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Day 8

Posted , 7 users are following.

e97070lle
e97070lle

I am on day 8 of sertraline and so far havent had any awful side effects. However, I have experienced the following, to varying levels:

* Tiredness

* Much more easily upset or irritable or angry

* Worry - worrying about side effects, constantly assessing and re-assessing how I am feeling.

Apart from the above nothing much has happened - good or bad. Not sure what I was expecting but very little has changed :-/

I am on 50mg.

0 likes, 51 replies

51 Replies

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  • james56727
    james56727 e97070lle

    Posted

    Absolutley!

    I used to feel exactly the same - the anixety was causing anxiety, I had got caught in a vicious circle. Sertraline helps you to simply stop thinking about it. That part of it didn't happen overnight for me but it certainly started to reduce significantly once the Sertraline kicked in.

    I also researched the precise cause of Anxiety - the 'fight or flight' mechasim which is triggered by the 'Amygdala' which is a very small and undeveloped part of our brains. It is designed to protect us in times of mortal danger (ie life or death) and it's the Amygdala that kicks off the protection mechanism of releasing adrenaline, making the heart pump faster, diverting blood to the core organs, making us sweat etc simply to put us into the optimal state for either fighting this supposed danger or running away from it.

    The problem is it is quite primitive in how it works and it can sometimes confuse emotions such as stress or grief or day to day worries as signals of imminent danger and this kicks off this sequence of effects. In a nut shell that is anxiety - and over reaction to every normal events.

    So I found one technique which really helps me is that when I start to feel anxious I use the power of my concious/cognitive mind to tell myself I am in now danger. There is no need to react in this way I am perfectly safe and completely calm, cool, and relaxed. This simply technique worked dozens of times for me when I was feeling anxious. Simply remembering exactly what anxiety is and putting it into context.

    Hope that helps.

    • e97070lle
      e97070lle james56727

      Posted

      Thanks James, that sounds like a useful technique. I have tried to convince myself I am fine and nothing is going to happen to me but the anxiety/panic has overridden this in the past and it was unpleasant.

      I always think 'what if I feel anxious/what if I have a panic attack/what if I can't cope/what if I feel weird/experiene derealisation' and these thoughts often prevent me from actually looking forward to things I want to look forward to and being excited about!

      Have you found that sertraline can help with agoraphobic feelings too?

      This may sound odd..........but when anxious sometimes (ie when out and about) I feel like I may fall over or something and make a fool of myself, feel like the floor is unstable, so I like to be close to a wall or something, or a railing, to hold on to! Have you had this and do you think sertraline can assist with this?

      It doesnt always happen but is awful when it does.

    • nina78356
      nina78356 e97070lle

      Posted

      Hi, i understand where you are coming from with the "feel like having to hold a railing" feeling or being close to the wall. walking through the middle of a room with so much open space in certain situations gives me an overwhelming feeling of dread. I was on citalopram for 7 year and although it kept my anxiety steady to a certain extent it didn't help at all with those kind of fears and feelings, infact i don't think i experienced that until after taking the medication, it was something that came further down the line and i have no idea where it springs from. I came off citalopram for about 5 month and suddenly my anxiety became worse, i went back to the doctors and they have tried me with Sertraline, this is day 6 and ive not left the house in 6 days, i feel very exhausted and depressed off them , im hoping this will pass, ive been sitting here debating wether to take another one tommorow? i was very doubtful to go back on anti-depressants in the first place with the awful withdrawel effects if the citalopram...just as i felt proud coming off them WHAM back at square one, i don't know if they are the answer but i don't know WHAT is.

      Have you had a drink of alcohol on this medication at all? i have not so far but i have not been anywhere to do so but i know in certain social situations i am going to need a drink, what are your experiences with that?

    • e97070lle
      e97070lle nina78356

      Posted

      Hi Nina

      I know what you mean and it's unpleasant - also embarassing especially when you have to physically move in front of other people (ie get to a safe space, such as near a wall or railing!) How do you cope with that? I try to avoid it but sometimes have to make a silly excuse (such as my foot is hurting so need to stop and move to the side). I really don't like it.

      I am on sertraline 50mg and have been for 10 days. I didnt have many side effects really but havent seen an improvement, so going to give it time and have a Dr appointment on Thurs (GP said I may have to get moved up to 100mg quite soon - she said this when I was prescribed it as 50mg is considered a low dose).

      Are you taking sertraline for anxiety and/or depression?

      Jane.

  • james56727
    james56727 e97070lle

    Posted

    Hi Jane,

    just realised 'now danger' should obviuously have been 'no danger' in my previous post..

    I used to feel exactly the same when out and about, I remember once going into a warehouse type shop with a metal roof and it was raining so hard outside it made a really loud noise on the roof and I simply couldn't stay in the building I had to leave immediately. I also had the feeling of wobbly legs as if I was going to collapse and derealisation as if I was removed from the situation I was in as well as generally feeling woosy and also sometimes a bit sick and constantly wanting to go to the toilet.

    These are all side effects of the fight or flight response. Blood is acutally pumped away from your brain and your limbs and your stomach. This can lead to woosyiness, the derealisation feeling, and wobbly legs/arms or pins and needles and feelings of indigestion. The feeling of sickness and wanting to go the toilet is the body trying to empy itself of unecessary weight so that you can run faster. Strange but true...

    It all boils down to this response mechanism and as I say just realising that helped me put it into perspective and realise it was just anxiety. And yes I used to worry what if I pass out or wet myself in a meeting or collapse when I'm with colleagues of mine. This was the vicious circle. Funnily enough though it never happened....not once. It was just anxiety, nothing else.

    And yes Sertraline has definitley helped. It has helped me with every aspect of beating anxiety and it has generally made me feel happier.

    • flomo
      flomo james56727

      Posted

      Hi James, I didnt kniw what you meant by derealisation and so I googled it, and I was surprised ( and a bit relieved) to discover this is what has been happening to me, I call it zoning out... but the explanation described my " zoning out" exactly. I have also had a heightened awareness to lous noises and felt over stimulated by noise and crowds... is this the medication or the depression/ anxiety?
  • james56727
    james56727 e97070lle

    Posted

    Hi Nina

    stick with them, they will take 2 weeks or sometimes a little longer to kick in. Any side effects are temporary and it is worth it in the end. By the sounds of it you wouldn't gain anything by coming off them anyway?

    Sertraline changed my life and was probably the main thing that got me back on track, along with the time to talk service we have where I live and meditation.

    i'm still on Sertraline now and feel fantastic, better than I ever have done. I would like to come off it one day or at least reduce to a maintenance dose but right now it works for me.

    i drink alcohol and have had no side effects at all. Although I think it is probably wise to avoid alcohol in the first couple of weeks whilst it takes effect.

    All the best and feel free to ask me any questions you like.

    • flomo
      flomo james56727

      Posted

      Hi James

       I was on them for six months but I did not ever feel much better, I have come off them just now as the doc thinks they may be giving me stomach pains. Did you experience any stomach problems? I have lost more than 3 stone ( might be closer to 4 stone) since I have been ill. I just done feel hungry any more. I found the tablets mDe me lethargic and sleepy. and affected my concentration. do you think that would have improved if I had stAyed on them? coming off them is a nightmare, such a rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts of just giving up completely

    • james56727
      james56727 flomo

      Posted

      Hi Flomo

      I would always trust the doctor on these things, maybe Sertraline isn't the right medication for you? However out of interest what dosage were you on? And have you come off them gradually or 'cold turkey'?

      I would say the heightened senses are part & parcel of the anxiety. It's what the 'flight or fight' response is designed to do - to make you more aware of the perceived danger and help you to focus on that and nothing else hence the zoning out or derealisation. 

      One of the keys to overcoming anxiety is to stop thinking about it. Sounds obvious I know, and easier said than done. But you need to keep active, make sure your getting out and about, meeting friends and family, and continuing or taking up past times and hobbies.

      i know these can seem like the last thing you want to do but anxiety is like a bully, the more you give in to it, the more you feed it. That's why you have to tackle it head on and make yourself do these things. This will help to occupy your mind with positive thoughts, even if it doesn't feel like that at first, and help you to stop thinking about anxiety.

      Sertraline was one of the things that gave me that platform of confidence to get out and about again and do all the things above. I've since taken up things like platform diving (I used to be afraid of heights!), photography, volunteering, and I've got back into exercise which is really beneficial.

    • nina78356
      nina78356 james56727

      Posted

      Thanks James,

      I did end up taking the next tablet.

      The thing which was putting me off is the fact i took citalopram for 7 years 20-27 (still only 27, i was only medication free for about 5 month before going on sertraline) and i'm sure my problems were less severe before i started the meds and now feel caught up in a vicious circle of withdrawel and side effects and i wasn't sure wether to keep fighting WITHOUT them, i had anxiety and panic attacks whilst taking medication for the full 7 years and i had anxiety and panic attacks without them so i was trying to figure out what the difference was other than avoiding all the side effects. maybe, hopefully i was just on wrong medication. I Just continued so long on the same ones as i just got set in my own ways of "coping mechanism" which were probablys doing more damage in the long run. It's funny because i know all about the fight or flight response and it stil doesn't seem to change anything about how i feel and how i react, i think i've been like this too long to re-programme myself. I wish i had went for therapy, CBT in the early days when i wasn't so set in my ways and it was still new enough to reverse.. i feel like ive programmed myself for too long with my coping mechanisms and avoidance that it is going to take a long time to un-do again!  life really is strange!

    • james56727
      james56727 nina78356

      Posted

      Hi Nina,

      I do understand. Hopefully the Sertraline will have the effect and can be the beginning of the life you want to have.

      All the best

      James xx

    • flomo
      flomo james56727

      Posted

      hi james

      i was on 100mg, I cut down to 50mg for about a week and then stopped. i think i am beginning to feel better. You are right about the anxiety though, i can and I will beat it!

      I find this forum really helpful,its good to be able to chat to people who understand. THank youbiggrin

    • james56727
      james56727 flomo

      Posted

      You are most welcome flomo. There are plenty of people on here who have experienced anxiety and beaten it.

      All the best,

      James

  • Rhey
    Rhey e97070lle

    Posted

    Hi jane and everyone, my doctor prescribed me with sertraline yesterday to help me with anxiety and depression, two words that encompass a variety of what I thought were negative aspects of my personality that I had control over whereas in reality they have controlled me.

    I didn't want to take any medicine and wanted to try and manage it with diet, positive thought management and exercise. However, in the last 4months the anxiety has worryingly increased and become difficult to manage so I decided to ask for some help. 

    2hours after I took the first tablet (10.30am) I could feel it in my system. I realised that I had become very hyper and I felt like I was on amphetamines, quickened heart rate, dry mouth and not myself. After 4hours I alternated between intense anxiety, what have I done, I'm doomed feelings, to, everything is okay and it will all work out. I felt sick one minute and that I needed to use the toilet for a number 2 and wouldn't make it a

    • julie1111
      julie1111 Rhey

      Posted

      hi rhey what dose have they put you on hun x
    • julie1111
      julie1111 Rhey

      Posted

      i was put up to 100mg after 2 months on 50mg im not sure on it feel dreadfull x
    • Rhey
      Rhey julie1111

      Posted

      I only have a 28days prescription of 50mg.
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