4th week into sertraline, worst week yet! help plzz

Posted , 5 users are following.

So I started into my 4th week on sertraline on monday and feel like im back to square one only worse! I have been fine with minimal side effects but i forgot to take them on sat and sun (was at a wedding and too busy enjoying myself) and then on monday i felt so dizzy and lightheaded! My anxiety was so bad i couldnt drive and had to stay off work! Iv felt awful all week and yersterday felt myself sinking into my old state of depression, staring into space! My head feels like its in a vice im really disorientated! I thought i got away lightly with few side effects at the start! Can anyone offer any advice, should i keep on going with them??

1 like, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    Yes carry on with them till week 8 and if u feel they not helping that go back to doctors I'm on week 7 and didn't feel right till week 5 but still get lots of blips where I feel Im going back down hill. Where you forgot to take it for 2days prob have to wait a few days to get them back in your system and see how you feel
    • Posted

      Was thinkin it might be something to do with missing 2 of them! Can handle the anxiety part as im used to it but just the depression feelin it scared me!! Do you think they are starting to work? X
    • Posted

      Yes I do think they are starting to work

      But I was also put on diazepam and now Iv got to wean of them which is making my anexity come back slightly and feeling so emotional so have to wait till I'm of diazepam to know for sure it's working for me. But before I started cutting down diazepam I felt me I felt happy.

    • Posted

      Hello Sher,

      For me it's the other way round, I'm used to the depression but I'm new to the anxiety. In my opinion depression is the easy half! I find that depression, although it is horrible, is easier to deal with because it's just an emotion, but anxiety stops you doing anything because you're in such a state of panic!

      Anyway I stopped taking sertraline after 4 days because it was unbearable, but now I've been back on them for just over a week after an 11 day break. I had the same side effects as the first time round but only about half as a bad. The anxiety didn't stop for me throughout the entire break I had from them though, and is only starting to get a little better now. Sorry I don't have much advice but all I can say is what Imm sure you've heard but is very important! Keep positive and remember the tablets are only going to help in the end!

      I hope everything gets better soon x

    • Posted

      Urrgghhh i just want to feel normal again i never wanted to resort to medication so im just hoping it was the right decision as now i feel im stuck on them x
    • Posted

      Don't worry about it, just try not to stay off work, etc. and get into the routine of staying in bed, that didn't help me too much! Keep trying to do things when having anxious days (maybe not driving!) just plan ahead a way home or a way to calm yourself down so you don't feel isolated in a state of panic. Just remember only you can help yourself because only you fully understand whats going on in your head. When you panic, really try remember that you've done it before and nothing bad happened, and the chances that they will is miniscule! And if the bad thing you're thinking did happen, so what? smile x
  • Posted

    I know how you feel.

    Keep me posted, please.

    Terry (Cambridge)

  • Posted

    Hi sher,

    I think missing doses can set off the downward spiral. Did you consume any alcohol etc. while having fun? That is mix a very dangerous combination.

    In past times it scared me when I inadvertently missed a dose because my routine changed and I forgot or my prescription needed refilled and I did not realize it or I did not have the $$ to pay for the new script.

    What happens to me when I miss a dose is when I close my eyes at night I see flashing lights, my sleep is disrupted so fatigue enters the mix and that scares me so I do not miss a dose.

    I put myself on automatic refill and that helped me a lot, plus I purchase a 3 month supply each time. And I carry a small pill case with me at all times so no matter where I am or what unexpected life thing happens to throw my schedule off, I can still take my meds.

    Sertraline is the best for me. Messing with the brain and the nervous system is far too serious to be negligent.

    Hope you balance out soon.

    Regards,

    Dawn

    • Posted

      Thanks dawn

      Yes i was drinkin alcohol as well so that has probably added to this effect sad . I hate the thoughts of being stuck on this drug and not being able to stop it when i want without adverse side effects, it makes me feel suffocated sad xx

    • Posted

      I can appreciate where you are coming from. Perhaps one way to think of it is to firmly decide within yourself which is truly more fun. Your condition before you took the meds? Or your condition while on the meds?

      Also remember that antidepressants do not have to be a life long sentence. It is a treatment which can balance the chemicals in your brain and if you are careful and diligent, not just in faithfully taking it but also searching deeply within yourself to find other contributing causes of your former state of mind, then at some point you may not need the antidepressant.

      I use Sertraline approximately 2 to 3 years and then I am stable enough to go off of it for 2 to 3 years. Some people only need it for 6 months to help them get over a bump in life. So you never know until you try.

      Take care of you,

      My best,

      Dawn, US

    • Posted

      Sher remember this medication is to help you not make you feel worse! I'm sure you started the tablets because you're anxiety and/or depression were unbearable, and interfering with your everyday life, so although it may feel like you have to keep at it or you'll feel like hell, just remember you felt like hell already! The only reason it seemed so bad was probably because how much you were improving on the days that you did take them! So just stick to it and when you and your doctor feel you are ready, you can slowly drop the dosage and see how it goes, and hopefully you'll see that it was all for your benefit, and not to make you feel worse!

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