Dizzy on sertraline

Hi Julie, yes I have health anxiety too! I was dizzy on sert for the first few weeks then it disappeared and is back with a vengeance. Im also on betablockers for palpitations / panic attacks so i sometimes worry in case my BPs too low and causing dizziness. Overall tho my anxiety is much reduced on sert, just need the dizziness gone so I can do more. Is 25 enough for you? I really say improvements on 100 but had some job stress which i didnt cooe well with even on 100 so i decided to try 125 and maybe even 150. Im looking for a new job so stressful time! And doc wont let me have any more diazepam even tho i only need it for emergencies, so i need sert to work well for me soon! Hope you are doing well and thanks for replying x

Hi Julie.

yes 25mg is enough for me at the moment, and I really dont want to go though the side effects of them again at the moment.

i was put on beta blockers for my racing heart, but that was short lived because I kept fainting because my bp went to low and it was low to start with, so had to come off them

i did see a lady doctor and she has been a god send to me, she did all the blood tests some came up boarderline so she waited foe a few weeks and had them re done all came back clear,

i do feel a lot calmer than I did, 

you may not need the beta blockers now that the sertraline is in your system.

my heart rate is a lot steadier now. 

I still do sometimes feel a bit anxious but I'm coping with them for now.

but it's worth talking to you gp about the blockers x

Thanks Julie, I will do, i may be able to reduce the bbs a bit if my HRs a bit low. I stopped testing it a while back cos i was panicking if it was too high and id no doubt panic if its too low lol. I was having looping panic attacks with adrenalin dumps before i started on BBs and even on 3x40mg propranalol a day i still sometimes feel a bit of adrenalin effect on the heart, especially when coming up to time for the next dose.

You sound just like what I have been though. I stopped taking my BP to because it was all over the place, and I'm sure that it was the tablets I was on for reflux causing that, so I came off those too.

i was trying anything to get to the bottom of feeling like I did. 

After a horrendous year I just felt it was time to give my mind and body a rest

that why I'm on sertraline. 

Hope you get sorted keep me posted plz. X

Yes its a horrible experience. Ive just gone thru menopause and believe thats where my anxiety started along with panic attacks, palpitations, hot flushes, night sweats, ibs, reflux to name but a few lol. I was fine till around a year before periods stopped and been a mess ever since, its hit me with a sledgehammer! I tried lots of natural aids but things escalated new year to nocturnal panic attacks, i had so little sleep i felt i was having a breakdown. 3 mths on im so much better but the sert still isnt enough in stress situations so i reckon i'll need 150. Yes good luck Julie and keep me posted x

Good morning Julie.

i really do sympathise with you, all my problems started a year ago, 

with palputations, dizziness, nausea, my bp was up which is unusual for me it's normally low, I went to A&E and told I was dyhidrarated. 

Thats when my health anxiety all started, 

october of last year I though enough is enough I had to take control, that's when I came off all medication beta blockers and lansoprozol for my acid reflux which I had been on for 5 years, I now control that with with watching what I eat which I know that triggers it, which works most days I sometimes have to have gaviscon that's all. 

Im on HRT have been since having to have a hysterectomy at 42. That one medication I don't want to give up, 

getting a doctor that was willing to listen to me was my saviour, my partner came with me to my appointments, which helped what I didn't remember he did. 

Im not 100% better, but I'm in a better place than I was a year ago.

sorry for boring you with my story but if it helps one person who reads this and helps that' there is light at the end of this tunnel. And may it continue. 

hope you have a good day 

Yup, helped me straight away. Not boring at all. Could have been me writing that post except I'm still taking the Lansoprozol. I'm a bloke, that's about the only difference I can see? What is it that triggers these really uncomfortable situations as we get a bit older? I hate being like this with GAD and Health Anxiety and then, more recently, really bad panic attacks. A few years back I was 'normal'.

I think with me it's a build up of many things over the years, and my body and mind just couldn't take anymore and it has to come out in some way. 

But I do think my health anxiety all started with the acid reflux.

it can minic a heartattack, and that scared the hell out of me. It then caused me to have palpitations, dizzy spells, feeling nauseous, thought I was going crazy, lansoprozole wasn't working for me anymore so thought why take it.

so contoliing it with diet and have manuka Honey which is good for healing and the gut. 

I agree I was ok up to a year ago. 

Hopefully it's a blip and time will heal us. 

I have been going to Counselling and one of the things I was reassured with just last evening was this. 'Stuff' is continually going into the brain and if there is too much to deal with or there is some sort of trigger, then all of a sudden there can be an overflow and that can just become uncontrollable as all sorts of that 'stuff' is coming out or fighting to get out. You feel overwhelmed and the body tries to fight or flight the situation and all sorts start to go dolally. 

When I looked at it that way it was more understandable and I have been able to start to think I can begin to control this as I know what is happening. Boy it is a very thin edge that we are walking on, but the balance can be improved.

If you have the means and time then find a damn good Therapist (even hypnotherapist). They can really help clear out all the 'stuff' and give you strategies to recognise what is going on and how to tackle it.

sadly the free NHS support is overwhelmed with people like us and the waiying lists for talking support are long. However, maybe worth a try locally through GP referral?

ATB

P  

Hi Phillip, I agree that therapy is worthwhile, ive been having cbt and hes just started light hypnotherapy. I generally come away feeling uplifted and and am more able to think positively or stop negative thoughts quicker. I started with palpitations 2 yrs ago which brought on panic attacks and health anxiety. Like Julie, ive also had digestion problems for 2 yrs, had things ruled out so its ibs. Bloating, burping, reflux. Often get palps at same time, possibly the vagus nerve being irritated? These got more frequent this past year since menopause and went out of control at xmas with looping panic attacks. Betablockers stopped the worst of these, then sertraline made me a lot worse for a few weeks till i settled on it. Im now feeling much better apart from in high stress situations, so ive just increased my dose slightly. Its a rough ride this anxiety but like you said, the more we understand it the better we can control it.

Hi Julie, glad you have a supportive partner and doctor. My doc has been quite helpful but its all come a bit late, ive been mentioning my anxiety for the past year and littles been offered till it went out of control at xmas. Instead they focused on testing for the stomach problems, ecgs for palpitations, mri for the pins n needles n dizziness, all the testing and dreading results gave me health anxiety. Probably all i needed was HRT but had to wait 14 mths after last period for doc to agree to test!! By which time i was into full blown panic disorder! Anyway 3 mths on meds and i am getting my life back, just a little way to go but im looking for a new job and attending interviews so thats stressful in itself. Just need the dizziness to stop so i can get out and about and get to interviews without worrying about dizziness. Thanks for your reply Julie, we will get there for sure x

Re the dizziness, Have you tried Buccastem Buccal Tablets? Over the counter (bit expensive). I keep them to deal with dizziness from Labarinthitis. They are more for nausea from Migraines however I tried one yesterday to deal with a real woozy session and combined with lying down it worked! How people cope with work if they are taking Sertraline I do not know. 

Don't want to sound weird Julie and Co but have a look at whether you may be developing food intolerances, especially to gluten. So many people that have that and other intolerances find they become far more prone to anxiety and panic. It is something to do with malabsorbtion and lack of vitimins and minerals. Happens to many as they 'mature'. You don't have to be Coeliac confirmed (like me, the blood test is a poor indicator if one has avoided whet for ages before the test). Worth a punt looking at diet again re gluten and grain protein (intolerance).

Take care and today, my third day on the damn Sert, I am feeling like a  sluggish slug on a slow day 

 

Hi Philip, thanks for the suggestion for the dizziness, anythings worth a try. It has come back after weeks of no dizziness, but does tie in with a brand change of sert, which ive read can bring on side effects, oddly! I has lots of testing to rule out stomach problems including coeliac, all normal, but i have noticed i react to bread, onions, potato, bananas, sweets, cakes, biscuits, nuts to name but a few, also an empty stomach! Im taking vit d, b complex, omega 3, eating plenty of fruit n veg, stopped taking magnesium whilst on betablockers in case its lowering bp too much. But yes i agree that my stomach function is probably messing up mineral absorption. Ive mentioned a link to my doc before but i just get a shrug. Should i see a nutritionist privately? I was going to a while back but spent a lot on cbt/hypnotherapy as a priority lol. Thanks Philip.

All I can say is, if you have the resources then go to a Nutritionist (one that has good references and not just someone who is, for example, a Gym Trainer that happens to do nutrition. Go for it.

 

Hi, when I've tried generic brands of Sertraline I've had all sorts of side effects- generally they seem to release too quickly and cause agitation. I'm best sticking to the Lustral brand

Hi Julie.

you said that you had a different brand of sertraline. I have just started my second pack, first lot was white and second are blue, looked at both ingredients if you can call it that. And both say the same. 

Just bit worried if I will get problems, 

still getting side effect after 8 weeks on starting on sertraline.

im still getting dizzy spells and feeling spaced out on and off. 

but I don't think my gp practice give you a choice on what manufacturers sertraline I get. 

Hope you've had a good day x

 

The only ones that I found poor were the 'aurobindo' brand. The active ingredient is the same it's the 'mixer' stuff apparently. Lustral brand costs £33ish- generic £8ish

I go to a chemist who order it in for me.

Argh. Mine are Aurobindo.......................................

Thank you for the reply. 

Im going into a pharmacy today with both packets to see what they say.

like I said I car too be doing with more side effects it taken ages for me to get to this stage at 8 weeks.

i was on Prozac a few years ago when my partner died and I cannot remember any side effects with that. Or any problem coming off them. 

But saying that this second packet might be better?? Who knows 

have a good day. 

Are they working for you Philip. 

Just had a look at my first packet and they were AUROBINO.

second are TEVA or TEVN. 

Thanks Julie. Hard to say at the moment; it is only day 4. Touch wood I'm not having too much 'effect' as far as I can tell. I had most of the side effect symptoms before I started  That might be why I'm not noticing much except woozy/muzzy head, fatigue (even more than before) and feeling gutty all the time. I'm hoping not to have to continue with this stuff after the first few weeks but who knows? A friend of mine was supposed to be using these, read the side effects and decided to deal with his 'problems' through mindfulness and positive thinking. he was successfull too. Don't know how he did it.

Tell you the truth I'm so fed up with the side effects.

im Day 2 into the other brand and I feel even worse, 

im going to phone on Monday to see if I can have something else.

i went on these to hopefully stop my anxiety which it has to some degree but I feel poorly with the side effects, after 8 weeks and only on 25mg I thought I would feel the benefits of them by now. So really don't know what to do, bit tearful today. iv got in such a bad way being mindful and positive isn't in my brain at the moment. 

Can I ask what brand you are on.

i don't know much about antidepressants.

which are the best for anxiety and have least side effects.

im still suffering 8 weeks on 

Hi Julie.

How did you get on at the doctors.

im at my wits end they've gave me a different manufacturers sertraline which I started 2 days ago and today iv got a banging headache, blurred vision.

can a different sertraline do this do you know.

8 weeks on surely I should be on top of the world. 

Yes definitely try and stay on the same brand of Sertraline if you can. GPs and pharmacists usually tell you that it makes no difference as the active ingredient is the same but roughly speaking a psychiatrist friend told me that the inactive ingredient can impact the extent to which you absorb the Sertraline ingredient by up to 20%.

I changed from an obscure one to the Accord brand after my first month before I knew this and I got all my side effects back.

Hi Dave.

i tried to get to speak to a pharmacist yesterday to see what she thought, but I didn't have time to wait half hour because she was so busy, proberbly taking to people on side effects of sertraline lol.

im going to see how today goes, last night had a few good hours where I felt ok. But then again each day is different with how I'm feeling. 

When I have a good spell I think keep plodding on, 

But we sometimes don't have any choice at keeping on the same brand do we? If they have ran out they give you what ever they have. 

My sister is on citroplam?? If that how it's spelt and she hasn't had any side effects at all. I read somewhere that if a certain A/D it works for a sibling it will prob work for you. see what today brings. How long have you been on them for?? And what dose?? Do you still get side effects 

And thank you for replying 

 

Stick in there Julie. I spent 12 hours in bed from yesterday afternoon as I just felt so #### but so far this morning I'm standing but spaced out and I just have lost my appetite. I also have the headache. Seems par for the course with this stuff.   I can only just type this! Regards positivity etc. that is really hard to get into when you are feeling ####. I know this well. What i try to do is when I get a reasonable moment I try to lie down and do relaxation and breathing and focus on the word relax on every outbreath. I also try to clear my head of stuff by concentrating on a lovely place that I have been to in the past such as a warm beach with waves washing up the shore. Sounds a bit weird but it can help 'get you centred'. I'm now on day 5 of Sert and it is not nice BUT so many people have siad, stick in ther as it will help eventually. Take care,

Thank you for the reply and support Philip.

when your feeling crap you just want to be left alone and sleep. I no.

no it's not daft, because I used to say to myself  it's only a panic attack I'm not going to die, I still do sometimes when my heart starts racing.  but if it helps us that's all that matters. 

hope your day gets better, keep us posted on how you are.

iv kept bit of a diary so I can look back on my progress.

take care 

hi Julie, Sorry I know this is a very old thread but I am suffering with Sertraline - took it years ago and it was like a magic wand and all my health anxiety vaporised! Now its back with avengeance and I am suffering from strange fluttering sensations/feels like my heartbeat goes all funny and I am wondering if this is a side effect of something more sinister - obviously with health anxiety I am petrified, which is probably making feelings worse! Did your racing heart come from Sertraline?

Thanks

pippa x