Not myself - is it the sertraline?

[MistressWeatherwax1]

Hi,

I started 50mg of sertraline about 10 months ago to help with anxiety. I thought it was working well as I've not been as anxious day to day but feeling how I do now and looking back I think it's gave me other issues I didn't pick up on as I was so glad to have the anxiety under control.

I just don't feel right. It's like I don't want to think so I just concentrate on daily tasks and ignore the big picture.

I've never been good with money but had got to a stage where I had a small amount of savings which I've now blown through in the last 4 months without a second thought. Used to be I wouldn't spend it cos I wanted a safety net but I've been buying stuff I don't even need (or use once I get them) and have the constant feeling of 'it'll be fine' when I spend money I know I shouldn't. I'm not explaining this well but almost like the anxiety kept me accountable and that's been removed.

I can't cry.

I hate my personality. I want to be someone different. I'm sick of feeling like there's a constant running commentary on my head, which I know is still the overthinking.

My sleep is awful again. Can't fall asleep then once manage to, I struggle to get up in the morning.

I don't drink alcohol all that often but it seems to hit me much quicker now, I go overboard, talk absolute rubbish or say stuff I don't mean and then have terrible fear for days after. I'm giving up alcohol completely which should help with this.

Is there a chance it's the sertraline making me feel this way?

I'm thinking of taking a week off work and stopping the tablets to see if that helps.

Yes, what you describe is very similar to how I felt on sertraline.
At first, I thought they had saved me but as time went on I realised they were just numbing me - I had given up caring and feeling.
I did change to fluoxetine and then was going through a change again to a 3rd AD. It was only when I was weaning off the fluoxetine and I had clarity that I thought I’d stop altogether. I spoke to my psychiatrist about this and he suggested seeing a psychotherapist instead of medication. I do feel I have “lost” a few years of “me” to the ADs.

I was not myself on Sertraline but then I was 'not myself' on any antidepressant, I felt quite ill, worse than before, had some awful physical symptoms.

There is no way I would take an antidepressant again. Psychotherapy is better by far.

I’m on a lower dose than you - I take 25mg every other day but I’m pretty much an emotionless robot; can’t cry. It has helped with anxiety and stopped me falling into really deep dark depression though. My partner thinks I’m different but I don’t care … because I’m an emotionless robot. Might also be my unmediated early menopause. My sleep has always been shit and I usually feel exhausted.

If you do decide to come off if you must come off it very very slowly indeed - get advice from your GP on how to taper your dose down. Otherwise you’ll feel much, much worse. A week off work and cold turkey (if that’s what you mean) definitely terrible idea, sorry.

I took myself off of sertraline in December as I was feeling exactly the same as you describe. I was on 100mg I felt numb while taking it. My intrusive thoughts were getting worse. Since I've stopped it, I've not felt any worse... but not much better. It has been only a month I've stopped them though.

You should try taking a week off but continue taking the tablets maybe youre wearing off all the good stuff from the pill and using it in an environment where anxiety is generally healthy and a great environment to build up confidence and all the other feelings that come along with accomplishment at work and getting experienced at dealing with anxiety at work. It's a different type of anxiety outside of work, more of a real YOU logic dealing with life

Sorry for the bad grammar I didn't double check it im multi tasking and quite bad at it.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm glad to know that feeling this way might be the tablets and not just how I am.

Ok, so I think I will take a week off and try to organise my thoughts, declutter the house and work on myself or at least come up with a plan for things that might help. I tried CBT but I just found it frustrating.

I will stay on the tablets for now and try to get a GP appointment to discuss my options. I had a lovely GP help me with this when I started them but she was a locum and I can't get her now. The other doctor hasn't been very helpful.

It just feels like I've been on them for 10 months and thought I was doing really well esp as I had no physical side effects when I started but now I wonder if I should be upping my dosage or weaning myself off them. I'll see what the doctor says.

Maybe you could try a lower dose. I found.a very low dose of my AD (citalopram) was just enough to"take the edge off" and stop my anxiety spiralling.

Maybe it was mainly a placebo by then, but worked for me!