worst, it took 2 weeks for ADs to kick in, in the meantime i was on diazepam and sleeping pills (not their wisest move giving them to someone suicidal...). You might need different ADs if your having worse anxiety than depression...

bakedpotato · 02/08/2006 20:06

HATT, sorry to mention my experience, really. Basically I got all the sideeffects listed on the leaflet. I then fixed on the idea that I had to get worse before I got better - but a GP told me that if I was feeling worse, I should give them up and start over. I could have coped fine, I think, with just an upset stomach and dry mouth...
Have you started taking them yet?

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