Posted , 5 users are following.
I am gutted ! It was only last week I started another discussion saying how great i had been feeling and now I feel like I am back at square one. My heart is pounding all the time, I feel down, it's hard for me to get a proper breath ... has anyone ever experienced feeling good on sertraline and then all of a sudden getting kicked back down. I am on week 8, 100mg
0 likes, 9 replies
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sarah62025 misssunshine10
Posted
Hello Misssunshine,
So sorry to hear its a bad day for you toda y- I also woke with bad anxiety this morning although eased a little. I am sure I have read on here that people have had set backs sometimes, I think you gradually get more good days than bad, hold on in there! I am on week 7 at 50mg, thinking of increasing dose to 75mg.
When dis you last see Dr? Might be worth making another appointment if you don't feel better tomorrow. I try to remember that the thoughts/anxious feelings are not ME as such - they are just thoughts and emotions that will pass. Perhaps try some mindfullness if this helps you., Really hope you are feeling better very soon. ...best wishes xx
misssunshine10 sarah62025
Posted
Hi Sarah thanks for your reply I've been feeling like this for a couple of days it's horrible! My last appointment with doctor was about a month ago I have got another 4 weeks of tablets left and was told to go back for a review but if I aren't feeling much better in the week I may make one sooner.
Do you feel as though you are getting much benefit of sertraline except from today of course with the setback?
sarah62025 misssunshine10
Posted
Hi misssunshine,
Yes, go back in the week if you're not feeling any better.
I started to feel better initially, but last week or two still haven't felt right - not so many intrusive thoughts, but knot in stomach and can't eat at all. Usually a little better in the evenings. Bad memory for (recent) things. I am still having to work (part-time) so worried about that, will be working Tuesday. Might increase to 75mg tomorrow and see if that helps and go back to dr. in near future (but usually can't get appt for a couple of weeks unless emergency). When I was on it before, it definately helped more quickly than this time, I then went down to 25mg for around 10 years and didn't really have many problems with it, until this relapse.
I really do hope we are both feeling a lot better soon...take care of yourself, x.
a-new-day misssunshine10
Posted
hi misssunshine
i noticed you said that you did feel good and ok for a while on 100mg, but then are feeling bad again. if you were feeling good but now not so much, perhaps 100mg was not enough to keep the depression and anxiety at bay, so you might do better on 150mg, or if you dont like the idea of increasing, instead perhaps you could take an additional med along with the sertraline for anxiety (because it sounds like you having some anxiety issues at the moment).
if you dont feel better tomorrow, you should go and speak to your doctor. there will certainly be options for you so dont worry. it's just a case of finding the right option so you can get better again. your doctor can certainly give you something fast acting for short term use (perhaps a 'benzo' type drug to take for a few weeks to a month) to make you feel better, so you dont have such a rough ride getting settled on the right dose of sertraline for you
misssunshine10 a-new-day
Posted
Hi,
I have been thinking that myself to be honest whether to increase my dosage my appointment with my doctor isn't for another 4 weeks so I am gonna try to get in earlier reckon it would be to risky to increase the dose myself ?? What dosage are you on ??
Bit of a personal question for everyone it relates to but does anyone notice that their anxiety heightens when it's the time of the month ??
a-new-day misssunshine10
Posted
hey again, i am on 100mg of sertraline, but i would have absolutely no problem increasing the dose to 150mg or even 200mg if necessary, because we are all different. so some of us need a low dose, some of us need a standard dose, and some of us need to go higher. simple as that, and nothing wrong with that.
the important thing is, if you are having a bad time on a med, and the bad time you are having is caused by the med, then increasing the dose can then in turn make you feel even worse (because your body needs time to adjust (weeks and months), so it cannot be rushed). so that's the important thing to keep in mind if you want to increase your dose.
so i notice you said "My heart is pounding all the time, I feel down, it's hard for me to get a proper breath"
can you confirm, did you have that going on BEFORE you started sertraline? if so, and then you took sertraline, and all of that went away for a while, but then it has returned, then it looks like you need to increase your dose, and should be fine doing so (maybe a few new side effects will occur at first when increasing, but they should ease so try not to worry or focus on them)
however, if the "My heart is pounding all the time, I feel down, it's hard for me to get a proper breath" is being caused by the sertraline, it may mean you need more time to get used to the med, (in which case something from your doctor, short term med fast acting to tackle anxiety, could be taken with the sertraline for a few weeks until you settle on it), - or it might mean the med is unsuitable for you in which case you can switch to something else (lots of options).
misssunshine10 a-new-day
Posted
Thank you so much for your reply, I was feeling like that before taking Sertraline but now it feels like it's lasting longer than it normally would. I was put on sertraline for social anxiety I would panic heart pounding etc when in crowded rooms and get intense blushing and that feeling has come back again so I think you are right I think I do need to increase my dosage. I have been incredibly lucky with side effects as I haven't had many at all just the bouts of tiredness and bit of nausea.
It's great hearing people have / are going through the same thing so reassuring
a-new-day misssunshine10
Posted
i had some nausea when i started also, for about a week, but it has passed now (along with stomach a bit upset, which is quite a common side effect)
it does sound like you can certainly give a higher dose a try as it sounds like you tolerate sertraline well (from an official study comparing 12 ssri meds for how well they are tolerated (accepted) by a person, sertraline came in first place), so it means most people are ok if they need to up their dose.
ps. sorry i cant help with your other question about time of the month but i am male!
a female friend i have though, is doing very well by taking something called 'agnus castus' to help with her cycle. it's natural if u want to give it a go, you can get it from ebay, search for 'lindens agnus castus' which comes in a white and green packet, and is 1000mg x 100 tablets, and costs around £5 delivered. you take one of those a day, for 3 months, and then you can continue or stop if it is working for you. note that it's not worth buying from boots or holland & barrett, because those tablets are too weak to be effective (proven in a study), but the lindens 1000mg brand i mentioned above are the right amount and effective.
vanessa45115 misssunshine10
Posted
I totally get it. Thursday afternoon, I had this very strong feeling come over me that I was better. The rest of that day was the best ever, Friday was also great but not as great as Thursday. Yesterday and today, I have strong anxiety again. I've been on 150 for 20 days now. I feel broken??