Sleep and anxiety - should I go back on ssri

[Elliejane]

Hi
I wonder if anyone can help . I suffer from health anxiety for a number of years and in 2014 went on citalopram . I really struggled going on the tablets and initially it made my anxiety much worse than I nearly stopped it . Eventually it settled and I got some benefits from them but the anxiety was always there . I reduced down to 10mg in 2020 and came off fully middle of 2021.
However in the last few months I have had a few health scares and other traumatic things and I back to be very anxious again . My sleep is very poor as well for ages and last night I had no sleep at all . Every time I tried to sleep I felt like a panic and hot feeling and also like I was watching my own body .

I am so low today and phoned my gp who suggested sleeping tablets to get my sleep back but I worried about addiction

She also mentioned restarting the tablets but I terrified due to how much worse it made me last time . She also said I could try a different one and suggested escitalpram which is similar but apparently better for anxiety or sertaline. Does anyone have any experience of either sleeping tablets or these other ssri

I feel such a failure

I'm sure people with more knowledge will come along but you could look into Mirtazapine. It's an antidepressant but I think it also helps with anxiety. It has a sedative effect so is used to treat depression/anxiety-related insomnia.

Personally, SSRIs didn't work for me as I felt even more anxious, alert, shaky, etc.

I’ve been on sertraline for almost 3 months for anxiety which I think has been causing insomnia, have recently gone through a divorce and moving. I’ve upped to 100mg, felt pretty rough first 10 days but it’s settled apart from nausea and I’ve lost over 2 stone. GP gave me zolpidem sleeping tablets but only a short course, gives me maybe 4 hours sleep! I’ve been referred for counselling. I have tried mirtazapine a few years ago but made me feel like a zombie.

Thanks both for replying . It’s the sleep that the hardest thing just now . Lying away all in a panic at night is very hard .

I regretting coming off my tablets but I did it very very slowly over 18mths and had no withdrawal at all but now I feel back ultra anxious again.

Does anyone have any experience of Escitalopram?

@Elliejane I’m on 20mg of escitalopram. It has massively helped with my anxiety and improved my sleep. I was having real trouble sleeping, constantly waking through the night. I sleep quite a lot better now - generally the night through, just wake up a bit earlier than I would like to! I didn’t get on too well with sertraline due to the side effects.

Thanks Sarah for replying . I not been as bad with anxiety since my post but sleep not great still . Thinking it hormonal too as I am late 40😳. Will take it day by day

@Elliejane do you have trouble getting to sleep or waking up early?

@saraht1991 both really .