Sertraline buddies?

[OnlyGodKnowsWhy]

I started sertraline 2 days ago and I am having a horrible time 🙁 I was hoping there might be others out there starting up too that would like to chat and support each other. I'm a lone parent and only have my mum.

@needtowalkmore Very wise to wait until you can have a few duvet days if you need them.

My DH was prescribed this but quickly stopped as he had severe diarrhoea. Have you seen the news that the Aurora theatre shooter was on Sertraline and a British antidepressants expert interviewed him and determined that the drug was a key factor in causing the violence, it's also been related to other murders There's a Panorama documentary about it at the moment.

Trying to avoid that programme to be honest.

Also very grateful for this thread. I'm on day 4 of 25mg every other day - GP started me very slowly due to very bad side effects last time I tried ADs (years ago). Im supposed to increase to 25mg every day after a week, and then 50mg a day after another week.

I'm taking it for PND. I hope the sertraline will enable me to enjoy my DD more.

I have been taking it at night before bed and am having a bit of nausea and some quite bad dizziness this evening. Does taking it in the morning lessen the side effects? Like other PPs I assumed I'd sleep through most of them if I took them before bed.

Any ssri has the very rare chance of causing psychosis IF a person is already predisposed to it. It's very rare and anyone on ssri medication should be checked up on fairly regularly. I don't think the majority has anything to worry about.

Hope everyone is doing okay. As usual, I am fine in the evenings, dreading bed because then the fun starts again tomorrow, ugh. Still the end game is totally worth it.

I have been told to take it in the morning. will start on 25mg for the first two weeks and then need to go back to the doctor. Let's hope we all start to feel better soon. I just want my heart to stop racing and to feel like I can relax a bit more. Also having some problems eating enough so hope it helps a bit with that too.

I'm on week six, still got the jaw ache from clenching but no sickness, my tiredness is not because I've had a busy day and exercised nothing like the first few weeks when I could sleep for 24 hours, I'm liking the effects now as I feel a lot more normal ish x

@Girty999 That is good to hear. I must admit I could sleep 24/7 now. The kids make sure that doesn't happen.

Yep school drop off sleep alarm for pick up sleep lol xx

It's really helped me! Keep going x

Well, I have taken the first one so let's see what happens. I know it's silly but part of me still feels like it' s cheating to take the tablets. I have got a quiet day planned but am still feeling worried about possible side effects.

Hope everybody on this thread starts to feel better soon and thanks again for the encouragement.

Day 6 now, 50mg. I didn't feel as low when I woke this morning. Prickles of anxiety and I'm shaky but okay. Getting out of bed feels a huge task but I will do it soon.

My estranged husband is coming to stay for a couple of weeks until I am back on my feet. We have been separated nearly two years but remained friends. I was worrying that my doctor may have put in a child concern when I said I had no support at home, so I want another adult here.

I've been desperately trying to find some counselling of some sort. Near on impossible and waiting lists are huge. A CPN refered me to live life ran by the NHS but they are fully booked until October and that's just to add your name to the waiting list.

No idea how today will go, will report back later. I hope everyone is doing okay, hugs to you all.

I'm the same needtowalkmore.
Hmm I'm feeling a bit spaced and tired today, day 4 of 25mg, like my thoughts are only getting so far then hitting a wall. Dose doubles tomorrow 😬 I know this is fairly typical from my research, in a week or so it ideally should lift leaving me more able to pull my own socks up but I'm feeling a bit like a lab rat.

needtowalkmore well done taking that first tablet, it's not easy.

I find it so sad that most of us view starting antidepressants as failing and cheating. I have thought that too. Yet if we are anemic and prescribed iron, it never occurs to us that we failed to eat the right foods and taking the iron would be cheating when we could change our diet.

How is mental illness so much more belittled than physical. Anyways, my point is, only BRAVE people take antidepressants. Taking a tablet day after day that we know may make us worse before better is STRONG. Getting through these first weeks, when there is little benefit is RESILIENCE. No-one is cheating and no-one is a failure. That's the anxiety and depression monster talking that feeds on our self esteem.

I'm in my second week now (have lost count of the days) - sleeping much better now I've switched to taking them in the morning. I felt pretty normal yesterday but have another headache today - I think it might be neck/jaw related, I've still got a lot of tension.

nomorestickers that spaced out feeling is disconcerting isn't it. I know what you mean by the thoughts as well, I get that pretty badly when the anxiety is high. 50mg is the therapeutic dose for many people, so you are on your way to getting respite from these feelings. Hang on in there!

nomorestickers that spaced out feeling is disconcerting isn't it. I know what you mean by the thoughts as well, I get that pretty badly when the anxiety is high. 50mg is the therapeutic dose for many people, so you are on your way to getting respite from these feelings. Hang on in there!

I really can't concentrate on my work today, it's like thinking through treacle, I don't feel this bad before the tablets and tomorrow it's a higher dose 😣

Nomorestickers hang in there, since I started 6 days ago, I've been worse than I was before....but today has been my first good day. There will be ups and downs and some days will be super tough, try not to be disheartened. Easy for me to say when I feel okay, i will probably be back on here tomorrow going crazy!

Thank you xx

Day 6 for me on 50 and I also feel as if I am winning. Managed the kids, not felt sick or sleepy (just a bit of dizziness when I sit down) and even went for coffee with a pal. I also laughed for the first time in a long long time.

Still clenching my teeth, but am aware I am doing it now so exercising my jaw to relieve discomfort.

Felt a bit 'high' on a couple of occasions, but I think what I am feeling is normal as I have felt so low for so long.

It's really great to hear about people getting over the worst of the side effects and starting to feel "better". I have been a bit nauseous, dizzy and spaced out today and the tiredness is unreal. DP is in work tomorrow for 4 days so I'm dreading having to look after DD by myself, potentially feeling worse. I might just have to go to bed when she naps!

@alltalknobaby Deffo nap when you can.

Day 15 for me on 50. Have been feeling much better for about four days now. Day 10 was a low - felt like I should have seen some improvement but was still in the pits of dark anxiety. In fact the anxiety got worse after starting the drug before it got better.

I am taking it for PND. My son is 21 months. I came off them in May thinking I could go it alone, but I'm not sure my brain is even capable of doing that, having been on and off them since I was seventeen.

I found magnesium threonate really helped my anxiety when I wasn't on antidepressants.

Thanks for this thread. It is so helpful to hear about others who are taking medication for depression. No one talks about it in real life. I sometimes feel as though I'm the only one. I read 'Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon about her mental health and she was about the first recognisable person I could see that was willing to own taking antidepressants. This helps.

I feel a lot happier but also a strange detachment and lack of empathy when on sertraline. I have to remind myself to be sympathetic to my children when they are crying etc as I feel no sympathy or sometimes I even find it funny. Is that a normal effect? I am not like it when not on them.

I had a doctors appointment today, met the doctor that prescribed the sertraline. He told me that in his experience, antidepressants are placebos and I felt good today because I am doing the right things. As much as I liked him, he was quite quirky and tried to insist I cried, I disagree with his opinion. Last time I was so unwell, I was having psychotic thoughts and believed I was beyond help, that was no placebo effect!

He also questioned me on the chances of getting back with my husband and asked me to 'let it all out'

Quite liked him really, I left in a most amused mood.