Just be prescribed anti depressants for the first time

[fl0werz]

After a chat with the doctor I've just been prescribed sertraline. Been feeling a bit rubbish on and off ever since I had my daughter last year (16 months) and hoping these will help balance my mood a little bit. I've always been a bit apprehensive to take anti depressants as I've heard they can make you feel "numb" but I'm going to give them a good go. I feel ok at the moment after a rubbish few days of feeling sad, angry and irritated but in the back of my mind I'm worried thinking when will I feel crap again?

Can anyone who has taken sertraline or is on it currently let me know their experiences with it? Has it made a noticeable difference to your mood? Do you feel more stable on it?

It was a god send for me when I had pnd, it made my world become colourful again, and I finally felt emotions and was able to cope with life.

I did find that during certain periods of my life I needed to adjust my dose up and down (with full GP backing!), but otherwise it was great whilst it worked for me.

Eventually it suddenly stopped working for me, so I was switched to other pills, and I’m off of ads now after being on them for nearly 4 years.

I’ve had various bouts of depression etc before my DTs and like you was reluctant to take ads, and I wish I’d never put myself through that mental turmoil tbh. They were great for me, a true life saver.

@MuchTooTired thanks for your reply, pleased to hear they worked so well for you - hoping I have the same results :)

Hi, I have an appointment this afternoon to have the same conversation with my GP.
I've been struggling since April last year and saw my GP in November, I tried the Talking Therapies but was discharged when they decided my anxiety was the issue and not depression, super helpful!
I really hope you are feeling better soon x

@TheFunnyPinkWriter sorry you are struggling too. My daughter was born in April last year so sounds like we've been battling this for the same amount of time! I've just got back from picking up my tablets from the pharmacy.
Hope your appointment with GP went ok and you got what you wanted from it x

Hi OP, I have finally taken the plunge and been prescribed AD’s (Escitalopram) after suffering with diagnosed depression and anxiety for around 2 years. I am really nervous to pick up my script. I have avoided medication and been really anxious (ironically!!) about using it.

Let’s hope they help us both!

You will be OK. I was on 25mg for two weeks and on day two of taking 50mg. I’m not going to lie, the side effects weren’t great in the first week or so but I’ve noticed a subtle difference in myself and the anxiety. I’ve got a long way to go but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Feel free to message me. I’m on day 15. 😘😘😘

@SunQueen24 well done for taking that first step! I was told by the doctor that the first 2 weeks might be pretty rubbish, but hopefully after a few weeks I will start to notice a difference. I hope they work for you!

@livbethe good to hear you are feeling positive, I am prepared for the first couple of weeks to be not so great but hopefully after then I will start to notice a difference.

You're psycho bitch for a couple of weeks with mood swings while they settle but yes they do stabilise after about 2 weeks. I've tried a lot of antidepressants, like 7 different ones and none have ever made me feel numb.

I've been on Sertraline, and it didn't suit me. I'm now on Escitalipram now and I'm finding they suit me much better. Don't be disheartened if they don't suit you and don't give up, there are lots of options out there. It sometimes take a while until you find the right fit for you. I hope you start to feel better soon x

That’s Amber - could you tell me how you got on at first with Escitalopram. I’m so nervous to take it!!

Just a positive story re side effects: I started on 25mg for a couple of weeks and then moved up to 50. I've had no side effects whatsoever but it has really helped with my catastrophising. I'm glad I did it - and ive resisted anti-depressants my whole life until now. If I need to I will increase to 100.

I restarted on sertraline 9 days ago . Was previously on it for around 18 months and came off a year ago. Really helped me when i was on it although i did gain weight so going to try and watch what i eat more this time.

I'm only on a low dose of 20mg but that seems to suit me and I've had no side effects at all. I did think I might start to come off it do just took a tablet every other day, but started to feel low in mood so went back to a tablet every day. I've just had a really difficult break up with my partner and its been a life saver. I don't know how I'd have coped with out them. Hope thst helps and that you get on ok x

Right I’ve picked up my prescription - which in itself was an anxiety inducing event 🤦‍♀️

Now I’m worried about taking them because of the warning of drowsiness. I’m working today and have two small kids by myself all weekend - how bad is the drowsiness?

@SunQueen24 why don't you take them before bed instead of- that's what I've been doing with mine!

Thats a good shout, I’ll take the first one once I’ve put the kids down.

How are you getting on with the sertaline?

I’ve always been more of a “sort out the root cause of it not the symptom” type of person so resisted ADs too.

i was prescribed sertraline twice but had an allergic reaction (rash) so stopped after a few days. I figured ADs just weren’t for me after that.

However when I went through a particularly bad patch a few years ago I was desperate, so I did try citalopram. It was literally life saving. I was on it for about 2 years with no noticeable side effects, except for lower libido. When I was ready I came off it gradually with no side effects and, having moved on in my life, I’m now the happiest I’ve been for a very long time.

I would always say give it a go, give it a chance to work, try a different one, and then if you need to make material changes in your life you’re in a better place to do that if you’re not also battling depression or anxiety.

Hope you get it sorted asap.

I've been on Sertraline since April. I was having panic attacks multiple times a day and leaving the house, going to the office and taking my son the 5 min trip to nursery became an ordeal. I had been neglecting my MH and had not sought help when I should have done years ago and everything had built up. I was prescribed sertraline 50mg and have now upped to 75mg and I feel myself again and am back to doing anything I could do before. When I started taking them I had a couple of days off side effects but pushed through and was starting to feel a bit better every day. It was life changing for me as I had spent 6 months trying to push through the panic attacks and deals with things myself unsuccessfully

@SunQueen24 so far so good, tbh I have been feeling a bit better the last couple of days anyway but I think that's because I had a bit of a downward spiral last week and now I'm going back up again, which seems to be the current trend! Let me know how you get on with yours.

@Min133 thanks for your positive story, good to hear you are feeling yourself again.

@BigPussyEnergy thanks for sharing, good to hear you had a positive experience with it.

That’s good news @fl0werz