Sertraline buddy required!!!

[Vml12345]

I’m in day 2 of taking sertraline and could really do with some support as feel horrible 😕

@Hairydogmummy thank you so much for that message it’s made me feel a bit better as I’ve had a rubbish day today. It’s so nice to have support. I’ll see how I feel tomorrow and hope for a better day xxxx

@Hairydogmummy haha I love your message! Maybe I should of gone to 100 ... if I switch to being a cit or fluxotine buddy can I still talk to u guys?! Lol I kept getting really bad chills last night and tonight I started stressing over it and now it's like 10 fold - cold permanent tingly chills feeling .... god it's awful I CANNOT stop worrying about MS!

That's good @Vml12345 .... you're a star for starting the thread to begin with! Absolutely @Mumma1984 when my DH has severe depression, he tried several and ended up on citalopram. My SIL swears by escitalopram. I spent a long time convinced I had MS. It started with an odd numb feeling in the side of my face which turned out to be from jaw clenching and holding tension in that side. Also had a prickly feeling up one arm and I frequently wake in the night with numb hands. It got to the point where I was analysing every move my body made. I also get brain fog and am dizzy sometimes. I was convinced. I role played the conversation with the doctor in my head where I got the diagnosis and then worried that it wouldn't be the type of MS you live a normal life with for years, it would be the type that killed me within a year. It's a really common one for people with health anxiety as anxiety symptoms mimic it.

@Hairydogmummy what did your doc say? What made it go away? I get scared because I've have 3 episodes of symptoms 3 years apart but after the first which was by far the worst I cried and begged so much they sent me to the neuro who said it wasn't ms but as I was such a state I could choose if I had an mri ... course I chose yes and oh was clear but now I've had the same symptoms twice more but milder - the doc insists it's anxiety but I can't stop panicking it's not :( I was really hoping Setraline would help me to stop worrying so much - I have days with no symptoms like if I'm so busy out with friends all day and then I have days where things are on and off - it's just horrible tho, it's been 2 months or a bit more this time x

@Mumma1984 I’m in the same boat! I’ve thought I’ve got MS for about the last year. Several episodes of slurred speech and feeling strange, muscle aches, various other symptoms. I’ve now developed muscle twitches all over and a constant eye lid twitch which drives me mad. Dr says anxiety but twitches are all over. Stupid me googled and now think I have ALS which has sent me into panic mode. The sertraline doesn’t seem to be helping with the health anxiety so I’m going to get that book that @Hairydogmummy suggested as I’ve got to try plus hoping the sertraline kicks in soon. On a positive note I’ve woken up feeling a little brighter today (apart from the constant twitching) so fingers crossed for a better day xxxxx

@Vml12345 I have heard ms is a common HA - thing I find so hard is it's such a random illness that behaves so differently all the time apparently so I can put everything down to it! And I find anxiety so hard as a diagnosis to have lots of physical things. My GP atm says none of my symptoms would make her think ms and I've had a brain scan 6 or 7 years ago. I weirdly don't worry about ALS because if I had that I know it would be way worse after this long, I also don't worry about Parkinson's for example even tho I know it's slightly more common - 150,000 ppl have it in the UK as opposed to 100,000 1/600 with MS ... the fact I know the stats just shows how much I google to try and calm myself down and actually how much it makes you worse!

@Mumma1984 why do we do it to ourselves? It’s such a waste of energy and time isn’t it... Health anxiety is horrible! I’ve also got OCD where I worry something bad will happen to a member of my family so I constantly check on them! Drives them all bonkers!! CBT hasn’t really helped so ADS are my last resort so praying they kick in soon 😬xxxx

@Vml12345 I know it really is, imagine us at 90 on our death beds wishing we had just enjoyed ourself and not worried constantly! I'm thinking of trying a different one and I do CBT but as u say it's not working much for me atm :( I always think if I didn't have symptoms I'll be ok!

@Mumma1984 I'm it sure it's gone away...it's just not my anxiety at the moment, or at least I don't worry about physical illness. I used the book and particularly found the plan A/plan B approach helpful. Plan A is your usual thought 'this symptom means I have MS' and plan B is 'this symptom is because of my anxiety' you agree with yourself to follow plan B for a set period with an end date and resolve to do something about it then if it's not gone away. I also read 'help I'm a hypochondriac' where I got that symptom list I posted below. My HA was awful for years and years on and off. Unfortunately it's been replaced with intrusive thoughts OCD which makes me worry I am mentally ill and the memory loss and sense of being confused and strange makes me worry I have Alzheimer's so it's more the cognitive symptoms of anxiety that I struggle with these days. I never google illness symptoms these days I always google anxiety followed by symptom or perimenopause followed by symptom as that brings reassurance rather than more worry.

I've taken 100 mg this morning....will report back @Vml12345

@Hairydogmummy I read the help me I'm a hypochondriac one! I should go back to the list of symptoms when I start to feel something probably- I have some part of a rational mind I try and listen to like - my symptoms are all over the place they come and go ... but the doc told me with MS that's not really the case you tend to have a period of relapse with symptoms that are constant and then go - also they go when I'm enjoying myself busy so that's another thing and ... I've had a brain scan after the worst instance of symptoms where I felt awful and I spoke to a neuro who said that's not what it was. I have health anxiety because I was misdiagnosed for so long as a child so then now I really struggle trusting doctors but let's be honest ... what other choice do I have!

@Hairydogmummy yes let me know how you get on! Did you feel nothing on 50? I have had periods of good and bad so still hopeful sertraline will work eventually. I’m going to wait until after Christmas to up my dose to 100 xx

I wouldn't say I felt nothing. Just very up and down and I need it to be more consistent. Obviously you can have up and down days with anxiety anyway so not really sure! I'm figuring 'in for a penny, in for a pound'. I put off meds for years so now I've made the decision I want to give it a proper go. So far just the diarrhoea and a bit jittery. Took it a couple of hours ago.

Still okay. Few very odd thoughts but that's about it. Don't feel jittery now.

That’s fantastic news👍🏻😊xx

So it was all going okay on 100 until I realised that the fact I've been getting lots of nosebleeds is a side effect. I'm very prone to them anyway but my nose started bleeding not long after I took it yesterday and had been on and off since. According to NHS website I have to go to A and E if it's severe and I can't stop it. Now also worried as I have horrendous periods already and it will make them worse. Marvellous. Just when I was hopeful it was starting to work.

@Hairydogmummy. May be worth getting your platelets checked as sertraline can lower them and that can cause nose bleeds... I’ve got low platelets which was another reason I was reluctant to start in case they got even lower. Do your gums bleed? Xxxx

I’m feeling awful today. I was at a friends for drinks last night and I just feel so depressed and worried about everything right now 😢 alcohol just leaves me feeling at my absolute lowest!

Hi, on day 4 myself. Thank you for this thread, I have been wondering where these headaches and jaw clenching were coming from. I am feeling a bit nauseous and off food, which is probably a good thing as part of my health problems are related to my weight so if any shifts due to this, that’s good.

I have spent 2 days in bed... interestingly, I do not feel any guilt about it, which is quite strange as I am one of those people who feels the day is wasted if I am not out and about by 9.

I hope you all who started earlier are feeling at least a tiny bit better, and hopefully this thing will work at some point.

@Hairydogmummy hope you’re ok xx

Thanks @Vml12345 yes I'm okay. No more nosebleeds since this morning thankfully. I've been quite anxious though worrying about whether I'll have to come off them and whether they might cause bleeding elsewhere. The health anxiety coming in a bit! Also have MIL and FIL staying atm and the DSCs. DH decided to get all the Xmas decs out of the loft so had to start messing with those but no time to do it all, dinner for 7 to cook and planning for next week (which didn't really get done) there's now boxes everywhere and tree up with no decs. Oh and my parents popped in too. And we had an argument last night and he was vile to me so all in all a pretty rubbish day really,

Welcome @IdiotInDisguise hope it works for you!

Sorry to hear @TrySleepingWithABrokenHeart I drank yesterday and I think at the higher dose it has affected me too. Hope you feel better tomorrow xx

@Hairydogmummy sounds like a full on day. Hope your now relaxing and ok and tomorrow will be a better day xxxx

Got the Shen men piercing today felt instantly calmer will update in the morning it's an anxiety peircing 🤞😁

Was able to function a bit better when I woke up this morning so that's a good sign head is still very cloudy will my concentration come back?

How’s everyone doing today! Xx

Haven't been updating as work been crazy and kids at the end of term frenzy. Was on 75 for a week and felt ok-ish so up myself to 100 as agreed with GP. Had very emotional dreams last night so feeling pretty sad today. Not sure it is because of the med or over-worked or just a coincidence.
The 75 kept me quite normal last week at work until my late shift got dragged from 11pm to 2am because of co-worker's mistake. Felt flat ever since then. May need time to recover.