GP told me to stop sertraline immediately - help! Is this safe?

That's interesting as I was specifically prescribed Sertraline for my depression because I've suffered with PTSD in the past & I was advised that Sertraline was better for anxiety.

I would suggest getting a second opinion from another GP as you're not comfortable with some of the advice given

I would come off Sertraline, definitely. I stopped taking it at the end of last week on the advice of my GP.

He has prescribed another drug from a completely different drug family. Not all drugs suit everybody.

Hello Jane

Would you mind my asking why you were told to come off sertraline, and how it was affecting you?

This drug group, eg Citralopram, Sertraline, does not suit me. I just felt ill and my GP told me to come off it. Few people actually react as badly as I did! I am going to start something else tomorrow, which hopefully won't have the same side effects as the others.

Hi Jane

Thanks for replying. I have now been taking amitriptyline for just 24 hours, but OMG what a difference. So much calmer and relaxed, anxiety has disappeared. Had a great night's sleep last night, and didn't wake with crushing anxiety at 5.30am.

I think we're similar in that the SSRIs really son't agree with us. prozac turned me into a zombie, too.

These SSRI's have a long half life in the body of about 5 weeks as i know to my cost trying to come off Fluoxetine having been on the drug for 6 years. As the GP has upped your dose of the other drug you probably won't experience side effects coming off after 4 weeks.

Best wishes

Hi

I found the same - sertraline was horrendous for me- was prescribed it for anxiety and within 3 days I was in a+e due to the constant panic attacks it was giving me - no sleep or food for 3 days was enough to make me do something and was told I'd had a serve reaction to it - had to wait 3 days before trying something else - now on fluoxetine and on day 11 so far so good I think - taking beta blockers to help with the racing heart that was triggered from the sertraline and the odd diazapan in the morning to help relax me - again triggered by the sertraline.

Thanks for replying j50802

It sounds like we both had a very, very severe reaction to it. I honestly thought I was going mad, the anxiety was just absolutely horrific. I remember standing at the top of a very steep escalator, and thinking 'I could just jump now, jump right down and then everything will stop.'

Up until that point I had never understood why someone would commit suicide. I completely understand now.

Thank God I went back to my GP, who said to stop taking them immediately. I have been on amitriptyline for 11 days, and the difference is just amazing. I've had a couple of dips which lasted maybe 10 hours each - but I am convinced that was just the sertraline leaving my system and trying desperately to have one final go at crippling me.

But on the whole my spirits have just been rising and rising. And, this weekend has been so lovely. 95% back to my normal self. Able to fully relax with my children, able to smile and laugh again. Able to enjoy a cuddle with my husband. I am 'me' again.

Hi

How wonderful that you are feeling so good! Is there a page on here for that medication - might be worth writing about how well you've taken to it.. there are far too many negative stories out there.

Yes the sertraline was the same with me, full on constant panic attacks - my poor husband had no idea what to d o with me! It just doesnt make sense that something that is prescribed for anxiety makes you that much worse.. I've read how some people have stuck those side effects out for weeks until its got better - the though of feeling like that for one more hour let a lone weeks was unbearable!!

Is this the first time you have suffered from anxiety?

That's a good idea, I will see if there is one.

My poor husband thought I'd gone mad. I was openly sobbing and begging him not to go to work, because I was scared to be left alone in the house. I was waking him up at 3am, telling him I wanted him to drive me to hospital so they could sedate me, and knock me out because I felt so awful. The poor man was so worried.

I stuck with the sertraline for 26 days. That's 26 days of my life that I will never get back. They were unspeakably bad.

I suffered with anxiety when I had PND a long time ago. I was but on Prozac which turned me into a zombie. Then when I got pregnant again, I was put onto amitriptyline which worked beautifully. But as soon as I had DC2, my GP took me off it, saying it was 'too old to take nowadays' and he put me on sertraline.

Big mistake. I didn't react so severely as this time, but I felt DREADFUL. My anxiety came back within days and never went away. I spent 10 months of Hell on it, I was so miserable but I was too afraid to stop. In the end I went back to Prozac, and being a zombie, as ANYTHING was preferable than being on sertraline.

Hi.

So you've been in a few different ones? I'm on fluoxetine now (Prozac) and have been on it before and they worked really well. On them again now and on day 11 so not seeing many results yet.

Did you stay on tablets when you were pregnant as I really want children soon but worry so much about this happening pre and post natal. My doc said I can be on them if needed but would love to talk to someone who actually was on them.

I'm going to counselling as really want to try and address why this is happening rather than just keep taking tablets to mask what is going on.

Hello

I think some tablets take longer than others? I remember Praozac taking several weeks to have any effect.

I was prescribed prozac after my first child was born, for PND and although I took it for several months I found it just helped me to function, but only a bit like a robot. When I became pregnant with my second child less than a year later my GP swapped me to amitriptyline, as this is much older than prozac and far more research has been done on it and it's considered very safe to take during pregnancy.

My second child was perfectly healthy, and there was absolutely no PND this time, thanks to the amitriptyline. I wasn't anxious, or depressed, just felt like the normal 'me' and really enjoyed those first few months with my second baby.

It's just such a shame that my GP swapped me onto sertraline with my second baby was just a few months old. I was very miserable on it, far more anxious and my sleep was poor. In the end I requested to go back to prozac. My GP was very reluctant to return me to amitriptyline, when there were newer 9and probably cheaper) ADs on the market.

I took prozac for another few months, but hated that robotic feeling, so in the end I just stopped taking them. And I was absolutely fine. I was probably just ready to stop, as I didn't need them anymore.

Hi

Ive never heard of amitriptyline - i will look in to it. Is that what you are taking now? I just would have thought I would have felt more of an improvement by now on the fluoxetine - I have to go back to my doctors on thursday to see how Im getting on and she said if there has been no improvement by then that we could look to change.. not sure I can handle another change after the sertraline! But I guess needs must!

Is yours just for anxiety too? and was it al triggered by PND?

Are you in england? thanks

Suffering now from being on Steraline for just 5 days. Sickness, diarrhoea, dizziness and headache . Was taking these for anxiety but now I feel depressed a feeling I never had before taking this medication. Stopped this medication and seeing the doctor again in a few days. Could I ask to be put on amitriptyline as most reports on using this drug seem positive.