Sertraline bl**dy hell..!

[AmusedOpalShaker]

Evening everyone,

I am currently sitting at day 5 of 50mg Sertraline for OCD and horrific, horrific intrusive thoughts.

My lord - the side effects are horrendous?!

The sheer uptake in my anxiety, intrusive thoughts, urges, shaking, sickness and lethargy has been awful to try to navigate. I’m so incredibly fortunate that I have supportive family around to look after my DD during this.

i have been on Sertraline before, but like a complete moronhead I stopped taking it, I don’t remember ever having such severe side effects before, though.

Any experiences? I’m looking for horror turned success stories, or just some reassurance really, anything to stop me from chucking them away.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read, have a wonderful evening all xxx

Wow! What an amazing update!! 👏

I can hear the excitement in your post and the return of a sense of purpose. Take it easy still though! You're just emerging so take care of yourself. You've done so well 💗

Hi! Thank you so much, don’t worry (about a stranger online haha), I still have my daily plan I work through each day, still doing my ERP etc, I’m just feeling positive about, well, feeling positive!

Just being able to do a school run with a mouthy ten year old seems like a treat at the moment - now I do sound mad!

I hope May is treating you well thus far! ❤️

What is ERP? I had cbt on the nhs but it didn't click with me. Ive just started a very low dose of citalopram and i hope it works.

ERP - Exposure and Response Prevention.

It’s a type of CBT, all about exposing you in a safe, controlled environment while avoiding compulsions.

It’s life changing, well, it was for me. Check it out, I hope it helps you x

Amazing! I am so pleased to hear that. :)

@AmusedOpalShaker , how did you find out about ERP? I doubt I'd get this on the nhs, i waited ages for the CBT..

It's funny how we do give thought to a stranger online 😅 but when you share the same hard times you do think "oh I hope the lady on mumsnet is doing OK."

Managing the school run is a definite win. Enjoying it is a bit mad. 😂

That is so true, actually!

Haha believe me, novelty has already worn righhhtttt off after a nightmare morning with my little Gremlin..!

So ERP apparently is available on the NHS, but I think the waiting times are just utterly horrific, plus it’s kind of hit and miss isn’t it, finding someone well versed in OCD.

i myself was at real crisis point so went down the private route for intensive therapy. I was up all night just emailing therapists I was finding online begging for help.

The specialists I found are ‘OCD Excellence’. Really not cheap (I wouldn’t have been able to pay for it without help from my family), but as I said above - ERP has been life changing (obviously still putting in effort but please believe me when I say that I really do not say it lightly, they’ve saved my life)

Definitely go down the ERP route, whether that’s via NHS or Private.

Let me know if I can be anymore help xx

@AmusedOpalShaker
Such a lovely update. Really happy that things are on the up. And I can relate to the little monster in the mornings pushing all your buttons. The joys of normal routines! Good luck with the further dose increases. I would be interested to know how they go as I'm wondering whether a small increase my help me a bit.

I'm muddling along ok. Way better than I was but not where I'd like to be. Returned to work about a month ago on a phased return and I'm really struggling with it. We need the dosh so I can't pack it in. I still get so tired if I don't pace myself. One day at a time!

One day at a time, indeed. How are you getting on now?

Re medication doses: I did three weeks at the 75mg, no horrific side effects bar a slight dodgy tum, but thankfully none of the worsening anxiety / intrusive thoughts that I had been really concerned about.

I felt much better after increasing, but I just know that 100 was my sweet spot before, OCD barely factored into my day to day and things were so much easier, so today is the start of Week 14 and I have just popped my first 100mg.

I imagine I’ll have a rough few days, but then things will even out, hoping for the best! Hope you’re doing ok xxx

Glad you are doing well @AmusedOpalShaker .

I'm 2 and a half weeks into starting citalopram, 10mg and its barely touching the sides yet. Ive had a slightly dodgy tummy too, but im going to carry on and see if anything positive changes. I'll go back to the Dr's and ask to increase it to 20mg if i dont feel its helping yet. I know 10mg is a very small dose so im not worried its not doing anything yet.

@AmusedOpalShaker its been a rollercoaster. Hanging on somehow. Absolutely shattered. Speaking to my GP next week and think I have nothing to lose increasing a bit more. Hope the increase is symptom less for you. Would be interested in how you find it 😊

Just keep hanging on, it’s all you can do! Definitely speak about an increase, there’s nothing to lose and it could be the boost you need, I really hope so!

So my increase today hasn’t been great. I took it in the early ish hours (as was up doing last minute packing and checking as my Daughter left for her year 6 residential today). I’ve felt all jittery, got her and her suitcase down to the school, waved her in, turned to leave and then my OCD started absolutely FLOODING my head about needing to check the suitcase, what if there is medication in it? What if I put a knife in it? What if I put a massive double headed dildo in it?

Even though I had checked it all thoroughly as I was packing it.. anyways I ended up breaking into the school hall and unpacking and repacking her suitcase, luckily they weren’t with the bags so I didn’t embarrass her or anything.

Luckily for me I managed to bullshit the staff about making sure she hadn’t packed her phone etc and they laughed and were fine, so I don’t think I came across completely mad..!

I got home and talked it through with my lovely OCD Excellence therapist. I still feel a bit out of control this evening and the thoughts, intrusive urges and anxiety are bad again, safe assumption it’s the 100mg, just unsure whether to do 100 again tomorrow and just push through - especially as the Gremlin is away and it’s just me and my kindle. Undecided.

Rough day, I hope you have a lovely evening xx

And yes, I’m still thinking and panicking about what I put in that bloody suitcase.

Ruminating in full force over here until I throw up 👋.

It’s so annoying how long these medications take to kick in, when all you want is just some blooming relief. Ah even with a small dose I’m sure it’ll have an effect soon enough, after all it’s still more than you started with!

I hope it starts to improve for you soon, keep us posted, fingers crossed for you! Xx

Thank you @AmusedOpalShaker
I hope you get through tonight and feel a bit better tomorrow .

Oh bless you. It’s such a bummer when it hits you again after some weeks of being stable. I feel you! I’m currently the opposite and am very very slowly reducing down to 75mg of Sertraline. Currently doing two days a week of 75 and five days on 100mg. I’ve been feeling it too and may even go up to 100 again. Anyway I’m waffling now. Just wanted to say hi. It shouldn’t be more than a few days of side effect after increase. Hang in there!!!
p.s. I love my Kindl too.

Hi @Wish44- can I ask if the sweats have passed? I was taken off fluoxetine after 8 weeks as no improvement in mood and disturbed sleep from sweating and nightmares- had a few days on nothing then 4 on 25mg Sertraline. I’ve been on 50mg for 8 days now and the dreams and sweating back. So unpleasant! Hoping it will pass… thanks 🙏🏼

I’m 5 weeks into citalopram it’s only just now started to help depression with some improvement to my awful anxiety. I’m on 30mg now but I cross tapered from Paroxetine which had stopped working so I was ok to increase quiet quickly.

@AmusedOpalShaker you have done well to keep taking sertraline, when I was prescribed it I was awake every night for a week it was like taking speed😂

Hi, I’m afraid they didn’t… and they were a large part of the reason I stopped taking it a month ago.

I reduced my dose to 25mg and then to 25mg every others day ( I have always been small but very small now after weight loss form stress and I think I am sensitive to all meds so don’t need much) but still the sweating. So much of my time spent washing myself and all the bedding … I have been off them for 4 weeks. Sweats have gone… phew. Anxiety has returned a bit but nowhere near as bad and funny you mention it but my dreams are better… I hadn’t realised that the awful dreams might be from the meds.

good luck op … I hope you get some relief from the sweats.

I felt like I was tripping for a week then everything settled down. Really helped my OCD XX

@AmusedOpalShaker 👋 great to be getting an update. I know it might not feel like it but prepping and taking your daughter to her year 6 residential is a BIG deal. It's stressful letting our kids go. Interesting your ocd focused on the suitcase, do you think that was anxiety around having prepared dd for every eventuality? Do what your gut tells you re the dose tomorrow, it's OK to hold off when life has gone up a level temporarily.

Oh OP you have my utmost sympathy. I know all about this. It's good that you have family to support you and help look after your daughter while you're going through it.

I use citalopram and when I started on it I went through 3/4 weeks of utter hell before it settled down. My GP advised me to stick with it and I'm glad I did. One day I just realised that I felt ok. And after that I continued to feel ok. Thumbs up.

I know it's a horrible time though and yes, the days feel very long. It's because you're living it one moment at a time. The sweating and shaking, the replaying and catastrophing. Being unable to distract yourself with anything. Everything being a bloody trigger.
It's deeply unpleasant.

I really feel for you. Keep going.