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Original poster

Meds for anxiety. Dd refuses to take sertraline because she feels like a zombie. Are all anti anxiety meds like that?

34 replies

LimitIsUp · 02/10/2020 13:45

Dd (18) has severe anxiety. She won't take sertraline as it makes her feel like a zombie. Unfortunately she self medicates with cannabis. She and I would prefer her to find a suitable licensed medication.

She has a telephone appointment lined up with the GP next week

Do all anxiety medications make you feel excessively tired and quite emotionally numb?

OP posts:
Original poster
LimitIsUp · 02/10/2020 13:45

I have to pop out for 20 minutes so if anyone posts and I don't immediately reply, I will be back later

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iklboo · 02/10/2020 13:52

I take citalopram 30mg a day. Definitely no zombie feeling for me and it's made my life so much better (depression / anxiety).

Original poster
LimitIsUp · 02/10/2020 14:04

Well that's good to hear. Will ask Doc about that

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FrolickingLemon · 02/10/2020 14:06

Haven't taken them myself, but as part of my job I have to monitor my clients medical history. Many of them state that they much preferred and got on better with citalopram.

hopeforlucky3 · 02/10/2020 14:16

Citalopram worked really well for me for years. If it's anxiety she's got and isn't really feeling the the antidepressants aren't working she could try something like a beta-blocker I.e propranolol.

Propranolol is good as it makes you relaxed and she may only need to take it when she feels an anxiety attack coming on.

There are many antidepressants out there tho, everyone reacts different to them, it's really just finding the one that works well for your daughter.

SoddingWeddings · 02/10/2020 14:21

What dose is she on? What does she mean by feeling like a zombie?

She won't get any licensed med that replicate the feeling of cannabis.

I was on sertraline for a couple of years, and all antidepressants block extremes of feeling - good and bad. I came off because I realised I'd completely stopped laughing and couldn't feel joy.

Is she having any talking therapy? CBT and counselling are good for anxiety.

Original poster
LimitIsUp · 02/10/2020 15:38

"I was on sertraline for a couple of years, and all antidepressants block extremes of feeling - good and bad. I came off because I realised I'd completely stopped laughing and couldn't feel joy".

Actually, this is exactly what she means by feeling like a zombie SoddingWeddings - unable to feel pleasure or experience excitement / joy and very sluggish and tired

Maybe the beta blocker approach as suggested by hopeforlucky3 might be better....

Re the talking therapy - she did see a clinical psychologist for a while and felt it helped a little, but not a great deal. We were just about to set up an alternative before lockdown happened and now need to pick something back up. I just find it difficult to work out who would be most appropriate to go to. Counsellors can be good and bad - how do you sort the wheat from the chaff?

She really needs help though. She is currently at home vomiting her guts up (we think its Clinical Vomiting syndrome brought on by an anxiety attack yesterday)

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WrongKindOfFace · 02/10/2020 15:41

The vomiting could be this? en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoid_hyperemesis_syndrome

OverTheRubicon · 02/10/2020 15:42

I was going to say the same thing about the vomiting. Check on her weed use first.

Original poster
LimitIsUp · 02/10/2020 15:43

Gosh - perhaps WrongKindOfFace. She has about 1g per day most days

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Original poster
LimitIsUp · 02/10/2020 16:20

Okay, I have read the link and think it unlikely. I wouldn't describe her use as chronic - its one joint per day (usually in the evening to prepare for bed, otherwise she cant sleep for hours) for perhaps the last 3 months with some days 'off', however I have shown her the article, we have read it together and reluctantly she has agreed to take a break from it.

I think I will have to phone the GP and bring her appointment forward because its not until a week on Monday and I don't think she has the reserves to wait that long

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Original poster
LimitIsUp · 02/10/2020 16:22

Cyclical vomiting syndrome (sorry not 'clinical' as mistyped above) can be brought upon by acute anxiety too and she had an episode last night

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Original poster
LimitIsUp · 02/10/2020 16:22

brought on

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DominaShantotto · 02/10/2020 16:26

Sertraline is what I'm on at the moment - it's got my anxiety down somewhat - it's still fucking horrid, but I think I'm at the limits of what the GP will prescribe.

Citalopram just turned me into a sloth - I was exhausted on it.

Fluoxetine worked for me till covid and then I got into such a bad mental space because of how nasty the world's become that I switched to sertraline.

I don't feel zombie-like though - the best way I can describe it is that it's like someone puts a duvet around your feelings and muffles them all a bit.

Original poster
LimitIsUp · 02/10/2020 18:31

Thanks Domino - it really does seem to be a case of trying different meds until you get one that works

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supercee · 02/10/2020 18:36

I didn't get on with Sertraline and I don't want to go down the route of anti-ds for my anxiety. CBD oil has worked wonders for me and low dose Diazepam on bad days.

My GP hammers it home to me that the Diazepam is short term only. Recently I haven't had to resort to it (2mg, hardly major!), it just takes the edge off at times but it pisses me off that it literally is the only thing that works but I feel like I have to beg to get it. I get that it can be addictive but I'm hardly taking 10mg tablets, it eases my anxiety just having it there.

MaryBoBary · 02/10/2020 18:37

I've taken citalopram and Fluoxetine and neither have made me feel like a zombie. I did feel a little lightheaded for a week or so while my body got used to them, but starting at a low dose and building up can stop that.

GreyWall · 02/10/2020 18:39

Side effects affect everyone individually. She just needs to try another. I had fluoxetine, took it at night, no issues.

RednaxelasLunch · 02/10/2020 18:40

Compared to extreme anxiety, of course she feels like a zombie. The meds turn the volume down on those negative thoughts. The peace and quiet will be really strange!

FYI cannabis withdrawal can cause awful symptoms including extreme anxiety. I ended up having a psychotic episode that lasted 48h followed by a black depression.

If you can explain that the meds aren't forever, they're to give her body and brain a break from the constant stress and negativity. In the space created by the meds she can form new, positive thinking habits. CBT would be ideal.

Best of luck

whataballbag · 02/10/2020 18:40

I throw up when I'm anxious so could just be that.

I take imipramine after the SSRIs didn't work for me, left me feeling like your daughter. Only side effect is dry mouth but goes away after a while. Took about 3-4 weeks.

Absolutely still 'feel' still laugh until I cry and cry until I throw up and still get anxious at times but absolutely nowhere NEAR as bad as I was. Highly recommend. Need to start at a low dose and build it up though. Think I started at about 10mg and now take 50

Catgotyourbrain · 02/10/2020 18:42

Try different ones definitely
For sleep has she tried melatonin? Hard to get doctors to prescribe - though DS14 has it for ADHD - but I always have a supply of melatonin gummies bought online for me and other DCs. You can't buy over the counter in UK but literally the whole of the rest of the world sell it in pharmacies and health food shops. DS wouldn't sleep at all without

EnglishRose1320 · 02/10/2020 18:48

My ds has been on various different medications and for him fluoxetine is the best. Takes the edge off the anxiety but doesn't stop him being able to enjoy life. In fact I can hear him laughing away next door chatting to his friends online, something that wouldn't have happened a year ago.

Unfortunately it is a case of trail and error to find which one suits your dd. Hope she finds the right thing for her soon.

katmarie · 02/10/2020 18:48

How long did she try the sertraline for? All anti depressants are not the same, they all interact slightly differently with your brain chemistry, we're all individuals, and it really is a case of trying them until one works, or until you find one for which the side effects are manageable. You do need to try them for a good 8-12 weeks before writing them off though, and its often sensible to start on a low dose and build up. Even doing that I found that the first couple of weeks on sertraline I felt horrendous, my anxiety went haywire, and I felt like I was in constant fight or flight mode. But that got better and its working very well for me now. Whichever medication she tries, she needs to give it time to work before writing it off.

imissthesouth · 03/10/2020 00:08

This is exactly why I don't like being medicated for my anxiety. Even my DC could tell, I didn't laugh, feel joy or even smile, just feeling sluggish and numb. That's not how I want to live life. Definitely go to the GP and stop the cannabis use. Wishing you the best of luck!

Torvean32 · 03/10/2020 00:17

Strange that she smokes cannabis as its known for causing emotional numbness.
There are many AD and if she is feeling numb then there are AD that help simebody to feel more stimulated and active.