Sertraline Buddies #2

[Umbongo1]

For anyone starting out on this drug...

5 years for me. On and off. Thanks to cheating H.
Mind goes a million miles an hour at night. Fix all the worlds problems. Slowing down again now. Sleeping ok till about 4 am, then it’s off again. Just want to feel normal.

Hi, how is everyone today?
I'm on day 6 now. Still breaking the 50mg tablets in half, so 25mg at the moment. I feel too nervous to take a whole one!

I feel a bit fuzzy headed and have headaches and I'm more tired than usual. Hoping all of that will pass though x

Has anyone experienced increased anxiety when on these or increasing dose?

Physical side effects have eased a bit for me at the moment. Do have a bit of increase in mental symptoms. Intrusive thoughts :(

@Vampyhooch mine is more physical symptoms, my mental symptoms have vastly improved x

@Lottie124 how long have you been on them? Perhaps it’s just your body adjusting to the increased dose

@Vampyhooch nearly we week at 75mg x

@Lottie124 sounds like it could be the increase. How long was you on them before the increase and was the anxiety improved?

I was on the 50mg 6 weeks, anxiety was slowly Improving but very slow that’s why I upped the dose c

@Lottie124 sounds like it could be that then. Have a chat to the doctors and see what they say?

Feeling really detached today 😣

Has anyone had the detached feeling with these tablets? Feeling worried :(

I've got to stop my medication.
Despite checking 100 times and they told me it was safe, they've now said it's not safe. So I've got to discontinue it.

My only other option is Mirtazapine which I'd never touch again. So I'll have to try and get by without anything 😔

I was still only taking 25mg, so obviously I won't take the dose tonight how. How bad should I expect the withdrawal symptoms to be tomorrow? 😭

@Makingachange2019 why is it not safe to take?

Because of my medical history.

Hello, can I have join the thread? I'm not on Sertraline yet but am currently tapering off Citalopram to switch. Long history of depression, anxiety and panic attacks. Citalopram 20 has kind of stopped working for me, and lockdown has made my agoraphobia so much worse. I also have problems with chronic fatigue, pain, muscle weakness and I have endometriosis so am a bit of a spoonie. The doctor suggested sertraline as I an planning TTC in a few months (sounds stupid with my issues but I'm almost 35 and losing time). I'm terrified of switching as I've read horrible things, plus I already have ibs symptoms so really scared of more stomach problems. Still I have to try something I suppose because current meds are basically placebos now (and broken ones at that). I'm scared of increased anxiety too and all other side effects.

I'll be on citalopram 10 for at least another week and then I should be starting half dose of 25 sertraline to begin with. Not sure if I'll be able to do it.

Can I join the thread*
Early morning typing not my best!

Hows everyone!?

@Vampyhooch I’m not too bad today, still pretty anxious throughout the day! Bit of a fuzzy head! How bout you? X

@minipilling hi, welcome I was citalopram for 9 years or so and it’s stopped working too, the doctor told me I could do a straight swap from cit 20mg to sertraline 50mg as it was the same class of drugs and worked in the same way. I checked woth a pharmacist too and they said it was ok to do that! But I had the worst time I felt like a drug addict I was shaking the anxiety was so intense for about a week I could barely look after my little girl, so you are defo doing the rite thing tapering down first! X

[quote Lottie124]@Vampyhooch I’m not too bad today, still pretty anxious throughout the day! Bit of a fuzzy head! How bout you? X[/quote]
I feel really anxious with the racing thoughts. Got a banging headache too. Come camping with the family but it’s not enjoyable when your mind is somewhere else x

@Vampyhooch - sorry I disappeared for a couple of days. Was dealing with ex-partner dramas so needed a minute to practice all the strategies I've been learning when it comes to life's challenges. And I think it's worked! 

Sorry to hear you've had to postpone your wedding. It will just be all the more special when you do finally walk down the aisle.
And yes I bet you were constantly on edge checking on your DS. I would've been exactly the same.

Hopefully you won't have to wait too long for counselling to come around. I can imagine there would be quite a long list because of the impact COVID has had on peoples mental well-being.

Are you feeling less detached?

@MissPepper8 - how are you feeling? Are you still persevering?

@Yorkshiremummyof1 - I started on 25mg for 6 days and then increased to 50mg. It has made a big difference to me but it took about 3.5 weeks.

@minipilling - I understand your fear. No one wants to experience neither the anxiety nor the side effects that may come with the Sertraline. But not everyone does. I didn't have any side effects with Citalopram so it shocked the sh*t out of me when I had them with Sertraline. But like you, the GP recommended Sertraline because DH and I are ttc. You can do this! And we are all here to support each other through it.

Feeling like giving up. Side effects haven’t been too bad but gutted that I can’t have a couple of beers now and depersonalisation seems to be worse :(

Hope you are feeling a little better @vampyhooch?

Depersonalization is so distressing isn’t it.

I’m now on day 15 ish, mornings still bad but still having brighter moments in the day. Don’t know why mornings are so terrible, in ‘normal’ times for me mornings are better and evenings are worse, strange it’s reversed a bit.

Had an initial phone appt with the local talking therapy service today, should get started on therapy in 6 weeks or so.

I've done a couple of weeks on 50mg... I've felt on edge and sensory overload - but I was feeling like that anyway as the anxiety had bitten so I don't know what's side effects and what's the illness right now. Got a review appointment with the GP next week but my gut instinct is I need a stronger dose (or the pandemic to be over).