Depersonalisation is it a side effect of the meds or a sign that I need to stay on them?
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi everyone,
I've been on 50mg of sertraline for the last 3 months. For those just starting, stick in there it does help you get back on your feet. It has definitely allowed me to function again after what I think you'd call a nervous breakdown. I can laugh and enjoy things again if I'm distracted and I am not constantly anxious. The lingering issue seems to be this depersonalisation. It is a really distressing sensation and it makes me feel sick. I can remember when I didn't feel it and I hold onto that. It's almost like my body has been through so much that if I have a late night or a change in my routine it flicks the switch so I'm out if my body again like I'm not all there and it persists.
I wonder now if it's actually persisting because of the sertraline or whether I take it as an indication that I am still healing.
Other people's experiences and advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks 
Clare
0 likes, 8 replies
sparrow- WeeClare
Posted
hi Clare, it's really annoying that side effect isn't it. i had it recently because, i was doing well for several months on 100mg sertraline, but then a month or so ago i took some perscription pain pills (called zapain) for a little while and had a bad reaction, which seemed to interrupt all the good work sertraline had done, so i had some anxiety and depression again, and depersonalisation, which was tricky because i just felt i wasnt myself anymore and things around me and myself, thoughts and so on didn't seem 'right' (kind of hard to explain)
luckily it only lasted about a week and then settled down and im doing well again. i think if i was you it's the case of, keep going for longer if you can, as it might just settle down/go away for you soon, but if it gets too bothersome for you, go and see your doctor, because you could always switch to another ssri from the same family as sertraline, so that the transition will be smooth, as the new ssri will 'take over' from where sertraline left off (you wont be starting from the beginning with recovery, so no worries there). and then, with the next ssri you try, you might find you dont get any depersonalisation with that one.
hope u are back on track soon thenm and best of luck
WeeClare sparrow-
Posted
Hi there,
Thanks for your sensible advice :-) I'll keep going and no drink is going to pass my lips until I'm off these meds now. :-/
Clare
julie96604 WeeClare
Posted
Hi Clare this illness is awful I'm crying today feeling like I'm never going to get through it , I lack FAITH in tablets so I'm frightened all the time ,I'm extremely anxious in the mornings till midday I take 150 mg sertraline in mornings and dr gave me diazepam to help can I ask at what stage did you start to feel the benefit of tabs and did you experience negative thoughts like you don't want what you have in your life? Sorry to sound so sad buts that's how I feel today x
WeeClare julie96604
Posted
Hi Julie,
I started to feel noticeably better after 4 weeks. I'm now at just over 3 months and about 90% better. I'm just very sensitive to any changes to my routine and the impact can last for a while. During those blips I do still get the self-loathing but I try to keep hope that it will pass and I remember who I was before all of this and tell myself that all that has changed is my perception of things.
Stay strong and try to remind yourself of all the good things in life.
I hope you are feeling better soon.
Clare
julie96604 WeeClare
Posted
Thankyou for advice I'm at week 6 now on 150mg I'll keep going maybe I will see some improvements soon xx
pam01968 WeeClare
Posted
Gerrymoo WeeClare
Posted
sparrow- Gerrymoo
Posted
__________________________
depersonalization: the individual may feel detached from his or her entire being (e.g., “I am no one,” “I have no self”). He or she may also feel subjectively detached from aspects of the self, including feelings (e.g., hypoemotionality: “I know I have feelings but I don’t feel them”), thoughts (e.g., “My thoughts don’t feel like my own,” “head filled with cotton”), whole body or body parts, or sensations (e.g., touch, proprioception, hunger, thirst, libido). There may also be a diminished sense of agency (e.g., feeling robotic, like an automaton; lacking control of one’s speech or movements).
derealization is characterized by a feeling of unreality or detachment from, or unfamiliarity with, the world, be it individuals, inanimate objects, or all surroundings. The individual may feel as if he or she were in a fog, dream, or bubble, or as if there were a veil or a glass wall between the individual and world around. Surroundings may be experienced as artificial, colorless, or lifeless. Derealization is commonly accompanied by subjective visual distortions, such as blurriness, heightened acuity, widened or narrowed visual field, two-dimensionality or flatness, exaggerated three-dimensionality, or altered distance or size of objects, termed macropsia or micropsia.