Sertraline buddy required!!!

[Vml12345]

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

I've just completed 1 week of 25mg. Sleep has been a bit disturbed the past two nights. I think I might switch to taking them in the morning instead of at night. Appetite is still low.

Seashell33 well done for persevering. I think 2 weeks is probably a good timescale to expect side effects to be lessening, if not completely gone.

@Vml12345 day 2 was the worst for me, felt so sick all day and slept for a while in the afternoon

Now on day 7 and nausea has passed, feel really calm and think it's all starting to kick in now

Back to work tomorrow though so see how that pans out. Also plan on telling my boss

I’m on day two now, don’t feel to bad, slightly worried about the potential side effects I’m yet to face in the next couple of weeks! Hope your experience got better

I've decided to give it one more night. If I don't sleep tonight I think I'm going to have to stop the Sertraline. I really thought these would work for me as they did with PND but I just can't get past the not sleeping. I haven't slept for 3 nights.
I know it'll be rubbish coming off them but I'm hoping as I've only done 8 days won't be too much in my system.
I'm just so desperate to sleep and dr didn't want to give me any diazepam to help when I went on Friday.
My mindset on my mum's cancer has been much more positive as she's recovered from her operation so I'm hoping to keep up the positive attitude minus the Sertraline.
I keep listing all the things I'm grateful for too to help me to keep focus.
I just don't think I could manage trying another AD and more side effects.
I want to get back to myself (even the functioning GAD one) that I was a month ago

@Mumma1984 @Vml12345
How are you both doing off the Sertraline?

I’m doing ok thank you @SeaShell33. My appetite is back which is great, I’m enjoying eating and the diarrhoea is gone . Mentally I’m no worse so sertraline was not helping and I was on it 8 weeks! I’ve decided to try running after reading a really good book over Christmas, natural serotonin! Xxxx

Can I join? Day 9 for me, 50mg, PND so breastfeeding

@Vml12345 that's great that the diarrhoea has gone and your appetite is back! I so want to enjoy food again too!
Sorry that you had 8 weeks and wasn't much of a difference.
I've been trying to get in more exercise too, either pacing through the anxiety or running after a toddler!

@SeaShell33 I wish it had worked for me but that’s just the way it is! Just going to try and stay positive

@Hairydogmummy how are you doing?

X

@SeaShell33 @Vml12345 yeh same here - I feel the same mentally because it did nothing for me even after all those weeks. I had no withdrawal side effects. I'm on a wedding diet atm, I have 25lbs to lose by May which is kind of hell and I over ate at Xmas ! I'm running and today I did spin so I'm just trying to keep busy and be healthy ... I still constantly worry about Ms - but the hell can I try anymore than what I'm doing! Just hoping the worry fades! Hope you all had a lovely Xmas and new year xxx

@Mumma1984 good to hear you didn't get any withdrawal and have managed to work on positive activities! Sorry to hear you still have the MS health anxiety, hope the worry does fade for you with all the positive activists you have going on.
Good luck with the wedding diet! What a great goal to work towards!

Hi all! I had been really good even off the Sertraline but today is day 3 off it and I'm really feeling quite dizzy. I've had a bit of nausea which is totally manageable but the dizziness has got me a bit worried as I'm back to school tomorrow. I'm still okay mentally tho. I read the whole of 'it's just a feeling' site and a book called 'anxiety relief'. Still have diarrhoea though! How long did it take yours to go @Vml12345 ? I'm definitely going on the Escitalopram once it stops as I think going back to school tomorrow is going to affect me. I already feel I'm unlikely to sleep well tonight. I was 8 weeks on Sertraline and I do feel like it was starting to work. Hope it works for you guys! Totally get the not sleeping @SeaShell33. Have you tried mindfulness? I also do that every day and find it's helped massively.

@Hairydogmummy sorry to hear you're still experiencing diarrhoea. I hope you have a good experience with Escitalopram.
I've also been reading Its just a feeling site but haven't read it all.
I've got the calm app but haven't tried it yet. Need to give it a go!

@Mumma1984 sorry I meant positive activities! Damn autocorrect!

@Hairydogmummy it took about five days for diarrhoea to resolve but I was only in 50 so prob longer for 100. I’ve got gp appoint on Tuesday so will see what he says about another AD for me to try! Xxxx

I definitely would @SeaShell33 it takes a whole to get in to it and you have to fully commit to it, following the anxiety courses diligently. You can also use specific ones to help you fall asleep. When I was bad, I would do both as well as sleepy cream, pillow spray and they have soundscapes on there. I put one of those on my phone on speaker and time it to run for 30 mins. If I'm not asleep by then, I read again till I'm sleepy. Don't leave it on all night tho as it wakes you when you're cycling through the light sleep phase.

Thanks @Vml12345 that's reassuring. My SIL is a nurse and she's worrying me cos she doesn't think the GP should have left me on nothing especially now as I have some withdrawal symptoms. She also thought the diarrhoea should have stopped by now. Hope GP visit goes well for you...ask about Escitalopram ...we can do it together!

@Hairydogmummy just ordered some sleepy cream, have been using the pillow spray which is very nice.
I used the sleep stories last night which were so soothing but probably listened to too many as I eventually fell asleep at about 4am for an hour and even had a dream.
I've gone down to 50mg this morning.
Had some anxiety about tapering off but keep focusing on all the positive things and support network.

I've been to the GP this morning (was a pre-planned appt for something else) and she has advised me to allow 2-3 weeks for side effects to ease and 4-6 weeks to feel benefits. It seems such a long time!

I switched to taking my tablet this morning instead of last night, but I was still awake in the night. I'm feeling really weird - kind of mentally and physically lethargic.

@moorsep it does feel like such a long time! Have you felt any benefit from the tablets yet? What day are you on?
When you took the tablet in the evening did it affect your sleep?

Currently in a stupid indecisive dilemma.
So last night I had a blessed hour of sleep after three nights of no sleep.
Had a calm day with just some anxiety and actually felts times of joy.
So now not sure whether to persevere with the tablets and try and ride out the insomnia.
I can't go back to work until I'm able to sleep more than a few hours.
Currently on day 9. Not sure if I can last until day 14 to possibly see the side effects go.
My friend thinks I should go back the drs but they make such a fuss when you want to see a dr over mental health and tell you you can have an appointment in a weeks time unless you absolutely beg them!

Had panic attacks last night. Decided to stay on 75mg and just pray the insomnia goes away.
Going to phone drs and try and book appointment for Friday for a review/to beg for anything to help me sleep.
Can't stop thinking about having to have time off work and that I can't go back to work until I can sleep.
Feel so hopeless

@SeaShell33

Short term insomnia is a common start up effect of some antidepressants, and it will get better if you hang in there. I wonder if part of the difficulty for you is the fear around your mum's cancer - subconsciously your mind and body are being extremely vigilant, as though if you don't sleep (ie. let your guard down) you'll somehow stop anything awful happening. Just a thought, would be very understandable if that was the case. In the face of potential significant loss some of us deal with it by 'thinking magically', even if we're not conscious of doing so. Despite your mum's recent improvement your mind might not have processed the new hope. Stuff like attachment issues from our early years can play a part in how we deal with the threat of losing a parent. That would keep you awake, potentially.

Although many of us will automatically switch into 'catastrophising' or 'awfulising' thought patterns in the face of such difficult challenges, with support those default thinking styles can be challenged and transformed. Sorry if you've mentioned this already but are you waiting for CBT? That could help you get to the bottom of what's keeping you awake. The sertraline might be part of it but unlikely to be the full story, under the circumstances. On the other hand, the longer you give it the more chance you'll have of feeling the benefit. I'm noticing how it really takes the edge off a lot of my 'negative' thinking. But it's great that you're seeing the GP again this week

Also, meant to say, your mind is likely to want to go into 'control thinking mode' because of the devastating realisation that you can't ultimately control what's happening to your mum. So it distracts itself by worrying about something that feels more controllable, like jeopardising your work life by losing sleep. It feels like it has to worry about something, due to the terror of your mum's illness, but knows deep down it can't win against the possibility of loss. So at some level the mind gets angry and tries to assert its power by having something less devastating to fixate on as a control issue, to take you to the edge of where you feel you have to solve a significant issue and can realistically do so. Sounds unlikely, I know, but the mind hates to feel powerless and yet feels like it has to do something to assert its capacity for control, to reassure itself. The solution might be to consciously accept what it is that is completely out of your control, ie. your mum's vulnerability, but that involves some painful and frightening feelings, so naturally you would try to avoid feeling them.

Theoretical, but there's some basis for it in psychotherapy models. Hope it helps.

@PeninsulaPanic what you've said certainly makes sense and I am a massive control freak!
I'm on the waiting list for CBT although I can't imagine that coming through any time soon. I've been offered counselling through work which I've asked to be signed up for.
I know it's an issue I definitely need some therapy over not just ADs.
I'm also feeling that the Sertraline is taking away the negativity.
Couldn't get into see a GP until Tuesday next week so just need to keep plodding on until then and hopefully in the meantime I will settle on 75mg and sleep at night.

How long has it been for you now?

@Vml12345 how did you get on at the doc? I've still not started the Escitalopram. The diarrhoea is better but not gone yet. I'm really dizzy from the withdrawal at times tho. DH just started Escitalopram and has nausea and light headed and stomach pain.

@SeaShell33 how are you this eve? Have you done one of the actual meditation sessions? @PeninsulaPanic has given some really good advice there. The more you read about how the mind works, the more it will help you. The Sertraline is partly to blame obviously but if you are panicked about not sleeping, your limbic system will be falsely firing when you go to bed and try to sleep which will prevent you sleeping. It's a vicious circle that you'll only break by fully accepting not sleeping as being 'okay' rather than a threat.

@Hairydogmummy sorry to hear you've been dizzy with withdrawal.
I have been trying to do the meditation exercises on the clam app but sometimes when I'm in a state can be hard to focus.

Yesterday as a weird day, felt exhausted up until afternoon. Then about 5pm I felt a sudden rush of happiness and excitement.
I was feeling pretty happy all evening. And went to bed feeling positive about sleeping.
I actually did sleep!!!!!!! I woke up about every hour and half but would go back to sleep.
Woke up at 5:30am with a little flutter of anxiety and had my tablet.
I felt really positive for the day, went to soft play with my mum and DD. Then visited my friend who is also on Sertraline to talk about how I'd been. Then later my best friend came round to see me at my parents house.
From about 1pm I've felt tingles of anxiety trying to push their way through which have got worse at the day has gone on.
Sat watching TV with DH and can feel the cold tingling all over my skull and heart beating fast.
Just so upset after such a positive day yesterday. Already dreading the night.
Not sure whether I need to go up to 100mg now