is that normal with sertralin

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hi all

please let me provide some details about my case

i am 30 male , i have Derealization and anxity from about 15 yrs, first at that time i coudnt know whats happening to me, after 2 yrs ive falled in major depression and had prescript sertralin _ generic_ about 6 months, 50 mg , i felt better in my depression and anxiety but not to much in my dpdr.

after that about 11 yrs , in 2016 i ve been in depression again after trauma (war in syria) , again prescripted sertralin generic for 1.5 year ... 4 months on 25 mg and after that 50 mg

i have made withdrawal in 2017 and countinue my live tell start of 2019

whats is happinng now that i felt some depression again , started sertralin as my dr told me , 25 mg for 5 days then 50 ,, i think i make a mistake so i got much much much Derealization and fatigue and so so dizzy

even morning depression increased so so much , then i ve stoped and got som relief, my dr told me i have to start 25 mg , now i am on 25 mg from about 5 weeks, feel depresed and so tired lik i dont belong to this world , living in a dream !!! my head foggy and empty , i am afraid of psychosis !!!!!

can you guys give me any advice to get out of this !! any thing will be appreciated

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Posted

    so you are on 25 mg ?

    • Posted

      i think you need to up your dose as 25 is not the dose to cure its only a starting dose.

    • Posted

      i used to take 100 for 2 yrs and stopped bec i felt great but back to it now and needed 150 so you need more . hang in there what you are going through will pass and i know you had a hard time due to the political issues . good luck .

  • Posted

    I'm sorry you're going through this. I've been on sert for 2 months, one month of that has now been 50 mg. I dont have any experience with PTSD or derealization, so all I can do is offer encouragement and support. And just know, like my mom always used to say to me, "This too shall pass." You're not gonna feel like this forever. You'll get better. Just hang in there. The sertraline will work. But u need to probably go back up to 50 mg, as its the start of a therapeutic dose. I suffer from health anxiety, and a year ago it took over my life. I never thought I would get better. But I am getting better 😃 ...good luck to you.

    • Posted

      thanks for your nice words , wishing you all the best

  • Posted

    25mg is too low to reach therapeutic results. You need to gradually up the dose. For treatment of serious disorders like trauma, PTSD the effective dose usually is much higher than mild depression.

    I have recently been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and in my teens I got PTSD from a traumatic experience. I have been prescribed Sertaline and at first it made my anxiety skyrocket and I thought I was going insane after having several panic attacks. My doctor said that this is normal, and it is an indication that the medicine is working. I got prescribed prometazine to alleviate the anxiety while waiting for the medicine to work. I started on 25mg, and I am now on 50mg and I can feel some improvements after a few weeks of treatment but I was ordered by my doctor to increase to 75mg next week, and 100mg the week after that.

    So ask your doctor to get something to deal with the temporary heightened anxiety. It may take to take 4-6 weeks until you see some benefits so hang in there. It will take time for your brain to adjust and heal.

    Aside from medication, it's important to get therapy.

    And I can't stress enough when it comes to feelings of losing touch with reality, which I have plenty of experience from, what you are experiencing is an ANXIETY disorder, you are NOT going crazy.

    It is a coping and defence mechanism by your brain.

    You need to ground yourself. This can be done by exercise, grounding meditation, taking a walk, spending time with people you love and trust, listening to your favourite song, take a hot or cold shower, be in the present moment and so on. Be mindful that you are NOT your thoughts.

    When the anxiety takes the upper hand, realize that it is just an emotion, thoughts, they can't harm you, just be the witness to it and try to accept the feelings, don't fight or flee as it will become worse. Instead accept the feeling being there at the same time as you also focus on what is important to you.

    It is helpful to identify these distressing confusing uncontrollable thoughts as the monkey mind, to borrow a buddhist concept. Basically it is part of your natural survival instinct and normally it helps you survive in dangerous situations, but these instincts are not adapted to modern life, and it can be difficult for the mind to settle back to normal after experiencing trauma and chronic stress.

    So realize this monkey mind, get a little bit of distance from it. Observe it. Don't be caught up in the thoughts. Staying present is key. Be mindful in the here and now and focus on your breath. Use your senses (bodily sensations, taste, smell, touch, hearing, vision) to connect with reality. Being present, though distressing, it will naturally ease the anxiety because you are no longer adding fuel to the fire.

    Hope you will feel better soon!

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