Sertraline

[Dordi]

Positive feedback PLEASE- Hi everyone i am currently going through second time on sertraline i am 17 days in on 50mg and i am finding it so hard still the mornings now are the worst rush off overthinking constant anxiety, nausea, i have no interest in nothing, i still feel irritated shaky still abit my mind goes into overload, diarrhoea I called the doctors today and they really didn't say much all they said was shall we try 100mg and i said i don't know do you think it would help? She actually didn't give me an awnser she then said carry on with the 50mg and we will do a review in 2 weeks. I dont know what to do anymore can people please tell me it gets better because i cant remember how long it took me the first time to get better and i keep panicking and trying to fight the thoughts that go through my head. I am signed off work but try and get out still but its still there. I just to back to my old happy self & i just feel like its not getting better. I really hope it does because i dont know what to do anymore.😔

I know it can take several weeks for them to work properly
Im sure if you stick with them you will start to feel better soon. Ive been where you are and i got better taking ADs.
Stay strong, you can do this! X

It took about 4/5 weeks before I saw a proper difference. I stayed on 50 for years but I’m on 200 now!

Thank you i hope this is all normal what i am experiencing. In the evening it calms down but thats about it. X

@Dordi
what time of day are you taking it?
I started it a few weeks ago and take it around 8pm so at least I sleep through a few of the side effects. Also 50mg.

Give it another couple of weeks. It can take a while to settle.
It's horrible I know. You feel like you'll never feel like yourself again.

I was on 50, it really worked for me. I was on something else first that did nothing so if you don't see results in a few weeks go back to the gp. We're all different and can need different meds.

I take it around 2.30-3pm i am struggling so much as soon as i wake up in the morning its like booom anxiety overthinking shaking nausea its horrible

Hi @Dordi, I’m about the same time along as you except I’ve gone up from 50- 100mg. I’m also getting some side effects & wondering when it will settle. I’ve been on 50mg for years though & it’s served me well- I just can’t remember how long it took for me to feel better. I think at least four weeks. At the moment I am getting insomnia & alternating between anxiety/ feeling low & detached. I think if we push through we’ll start to feel better. It’s hard though I know.

@pictoosh i dont even know if this is normal its all i think about the way i think or look forward to anything anymore. As soon as i wake up thats it. Its like anxiety overthinking panicking dont know how to control even when driving thats all i think about or even if i get out its in the back of my head i just want to go back to myself

Positive feedback...its amazing, and i know so many who take it also with same viee, including my daughter.
The first 3 weeks is nausea, stomach uoset, completely normal, dont give up.
Then by week 4, slight improvement, but after 4 weeks ur doc will up u to 100mg.
They alwsys give a month with a starter dose and they always prefer to go up the dose of current medication rather than stop it and restart new one.
Go to your doc next week after the month is nearly up and tell him u feel only a tiny improvement and ask can he increase the dose, he will do this no problem.
The highest dose someone can go up to is 200mg
Also best drug ever for severe pms moods

Also don't be afraid to ask him for a weeks supply of a relaxer to help you while you wait for your meds to kick in..like valium, these can be prescribed short term..definitely ring him today and tell him exactly what untold us here, how bad ur struggling

What you're describing is completely normal in my experience. I actually went through the information pamphlet that came in the box and highlighted all the side effects i had and it was terrifying. Took a good couple of months but I'm far happier now. And very unflappable! Very little phases me these days!

@Lifeofasd1 thank you do you know if my overthinking and worrying & nerves will go away ?

Why do you only want positive feedback? You should have all feedback as otherwise it could harm you.
This antidepressant nearly killed me, but others I've been on didn't. It switched my suicidal thoughts into actions and I'm never allowed to have it again.
I'm saying this in case it might happen to you too.
I'm sorry you are struggling. X

OP how are you doing?

@TreeHuggerMum1 sleeping has improved slightly and eating slightly i have been on them 4 weeks now but i still have fear of staying over my partners because i am scared i wont be able to sleep i just want to go back to my old happy self and enjoy normal things again like enjoy my weekends with my partners and have peace with no worries no more everyday in the morning is so bad in the evening is quites down i dont want to give up and keep facing my fears and carry on with the meds but are they actually helping i dont know?

Genuinely these sound like very normal side effects which fingers crossed should pass very soon.

I've tried about 8 different types of antidepressant until I found one that worked and with every single one as soon as I took the first one my appetite disappeared and I couldn't sleep... that's how I knew I couldn't tolerate them.

If it doesn't improve then please go back to your doctor and push to try something else. We all respond differently

@InAMess2023 is it even normal to feel scared and get bad anxiety when it comes to the weekends i try not to let me it override me i want to be able to stay at my partners at the weekends in peace & not worry about if i can sleep or not i actually i am still trying and if i do stay there and dont sleep i just say to myself ohh well i can always try again, i literally just want my life back with no more fear and enjoy the things i use to enjoy with peace & no more worry.

Ok so anxiety and depression are definitely not the same thing. Sorry I haven't read the full thread as it's bedtime but it does sound like you need something like a beta blocker which worked for me as it brought my heart rate down etc

I could have written your post. I had a complete nervous breakdown and felt panicked and scared 24/7. 50mg of sertraline made me feel better in the evenings but when I woke up in the morning it would hit me, instant anxiety and fear, turning stomach and racing heart. I went to 100mg sertraline and this really quickly stopped that morning sertraline! Once on 100mg I didn't really get any anxiety at all. I'm now back down to 50mg with no anxiety. I hope you feel better soon, it's awful to feel that way. I would get so restless and anxious as the weekend was finishing just thinking of my partner going back to work and being alone again. So horrible but please know 50mg is a little dose, my doctor described it as a 'starting dose' and 100mg is more of a normal dose. Sending hugs xxx

**really quickly stopped that morning anxiety, not sertraline lol!

@twitchybum thank you for writing today i had my 4 weeks and 2 days review on sertraline i did break down on the phone as my anxiety is not good overthinking everytime it comes to the weekends & that i cant even stay there at the weekends because i am scared i wont be able to sleep because of the background noise i wont be able to sleep and wake up with anxiety like i do at home. I do sleep a little better at home but then when i wake up i have the same thoughts in the morning “how i am i going to stop panicking about how i feel” “ how am i going to stay at my partners if i cant sleep” “ the what ifs” all day i think about it even when i get out the house! I cried on the phone and she said she will put me up too 100mg . I want to be able to go back to my old happy self with confidence and not let anything bother me no more. She told me to look into seeing a talking therapy which i am looking for but i cant find one. I do have an appointment with a lady called lizzie on. Thursday she does hypnotherapy and BWRT & EFT practitioner but which i hope will help me. I have no interest in nothing still & so scared i wont go back to myself iv gone through this once and back at the same place but i feel like the 50mg is not working. I want my fears to go away especially if i know i am safe and wanting to stay at my partners & not let these things bother me. My appetite is not good aswell because of all of these thoughts.

I'm so sorry you're going through that. It's just so awful, I really hope the 100mg works for you. Are you in the uk? I did cbt therapy on the nhs and I found that super helpful! I completely sympathise with how you feel, I too felt like I would never get my old self back again. I thought I was broken forever. I wasn't eating or sleeping, I couldn't stay in the house, I couldn't sit down and watch tv, I was stuck in a cycle of overthinking about how I felt 24/7. I couldn't do everyday tasks as my mind couldn't focus on anything, it was such a scary time my husband had to take leave from work to look after me. All this to say I was in a seriously bad way, and medication helped me get back to myself and I hope wholeheartedly that it'll do the same for you. Keep in mind even if 100mg doesn't entirely get rid of the anxiety you can have up to 200mg a day so there's still loads of room to up the dose until you are feeling better. I also had beta blockers to steady my heart rate and help with the physical symptoms and that was great while the sertraline got in my system. Everything you're saying just rings so true to what I experienced, that dread knowing you will wake up with a pit in your stomach is awful. But you will get better, you will find your old self again but you'll be even stronger once you are out of the other side of this battle. Sending you so many hugs x

@twitchybum so everything what i am saying is normal i feel ok maybe for a few days when it gets to like Wednesday or Thursday i start to panic because i would stay at my partners normally at the weekend & thats all id think about it goes round and round in my head all these thoughts! Last Saturday i panicked all day but in the end i still pushed myself and said if i dont sleep I dont sleep if i do i do i need to fight these fears i was proud of myself for a short amount of time either though i only slept for 3-4 hours i still went i tried i was wanted to go today but again same thing in my head so im at home at the moment but then again doesn't help even being at home you think about it more i feel like i just cant win but i think i am going to go to my partners tomorrow & try again because if i stop trying i feel like the anxiety may get worse if i am pushing myself from fears. And yes i am in the UK CBT there is a waiting list so i have decided to go private and look for a therapist or something but i need help to find one. I have to try and force myself to eat some days but i have lost a-load of weight. Will all these thoughts and worries and overthinking faid away if am on the right medication?

@Dordi I can only speak from my own experience but it sounds like you're in the same cycle of worrying about worrying which I was in. The weekends were a huge trigger for me and it sounds like the whole idea of not being able to sleep at your partners has built up a huge anxiety for you, even though logically you know you'll be okay even if you don't get much sleep you won't come to any harm while you're there but it's more that your brain is latching on to this one thing to worry about. For me it was migraines, my anxiety latched on and told me if I was alone I'd get a migraine and my vision would go funny. And although I knew I'd be fine even if I got one I became literally terrified to be alone. I was absolutely obsessed with this fear of being alone, I would think about it ALL DAY! And if I knew I had to spend some time alone I'd be worrying about it and obsessing over it for days in advance! It sounds like that's how you are with sleeping at your partners. For me the 100mg of sertraline took all of that away. It gave me a whole new life, I was free from anxiety and happy go lucky again. But remember you can even have more if 100mg doesn't take it all away. Medication 100% fixed me xx