Positive outcome on Sertraline
Posted , 6 users are following.
I'm 25 and Sertraline has been a lifesaver. For 2 years, I thought I was ill seeing multiple doctors and specialists. Finally the conclusion was reached that I was suffering Anxiety / Panic attacks which came in a very physical manor. I started on 50mg of Sertraline about 5 months ago and it changed my life SO much. My anxiety/Panic was so severe when I started that I was having major panic attacks at least daily which was interefering with my highly busy social/work life. The first 2-3 weeks maybe even 4 I got crappy side effects, nearly everyone listed however even during this stage it was worth it as I was able to function daily, even if it was under duress. About 2-3 months in I was doing great however I was still thinking about Panic attacks everyday. My doctor advised me to go up to 100mg however I was uncomfortable and settled with 75mg. I went home that night and told my boyfriend however he talked me out of it. He thought it was not necessary because I was functioning fine and I was also combating it naturally by seeing a phyciatrist, attending reiki and other natral remedies. He got why I wanted to increase it (wanted to get out of the habit of thinking about it daily) but told me to give it more time. Best advice ever. I now only think about it every now and then and am confident it will stop on it's own. The best bonus is I now only have to get myself of 50mg rather than 75mg. Occassionally I still get side effects from Setraline if I miss a day but it's so totally worth it. 6 months of being out an about without scoping the nearest medical assitance is quite the treat haha 
If your contemplating taking it, stop! Just do it.
0 likes, 10 replies
christine80021
Posted
Oh I left out the one ongoing se effect, NO SEX DRIVE. Luckily my boyfriend is super supportive and we make it work
jay98357 christine80021
Posted
Well done Christine. It's so good to hear a positive outcome. You sound like you are on your way to recovery.
I am now on day 6 with 25mg of Sertaline and having good and bad moments. I can't say good days yet as it's early days for me. It took me months to pluck up the courage to take these but it got so bad I had no option. I'm having some side effects mainly the high anxiety which I find really hard to cope with.
I am hoping I can be writing a positive story like your in the coming weeks.
Keep going strength to strength x
christine80021 jay98357
Posted
I had heightened anxiety too which was hard to accept given I was taking them for anxiety. Saying that though I wasn't laying on the floor shaking uncontrollably and asking to go to hospital (good outcome). It was more mental anxiety which is something I had never really knowingly experienced, mine was all physical. This can take some time to go away but it does.
I remember reading a comment on this forum and a guy had mentioned that one day it was like a light sitched had switched and it went.. I was reading this after months of taking this thinking well when is that going to happen to me. I never really noticed it happening as you don't with daily progress but then one day I realised I hadn't thought about having a Panic attack for days. LIght switch had occurred.
Definitely stick with it
Let me know how your progressing.
One thing I did forget to mention is night sweats.. some weeks I have killer night sweats but its worth it, beats waking up not knowing if your alive or being able to breathe haha
tracy74353 christine80021
Posted
Hi Christine that's so good to hear , I've been on sertraline 3 months
and have definatley turned a corner, however I also keep thinking what if I have a panic attack and it's on my mind everyday, also still a little anxiety, how long were u on them before this seemed to subside? Many thanks X
christine80021 tracy74353
Posted
Hi Tracy, So glad to hear you've turned a corner
I think I was on them about 5 months. There is definietly no exact science to this though, it just happens naturally. The longer you go without one the less likely you are to think about them. Something my phyciatrist told me though was to not fear them. She said whilst i'm doing this i'm still allowing them to have the power. I was told to be corageous and fearless and to say, ok I might have a Panic attack but i've survived them before and I will again. It has taken me time but i'm finally getting there. When I used to get any abnormal or unusal feeling/emotion straight away flight or fight kicked in and before I knew it was in a full blown attack. Now when I feel it coming on I just think if it turns into a panic attack I can deal with it. I've now never had one that last longer than a couple of minutes. Just a note that when your having a Panic attack each adrenaline release only lasts 3 seconds so if you can remain calm they can be over quickly. It's definietly an art form but I know you'll get there 
I believe this is whats help me from not thinking about them daily. I'm no longer scared of them.
Keep up the awesome work and let me know if I can be of anymore help!
tracy74353 christine80021
Posted
Brill thanks Christine for the reply, I have read a book called dare and it's fantastic! It says exactly the same don't fear them and just keep pushing out your comfort zone! Well yesterday I had a whole day with no anxiety ! Still found myself checking in to see how I felt but I'm made up! Onwards and upwards ????xx
christine80021 tracy74353
Posted
YAY
so happy for you!! Here's to many more days!!
tracy74353 christine80021
Posted
misssunshine10 christine80021
Posted
christine80021 misssunshine10
Posted
It did for me. It's hard for me to comment on other people because everyone is so different. The way I saw it though was that feeling of worrying and wanting to cry was a million times better than collapsing at work or in a public situation and convulsing for an hour and then be a zombie for the rest of the day. My Panic attacks were SO physically severe that basically any mental strain was worth it for me. I'm not sure if this is the same for you. I would say it was about 3 months in though before things really started to get better for me mentally so I would suggest you just hang in there. Something I do want to say is don't just go along with your doctor and increase your dose again, that's what they trieds to do with me. If you can cope at the level your at (and by cope i don't mean doing well, I just mean your surviving in an aceptable manor) then focus on other forms of treatment. A phycologist is crucial because the problems needs solving of you'll never beat it. I would also suggest reiki, yoga, meditation, sports anything that heals your mind. I'm so glad I went down that path because now i'm starting to get better by myself and i will only need to get myself of 50mg.