So anxious I can’t eat

[Wadingthroughketchup]

I’ve been prescribed sertaline but I’m currently so anxious at the moment that I cannot make myself eat.
It’s been nearly a week. I am managing to drink and I did have half a slice of toast on Thursday. That’s it.
Im down at around 7 and a half stone and I’m 5ft 5 inches so I don’t have much leeway. I’ve lost about half a stone since Monday.
I spoke to my GP yesterday but they seemed unconcerned. I have now started having an upset stomach and being sick. I can basically lie still but as soon as I move I am breathless.
Prior to this last week I was not eating brilliantly well so I think I was already in deficit.
Im a t1 diabetic so sugary drinks etc aren’t an option for me. Luckily I have an insulin pump so I am able to reduce my insulin right down so I am not experiencing low blood sugars.

now that I am being sick it feels like a vicious circle. I don’t know what to do. I just want to lie still and he left alone.

Would you perhaps be able to manage some soup? This sounds so difficult, I'm sorry your feeling so terrible.

I think you definately need to see the GP again (or a different GP) to update them about the vomiting and upset stomach, I wonder if these could be sertraline side effects.

@Wadingthroughketchup I've been experiencing heightened anxiety for most of this year. A few months ago when the anxiety was really really bad I had diahorrhea and was vomiting. I read it's something to do with being in fight or flight mode and the extra adrenaline.
I feel for you as I know first hand how awful anxiety is. Do you have a diagnosed anxiety problem?

Reduced appetite and diarrhoea are absolutely normal side effects when starting Setraline.

Your GP probably has scheduled another appointment where you can discuss this.

Although unpleasant do just try and ride it through. It's unusual for these symptoms to persist.

When you're in flight or fight mode your body diverts all it's energy into dealing with the danger it believes itself to be in, so things like digestion, reproduction, infection fighting all go on hold because the body doesn't have enough resources. That's fine in the short term but (obviously) in the longer run this is bad for your overall health.

What are you anxious about? When and how did it start?

I had severe anxiety and couldn't eat. I managed yoghurt for some reason. They do protein yoghurts so I had those. But it's very hard to eat when you feel like that. Go back to your GP and ask for some Diazepam. Most doctors will prescribe short term when starting antidepressants as they can cause increased anxiety. Hope it improves for you.

Have you been on sertraline for long? The first few weeks don't really seem to improve things and if anything got worse by far for me until it began helping but I was made aware by my GP that this was possible

Do you know what the route of the anxiety is? I did ERP therapy (CBT for OCD) and one of the things I was taught to do was to sit with the anxiety and allow it to naturally reduce before I did anything to relieve it- I had short increments, like say waiting 15 mins before giving in to a ritual that I would've done to make myself feel safer

In learning to treat the anxiety not as something to get rid of but just accept - it dramatically reduced for me

You know you need to eat - especially with diabetes you need to be careful about sugar levels so perhaps you can find some foods that are easier than others - maybe less prep work and comforting like a warm soup??

I'm sorry you're experiencing this- it's incredibly debilitating