Advice - sertraline?

[Nannon145]

I have been suffering with my mental health for the past 6 months mainly, but it’s been since I had my daughter on and off and she is now 2. The anxiety is becoming unbearable. It’s recently become health anxiety. I worry there’s something wrong with me where it be as simple as a sickness bug and I won’t be able to look after my daughter; to a stomach ulcer. I’m giving myself IBS & acid reflux because of the worry. I’ve lost so much weight because I can’t eat because of the worry and it’s starting to really get me down. I’m crying most days and just not myself at all.

the doctor put me on acid tablets for the reflux and propanalol for the anxiety but I’m still really struggling. I ended up at the doctors on Monday because I was convinced I had a stomach ulcer and needed a gastroscopy but the doctor explained my recent blood tests show no reason for one and it sounds like it’s anxiety/stress and IBS and it’s just a vicious cycle. I’ve booked in for therapy on Friday but just feel I need to ring the doctors again because I’m just getting really down now and I know if I leave it till next week (due to be called on Tuesday) that I’ll change my mind and won’t think I need to be and then in a couple weeks I’ll be back in this rut again. I feel stupid because I was only there on Monday and feel like I’m always ringing and they’re going to think I’m a crazy person.

i don’t know what to do.

Bump

What's your question about Sertraline?

If it helps - I'm on 100mg for anxiety. It helps massively. I recently tried to reduce it but the anxiety came back in swarms so I'm clearly not ready yet. It's a game changer for me.

This sounds exactly like my life a year ago. My daughter is almost 3 bit I suffered hideously from postpartum anxiety and health anxiety after she was born (specifically stomach related concerns) I was terrified to start sertraline but I finally did about 14 months ago and taking that alongside therapy has helped me tremendously. I am now pretty much back to my old self and no longer worry about my health! Please please take the sertraline and have talking therapy.

What’s the Sertraline question specifically? I take it for anxiety and it’s helped enormously (propranolol didn’t do it for me at all). I took 100mg, now down to 50mg. Game changer here too. Ask your doctor about it for sure.

Sertraline sorted out my pmt, felt like me again.

I am just over 2 weeks into taking Citalopram. Like you I developed very distressing health anxiety after the birth of my daughter. I went onto Citalopram for 2 years, went off for over a year and have just started again. 2 weeks in, I'm going through some unpleasant side effects but the constant health anxiety chatter is already gone.
Dreading every body symptom, or even normal sensations is exhausting. The reassurance seeking is intense and increasingly less effective. Each reassurance seek can end up making you feel worse, some people thinking that further investigation will ease your worries when in fact hearing they think investigation is required sends you into pure panic.
I would consider sertraline if that's what your GP is suggesting and find a good therapist (do you have the means to pay privately?)

Yes, I think you need something to help cap the racing thoughts and lift your mood. Sertraline could help with that. Propranolol is to help with physical symptoms of anxiety but on its own probably won’t be enough to help you out of this dip.

Thank you for your replies.
I wanted to know if sertraline had helped with other people as I think that’s what the GP will put me on.
it’s promising to see other people felt like me and they’re feeling better. It’s hard to imagine ever being able to eat properly etc at the minute as I just feel so sick/acidy all the time and it’s all because of the anxiety I’m feeling.

@Mimi85 i am having my first private therapy session tomorrow and I think I’m going to speak to my GP about sertraline on Tuesday. I worry about the side effects but surely nothing can be as bad as I’m feeling right now.

I found sertraline helpful literally from day 1 and I hope you experience the same.