In need of some reassurance today
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi all!
Today I'm on day 21 of a new dose (75mg from 50mg) and I've been doing pretty good! I had such a good weekend, with only some slight anxiety at times, but was easy to get around and it go away. Yesterday afternoon came, and my chest started to feel tight and I felt like I couldn't get a good breath in and found myself constantly taking deep breaths to reassure myself I am fine, which ended up making my mind race a little about it, which led to some lingering anxiety. Today during my morning commute I started to notice my breathing again and felt the same anxious feeling, but it comes and goes... I'm trying my best to stay positive as I know its still early with the new dose...tomorrow is my birthday and this isn't how I wanted to spend it, especially after such a great weekend. Some days are better than others, I just hate the feeling of taking some positive steps forward, and then steps back.
0 likes, 19 replies
Potatoghost mariah69970
Posted
taking steps back is all part of recovery, it's a good sign that you saw some improvement and had a good weekend. that's all positive. it is a roller coaster until the meds settle.some days will be better than others but it's hard to keep positive when you feel like you've gone backwards isnt it?
try not to worry about tomorrow if you can as tomorrow might be better you never know x
you just have to keep pushing until the meds settle down a little x
how was the jump to 75mg?
mariah69970 Potatoghost
Posted
Yes, I have fun plans for tomorrow, so all i can think of is that I'm excited to have some fun.
I had a pretty bad headache and the foggy head was terrible. I have never experienced fog like that...my head felt like it weighed a ton and i was so so so tired and drowzy with some nausea in the mornings... that only lasted about 2 weeks though. I noticed the fog is gone THANK GOODNESS, considering I went to work every day through all of it! I was drained at the end of every day. I was really struggling before, but the first week on 75 I noticed my thoughts calmed down, which helps me stay positive knowing it's starting to work. Still a little early....just trying to take it day by day
Potatoghost mariah69970
Posted
taking steps back is all part of recovery, it's a good sign that you saw some improvement and had a good weekend. that's all positive. it is a roller coaster until the meds settle.some days will be better than others but it's hard to keep positive when you feel like you've gone backwards isnt it?
try not to worry about tomorrow if you can as tomorrow might be better you never know x
you just have to keep pushing until the meds settle down a little x
how was the jump to 75mg?
CeeDeee mariah69970
Posted
how long were you on 50mg?
Potato is right, up & down seems to be the road to recovery, there are a lucky few who hit the right dose, level early & then its plain sailing but for most of us & from others i've spoken to thats not always the case & it takes time. It's rubbish I know, makes it hard to plan & make arrangements as it's like a game of roulette as to how you'll feel that day. There's every chance tomorrow will be good but don't worry about it or put pressure on yourself.
The good thing is as its up & down it means they are starting to work & are trying to level, each day, even a bad one is a step closer to full recovery.
You're not alone, there's lots of us having these struggles, all ages from all walks of life but we can do this.
take care of yourself.
mariah69970 CeeDeee
Posted
I was on 50 mg for a little over 3 months... I felt so amazing on it! So happy, so positive, so kind to everyone! I just had the best overall mood. Then something just hit me and I started having panic attacks such crippling anxiety, I had myself convinced I was going crazy...so my doc decided to try 75 for now and to let her know if I want to go up to 100, but it's still pretty early to tell
CeeDeee mariah69970
Posted
bless you, that must've been so tough after 3 months to then take a back slide.
it's so hard to know what to do, I did 50 for 4 weeks, 75 for 3 weeks & 100 for 5.5 weeks. My plan is now to stick to 100 for the full 12 weeks & just hope it works. My GP is pretty clueless, so I feel like i'm doing this a bit solo.
I hope your day tomorrow is good & you have fun.
mariah69970 CeeDeee
Posted
It was awful because I hadn't experienced such bad anxiety/thoughts like that before. I tried to tough it out about a week but couldn't take it any longer. I'm staying hopeful that since it worked so well for me before, that it'll work again. Hoping the 100 works well for you! It's always comforting to know we aren't the only ones struggling. I always felt like I was going crazy and was the only one who felt like this.
Potatoghost mariah69970
Posted
you definitely aren't alone so many people are feeling like we do. hopefully that brings you a little bit of comfort that there is people who have experienced this and are willing to help x hopefully tomorrow is better for you. and I thinks it's amazing you managed to go to work feeling like you do! you are stronger than me I can say that much.
let us know how you get on tomorrow and how you are x it's still early days but hopefully you start to pickup soon x
mariah69970 Potatoghost
Posted
The thing right now that sucks, is the breathing thing. If I'm distracted I don't even pay attention but the one second I start to notice my breathing I just feel so hungry for air and my chest gets tight, but again once I get distracted that goes away. Hoping this subsides soon
Potatoghost mariah69970
Posted
the chest tightness I'd your anxiety and I have seen a few people say that they had "air hunger" this should pass soon once you are more settled on your dose. the best way to combat it is breathing exercises but I assume that will just make you concentrate on your breathing more. make sure you are getting deep enough breaths. it's good that sometimes you don't notice it and when the tablets kick in you will completely forget about it x
mariah69970 Potatoghost
Posted
Thank you guys for listening to me. It just gets overwhelming, as I'm sure you know. Sometimes it just feels like things won't get better, but I know that it will just take some time for the medicine to help!
Potatoghost mariah69970
Posted
you don't have to say thank you x 😊 you are right it does get very overwhelming and it's the anxiety telling us it won't get better but we have to keep plodding on until it does. hopefully you are feeling a little better this evening and happy birthday for tomorrow if we don't hear from you before xxx
mariah69970 Potatoghost
Posted
i had a pretty good birthday, but im still having some troubles.... it comes and goes but my breathing is still getting to me. im trying to acknowledge it and ride the wave but its becoming a little tough right now. i did have some drinks on my birthday. im trying my hardest to not let this ruin my day to day life...im trying to stay hopeful that this will pass, but its hard. i hope these meds level out soon!
mariah69970 Potatoghost
Posted
i feel ask though im expecting myself to feel fine and be happy that im making myself more anxious. i am expecting myself to feel good since i have had days where i was feeling good and now im experiencing some bad ones, so when i dont feel good i stress myself out. its hard to not! if that makes any sense. hoping by the time i hit 4 weeks things will start to improve again! up and down and up and down again......i hate this rollercoaster! i love my life and want to live in peace again
jodi56514 mariah69970
Posted
I an on day 20 and still very anxious and still feel so disconected. started 50 mil 6 days ago 
Potatoghost jodi56514
Posted
when you change dose you have to reset the clock so to speak,so it's still really early days and the increase dose won't kick in for weeks although your side effects might come back for a short while. just keep going on the 50mg for a few weeks and see if you notice any positive changes.
mariah69970 jodi56514
Posted
Jodie,
i felt disconnection the week i was really struggling... I saw some posts about depersonalization and it truly is one of the worst side effects of anxiety. Im not sure if reading those posts made me think i was disconnected or if i realized what i was going through actually was real if that makes any sense... I felt like i was in a movie or a cartoon for that matter and when i would stop looking at reality that way and feel somewhat better, my anxiety and thoughts would come back and remind me of depersonalization. I really struggled with that, because it made me feel like i was losing my life and made me even more anxious that i was going crazy. It was awful because i still worked, still went to the market for food, still socialized, etc...it tripped me out to say the least.
I can tell you though, the short time i have been on the new dose all of that has changed and im so thankful i have reality back, just still a little anxious. My counselor told me to acknowledge the anxiety, because its JUST a feeling...easier said than dome, trust me i know...Stick with it, girl! It all jut takes time! Lets keep the positivity!
jodi56514 mariah69970
Posted
what dose are you on and how long before you found relief
mariah69970 jodi56514
Posted
Im on 3 weeks of 75 mg after being on 50mg for 3 months.....within a week and a half to two weeks with the new dose i started feeling relief from that symptom, but everyone reacts differently to sertraline so it might be the same or different for you my love! Keep you r head up