Anyone experience this?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi all!
I'm about 4 and 1/2 weeks on a new dose of sertraline (75 mg) and the last few days have been pretty good. Intrusive thoughts have subsided, so have the side effects except for the headache that comes and goes. I'm noticing I'm actually laughing at things and actually happy, but seems that my anxiety creeps back up and says "ah ah.....i'm still here" lol..... If there is lots of noise around or if I'm focusing on something and for example if someone tries to talk to me, I can hear them but my brain seems to have a hard time focusing on what they say ... It's a bit hard to explain but it started a couple of days ago and it's starting to give me anxiety about it and makes me think about it constantly. It's getting easier, but still a little bit hard to not think that I have anxiety and notice that I'm not feeling anxious if that makes any sense... Would love for all of this to just completely go away, as i'm sure everyone feels. I'm just wondering if I'm just tripping myself out for lack of better words? I think it's just the anxiety trying to get to me but I was just wondering if anyone else has felt this before??
1 like, 6 replies
AxleWilliams mariah69970
Posted
Yes, that has happened to me. You are going to be hypervigilant about how you feel for a while. Hopefully it will dissipate as you get better ans more time passes.
mariah69970 AxleWilliams
Posted
I can't help but be impatient waiting for change. Now day 2 of week 5. Constantly counting how many days/weeks I've been on the new dose...for a brief moment this morning on my daily commute, I felt normal again....but now back to thinking I'll never get better and why won't this just level out already... I know I can't rely 100% on medication to make me better, I just wish I could feel how it made me feel before my breakthrough anxiety. It amazes how there are people who don't have to deal with such feelings.
FranzSchubert mariah69970
Posted
No, you can't rely on your medication alone. You need to direct your thinking as well to stay away from immersing yourself in these thoughts. It's like scratching a mosquito bite that keeps itching, making it worse. Meditation has helped me to focus on the here and now and break away from meandering into the past (grazing/dwelling on past feelings of anxiety) and future (fear of what might happen). You have to train your brain to snap out of this anxiety mode. It'll take time, and consistency is the key.
kelly71446 mariah69970
Posted
It literally feels like Im reading a post written by me. I did the same thing. I counted down how long Ive been on it. I would feel ok for a moment, only to tell myself "its not gonna last" and then I would have an anxiety attack. I feel better now...and the key for me was to challenge the negative thoughts. I would acknowledge that I feel good now, and even though it might not stay for long, ill look forward to the next time I feel good. Soon the moments between each good time shortened and I felt "normal" for longer periods, until I felt better throughout the whole day.
mariah69970 kelly71446
Posted
Do you have any advice on challenging the thoughts? I have been trying to say "youre fine, it's just your anxiety trying to get to you" and stuff like that....but then i feel crazy lol.
kelly71446 mariah69970
Posted
I literally write down two columns. In one column i write what my anxiety says, ex: youre never going to get better, this is the worst its ever been, noone can help me. in the second column i write down the challenging. ex: im going to get better, i always say that its the worst, so obviously thats not true, if i need help, i will see doctors, therapists etc.
i ask myself "is my judgement based on how i feel or is it facts?" i respond with"its based on how i feel, it is a fact that everytime i feel like it, it goes away."
its alot of stuff like that. when i have a bad moment now, i just tell myself "i dont feel good right now and thats OK."