Escalating anxiety
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I have been dealing with anxiety and obsessive thoughts for many years on and off. Three weeks ago i went back on sertraline, a very low dose at first, and have been on 50 mg for the past few days. I take it in the morning as i had insomnia when I started the medication at night, but nonetheless last night I could not sleep more than 4 hours. I tried to relax and fall asleep but weird images/thoughts kept popping up and kept me awake. The only thing that make me think it could have triggered my restless night is that yesterday i had a coffee around 4 pm which is kind of unusual for me. My anxiety and intrusive thoughts & compulsions have been escalating during day too after couple of weeks on 25 mg, so that is why I increased to 50 mg. I really feel like crying but I can't, and generally speaking my mood is very low and feel almost hopeless. Any words of encouragement or reassurance are highly appreciated.
0 likes, 2 replies
jan34534 anne30266
Edited
I always find it very helpful to talk to somebody about it in person. For me it would be my counselor or therapist. Sometimes they can give you ideas that we don’t even think about when we’re going through this. My appointments are virtual however I think I’m going to start to actually go in person because I just for some reason get more out of it that way when I can see somebody in person and vent everything to them.
so you are taking the medication at 50 mg now. Does your doctor know that? It’s good to stay in communication like that. How did sertraline work for you in the past?
anne30266 jan34534
Posted
Yes, i upped the dose as per my doctor's advice. Looking back when I first started sertraline 8 years ago, I had ups and downs for few months, and i believe my anxiety had never disappeared 100 per cent. The meds kind of helped me stay in a survival mode. It was right after the birth of my second child and some of the side effects i may have attributed to the postpartum. Last year, during lockdowns, i got to exercise every day, spend lots of time outdoors, do yoga etc, and felt I did not needed anymore. 8 months later i got hit by anxiety and ocd as a hurricane.
I agree, talking to someone can make a big difference. i work with a therapist every other week, by phone, and it helps. Not sure when i can go in person.