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.

How is everyone today?

Day 7 50mg - I woke up in the night last night in a state, but I found myself chanting it's just anxiety without even thinking about it fell straight back asleep. I was edgy this morning but forced myself to be busy, took the dog out for a walk and watched the boats at the canal with the kids, then took them trampolining, headed out for dinner now. I keep wondering if I'm okay or just pretending but either way it doesn't matter. Fake it until you make it right?

Hugs to you all, better days are coming.

I had a bad afternoon after a good morning, so sad and anxious & I had a panic attack. This is worst I've felt since starting this dose which is really disappointing. Headache has developed through the day (as well as the burning neck/scalp pain which I'm pretty sure is muscular and is more or less constant), getting lots of intrusive thoughts that I have a brain tumour & obviously the more I think about it the more it hurts. I also ate loads of chocolate & feel thoroughly disgusted with myself.

Everything else feels pretty much back to normal.

Only what a strange doc you have! Why prescribe ADs and then tell patients they are placebos?! I'm glad you were amused rather than annoyed anyway 😬

Day 6 for me of 25mg every other day - a day off today. Tomorrow I'm upping to 25mg/day. Still feeling very exhausted, spaced out and blurgh. Not looking forward to the side effects intensifying. But I hope I can persevere.

Well done to everyone else persevering

Day two on 50g, first time in ages I woke up feeling anything other than dejected. I was feeling really positive but they today's pill has kicked in and I feel really stoned and nauseaous. I'm wondering if I've been making a fuss about nothing and really I'm fine and I don't need medication etc. Does everyone take their pill in the morning? I'm wondering about last thing at night

lania definitely no brain tumour, as you say, muscular and probably help to drink a bit more water. Our crazy brains, I've lost a lot of weight with this episode and caught myself thinking....maybe it's cancer. Dear me. We have to keep reminding ourselves that anxiety causes all sorts of physical symptoms and mental ones too.

alltalknobaby most people say 25mg is not a therapeutic dose, so you are more likely to get some side effects but none of the benefit. I think jncreasing your dose is the right thing to do, hang on in there, it does get better.

nomorestickers day 8 for me too and 3 days on 50mg. I have woke up the last two mornings without despair or anxiety in my stomach. We were prescribed antidepressants because our doctors believe we need them and I think we have to listen. I know I have regularly thought, maybe I could have got better on my own. Maybe I don't need these. But the tablets effects are so slow and subtle, it's them gradually starting to work. I know how you feel about that stoned spaced feeling. I still have it and sometimes I worry that I will fall apart again like I did that first week but we have got through the first 7 days, we can get through another!

Thinking of everyone and hoping for an easier day for us all

Only I'm starting on 25mg as the last time I tried ADs (years ago) I suffered horrendously with side effects and had to come straight off them. I'm increasing to 50mg a day after 2 weeks. Hopefully my system will react better to being eased in gently 🤞🏻

Glad to hear your anxiety has been easing. 😊

Only, that's helpful.... it's awful not trusting your own thought processes ! It's a comfort to know that so many of us are at the same point

Only, that's helpful.... it's awful not trusting your own thought processes ! It's a comfort to know that so many of us are at the same point

Hi guys,

Day 8 for me (50mg).

Yesterday was hard, today is not great. Bit disappointed after a good day prior to yesterday. Deffo heading in the right direction though.

Had a bottle of cider (small, not 2l) last night which probably didn't help. Feeling tired and fuzzy today.

It is not a placebo. It works.

God I miss wine. I haven't had a cup of coffee in a month. When the anxiety is high, i think if I have caffeine I will end up in a state. Same with wine. My mother takes her sertraline with wine. I even stopped Vaping because I was scared the nicotine would make me anxious. I am the manager of a vape shop so Vaping is kind of a requirement. Thankfully I've managed to go back to it in the last two days but still can't bring myself to have a cup of coffee.

Anxiety sucks.

For anyone that's had good days and then bad, remember that's entirely normal in life in general. I remember the first time I was on sertraline, I was so much more unwell than this time. I had a couple of good days, then a horrendous day and I was absolutely heartbroken. Bad days are not a sign of sertraline not working, they just happen and gradually the good days happen more and more. The bad days less and less.

If anyone wants to know if the antidepressants are beginning ton work, ask the people around you. They see it before you do!

Sorry I don't know why my phone doesn't put paragraphs in!

@OnlyGodKnowsWhy I see paragraphs

You talk a lot of sense too (decaf) (alcohol free) (unadulterated)

Sorry, I should have said I have NC from MonsterQueen.

I'm in 200mg of sertraline, been on it for a couple of months now. I also take propranolol. First few weeks are horrible. After that, you feel like yourself again eventually. I'm never always tip top but I'm better now than ever.

Sometimes I feel like someone close to me has just died and need a hug and sometimes I'm way too happy. I've noticed I've gained a lot of weight, this is the heaviest I've ever been. I can also sleep for days but when I sleep I wake up throughout the night. I can't have caffeine anymore and my senses have heightened such as neon takeaway lights, trolleys moving, cups clinking. The medication has made me more sensitive to this and gets me anxious but it's worth the happiness I get some days.

Some days I can't drive because I feel out of it. Nausea was very present the first couple of days but I've rarely had it since.

There are less down days but it's a challenge every morning

I've got my follow up appointment with the GP tomorrow to make sure I'm on the right dose. I really don't know. I'm on 50mg.

I absolutely feel better than I did 2 weeks ago, but I was pretty awful beforehand. I feel like I'm getting through the basics of life now but I'm still not 'me'. Still have no desire to try and tidy the house or sort out the way I look or do a good job at work.

Gplan - is it only two weeks you have been taking sertraline? Last time I took it, although I was improved by two weeks, the motivation was later, more around 6 weeks. I know that generally sertraline tends to work faster on anxiety, needing a longer time to beat depression. I have to say, when I went up to 100mg, I felt myself again, on 50mg it was enough to get by.

CheekyFucker - decaf may be a plan, really miss my coffee!

I hope everyone is doing okay tonight. My mum phoned me and was quite down, she is on day 9 with sertraline and I felt heart sorry for her. I told her to remember that everything is temporary because it is. Depression is temporary. Anxiety is temporary. I always refer to anxiety as the anxiety, not my anxiety. Because I don't want to class it as something that belongs to me. It's something I may experience but it's not an aspect of me. This too, shall pass. Hope you all have a good nights sleep

Thanks GodOnly, that's good to know. I'm fortunate in that I don't have anxiety really, just depression (think PND even though the baby is nearly 2.5!) so maybe it will just take longer to become effective.

Sleep well everyone!

Ps I'm still drinking coffee and wine...

Day 9 for me.
Ive noticed a slight difference in the panic attacks and anxiety ie not as frequent.
I take mine at night atm because when i was taking it in the morning it was making me nauseous, and spaced out which isnt good when im on my feet at work all day. Ive been waking through the night and im still waking up every day with the anxiety. I dont think they are taking full effect yet but i am going to persevere.

Day 2 of 25mg a day. Ooooof terrible headache today that I can't shift with ibuprofen 😕 and feeling pretty spaced out. 5 more days and then up to 50mg. It's going to be a long few weeks isn't it.

Hope everyone has a good day 👍🏻

Tiredbutnotyet they will kick in soon, different for every person but one morning you will wake up and the anxiety will be gone. I remember it well. And then there will be a few more days of being nervous it will come back and it won't 😊

alltalknobaby it's going to be bumpy but we are all here and going through this with you, it will get easier. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water for your headache and just take each day as it comes.

Day 9 I think, for me today, 50mg. I am laughing and my sense of humour is back. It's strange because whenever I find myself laughing or joking, I immediately feel a touch of anxiety and feel like I might fall apart again. I guess this episode has shaken my self confidence and in time I will trust I'm getting well again. I suffer with PMDD and started AF this morning. Makes me wonder if the first week on sertraline was so horrendous because it was PMDD hell week.

Hope everyone has as good a day as they can and it's another day towards getting well again

I actually feel pretty fine today .....only on day 6, felt grim yesterday....

Go with it nomorestickers enjoy every minute of feeling fine and don't worry if it fades, a good sign the tablets are going to kick in for you

Have had such a productive day clearing the garden of shite and taking lots of stuff to the tip. No nausea or dizziness. Day 9 for me. Teeth still gritting though. Also had twice as many kids as they each had a play date. And I coped just fine.

Day 9 (7 days at 25mg every other day, 7 days at 25mg/day). Does the spaced out feeling ease off? I feel mentally and physically like I am wading through treacle. My OH said he is worried that I'll continue to be spaced out the whole time I'm on it. Can anyone reassure me?

cheekyfucker looks like we are similar in our experiences with sertraline, glad you had a good productive day yesterday, more of the same today!

alltalknobaby the spaced out feeling goes. I eventually felt so normal on sertraline last time that I began to forget to take my tablet. Try not to worry as anxiety causes that same feeling when high enough.