Anyone recently started antidepressants and wants to chat/share progress and support

[Sleepy21]

I have posted a few times on MN about recently starting Sertraline, asking for others experiences - just wondered if, like me, there were any new/recent starters who wanted to just chat and post on their progress, challenges and good bits too! I find it really helpful rather than just thinking about it alone. Would love to connect with others who are still adjusting on any anti-depressant x

I really appreciate you both sharing what you're going through at the moment @Tarkan and @Midseptemberwoes . Heartened to hear you're each feeling some benefit from the medication at times, but I also get that it's not particularly consistent or even powerful enough yet. Where depression and anxiety bump up against life's harsh demands it's clearly a struggle that the ADs aren't exactly winning for either of you so far. I hope they will really help in important ways before too long. @Tarkan (love the name, saw him live in Istanbul 20 years ago!) it's great that you're noticing your anxiety at least is more bearable at the moment. But two funerals in one day 😲 💐

@Midseptemberwoes, your work situation sounds very saddening for you. I can't think of any platitudes that would make the slightest bit of difference to how you're feeling about your career hopes. But I hope nobody doubts what you've achieved in your life before now and what you're still putting in despite the harsh odds of reckoning with your mental health difficulties. It can be so tough to tell ourselves that first and foremost though can't it. That voice gets in and brings us down (if you're anything like me).

Given how I've been feeling the last few days, I'm looking back at that trip to see my family last week and wondering how the fuck I got through it. Was only in the middle of my third week on the tablets then, and yet yesterday and today I feel like I've not been taking anything. I'm back to the very low mood, absence of motivation, and my anxiety today has been particularly bad. Feel pretty rubbish, I can't lie. It's also as though the really early side effects are back too, although that might be a virus because judging by a couple of threads I've read on MN there's something nasty going round and my symptoms fit. Hard to know really. Anyway, whatever it is my sleep is up the spout and I'm not impressed! Let's hope tomorrow feels a bit less cloudy and a bit more silver lining 🤨

Just finished watching episode 2 of Celebrity Traitors coz I need to keep up with my niece and nephew, who love talking about it and playing it! And it's my niece's birthday tea tomorrow so at least I'll be up on the latest Traitors gossip when I see them ☺️ But more importantly I love them both to bits and I'm rarely happier than when I'm hanging out with them and my sister and brother-in-law, so something to look forward to. I'm telling myself no matter how lousy I might be feeling I'll hopefully just lose myself in being with them all for a couple of hours.

Hi everyone
just jumping in to show solidarity. I’m not feeling great either on my venlefaxin, which is scary as it’s supposed to be more effective than sertraline for many.
I’m actually waiting for ADHD medication which I was really hoping would be the answer. It’s been about 2 months now and we’re still waiting for my heart consultant to tell the titration team that I am safe to take stimulant meds.
In the meantime Ive started the antidepressant venlefaxin and it’s not been as effective as sertraline. Or as consistent in stopping my anxiety from breaking through.

I had a really good call with my therapist last night with lots of good ideas to help with work.

Unfortunately I then woke up feeling sick this morning, perhaps a bug, so any optimism I had is gone. I'm taking a half day AL as I feel bad taking sick leave again.

I really feel desperate at times but don't know who to turn to.

How are you feeling now @baroqueandblue

Your niece and nephew sound like a breath of fresh air. Hope you managed to enjoy the birthday tea.

Yes @Tarkan I am so conscious of the pressure I am putting on people around me. Your DH sounds wonderful.

How has your week been?

Hi Lizzbear

I hope you can get the adhd medication soon.
How long have you been on venlefaxin for?

My stomach pain has eased off so I'm feeling much more optimistic today. Plus - it's Friday!

On Wednesday, I was certified not able to work for another 10 days, however I continued working and am glad I did. I'm managing to get through bits and pieces throughout the day and showing myself I am capable of completing tasks and meeting deadlines.

Saying that, when I'm facing a full week again on Monday, I will probably regret not handing in the sick cert 😊

We're all sorting our halloween costumes and I am tempted to go all out and pay for a mental asylum straight jacket costume for myself. We spend Halloween with my dsis and bil who know what I am going through and I try to keep it humorous and light when I can, much to their shock.

Thanks! ☺️ It was lovely ta, the tonic I needed, a proper feeling of connection to something other than my rumination and anxiety 🙏

I've noticed in the last two days I feel a bit more willing to apply myself to tasks and activities - preparing food, keeping on top of the washing up so that I'm not getting up to any in the morning, walking, reading actual books instead of just scrolling on my phone and doing endless online crosswords. It feels 'right' if you know what I mean. Maybe something similar to how you've been feeling about work in the last couple of days? Although I'm sorry to hear about your stomach, but it's great that you're feeling some improvement with that and possibly in your mood? I remember you were feeling pretty hopeless on that score earlier in the week so it's lovely to read your post today, especially when you talk about being able to remind yourself of just how capable you are. I'm just trying to remind myself to take it one day at a time for now, sometimes even one hour at a time. And the brighter days and hours should begin to mount up.

And yes, it's Friday! 🥳 Going to my nephew's school rugby practice in the morning for a couple of hours, and then probably a bit of shopping, and then I think I'll be quite happy to sit and read/watch TV for the rest of the day. How about you, any plans as such, or aiming to have a quiet but satisfying one?

Great idea for a halloween costume by the way, shows your sense of humour! 😂 I actually laughed out loud a couple of times watching Traitors last night and it was really surprising to hear myself!

Solidarity with everyone else still posting on/reading the thread. (I love that word, @Lizzbear ) ✊ Hope you're all noticing even a small improvement today 🙏

Thanks 🙏

Hi. I’ve been on the venlefaxin for about 7 weeks now. Gradually increasing. It’s making me feel tired but a bit less anxious.
Still waiting for the ADHD meds.
I know what you mean when you say sometimes you feel really desperate. I have had times like this in the past few weeks.
I’m still hopeful the venlefaxin will improve things though!

Hi all!

@baroqueandblue- funny you mentioned my username. It’s actually after my dog who has the same name, he came with the name (I think he was Tarku in Romania so guessing it’s a version of that) so I can’t take blame for that but after we got him I found out the singer was a favourite of my late uncle so we felt that was obviously meant to be. Glad you enjoyed the birthday tea!

Hope you get the ADHD meds soon @Lizzbear

Thanks @Midseptemberwoes- DH really is a good one. He’s finally realised he had to go to the doc himself though so he’s been put on citalopram and because he’s a bus driver he obviously can’t drive for a few days until they’re sure he’s ok on the meds (he’s been on them before and was fine though) and instead of the yard work he was expecting to get his work have just put him down as unpaid sick leave and he’s absolutely raging at them. They were so unsupportive when I went through the cancer and he wanted to be with me and it’s had me so worried about him. He’s not long gone out for a walk on his own and I know I’ll sit here worrying until he’s home again.

Laughing at your Halloween idea. I don’t tend to do anything then so don’t dress up but I’m involved in my local theatre (I was wardrobe mistress until recently and because I’m still recovering I was asked to step down which has really upset me too) and the theatre are having an awards night with masquerade as a theme. I’m considering showing up as the phantom of the opera. 🤣

The cancer group I went to was really good and I think it’ll help me so much over the next few weeks. It was just so nice to be somewhere where everyone has been through similar things with the mental side of it as well as physical. They do lots of other things there too and have a massive craft room which looks like heaven to me so I may end up just moving in there LOL.

DH and I also went to a show this week. I’ll be showing my age here but if anyone remembers the 90s TV show Gamesmaster it was the presenter Dominik Diamond. His show is a mixture of comedy and singing, but the songs were all comedic takes based around computer games and it was just so funny. DH and I haven’t laughed like that in such a long time, we definitely needed that. Got to meet Dominik afterwards as well and he was so lovely.

Hi @Tarkan I'm sorry to read that you were so concerned about your DH when you posted and I hope everything is OK with you both. It sounds very upsetting, the way his work have responded to his illness. So hard to process our anger around being treated so shabbily.

The craft room at your cancer group sounds like heaven! You're obviously really drawn to it so I hope you get to spend plenty of time in there as you continue attending the meetings. What a great resource for you. and you've really challenged any anxiety you might've had about joining 🏆

@Lizzbear how are you doing on your venlafaxine in the last few days? Hope you're having fewer desperate days and still feeling your anxiety decreasing. I know you said you were taking sertraline for a long time but will this be the first time you've taken ADHD meds? Hopefully you'll hear something about that very soon.

Just a shout out to @Midseptemberwoes .Let us know how you're doing if you feel like.

I'm ok. Milestones in the last couple of days were watching a film all the way through (2.5 hrs) which I haven't been able to do for weeks! Fighting the anxiety to go further than the shops and see my nephew at his Saturday morning rugby practice. I did some work on Friday morning, which meant sitting face to face with a client for an hour, and it went well. I did feel quite spaced out at one point during the session but was able to check in with myself and it passed. And this morning I was really enthusiastic about getting out for a few hours and managed to coach myself through anxiety that hit while I was on my way to where I'd decided to go. I changed my mind and changed buses and went somewhere else instead, and I feel less anxious as a result. The important thing is I didn't just give up and go home, which 4 weeks ago I would ve done. I also read a lot on Thursday and Friday, actual books! 😃

So, small steps, small wins.