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Sertraline Buddies #2

270 replies

Umbongo1 · 08/07/2020 15:56

For anyone starting out on this drug...

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Umbongo1 · 09/07/2020 20:06

Ugh this totally sucks. I have resorted to eating chocolate orange and having a glass of wine. Today can do one.

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MariposaPink · 09/07/2020 20:41

@Lottie124 @Umbongo1 maybe we should invest in some earplugs?!

I enjoy the chocolate orange and wine for me too please. I just can't bear the thought of food and alcohol. I'm pretty much living off breadsticks and water. Anything else doesn't stay in me for very long...

Umbongo1 · 09/07/2020 21:48

@MariposaPink in all seriousness, a doctor recommended a (not many!) glass of wine as it is an appetite enhancer. I only ever have one glass due to the drugs but it does enable me to eat at least one decent meal in the evenings. Plus chocolate orange of course ;)

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Leafypage · 09/07/2020 23:45

I’ve done over 2 months of sertraline now. All I can say is after 8 weeks you should start to feel better, more stable at least. If you get elevated mood keep your gp updated regularly so they can address any possible issues. It is a bit of a wonder drug in tackling severe depressive episodes I have to say.

Umbongo1 · 10/07/2020 08:44

@Leafypage thank you that's really helpful did it take the whole 8 weeks for you to start feeling normal?

How is everyone today? Having had a day from the bowels of hell yesterday I've woken today with old very mild anxiety compared to the usual blind panic....

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Biancadelrioisback · 10/07/2020 10:31

My bowels are a mess. I just want to stop having diarrhea every time I eat!!

And I want to be able to wake up with dry pjs that aren't soaked with sweat.

Biancadelrioisback · 10/07/2020 10:33

I had a sad day yesterday. I felt just really, really sad. Feel a bit brighter today but I just kept welling up yesterday

Lottie124 · 10/07/2020 10:40

@Biancadelrioisback what week are you at? I’ve been having problems with Diarrhea but it seems to have stopped I’m in week 5! The sweating seems to have stepped for me too! How’s your head is it feeling clearer ? I get weird pressure sensation like a tension headache it’s wierd x

Biancadelrioisback · 10/07/2020 11:09

Week 6 for the 100mg, but was on 50mg for a month before that.
I'm also on Propranolol for the physical symptoms.

I will say that I finally feel like I can concentrate again. I'm going some online training and the past week or so I've noticed a huge difference in how I'm processing the information.

Biancadelrioisback · 10/07/2020 11:11

The Propranolol does help with the panicky feeling

Sertraline Buddies #2
Lottie124 · 10/07/2020 11:46

I’ve got propranalol 10mg three times a day too! I’ve Been havimg a few good days, but last night just broke down and Sat and cried for about an hour then it passed.is this normal? I feel so silly xx

Biancadelrioisback · 10/07/2020 12:35

That was me yesterday!
I was just so, so sad. I felt devastated but for absolutely no reason. It is silly in as much as there is no cause or anything, but I don't think it makes you silly or anything. You feel how you feel! Doesn't matter how you got there, you can't just stop feeling sad or mad or whatever. You can't always logic your way out of feelings.
DH always tells me to just feel what I feel and don't fight against it. Means I tend to perk up sooner too as it stops it drawing our so long

MariposaPink · 10/07/2020 13:49

@Biancadelrioisback your DH sounds so supportive. What a lovely thing for him to have said.

I was a crying mess on Sunday and Monday. I was really "ugly" crying on Monday on the phone to hubby while he was at work and also to my friend who was trying to control her 3 year old and pacify me simultaneously. I think the crying is because we are bloody fed-up and frustrated with what's going on with us. And there's nothing wrong in that. I think I'm in this position because I don't deal with my feelings properly so now I'm just going to cry when I want!

Don't worry @Lottie124 - my bowels are a mess too. It's a holy show every dinner time. I should just eat in the bathroom to save myself the journey. That's why I stick to breadsticks and water for most of the day. I've lost just over a stone in 3 weeks. It's fine, I don't want the stone back. If I've had to endure this suffering, the least I can do is look a bit slimmer for it. Funny thing is, I'm part of slimming world and I got my 1 stone award last week. Everyone was clapping in congratulations but I didn't lose weight the slimming world way! Felt a bit like a fraud!

@umbongo1 - glad you woke up feeling a little better. It must've been that chocolate orange last night! I think I might try the wine and see if that helps me.
I woke up feeling a bit brighter and not so wobbly. I just have this nagging in the back of my mind, wondering if it's all going to come crashing down at some point in the day again. Anyway, I've managed to do a little bit of work too. Luckily I can work from home so I've been working from my bed. I'm surprised I don't have pressure sores.

Umbongo1 · 10/07/2020 14:38

@MariposaPink ha ha ha you make me laugh with your descriptions! Yes try applying wine. I'm off to see a friend this afternoon.

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Lottie124 · 10/07/2020 15:49

My anxiety is a bit all over today! I’m in just over 4 weeks in! Is this petty normal! I have nothing really to be anxious about! It’s all physical symptoms! Wish this would all just get better! 😢

MariposaPink · 10/07/2020 17:20

@Umbongo1 - enjoy your afternoon with your friend. I'm off to a hypnotherapy session to try and manage my fears/phobias.

@Lottie124 - that's the worst part. Knowing there is no need to be anxious but still feeling it. I've been doing a lot of googling about anxiety. I can't stand the meditation music and the softly, softly voices. They just drive me mad. I'm more of a facts based person so I came across Uncommon Practitioners. Mark Tyrell gives advice to therapists in how to treat their clients which I find helps. By listening to him just cuts out the middle man (therapist) to a certain degree. It doesn't solve the problem in its entirety but there's some good stuff in there. And I suppose the more we listen and practice, the better we should feel Hmm. The link is below. When you go onto it, you will see he has lots of clips about all kinds of emotional stuff.
And if that doesn't work, maybe a Terrys chocolate orange may help? WinkIt worked a little bit for Umbongo1!! Gosh, imagine if all our problems could be solved by chocolate...I'd be fat but happy! CakeCake

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JiDaTi_iQrY

Umbongo1 · 11/07/2020 08:40

How was your hypnotherapy @MariposaPink ?

My usual morning anxiety was back today. Just so fed up with feeling below par.

How is everyone today? We've got friends coming for dinner tonight so I have to spend a lot of today cooking. Not really what I feel like as my appetite still isn't back.

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Hayley2407 · 11/07/2020 08:51

Has anybody experience the overwhelming tiredness? I'm in my first week I'm exhausted!

Umbongo1 · 11/07/2020 09:07

@Hayley2407 yes I still get knackered. Not sure if it's the drugs or the exhaustion of mental illness.

Are you on 50mg? How are you doing today?

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MariposaPink · 11/07/2020 09:31

@Umbongo1 - oh no I thought perhaps you had turned a corner yesterday because you woke up feeling a little better. It's peaks and troughs with this and I find I worry what the day will bring. Historically, it's all non-adventurous so I don't know why I feel that way but hey, that's anxiety for you.
You may not be overly excited at having guests later but keeping preoccupied should help you get through the day. Just don't stress out!! If dinner is not ready when they arrive, they just have to wait, they are not going to starve. If the Pinot is not chilled enough, stick an ice cube in it. And if there's not enough to go around, point them to the nearest takeaway. Job done!Wine

Hypnotherapy was really, really good. I'm lucky that my friends MIL is a therapist and she gave me a free recorded session which I can play back anytime I need. At one point she told me to imagine myself at the top of a flight of stairs. As I looked down all I could see was darkness, like looking into a dank cellar. It scared me so I changed it to looking down at a beach. When I told her my first visual she said she wasn't surprised given my state of mind. Boy, do I need help!Confused

@Hayley2407 - welcome to the club! Yes, overwhelming tiredness. I'm now entering my 4th week pretty much spent in bed. Like Umbongo1 says, not sure if it's the meds or mental health or both. My house looks like a shit pit and there's all kinds of disorder but everyone is keeping themselves alive while I'm feet up in bed. See! They can do it! So rest wherever and whenever you can.Thanks

How is everyone else today? Can I ask, other than the meds, is anyone doing anything else to help themselves? Alternative therapies, meditations, prayers etc?

Umbongo1 · 11/07/2020 09:47

@MariposaPink hypnotherapy is great I have a friend who does it and he has done a great recording for me also.

I've been cycling and running I find exercise really helps.

Massaman Thai curry anyone?!?

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isittheholidaysyet · 11/07/2020 09:58

I'm on day 9. 50mg.

First few days I was shaky and my eyes were really sore, felt like I was staring at bright lights all the time.
Also tired. But it's really nice to go to bed and fall asleep, rather than lying awake for hours.
Feeling anxious. And a headache behind my eye a lot of the time.

Chatons · 11/07/2020 10:24

A glass of wine and a chocolate orange, yum. That’s two of your five a day right there!

I was on 25mg Sertraline for 8 weeks, been on 50mg for 6 weeks so far. I take it at night.

Also 50mg propranolol (10mg tablets taken throughout the day). It’s a good combination I think.

I have something like CFS/ME anyway, so feeling like a slug and achieving bugger all is not new to me.

My heart rate is lower (that’s due to the propranolol) and my mood is a bit better.

MariposaPink · 11/07/2020 12:02

@Umbongo1 - Love Thai food! Are you a bit of an expert in the culinary field then?
I've tried running but I'm really not a runner. I've kept stopping and starting over the years but if I'd stayed consistent I'd probably me a marathon runner now.

@isittheholidaysyet - I had the same as you. I wore sunglasses any time I went outside...even when there was no sun. And at home I just spent most of the time with my eyes closed. I'm 3 weeks in with the meds now.

@Chatons - good to hear your mood has improved. My GP didn't prescribe propranolol for me. I'd never heard of it before this forum. He gave me diazepam for my moments of agitation but the effects are short-lived. I can literally feel them wearing off as my heart starts pounding in my chest again. At least I know I'm alive...I suppose Hmm

Umbongo1 · 11/07/2020 12:23

@MariposaPink I usually love food and cooking, especially Asian food. Not enjoying it so much at the moment!

Are you managing to still work? What do you do?

Anyone else feel really agitated a lot?

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