GP told me to stop sertraline immediately - help! Is this safe?
Posted , 6 users are following.
Have taken sertraline for 25 days. Initial 5 days were Hell, massively increased anxiety (which is ironic because I was prescribed it to help with anxiety). Persevered, and at the start of the 3rd week saw an improvement for a few days. But for the last 6 days have really slumped again, very low and anxious. Spent most of last night sobbing.
I have been so worried that it is the sertraline that is CAUSING me to feel so bad. Since starting it I have felt worse than I ever did before. I never felt 'low' or depressed before, just anxious. Now, since being on sertraline I have felt so low and MORE anxious for God's sake.
Went to see a different GP today - he said sertraline is a good anti-depressant, but it is NOT a good medication for anxiety, as it very often increases anxiety especially if you're not actually depressed when taking it.
He told me to stop taking it immediately, as it's clearly not agreeing with me and instead has upped my propranolol dosage to 40mg from 10mg (I have found the propranolol to be very good, but self medicated with a higher dose than prescribed - which he also agreed with me doing).
I asked if I needed to wean myself off the sertraline - he said it isn't necessay because I have been only taking 50mg for less than 4 weeks. Also, he said my increased dosage of propranolol will counter-act any withdrawl symptoms if there were any (which he doesn't think there will be).
But I have read so many withdrawl horror stories that I'm scared to just stop dead.
I have 3 tablets left - should I halve them, and take them over the next 6 days?
1 like, 22 replies
moth450
Posted
I would suggest getting a second opinion from another GP as you're not comfortable with some of the advice given
jane2105
Posted
He has prescribed another drug from a completely different drug family. Not all drugs suit everybody.
liz54943
Posted
Would you mind my asking why you were told to come off sertraline, and how it was affecting you?
jane2105
Posted
liz54943
Posted
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.
Meganpooch
Posted
Best wishes
j50802
Posted
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.
hannah_22593 j50802
Posted
Hello I know your comment was years ago but I had the same reaction. Absolutely petrifying, confidence has so been knocked with the Dr prescribing that. I only had three tablets also, horrendous. I hope you're OK at the moment xxx
liz54943
Posted
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.
j50802
Posted
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?
liz54943
Posted
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.
j50802
Posted
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.
liz54943
Posted
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.
j50802
Posted
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
beverley18383
Posted