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Can anyone help with a 6 week query?

Posted , 9 users are following.

Izzybee10
Izzybee10

Apologies as I have already posted today. I’m 6 and half weeks in of 50mg. Had really bad side effects and now feel like I don’t want to be alone at all and having panics even though didn’t have that before. 

Do feel like I was making small progress last week so the dr said to carry on 50mg. Had hardly any sleep last night and today can’t stop feeling anxious and panicky with my heart racing and can’t be on my own. Has anybody else still carried on at this point and felt that the full benefits have come? 

I’m taking it for anxiety and struggle with sleep anyway when I get to my most anxious unmedicated. My sleep has gradually got a bit better but a bad night just seems to be followed by such a bad day 🤨

Any support or advice would be lovely.......

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • laura36585
    laura36585 Izzybee10

    Posted

    Hi Izzy.  I am exactly like you.  I’m 6 weeks on 50 and I feel awful too.  High anxiety, no appetite, panic feelings all the time and don’t want to leave the house.   Another member mentioned the difference in generic and brand, I got new prescription 2 weeks ago and it was a new brand called crescent and I think that’s what’s made me feel so awful.  Have you recently got new brand? Xx 
    • Izzybee10
      Izzybee10 laura36585

      Posted

      I got a different brand at 4 weeks as initially it was ranbaxy and i’ve previously been on tetra so changed back to them. It’s just so hard to decide what to do as although I was in a bad place when I started, at the moment i’m A shell of myself. Never had panic attacks before or this feeling of not wanting to be by myself. Thanks for the support though 😊 x

    • laura36585
      laura36585 Izzybee10

      Posted

      I know exactly how you feel and it’s awful I was crying last night and said to my husband I feel a shadow of myself. I have lost almost 2 stone in weight and although I felt bad when I started it’s nothing compared to how I am now.   All the amazing people on here do seem to say the same thing, it takes a looong time for this to work and it’s worth the wait so let’s hang in there together and hopefully in another few weeks our light at the end of the tunnel will appear.  It will get better, this isn’t us, this is medication side effects making us like this.   Xx
    • Izzybee10
      Izzybee10 laura36585

      Posted

      Thanks Laura, it’s nice to at least know people are going through the same things isn’t it 😊 x

    • gayle65630
      gayle65630 laura36585

      Posted

      Hi Laura,

      How long did it take you to feel normal after changing back to your previous brand? I have experienced the same thing and a, at day 5 of changing back and still feel awful with heightened anxiety 😦

  • brenda53218
    brenda53218 Izzybee10

    Posted

    Hi Izzybee, yes I have been there. I also take 50 but might increase in July. When I first started with zoloft i would have the worse panic attacks. It took it almost 6 to 7 weeks for them to settle down. But my first sign of improvement was better sleep. We are all different so what i feels another might not. I do have ativan when needed but recently I didn't need them until last night, and then i only took half. I have read here on this forum that u might still have occasional bad days, it all depends on the stress level that you are having. So hang in there, life will get better.😎

    • Izzybee10
      Izzybee10 brenda53218

      Posted

      Thanks Brenda, it’s difficult to decide whether to carry on with the medictation on the bad days, especially when I was having problems with sleep before anyway and this has added to that with some worse side effects. Nice to feel supported though x
  • lynn260
    lynn260 Izzybee10

    Posted

    Hi Izzybee

    Sorry to hear about your troubles. I have returned to taking Sertraline and have similar issues with anxiety and sleep. I am on 50mg. Do you take it in the morning? That works better. Also Sertraline is supposed to help with the sleep wake cycle so you may find your sleep improves.

    Perhaps you should give it 8 weeks as the med does have side effects.  Hopefully things will settle down for you.

    Lynn 

    • Izzybee10
      Izzybee10 lynn260

      Posted

      Thanks lynn I do take it in the morning. I’ve felt mostly that i’ve been dropping off better but the really bad days are when I wake up not long after and have had anxiety so don’t manage to get back to sleep. I’m trying to make sure I do some exercise even if it is just quite a bit of walking every day as that does help as well 😊 x

  • dylan78236
    dylan78236 Izzybee10

    Posted

    Im in the same boat. I was on 25mg for 2 weeks, then 50mg for 3 weeks. Now i just started taking 75mg and i am so depressed i can barely leave my bed. I just try to sleep the day away until my mom is home because thats the only time i feel safe. 

    So far i havent noticed any side effects jumping up to 75mg. Maybe a headache. Im getting excited to get to 100mg as it seems alot of people report thats when things start to improve. 50mg is a low dose and i couldnt wait around hoping that was enough

    • Izzybee10
      Izzybee10 dylan78236

      Posted

      Fingers crossed for no side effects with the 75mg. The doctor didn’t want to up my dose because of the side effects and today i’m Leaning more towards the stopping but that’s just because it’s a bad day ☺️
  • sarah41379
    sarah41379 Izzybee10

    Posted

    8-12 weeks is where you hit the full effect. Hang on a little longer. If you still see no improvents, you might need a larger dose. Lots of people here take 100-200 mg. So 50 mg is still not a lot :-)

    Again - it’s still very early days for you.

    Best of luck!

  • Giggity
    Giggity Izzybee10

    Posted

    Sertraline has a target dosage of 150-200mg. 50 is an introductory dose. If you still have anxiety etc, or it worsens on low doses, it's because you are not on a high enough dose. Your doctor should know this.

    • Izzybee10
      Izzybee10 Giggity

      Posted

      Thanks, did you have anxiety that you’ve never had before? I’m not wanting to be alone and having panic attacks which I wasn’t before and hadn’t done until this point with the medication. Have had other terrible side effects but this is new ☺️
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