Sertraline buddies - support for anybody taking Sertraline

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I eventually went to docs yesterday, been really suffering with depression. Is it possible the medication can result in side effects straight away? I'm feeling sick and no appetite today, however feeling better, clearer... I'm on 50 mg the lowest dose.. Anyone else share their experience please?

Hi chuff kazza Anita

Welcome Anita :) you'll be fine, keep sharing here x

I feel less self critical but not there yet, feeling anxious a bit today. Four week tomorrow and GP appointment tomorrow.

chuff Yeah they do have the days of the week on the pack but I have taken the Setraline out of sequence.

I remembered I did take them.

Not taken |Vit D for two days, must do that now.

kazza I think you might need to consider CBT I know the mental turmoil you speak of. I had private Psychodynamic therapy and I still go over things from my past in my mind but much less now especially since starting Setraline.

Today I have had a churning past events over in my mind, full of self blame for everything, :( I feel your pain. Its like I am trapped sometimes in the past and still there with the people from then too.

Such a relief someone understands. Maybe I do need to ask for cbt, but I've had counselling before and it just didn't help, I don't think the counsellor was right for me. I really struggle to talk about the things that are on my mind.

Yes, you could have a free first hour with a local therapist. Don't go unless first hour free. Go away and think about it. I do understand kazza Keep sharing x

Thanks sole.I really can't afford private counselling now or for a long while yet.

Feeling depressed :(

Hi sole what's up?

I was having a moment which lasted a few hours, feeling hopeless, I'm over it now chuff

This thread is quiet...

Oh we'll that's good . Still early days isn't it, and normal to be up and down a bit. I seem to be feeling permanently stoned at the moment - no complaints there though

Yes this thread is really quiet lately - hopefully that means people are feeling better? I do wonder how posters are getting on who haven't been back for a while...

I haven't been able to get on all day - had my parents over, which always depresses me a bit - and stresses me out. Plus the app isn't working, so I'm struggling with the mobile site.

Really, really mad at myself today - too much rushing around, had to go to the bank to pay some money in to the mortgage and do some shopping plus get some shoes for ds (aged 22 - but can't shop alone!) plus take him to the chemist, because he's been wearing crappy shoes and hurt his feet, couldn't get a docs appointment so asked the chemist to have a look ... anyway taking dd to her friends this aft for a sleepover, got in the car and reversed out of the driveway without seeing the van parked at the other side of the road and thudded into it. I have made a dent in it. I knocked on their door straight away and told them and he took it really well, didn't seem particularly bothered. But I am so mad at myself. I'm such a careful driver normally. I think it's just I was stressed, hurrying and dd was chatting away to me about all sorts.

Anyway, they've all gone home now, so I have the house to myself and am just having a coffee and have polished off a bag of popcorn!

Sorry you're having a bad day, Sole. This thread is really quiet, isn't it? Anyway, hope you feel better now.

Hmmmm wrt car. I had a bump too, might be the meds what is done is done, turned out positive in the end for both of us.

Is you DS disabled kazza?

I'm just mad at myself for not paying more attention.

Ds isn't disabled, he is however very immature and lacking in confidence too.

He has been wearing very cheap shoes (he works full time and buys his own stuff - especially now I'm so skint) for work and walking around in wet Converse in his free time, his work shoes rubbed blisters that have then turned nasty in the wet shoes. I was worried he had an infection and needed antibiotics, the chemist seemed happy they were ok though. Now I have insisted he buy some good shoes so he got some from Clarks today and my parents bought him some Goretex walking shoes for his birthday present - it's his birthday in just over two weeks.

I guess i'm one of the posters who seemed to have disappeared! I'm ok, had a couple of low moods, and also a couple of bad night's sleep. Been busy over the last few days because I've been out being social (yup, me the antisocial bugger) and today was my dd2's birthday so a trip to the cinema etc.

Stonedness almost completely gone but I do get incredibly tired for an hour or so in the afternoon, and yawning! Lots of yawning

Dwerf, glad you're feeling ok.

I've been on sertraline for 8 weeks. I think they are helping a bit with the anxiety, but I was hoping for more. I think I'll make an appointment to see my gp in the next few weeks to discuss increasing my dose to see if that helps.

I'm just over a month into them. I made the doctor laugh when told him I felt stoned on it (said he'd never had someone describe it like that) and when I went for my new month's supply, he asked if I was still in "my little bubble of zen". Not as much unfortunately but stil a tonne more zen-like than six weeks ago.

Feeling stoned would be quite nice - at least I'd feel a bit distanced from everything.

Dd had a sleepover at a friend's last night and I'm not working this week, so was going to have a lie in this morning, only to be woken by dh at 6.45, because there is a leak in the kitchen! The tap is dripping under the sink and the kitchen floor was soaking this morning. He did mop up, but was unable to sort out the drip so has turned water off at the mains for now. I'll have to call a plumber and pay (with what?!) for them to sort it . I really struggle to make phone calls, I hate doing it, I hate making chit chat with people I don't know ... it's a nightmare for me. I want to go back to bed and ignore it. Sadly I can't as dh won't be home til nearly 7 when it's too late to call anyone out, so I'll have to deal with it.

I hate things like that too Kazza - anything where you have to get a man in to do workman type stuff. Mainly because I know bugger all about that kind of thing so I hate that they could tell me any old crap and I'd believe them! Sorry - that's probably not helping much!

Do you know anyone who's had work done lately and could recommend someone?

Dwerf glad you're feeling ok.

Hello All. Thank you for the welcome. Day 3, no side effects so far! Have slept well, hope they start working soon, feeling positive!!! Xxx

I made the call! We have used this plumber before and he is the dad of one of dd's school friends, so not a total stranger. I'm just no good at all at talking to people I don't know and especially men. I blurt out utter nonsense generally.

Anyway, he said he'll come about 12 noon, so fingers crossed he'll sort it and it won't be too expensive (ongoing financial issues due to dh being out of work for over ten months, only started work again two weeks ago, pay day is tomorrow, hopefully!)

Good that it's all getting sorted kazza

Hi Anita - really good that you're not getting any side effects - I felt really yuk within a few hours of starting them, so maybe you'll be really lucky and escape that completely!

Well, the plumber has been and gone. Couldn't fix the problem, we need a new tap but on the plus side didn't want paying today either, will bill for everything next week when he fits a new tap In the meantime he has capped off the leaking tap so we can use everything else except that one.

Kazza good that it's (kind of) sorted then...

I just read your post yesterday about when you next see your GP - I'm due to see mine in a couple of weeks, when it will be about two months since my last appointment. I keep wondering if I should be on a higher dose or not - I have some days (sometimes a good few days in a row) when I feel really happy, and more importantly (and more amazingly, for me!) really, really calm. But then I will wake up one morning, and for no apparent reason, I feel all edgy with my guts churning again. But that's as bad as it gets - I've not had that horrible, sudden panicky feeling for ages. I also had absolutely no PMT this month.

So I suppose overall (and reading this back to myself), I am much better than I was a few weeks ago. But I still have 'off' days...

DH says I'm overanalysing myself, and that everybody has 'off' days and that's just normal. Which I do agree with. I suppose when I go back to the GP I just have to be honest and tell him exactly how I've been, then see what he says.

I don't want to up the dose unless I really have to - I felt bad enough about going on AD's in the first place and still have some side effects, so I don't want those to get worse - I also do feel quite spaced out sometimes and don't want that to increase.

ChuffChuff, I think I haven't had that sudden panic anymore either, but just thought it would be better than this somehow.

I know what you mean. I think because taking ADs was such a drastic, big step for me, part of me was hoping that it would make me feel fantastic all the time, almost like it would take all my problems away. But I realise that's unrealistic. And depending on what you google, I've read lots of reports saying it's still early days for our meds to have worked completely.

Do you have any side effects now?

Yes, thats the problem, I don't know how I'm meant to feel and I don't know what normal feels like anymore.

I didn't realise it was still early days - I thought at eight weeks we would be feeling the full effect. Maybe I should wait a bit more.

I've got another ten days of covering for my colleague coming up on 18th June and I don't want to be as stressed then as I was last time. I think I need to work out a strategy, as last time I was expected to do her work (with very little instruction) and my own job, when I am rushed off my feet ALL the time at the best of times. The colleague that isn't on holiday talks all the time, driving me nuts, and the boss hasn't got a clue how long it takes to do the work on the pc, so expects miracles! I hate admitting I can't do something though and I hate confrontation, so I don't know how to handle it really. Any ideas?

Well obviously I'm just going on what I've read, but the way I understand it, it can take 6-8 weeks to start feeling the positive effects of AD's, then it is supposed to be a gradual improvement from there. People say they get a few months in on them and one day suddenly realise they've not thought about the normal things that would worry them for a while. Which makes it hard to know when you are better because it kind of creeps up on you, I think, rather than just waking up one day thinking 'wow I feel amazing'....

Do you get on ok with your boss? Would it be worth asking to have a chat with him/her about how you are going to manage your colleague's workload while she's away, ie be a bit pro-active about it, which can only be a good thing in the eyes of your boss, surely. You could ask if you
could spend a bit of time with your colleague giving you a bit of training/instruction on what needs to be done for when you have to cover? Also maybe talk with your boss about what tasks take priority and which can be left for longer.

At the end of the day, if it's two people's jobs it can't reasonably be expected to be done in the same time frame by one person - or it would be one persons job in the first place!