Starting sertraline/signed off work, please share your experiences

[SkipperKipper]

Hi everyone,

Having another night where I’m unable to sleep and turning everything over in my head, so just wanted to hear other people’s experiences.

I’m 34 and have suffered from episodes of depression and severe anxiety for a long long time. The only time I’ve ever tried antidepressants is a couple of years ago when I was seen by the perinatal mental health team after my daughter was born. I was given sertraline but only tried it for a couple of weeks as I have chronic reflux (take medication long term for it) and felt like it was getting worse, so stopped. In reality, I don’t know if the sertraline caused that or if I was just in a bad place anyway as I had a new baby and was eating crap.

Anyway… I’ve been ok ish since then, however the depression and anxiety has returned with a vengeance in the past few months due to life stresses. Then about 5 weeks ago, I developed this awful problem with my neck where I’m getting constant spasms at the back near my head and the whole area feels sore and tense. Spoken to GP/seen physio & they feel it’s a bad muscle strain from posture and chronic overuse etc. The spasms aren’t actually painful really, just so annoying and happen even when I’m in bed laying down so sleep is tricky.

Having this problem has really sent my mood plummeting and I’ve been hardly eating/sleeping as I keep feeling so anxious and down about it. It’s like I can’t cope with setbacks of any kind as they send me spiralling down a rabbit hole. Finally spoke to GP about everything today and been prescribed sertraline again to try, plus been signed off work for 2 weeks (initially, maybe longer) and referred for counselling through work.

I do have a plan in place with physio/GP etc to hopefully get my neck sorted but I just feel so terrible mentally. Of course the neck issue is genuinely debilitating so naturally won’t be helping my mood, but I can tell that I’m just so tense and anxious all the time which is probably half the bloody problem to begin with! Dentist said I’m grinding my teeth too so need a mouth guard.

I can’t stop ruminating on everything and feel so miserable/hopeless, so I know I need to give the sertraline my best shot and will start tomorrow. I’ve been taking those nytol pills for a couple of weeks to basically knock me out, but that won’t be an option now I’m starting sertraline as I don’t think they mix, hence why I’m probably wide awake right now.

Sorry for the long post but feels good to get it out - if you can relate to any of this, please do share your stories!

I’m also awake in the night with anxiety. I’m on day 6 of sertraline but so far haven’t noticed any difference. I’m really hoping it helps because I am struggling to eat and sleep through sheer panic.

my body is also hurting and I broke my toe last week which really has made me spiral even more.

I am sorry to hear about your struggles and your neck. I can only offer solidarity as I don’t have any answers myself. I am just hoping to get through this.

hugs.

I was prescribed Sertraline (50mg) for severe anxiety around 6 yrs ago after losing my husband. The first few days of taking it my head felt foggy and I had an awful upset stomach. I also made the mistake of taking it on an empty stomach with not enough water causing awful reflux/heartburn type pains (eating a green apple helped with that).

Once I started taking it after food and with a full glass of water the initial reactions stopped. it does take time to get properly into your system and for me by week three I started noticing a difference but it can take longer for some.

Around the 6 month mark I felt the anxiety rising again which the GP said can happen for some people and the does was increased to 100mg. That’s the dose I still take. I still feel anxious at times but nothing like I was 6yrs ago. I do wonder if that’s because of the sertraline or because I’ve learned to live with the grief. I want to talk to my GP about gradually lowering my dose with a view to eventually stopping it altogether but I’m also worried of not coping without it.

For me, Sertraline was a life changer at a time I was really struggling but it doesn’t suit everyone. I would say, if you can, give it a couple of months. However if it’s not helping you in the way you’d hope go back to your GP because there are other medications they can try.

Antidepressants take time to work properly, probably a few months before you really see the benefits. Especially as they start you on a low dose & increase the dose very gradually. The side effects are difficult but it’s definitely worth sticking it out. Antidepressants not only saved my life, but changed it dramatically for the better. (I am not on Sertraline, but similar)

Thank you everyone who’s replied so far, I’m sorry to hear everyone’s struggles. It’s positive to hear that it has helped people though. I am so hoping that’s the case for me, I had a dreadful night and feel awful this morning after only getting about 3 fretful hours of sleep. I am seeing the physio this morning about my neck so I am seriously hoping that makes me feel more positive, will take the sertraline when I get back.

@garlictwist I’m so sorry you can relate to me so much, it is awful feeling like you’re so anxious and can’t concentrate on anything. It’s truly debilitating isn’t it. Hope the sertraline kicks in for you soon although guess it’s early days, how are you feeling?

This could have been me six years ago - I experienced very similar patterns but without neck pain. Keep going, the sertraline saved my life I was on it for two years, combined with the two weeks of work to reset and counselling it helped a lot. The grey cloud will lift

@SkipperKipper I'm at work desperately trying to hold it together after an awful night of no sleep and panic.

I am going away for the next few days with my sister and nieces and I'm hoping it's going to be a good distraction from all this.

I hope your physio appointment goes well. x

It saved my life. The side effects were pretty brutal but over all it was a good thing.

i hope they work for you op x

I started taking Sertraline again a fortnight ago, alongside Propranalol (which I do not like, because it made my throat feel tight, so swallowing was incredibly uncomfortable). I refused a sick note for various work-related reasons, which I regretted afterwards, as I started having panic attacks and getting upset about things that were usually merely irritating. The GP thought that if the anxiety was dealt with, it might help with the severe migraines and muscle tension, as I might be able to sleep for more than 2-3 hours a night (it's like my head won't shut up and stop thinking about things), eat, manage self-care, get back on top of things, etc. It feels like I'm being bullied out of my job because of the migraines, despite everything that I've tried, which has been sometimes exhausting and expensive on top of working full-time. I do try to get a monthly deep tissue massage to sort out my back, neck and shoulders, but it's an expense that I could do without at times!

I went back to the doctor's for a medication review, got signed off work, and had the best night's sleep that I've had in a LONG time. Alright, I'm eating rubbish and I sleep a lot, but I've managed some self-care, I've got on top of a few small jobs at home, I've started reading a book and some of the other things that I stop doing when my anxiety is bad. I do wish that work would stop trying to contact me, so I am completely avoiding my phone and work email account to keep them at bay. I haven't spoken to anyone (apart from my pets) in person for days and I feel so much better already.

I hope that things start looking up for everyone soon.

I’ve just been signed off work for anxiety/burnout and I’m going to pick up my prescription today. I’m hesitant because I’ve never taken medication for mental health reasons before and I believe my anxiety is situational (caused by work / my work environment), but I’m going to give it a go because I too am struggling to sleep and keep ruminating. It’s so exhausting.

2 weeks doesn’t feel like a long time. I think my doctor is going to sign me off for 4-6 weeks - we’re going to discuss it at my follow-up appointment. The thought of returning to work in just 4-6 weeks fills me with dread, but I’m sure she will reassess at that point and potentially extend the leave.

For those of you who recovered from work-related anxiety, how long did it take (if you ever recovered 😢)?

I’m glad you’re feeling better. I really want to sleep through the night again - I would cry with joy if I could at least achieve that in my recovery. I’m exhausted, and struggle to do all the things that are supposed to help - exercise, going for walks, reading etc. I went for a walk for 1 hour yesterday (previously very easy for me) and I was depleted afterwards.

I can totally relate to feeling like you’re being bullied out of work - that’s the key driver of my anxiety/burnout. I’ve been in fight or flight mode for well over a year, I’m amazed I didn’t crack up sooner. I wish I hadn’t waited until I hit rock bottom to ask for some time off work though - I worry I have prolonged the amount of time it’s going to take to recover.

Definitely turn off your computer and work phone!

I can so relate to this @Crushed23! Sorry you’re feeling so bad, I really hope you get on well with your medication and feel better. Like you, I would just love a good night’s sleep where I get into bed and switch off… Where my body doesn’t feel tense (which as the physio told me today, is definitely exacerbating my neck issue!) and I just feel chilled out.

My partner gets into bed and falls asleep in under 5 minutes - jealous doesn’t cover it! 😂

Have you tried an orthopaedic pillow, @SkipperKipper ? I got one recently and it feels like it's really helped my back/neck/shoulder issues so far.

@Crushed23 I don't know if it feels the same way for you, but I just thought, "If I keep on going, I'll get there in the end, and everything will be fine"... and then it just gets worse. What has the post-walk recovery involved? Just take baby steps to start with, and don't overexert yourself. Eat chocolate, sit at home, and feel free to say no to anyone who tries to guilt-trip you into doing something more "productive" in their eyes. You have my permission!

I spent a little bit of time out in the garden today, did a bit more of a knitting pattern (it's for a jumper) and I have finished a book. It seems ages since I did that. I keep buying new ones and then not reading them because work gets in the way, and drains my energy. I want to get back into cooking from scratch, or playing my piano, but do not have the energy for either of those things yet. I'm trying to gear myself up for enforced socialisation with regards to appointments tomorrow. I crammed them into one day to get them all out of the way. Hopefully, the world will not be too busy for me when I go into town (it's half-term, so I usually avoid anywhere potentially busy. Fortunately, I live between farms!).

Antidepressants saved my life, too. I'm still on them, it's not the worst thing that can happen. You need to give them time - and also remember they are very rarely a magic bullet. I'm envious of the few whose meds actually make them happy, but it's far more normal that they just take the edge off. This gives you the margin of headspace to help yourself.

The two things I'd like to share with you for now are:

1. It will pass. Everything does, doesn't it? If all you can do today is hunker down in bed, then do. Tomorrow maybe brush your teeth and have breakfast/brunch before going back to bed. It's a process, and that's okay
2. When I started a phased return to work, I couldn't believe how many of my colleagues came up to tell me they'd been through similar and were on antidepressants! It's practically normal, you aren't faulty.

Be kind to yourself and stay comfy. x

Morning everyone, thanks to everyone who’s replied, it really helps me reading this.
Just an update so I can read this back in times to come when I’m hopefully in a much better place!

Started the sertraline yesterday morning, had quite an upset stomach later in the day and really struggled to sleep last night. Despite being exhausted from not sleeping the night before, I couldn’t drop off. Felt super anxious. My neck was driving me crazy and I feel like the spasms were getting worse and worse - not particularly painful, just like the muscle was contracting, pulling unbelievably tight and then twitching away as it released. Exhausting. It’s still the same this morning and still feel more anxious.

It’s horrible because I recognise that it’s probably stress/tension/anxiety that’s making it worse, but can’t get rid of those feelings! And probably a combination of starting sertraline + no longer taking nytol pills kept me up too. Big sigh. I really hope better days are ahead, both physically and mentally