Starting Sertraline - help

[Charlock]

Hi,

I'm meant to start Sertraline today. I'm feeling horrific and terrified, terrible intrusive thoughts, anxiety and low. I've been on Citalopram and Fluoxetine before and the early bits were hell. I've got 25mg tablets but wondering about even cutting them in half. I can't cope with extra on top of how I'm feeling. Any advice? X

@katmarie great to hear. My sleep has been bad anyway but this felt different ... how long have you been on them for? X

I have been taking it for years for anxiety and have plan to stop taking it. I most definitely am not taking it for peri menopause symptoms, I have HRT for that.

That should say NO plan on stopping.

I took it from when ds was 3 months old until about 3 months ago, so about 5 years all together. I stopped them because I felt ready to, and I was mostly right about that, although I am a lot more up and down these days. I have no regrets about using sertraline though, that medication saved my mental health.

@cleowasmycat I am peri, been on HRT for 21 months. I went on Fluoxetine when the MH stuff kicked off before realising I was peri (no clue about any of that 2 years ago). Made me worse. 8 months after going on HRT and got to right dose it all lifted. I came off Fluoxetine as it didn't appear to have helped and had 10 decent months. But then things fell apart end of Jan. I've upped my HRT significantly but it hasn't resolved the MH stuff. Hence trying another AD. I think I might be someone who needs both.

I need both. Also I don't absorb the gel or spray. The patch is the only thing that has worked along with utrogesten and testosterone

I don't seem to absorb any of it very well, well the O part. On high dose patches and spray at moment. Did your MH take a hit when you started peri? Or was it other symptoms you noticed? My periods had altered a bit and was needing loo more at night, few sweats but nothing massive - it was massive anxiety and low mood that hit me hard. I had no idea.

I've been on sertraline for years and it was an absolute godsend. I have a history of anxiety but went on it for panic disorder. I spent nearly a year of my life fighting off panic attacks nearly every second of every day. I had tried two other meds but they had put me in such a dark place that I couldn't get past one dose.

Sertraline was like an anti-panic forcefield had been installed in my brain.

Given my previous experiences, I was also terrified of side effects, especially mental. I started on 25mg, went up to 100mg, and eventually back down to 50mg. I remember feeling sad and empty for the first few days, and also had no appetite at all. It all settled down though.

I stopped it for a couple of years at one point but had intrusive, repetitive thoughts - they were manageable but not pleasant, so I went back on.

I've always had anxiety but the brain fog and anxiety was awful before HRT
I use 125 Everol.

Thanks @Sertainly (good name btw). I'm feeling pretty dark just now not knowing how this is going to go. I guess I just have to get through this couple of weeks however I can. Sounds like it's worked really well for you. The intrusive thoughts are my worst thing, I know when I'm well they go but when it's bad it's very difficult. Debilitating. X

I'm feeling quite sick today. And stressed in my chest. Trying to do cleaning and washing to get some Adrenalin going. Feel quite down. :(

Sorry to hear that @peeweechigs. Is this your day 4 on 50mg? How are you sleeping? X

Yea , day 4. I slept ok last night but not well the night before. I've had a headache all day today and feel sicky but I'm meant to be going out tonight for th first time in yonks so hoping it shifts.

How's everyone else?

Hi @Charlock . Just reading through your posts. Are your main problems OCD intrusive thoughts and anxiety?

@peeweechigs that's good you're going out. I've got that headache as well. Hope you feel better.

Yes @Ilovedogs1 but with some depression too, some real hard lows as well.

@Charlock I also suffer from intrusive thoughts but I'm having a rough time with a depression episode atm.
How do you cope? Some people say keep busy ,some say rest.
I've been off work a month now and I'm struggling.

Sorry to hear that @Ilovedogs1 Is it first time going through something like this? It's a fine balance of pushing through and resting enough for me. Are you on Sertraline too? I try to apply techniques to cope with the thoughts but when I'm low I can easily get overwhelmed and meltdown. Just hoping the AD does what it's supposes to.

How are you OP? I did comment up thread but wanted to say a bit more.

About 12 months before I started on Sertraline I was prescribed it by the Dr. I'd read so much about the horrors of starting it I was so scared. I took 25mg after dinner and had the worst night sleep, I felt horrific the following day. I took it again before bed and the same bad night and horrible feelings followed. I was almost unable to get out of bed because of it. My Dr advised me to stop taking it because of the very strong adverse reaction. My life returned to it's anxiety, OCD and mild depression norm.

About a year later I was no better and thought it was my last hope. I was breastfeeding so didn't think I had any other AD option. I turned to Google and for about a week I immersed myself in positive sertraline stories. I stopped reading if there was anything negative in there. I called my GP, got a prescription and took one as soon as I got home from the chemist mid morning. That's when I had an awful tummy but that's all. That was the only negative side effect. The following day I took it after breakfast and have done that for the past two years. It's been fantastic.

I think I'm trying to say that expecting an awful reaction can be part of the problem. As we all know, the mind is so powerful. I now believe my horrible reaction was just as much because I expected to have a bad few weeks starting it as it was because I took it on an empty stomach before bed which I don't think is the right time for me to take it.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

Thanks for checking in @HouseFullOfChaos I understand what you're saying. I have tried to be very careful about what I read about starting it and thankfully posituve comments on here too. And despite the depression and scary thoughts I'm trying to tell myself it's just another day to get through and one day closer to better. Apart from the first night my sleep is about the same level of bad as before, main symptoms are fuzzy head and headache. Mentally I feel grim and that's as it was before starting. It's great it worked well for you, how long did it take to kick in if you can remember? X

@Charlock no I've had several of these types of episodes. Its funny though everytime it happens I always say to my DH I don't feel it will get better. I'm so disheartened with everyday feeling so low and the constant intrusive thoughts.
I made an effort this morning got straight up and took the dogs out. Now I'm in a sobbing heap on my bed. It's just so hard

I started on 50mg a day in January and recently had to double to 100mg. It has really helped, the side effects can be tricky initially but anything is better than how I was feeling then.

Do take them. And persevere 😊

It is very hard @Ilovedogs1 you did well getting up and out. I get up and walk my dog every morning too. Part of what's so horrible about these 'episodes' is they feel like they will last forever, you can't see a way out. But that is part of the illness, not fact. It doesn't rain forever. X

Thanks for the encouragement @Iamclearlyamug. The days are so long at this point, just have to keep getting through them.

It absolutely changed my DD's life. It was amazing. The first couple of weeks were difficult so hang in there. Two years later she's now weaning off. I hope it helps you in the same way

Just a note of encouragement to stick at it. Sertraline was a lifesaver for me after trying fluoxetine and citalopram. I switched to sertraline at a high dose from citalopram rather than coming off/going on and so the effects were pretty minimal actually but I do remember the sleep being weird.

Overall the side effects once initial phase was over were much better for me than citalopram so I really hope it works for you too. I could tell pretty instantly it was working, and on citalopram I had dreadful clenched jaw at night that always ached and I was much more sleepy generally. Sertraline made me feel pretty much like normal and I took it for several years. I weaned myself off it last year over about 9 months as I felt I wanted to try and live drug free - I was advised against due to history but I just felt I wanted to, so I just did it incredibly slowly. My dr would have me on drugs for life. Maybe I'll need them again one day but for now, I'm happy I'm off them. I was taking absolutely tiny doses for two of those months towards the end and even then the first month off it entirely was pretty rocky. But now I'm 4 months off it and feel pretty much like I did when on it - still prone to anxiety attacks etc but life is manageable!