1 week ok 50mg sertraline, feeling hopeless :(
Posted , 4 users are following.
hi, im om sertraline 50mg been on since last friday. i am on it for anxiety and for intrusive repetitive thoughts. i am sleeping slightly longer and not waking up through the night panicking as much. but im still constantly worried and scared of being stuck like this forever. its scaring me to death and i just want to give up now tbh. when i wake up in the mornings i just have this intense fear of the day. got no appetite and just feel so awful. any positive stories would be so welcome. im thinking of going on mirtazapine with the sertraline has anybody tried this combination its meant to be very good. also anyone actually had success with cbt alongside medication? thank you all in advance
0 likes, 9 replies
SerotoninSurfer james40575
Posted
Hi James, im on Sert and Mirt combination. Its helping me now but i was on SERT 200mg for 16 years and totally better before it came back again. Sertraline can take anything from 6 to 14 weeks to work properly. I would give Sertraline a good while yet before adding anything else. You just have to ride it out in the early weeks but you will get better my friend.
james40575 SerotoninSurfer
Posted
thank you mate
sue74917 james40575
Posted
Hi James as serotonin says give it more time. It will probably not give you instant relief by adding more long term drugs into the mix. If you are sleeping better with less night time panic after only 1 week then sertraline is working for you. You will not be stuck like this forever and every week you should see some improvement no matter how small. Make a note or keep a diary on how you are feeling each day so that when you have times you think you are going no where you can look back on it to see how far you have actually come. CBT might be a good idea for you, it will teach you coping skills for when the going gets a bit tough but above all, although it does not feel like it now rest assured that you will not be like this forever and you will get better
james40575 sue74917
Posted
thank you, im convincing myself i have brain damage or something that cant be cured 😦 why does it seem so bad in the mornings? thats what i dont get? as the day goes on i grow more accepting and passive. but when i first wake up its like i cant even face opening my eyes its just intense panic that i cant explain like i cant face the day. does sertraline make you feel like this in the mornings? and are you sure it works? thanks for reply
SerotoninSurfer james40575
Posted
The stress hormone Cortisol is released by the adrenal gland in response to anxiety and research has shown that it often at its highest in the mornings. Its actually known as Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) which can explain why anxiety, physical symptoms and negative thinking is often at its worst when you wake up and first few hours. The medication will work. It's so difficult in the early weeks/months. You just need to give it time and keep yourself busy with hobbies, socialising, exercising. Anything to distract yourself.
sue74917 james40575
Posted
yes James it is always worse in the mornings, I used to dread waking up, I would clock watch knowing that by 4pm I would feel a lot calmer, as days went by this would spread to earlier in the day and it slowly got better and better. Just try and tell yourself that how you are in the mornings right now is not an indication of how your whole day will be and no you have not done any damage to your brain, years of research go into any kind of drug before they are allowed onto the market so the risk would have been assessed, also it is not listed on the very long side effects that come with the medication. You will be ok and yes they do work, as you are starting to see by the small improvement in your sleep and later in the day and only after 1 week that is an amazing result
james40575 sue74917
Posted
thank you sue. im just worried that my brain is stuck on this blinking obsession i cant blink without thinking about it. i hope the meds can help with this problem its killing me
sue74917 james40575
Posted
James as you have probably read many times on here, this medication makes things worse before they make it better. This worse is different for everybody, some become physically ill, some become far more depressed or anxious, some even begin to have feelings of suicide, with yourself your worse is obsession, as I have said to you before, you are feeding this fear by fearing the obsession, as hard as it is try and break the cycle, exercise, play a game, watch tv anything that will, even if it is for 10 minutes take your mind off of it. you should find by the end of this week that things calm down a little
james40575 sue74917
Posted
i was obsessing on the blinking before i even started on sertraline. ive been suffering anxiety for a few months and my brain seems to want something to focus on. its just scary the idea of being stuck forever you know? i just want to know if sertraline can help this im just scared to death that ive lost my whole life which is a really good life normally 😦 the only relief i get is when im talking to someone or if im on my phone it distracts me. but i cant just sit or just walk or watch tv without thinking of it. praying i get better, ive convinced myself that my brain isnt anxious its actually broken or damaged and my life is now ruined 😦 makes me so sad