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Do I/don't I

Posted , 7 users are following.

colin878
colin878

To cut it short I was prescribed 50mg back in January for anxiety which led to depression. Probably the toughest experience I have had in my life,a constant battle with yourself,is there anything worse,you have to live with you every single second of the day.

The 1st 3-4weeks of taking the drug were hell,the side affects were a constant hangover...as the weeks went on my body got used to it,my mind also,things gradually got better. not just relying on the drug,I tweaked my lifestyle from day 1 on it CBT,multi vitamins,omega oils,healthy food,training,exercise,found new music,made an effort to be a better person....basically dragged myself back up the spiral stair case I was falling down.it wasn't a smooth ride,there was good days,bad days,sh*t days excellent days & average days..up down up down,but over time it levelled out & now I'm 5days off it after tapering down very slowly over a period of 6weeks. I would say the drug itself helped,but without doing all the other things along with it- it would have been a waist of time. A few side affects did persist throughout,chronic tiredness/fatigue 3 or 4 hours after taking it,sexual side affects & vivid dreams-the dreams were a bit much at times(enough to affect your mood the next day) but i told myself "it's only a dream" & over time it got easier to deal with. Over the 6weeks of tapering down from 50mg to 25mg these side affects eased off,also after blood tests regarding the tiredness(which gave a positive result,I'm healthy & well) my doctor agreed the side affects are related to the drug. So 6 months on,the doctor gave me the all clear,time to stop biggrin from this whole horrible experience,I've learned to be more positive,look out for myself & others more & ultimately be happy. That's my story summed up,I hope anyone reading it finds the strength to battle through...don't just rely on the drug-see it as a crutch to get you through a difficult time,you can ultimately do this without it,but it may also help you along the way.

3 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • lynne09047
    lynne09047 colin878

    Posted

    Hi

    Colin,

    wow that's quite a story!! it makes so much sense to me, ( see my post on coming off zoloft) thanks so much for sharing this, hope you will never have to go thru it again, good luck,

    Lynne.

  • Mashuga
    Mashuga colin878

    Posted

    Thank you for that Colin and glad to hear you're through it and out the other side. I'm really struggling at the moment but it's good to read other people's success stories. Take care and good luck to you!
  • jGloucs
    jGloucs colin878

    Posted

    Thanks Colin for posting. Good to hear it from start to finish. Looks like you put in a great deal of effort to turn your life around. I've been on Sertraline for 5 years and wanted to come off. I've been tapering for about 3 months and am having horrible discontinuation symptoms. Not had a tablet sine last Tuesday so hopefully the symptoms will resolve soon. 

    Thanks again, always good to hear other people's stories of success. 

  • kikidee76
    kikidee76 colin878

    Posted

    Great post Colin. Good to read positive and honest accounts. I'm 8 mths in and am just beginning to think about coming off sert. The main reason is really just because I'd rather not be putting a drug into my body but am also getting a bit fed up with the vivid dreams.

    This is the first time on an anti dep' and it was due to anxiety however the one time I've ever had a true full blown panic attack was during the first few weeks of sert so I'm convinced it was the drug that caused it. Having said that, because I've been doing well now for quite a while, my inner critic is trying to convince me that it's duedue solely to sert and if I come off it I'll have a terrible time.

    Christine x

  • colin878
    colin878

    Posted

    Thank you for your replies.

    I try to see the whole experience as a learning curve,I have certainly learned a lot from it.My life was in no way bad before & it isn't any worse now,it was just a combination of things I let get on top of me,if it does ever return & things start spiralling out of control I'll know the warning signs & seek help right away.

    The huge turning point for me personally was asking for help,going to the hospital and saying "I am not well,please help me",after that with the drug & all the lifestyle changes,things slowly got better. I said to the doctor & my close family at the start "I just want to be myself again" well I would say now I am a better person than I was before,definetly stronger & I absolutely appreciate everyone & everything I have more than I ever have.

    I sincerely hope you all find your feet again & the happiness you all deserve.you can all do it,don't give up. And again...when the time is right & its your time to come off the drug,do it very very slowly to minimise anymore unwanted side affects from it.

    All the best

    Colin x

    • natalie2608
      natalie2608 colin878

      Posted

      Hello Colin  How long were you taking it? I asked about tapering off after being on it for 6 months and my doc said it was ultimately up to me but the rule of thumb would be wait until u fee 100 % and then another 6 months which I was a bit disspsointed with but went with her opinion as she has been a really good doctor. My story is pretty miuch like yours but with health anxiety and I did all the other things too like excercise, CBT etc although not Omega 3 - was this reccomended?
    • colin878
      colin878 natalie2608

      Posted

      Hi Natalie.

      I was on it for 6months.For me it got to the stage where i felt I didn't need it & my doctor agreed,so your doctor is right in her advice-it's entirely about how you feel-are you ready to give it a shot drug free? I did research on omega oils etc & gave them a shot & they helped for sure. With it being the summer now,getting out & about in the fresh air as much as possible also helped.hope you find your way through. Colin

  • imelda16796
    imelda16796 colin878

    Posted

    congratulations, you have done well and so motivated, good on you
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