Does sertraline help anxiety?

Took awhile for citalopram to kick in but made me feel happier and perhaps more appetite. Lowered my sex drive though and was still unmotivated and anxiety still there also still indecisive. I don't get panic attacks this is why I've been confused as to wether it was anxiety or depression. I'm certain it's Feeling Depressed in Reaction to

My Problems with Anxiety though even though one doctor said anxiety and depression are the same thing :-/ sometimes think GP'S don't know what they're on about in regard to mental health

You can have anxiety and depression together. Some people can handle an antidepressant and antianxiety medicine together. I could not. It made my anxiety worse. Ask your doctor about Lexapro. Also, make sure you are going to a physiatrist. That helped me tremendously.

You can definetly have both. But i can also only have one. Ive had panic disorder for 7 years and only had slight depression twice. In my own experince and views depression makes me tired, down and weepy. But the anxiety i can ne perfectlt happy and normal except i occasionally feel shaky and nervous and have to find a bathroom and deficate (sorry tmi) and brethe deeply to avoid a panic attack and once i get past that feeling i am completely back ro normal.its all how your mind and body process it all.

My doctor seems veryyy reluctant to give me any anti anxiety meds I asked for a benzo like diazepam and she said all that would do is send me to sleep and she could only prescribe 5 days worth! She did however give me the beta blocker Propranolol which doesn't help what I want it to help

do you see a psychiatrist or a family practice doctor? that makes a difference. In my experience FP doctors don't like to give benzo's out because they are addictive. Psychiatrists understand their importance and use. They do not make me sleepy. They calm my insides. I couldn't reach my max dosage without them. Plus when I feel an attack coming on, it can calm me down within 20 mins. It also gives me peace of mine when I keep it in my purse.

Also what benzo are our were you taking?

When I started, 3 yrs ago, I was so bad I would have to take 1mg Ativan every 3-4 hrs. As my Zoloft went up I could stretch that out to every 6 hrs. Then to 3x a day, to 2x a day.

Now I take a .5mg Ativan every night before bed. And if I feel a hint of an attack coming on, I take one right away (it takes 20 mins to take affect).

It has been wonderful having the Ativan. It gives me peace of mind. Especially since I have anxiety about having anxiety.

I see just a regular GP. Seems quite hard to get to see a psychiatrist on the NHS and that's all I would be able to afford.

Do you know what caused your panic/anxiety if you didn't have it before?

Yes. I was having seasonal sinus issues and Mucinex DM was supposedly the best. My husband had bought the 12hr pills and 24hr pills.

Not looking, I took two of the 24 hr pills instead of the 12hr ones.

I was sleepy, feeling weird, vision problems, etc.

When my husband came home, I let him know how I was feeling and he began to read the back of the box.

When he did, my body had a flash of heat from head to toe (I call it 'fire' because that's what it felt like) and immediately thought I couldn't breathe, felt like I was going to pass out, etc.

I thought I was dying.

Thank you Vanessa, this is exactly what I wanted to hear!!

Absolutely! It is great to have people to talk to who have been thru it. It will get better!!! Hang in there.

How long did it take for you to feel the benefits from zoloft? Did you have any side effects and how long have you been on it?

I never noticed I had any anxiety till about 3 yrs ago. I had a massive panic attack. From that point I saw whatever doctor could see me because I was frozen with fear all the time. I finally went to a pchyciatrist and that was a God send. He explained things to me. Like why my body was doing things and why I was feeling the way I was.

He put me on Zoloft 25mg. I would then go up by 25mg every two weeks. It was tedious and frustrating. Everytime I went up in dose, it took 8-10 days for my symptoms to level out. ugh! The who time I would take Ativan (benzo's) every 3-6 hrs. I was bad. at least that's what my counselor said. When I got to 100mg I could finally feel a slight difference in the better. I needed the Ativan to get past that dosage. Going up higher than that, the symptoms were rough. I got up to 250mg and felt great.

I had lost 50lbs from the massive anxiety. By the time I got up to 250mg, I had gained it back (which meant I was feeling better)

I've been on Zoloft the who time. I'm at 200mg now. I still take Ativan as needed.

Personally my symptoms were headaches, ring of pressure around head, disphoria, stomach hurting, very tense to the point of being sore, sleep problems, arms tingling, face numbness. I feel everything.

Sorry this was long. If you have any more questions, or I missed something, let me know. :-)

Thank you for your reply. I have a hard time with these medicines. I start off with a low dose and the side effects make me stop. I started 12.5 MG of Zoloft a few days ago and stopped because of the side effects. I have Xanax too but I just am uncomfortable taking these medicines. I have tried different ones in the past and had side effects with them all. Then when I would try and get off 3 different times it would seem like about 2.5 months later I would get worse. I was not sure if it was withdrawal or what..