I cant do this anymore

so sorry to hear. how long have you been on sertraline? I have been at an extremely low ebb before, staying in bed all day, constantly thinking how much better it would be to not be here. i was on 100mg sertraline for about a year. over time it eventually lifted. i found things to keep me busy and friends to confide in. i still have bad days, but now i am married to an amazing person and we have moved abroad. I DONT know if this helps, when i was low sometimes it made me feel worse hearing other people were doing better, but sometimes it gave me something to strive for. please dont give up. and if you really are feeling so bad, go back to the doctors, or look for some of the support groups or close friends and family to confide in. Dont give up.

Hey Nicola,

it really is a rollercoaster ride getting on and adjusting to antidepressants.

i started back in October and ended up having to take a month off work so that i can focus on me and taking time for myself. is this an option for you?

Do you see a psychologist?

We all know first hand how hard dealing with our emotions is and especially when we feel at our lowest it seems impossible that there is an up but I promise there is. I’ve slowly increased to 125mg and this thus far is working for me.

Let yourself cry it might actually make you feel slightly better.

Do some short walks or even yoga at home.

I do puzzles to keep my mind occupied off the way I feel.

Everyone’s journey is different and takes different turns but if you have had any glimmer of happiness on these meds then continue on them. But make sure you’re adding extra things you can do to better your mental health 😃

Please please don't give up. It Will get better. Ride the storm and u will come out the other end better than ever. How long have u been on it for. I have been there and its so hard. Right now while ur going through this u need self care. I advise reading the secret and law of attraction books they helped my positive thinking alot. Stay strong x

HI Nicola, i'm surmising that you are not long taking your sertraline, if that is the case stick with it but definitely see your GP, they may not be the anti depressants for you or they may up the dosage a wee bit. I was initially like you, withdrawn and loss of confidence but i have now got to a place where things are a lot better. you can get there its just not an instant fix. Talk to friends and family, you are not alone and you will be surprised how many people are in your place.

Marty

oh dear 😦 I have so been their. and it's the lowest I have ever been. I was a outgoing guy liked to do stuff. and one night why sat at home I had what I was told was a massive panic attack. it scared the life out of me. and this was in July last year. and it lead me to this. anxity through the roof. I wanted to break down and cry all the time. the panic and fear wear intense. I did not know what to do. I went to the point wear I thought it would just be easyer to end it all.. but well I'm typing this so I didn't 😃.. I was stuck on citalopram at first. and that stuff is poison. 21 weeks onit and it did nothing but made me worst. and then I switched to sertraline. and boy has it been hard at times 😦 like really hard. thaugths all over the place. breaking down. but after all the side effects. things slowly got better. and I started to feel normal again. 1 good day 3 bad days then 2 good days 2 bad days. and now I'm back at work after 7 months off. I actually leave the house now. I feel happy in myself most of the time. I still have the bad day now and again. but it's a vast improvement and it's good 😃.. in a few weeks I'm hoping to be fully back on my feet.. but in all that try not to give up. their is light at the end of the tunnle. it may not seem like it right now. because things do get worst before they get better. but keep with it and I promise you will get better!! just stay strong 😃 and good luck

Oh Nicola I'm so sorry . You are where my daughter was - she was in such bad shape that she just...didn't get out of bed one morning, turned her phone off and didn't even let work know that she wan't coming in. Like you, she couldn't concentrate and felt terrible. BUT - there is good news here. Like others, I want to know how long you have been on Sert and what your dosage is because THIS IS A VERY SLOW ACTING medication. And, you frequently have to go up in dosage. When my daughter hit the 6-week mark she started to have some good days so she went back to work after having been off. But it was too soon. She couldn't concentrate. She finally shared with her boss what was going on and her boss was very understanding. By 9 weeks she was having even more good days, and she was up to 150 mg. - and she negotiated being able to do some work from home so that she wouldn't have the stress of going into an office. I don't know if this is an option for you. By 12 weeks she was so much better, almost back to her old self and working full time (still from home as it happens because that worked out well for both her and her boss). And she just kept getting better and is now 100% well - happy and doing great at work and seeing friends, etc. She is even beginning to taper down on the dosage.

So please hang in there and know that you WILL get better. Talk to your doctor, a therapist (my daughter has been seeing a therapist all along) and your work colleagues/boss. Consider seeing if you can increase the dosage and know that it may take a full 12 weeks or even more before your concentration and motivation return (those are the last things to kick in). My daughter was also on Wellbutrin. You may want to see if they can add this as well.

Remember that you are not alone - all the wonderful people on this site can relate. Even though I am a caregiver and not a sufferer, I have learned so much as my daughter's caregiver and advocate (she's 25). Continue to check in and ask questions and tell us how you are doing Everyone here cares about you and is rooting for you and YOU WILL GET BETTER. xoxo

how are you feeling today?

A bit better. I left work yesterday and went to my doctors. She has given me a note to request working from home when get really bad. Off now until Wednesday and had a coffee with my boss today and explained it all. I am just going to take these few days to decide on my next steps. Not sure if I want to change my tablets again but don't feel like these are right for me. Thinking I may go back on fluextine as seemed to tolerate them( on for many years) and try to deal with the anxiety separately. Thanks for all the reply's and taking the time to ask how I am.