Should I keep taking them or not?

[angelislington]

I've posted a couple of times in the last few days about the horrendous side effects I've had from taking sertraline. It's been absolute hell, and if I had known they would have this effect on me, I would never have started taking them.

I had a better day yesterday, and thought this was a positive sign. But then this morning things were awful again - constant intense anxiety. I spoke to my GP who suggested that, as they've made me feel so much worse, I should stop taking them - starting by taking half a tablet for a few days.

I'm in despair. I've been taking them for three and a half weeks, and the only thing that kept me going was the faith that they would eventually make me feel better. Should I just accept that they don't work for me? Should I persevere?

I feel so much worse than I did before I started taking them. I thought they would make me feel calmer and instead I've had three weeks of the worst stress I've ever experienced.

I'd be very grateful for any advice anyone has.

Just giving you an handhold. Sertraline really worked for me and I had fewer side effects with it compared to citalopram and mertrazlene (can't remember I was only on them for a few weeks due to...bad side effects!). A hand hold for your anxiety and to say you aren't alone.

Has the doc prescribed anything to take alongside sertraline for your anxiety? Beta blockers? Propanalol?

Thank you! Yes, I have some Propranolol and also Diazepam to take when things get really bad.

I just wish I'd never started on this road. In the last three weeks I've had some counselling, and two of the things that were really stressing me have unexpectedly changed for the better. So I probably didn't ever need to start taking medication.

I'm not a doctor and have no medical training but in my own experience I found/find propanalol very useful for dealing with anxiety, it just takes the edge off and allows me to actually concentrate and get on with my day. I usually take one in the morning when I wake up but if I know it may be a particularly stressful day (job interview, driving somewhere I've never been before etc) I take two in the morning. As a general rule that allows me to cope and I don't need to take anymore for the rest of the day.

This also helps me, I hope you don't find it condescending:

If you find your heart racing and blood rushing during an anxiety attack then cough. I find it "resets" my heart pace. Definitely works for me and worth a try.

I know it's difficult but try to eat healthily. Good nutrition is very important for your physical and mental health. I don't mean go on a diet or anything like that but just eat an extra bit of fruit every day.

If you can, leave the house, try and get some lovely fresh air, a walk around the garden, walk the dog, whatever.

Don't try to bodily fight the anxiety or beat yourself up about feeling low. You cannot control what your nerves and hormones make your body physically do so don't feel guilty or that you are letting yourself down. Try and accept it is happening, allow it to happen and then carry on as before if you can.

Remember, usually an anxiety attack occurs sometimes 5 to 10 minutes after you have thought about something that would make you anxious. So, you can have a fleeting thought of the trigger but then 10 minutes later actually have the anxiety attack. Knowing this helped me understand that my anxiety attacks weren't coming "for no reason" and I could then go to my counsellor to deal with the true triggers.

Thank you - I appreciate your advice. Until recently I was good at dealing with stress and anxiety - I had all the coping strategies. I have also taken propranolol at a few slightly stressful times in my life.

What has happened now is I had a physical problem that went on for several months and really wore me down. It was keeping me awake at night so I slept badly. I was able to work at first but then had to take some time off. Then I started getting headaches, I completely lost my appetite and started feeling sick all the time. At this point the doctor offered me sertraline for anxiety. I honestly thought it would simply make me feel calmer so that my physical symptoms would get better.

Am 4 weeks in and only taking 25 still and I ahead the most awful side effects and my anxiety has been even worse but I was on these about 2 years ago and had the same but around 6 to 8 weeks on them I started to feel a million times better and better than I had felt for ages. So am planning in trying to stick them out again this time. If you can I really do think they will help you xx

Inability to sleep properly is so destructive to good mental health. I'm so selfish now when it comes to sleep because I know if I'm overtired and it goes on for a few days my mood gets very low and my anxiety rockets. Now, I grab sleep when I can, if I need a granny nap I take one, if I need an early night I go to bed even if it's 8.30pm. (I know I'm lucky and my lifestyle enables that, it was a lot more difficult when my children were little).

Chronic pain also wears people down after a while. I'm not surprised you've been feeling like you have and it sounds like you are on the right side of it now. Onwards and upwards

Well I've taken one this morning ... Yesterday was so stressful, with the side effects and trying to decide what to do. I thought I wouldn't sleep at all, but I got a few hours and felt better than I expected to this morning. Still feeling very wobbly. Thank you all for your messages.

It takes 6 weeks to start to work and the interim it get worse before it gets better - that's what the dr told me as I'm a carer for my dd. It didn't suit her though and after a rough few months she came off it (without dr or me knowing) then after a crisis started on something else that seems far better. Your gp will advise you to give it 3 months - but that said it shouldn't have been prescribed unless you had anxiety and depression, a problem that's solvable isn't a medical issue.

3 weeks isn't long in AD terms. They have a cumulative effect and take a while to start working. I had about 6 weeks of the world's most epic mood swings then levelled out around the 12 week mark.