Just contacted GP and so proud

[LindaEllen]

I've suffered with anxiety (and depression that I think stems from the anxiety) since I was about 18 and I'm now 30. It's never been debilitating but it certainly limits the way I live my life.

For goodness knows what reason (as I'm not actually feeling too bad at the moment!) tonight I finally got the courage to send an online consultation form to the GP.

They're not doing face to face at the moment so I guess I'll either get an email reply or possibly a phone call.

But either way I'm really proud of myself.

I think one of the reasons I've not done it so far is that I'm scared whatever they suggest won't make me feel better - and then I have no options left.

Does anyone have any success stories of finally telling the GP and then getting treatment that really helped them improve their lives?

Hopefully this time next year I'll be able to say happy Christmas and really mean it!

So I think these must be having a small effect, as I'm starting to look at other things I could change in my life to make myself feel better.

I'm not going out much and when I do it's only nipping to the shop, so I've grabbed some vitamin d tablets. GP recommended this if I was hardly going out, so taken the first one of those today.

I have been very tired. Mainly in the morning. I do think it's mainly the sertraline but it's the only side effect left now. I can live with it. But figured the vitamin d could help a bit. I'll see anyway!

Just started on pack 2. Will give it another 2 weeks and then contact GP if I want to increase my dose. At the moment I'm thinking I probably will, but you never know, they might kick in more in the meantime.

It wouldn't bother me to increase. I'm open to it. I've heard a lot of things on here about 50 not doing much for people but then miracles occurring (not literally haha but you know what I mean) when the up it to 100.

I think the things I'm noticing at the moment are promising that perhaps this will work for me, but the effects so far are too subtle. So maybe increasing would enhance the effects ☺️.

Well done getting yourself sorted OP.
I actually found the surgery pharmacist more helpful than my GP, he suggested the right drugs for my mental health problem which have been perfect and also got me off the painkillers I was taking too many of.

@LindaEllen reading your post has reminded me to take my vitamin d!

I am really tired in the mornings as well. It's taking me ages to get going. I think that with occasional excessively dry mouth and my bonkers dreams are the only side effects I'm having now.

I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to go up to 100mg yet. I feel I would be able to get better quicker if I could just have some space but with a house full due to covid it's simply not possibly atm.

It's great you are thinking about other positive steps you can take to help yourself 💪

[quote mrsdiddlydoo]@LindaEllen reading your post has reminded me to take my vitamin d!

I am really tired in the mornings as well. It's taking me ages to get going. I think that with occasional excessively dry mouth and my bonkers dreams are the only side effects I'm having now.

I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to go up to 100mg yet. I feel I would be able to get better quicker if I could just have some space but with a house full due to covid it's simply not possibly atm.

It's great you are thinking about other positive steps you can take to help yourself 💪[/quote]
Yeah I'm in need of space too, but little I can do about it at the moment!!

My dreams are crazy and I get the dry mouth thing too but it's making me drink more so I won't complain!

I keep saying I can't tell the difference but instead of sitting in front of the TV after dinner tonight I made a vegetable soup from scratch which included lots of peeling. A normal task by most people's standards haha but I've always got frozen veg!! Small changes are definitely happening!

Also DP did a stupid thing this morning and instead of letting it ruin my day I just said never mind .. he was shocked. God I must have been a nightmare to live with before, poor bloke.

These dreams are insanely real 😂

Had a dream that DSS had dropped all my batteries in the bath and I was fuming with him.

Woke up still fuming and gave him a lecture about how unsafe it was to mess with batteries near a full bath 😂😂😂😂

He was just sat there bemused eating his Cheerios saying Lindaaaa it was a dream I didn't really do it 😂. I said I know but I need to make sure you won't as it's dangerous! him and DP are laughing at me (and I'm laughing too - it is funny).

Hi @LindaEllen How are you getting on? After a rubbish several days last week I feel like I've turned a corner. Still sleeping pretty badly but it's varies a bit. I've upped to 75mg the last few days and heading to 100mg as soon as I feel able to. I'm determined to do everything I can to feel well and be in a better position to help myself more. The side effects haven't been too bad since increasing. Groggy first thing and bit of dizziness but all bearable. Hope you're okay.

@mrsdiddlydoo

Hi *@LindaEllen* How are you getting on? After a rubbish several days last week I feel like I've turned a corner. Still sleeping pretty badly but it's varies a bit. I've upped to 75mg the last few days and heading to 100mg as soon as I feel able to. I'm determined to do everything I can to feel well and be in a better position to help myself more. The side effects haven't been too bad since increasing. Groggy first thing and bit of dizziness but all bearable. Hope you're okay.

Hey thanks for thinking of me. I'm so glad you feel you've turned a corner, but sorry sleep isn't great still :(.

I'm doing okay. I'm 6 weeks in on Wednesday and I'm definitely less anxious overall, a little more motivated to cook better and get my work done, plus I deal with situations better than I did before. I had a lot of anxiety around food and germs, and today my DP picked up a noodle that'd fallen out of the pan and put it back in .. and I didn't even comment. It didn't cross my mind that I shouldn't eat it. I know that probably sounds stupid but that's a big thing for me!

I do feel though that I need to ask for an increase. I'm only on 50 still so I guess a lot of people need to go up from that dose. Not sure if GP will want to speak to me about it but I'll just put a note on my repeat prescription request and say she can call me anytime if she needs to discuss - but she did say last time that I could up my dose if I felt I needed to, so may not need to speak to them.

They are definitely helping but I feel like there's a way to go. I am coping better but I think there's another stage of 'better' above this. I'm not expecting miracles obviously. It's hard for me to know how much better I need to get, as I've felt this way my whole adult life .. if that makes sense.

The only problem is they're making me quite tired. I'd happily sleep until midday every day - which I do some days! I can actually get away with that as my job is quite flexible but it's not going to be sustainable long term when things get 'back to normal'. So my only worry is that raising the dose will make me even more tired than I am now! I have to say it's probably a price I'm willing to pay if it does carry on making me feel better.

Also, do you take at night or in the morning? I take it in the morning but I'm tempted to swap to night to see if it changes my energy levels at all! I'm sleeping fine so I'm not sure the change will do anything but it's the only niggling side effect now!

I'm so pleased you're okay and noticing little improvements. I think as your body gets even more use to them you will feel less tired. Its a feeling I can relate to and I know first time round I was napping a couple of hours a day for about 8 weeks 🙈.
I take them at night because I struggle when I feel nauseous and I hope/believe it reduces the chances of me feel quite so sick during the day. I think more people seem to take them during the day than at night but who knows.
I imagine when you increase you will might feel a bit more tired but it won't be forever. I don't think lockdown and working from home etc helps our energy levels at all. Let me know how you get on when you go up! xx

I'm sorry I'm rubbish at replying to this one 😂. Picked up prescription today. I put a note on the repeat request asking could I go up but to let me know if I needed to talk to GP again. They said I needed to talk to GP but no appointments for almost 2 weeks .. but they they prescribed me 2 boxes of 50mg instead of 1 so I could go up gradually after I've spoken to her. So they said no but gave me them anyway 😂.

I know I've put this on the support thread but I wanted this to be like a little blog for me so I'm putting it here too!

Since I spoke to the surgery, ironically, I've felt a bit better, and I'm now thinking perhaps I don't need to go up. I have a week until I speak to her (and I guess 2 months worth of 50 so I can see how it goes) so I'll see.

But today I've been so productive - for me anyway.

This is someone who would normally stay home all day, and needed partner to come to places with me.

My days just before Christmas would have been:

Get up
Breakfast
Get dressed
Browse the web
Watch tele
Dinner
Watch tele
Bed

Today:

Up
Phoned pharmacy to check my meds were ready (the lady assured me I'd get a text when they were - which arrived while we were still on the phone, just after she asked my name .. so obviously they'd forgotten to send it haha)
Breakfast
Took partner a brew in bed
Had a shower and got dressed
Went to Morrison's
Went to return an item to Boots
Went to pick up my tablets
Went to pick up partners tablets (different chemist as I'm still with my parents GP for god knows what reason)
Came back home and did some work for our business
Put a load of dried washing away
Made partner another brew
Did some dishes
Cooked dinner
Ordered flowers for mum and gran for Mother's Day
Had another shower and washed hair
.. and here we are.

Looks like I've made a lot of brews today but to be fair he had his covid jab yesterday and has been feeling a bit crap. He always does after his flu jab too. So I've been looking after him!

Honestly, it might not sound like a lot to most people, but for me to do all this (and not feel anxious once, by the way) all on my own - driving my own car instead of persuading partner to do it - is nothing short of a miracle 😂😂.