How do you know when....

[Grenola]

... To stop an anti depressant?

I just feel so rubbish everyday, tired unmotivated and headache. All. The things I feel when I'm depressed but also seem to be the side effects of sertraline.
I changed from fluoxetine to sertraline last Feb. I didn't feel that they were working anymore. Started on 50mg sert then increased to 100mg then to 150mg, but I think now in hindsight can see that it wasn't the depression I couldn't cope with but actually the effect of the sertraline itself. I've have about 5 headaches a month that out me in bed and one headache each day, that I just manage with or nap to get rid of.

I can't carry on like this. It's rubbish.

Shall I taper off.... Try something new. See how I feel. Without anything?

How do you know when to make a change?

I'm just sick of feeling numb 😞 and exhausted.

Any advice?

(back story... PND 8 years ago, went onto two more kids. With third pregnancy was very depressed and under perinatal service and had intense psychological support who helped identify that I have depression and anxiety from a traumatic childhood. Was on fluoxetine plus queitiapine. Then over time reduced the dose and removed queitiapine. Two years on changed from fluoxetine to sert.?

That's sounds like you've got a lot going on. Have you spoke to your GP about this?
Maybe you need to try something different, this may not be working for you. I went through 3 different antidepressants over 9 years - it's difficult because external factors, life, environment, circumstance etc has such an impact on our mental health in addition to side affects of medication.

I came off my citalopram when I felt emotionally low all the time.

My depression manifests in periods of extreme happiness and extreme low moods. Thee anti depressants levelled me out but after a while they levelled me out at a low level... where I just felt a bit shit but all the time.

I rang my GP and asked to stop them. He told me how to wean off them and said to keep an eye on my mood.

I haven't gone back on them since (after 10 years of being on them). I went into counselling, sorted my major issues, which in turn made me see how unhappy I was in other aspects of my life. Changed them. Left my partner who was a bit of a bastard. Left my job. And eventually used fitness as a way to keep my mood level and buoyant.

Do you think you're in a good enough place to do things without them? Have you changed things that originally made you depress or put strategies in place to support you otherwise?

I will most def speak to my. Gp. Tomorrow. I have a good system of calling them.

I developed some great coping strategies. But with lockdown it is hard to keep them going.

I feel like I'm now at a point (for the last year, so not a new thing) that I am dealing with an emptiness and flat mood. Not Depressed like I hvve been. I have dealt with a lot of my issues and deep routed negative thought processes. I feel that it may be the side effects that the sertraline is giving me.

I think ideally I would find one that kept me on an even keel. I am also high mood and then low mood..... And not feel so sleepy

Lockdown prob isn't the best time to stop completely.