Is this normal on sertraline?

wellbutrin is a newer anti-depressant which acts on norepinephrin and dopamin systems and is therefore mostly used to increase energy lewels of people that are depressed and lack energy. it is also used to help people quit smoking.

regards,

d

Hi thanks for your response I am having psychotherapy in the form of cbt and the intrusive thoughts have got a lot better over time, however clomipramine has helped me so much with the obsessional side of ocd but has done nothing for anxiety and low mood, I tried escitalopram with it and I had to come off it as it was causing high blood sugar symptoms, now I'm taking sertraline instead I just feel flat and blah, and can only describe these other feelings as waves of horrible dark feelings that wash over me and then lift again, I don't know what it is, I hope it's just the sertraline getting in my system, I really want to feel a little lighter in mood.

sorry I forgot to add I have had ocd for many years but not severe mine is mostly obsessional thinking and intrusive thoughts. I had a trauma as a child (sexual). Which I sometimes think could of contributed to my ocd I'm not sure, iv had counselling for this and now just trying to deal with the ocd/low mood.

it depends on the symptoms someone has.

one could use only the wellbutrin or as a co-therapeutic.

regards,

d

donna,

i'm sorry to hear that. unfortunately it can take quite some time to find the right treatment or for the meds to work which leaves us desperate in the meantime but there are treatments that work.

sometimes when meds are added into the play the side-effects can cloud the picture and so make it harder to treat the original condition thus people end up managing symptoms rather than working on the issue. plus sometimes side effects of medications such as fatigue are being treated with another drug to counteract side effects possibly leading to even more disturbances in the long term as the interactions of the drugs with each other or the long term effects on our bodies are not well studies as it is not required for market relaese. having said this i strongly believe in our bodies natural capacities for self-healing and self-regulation and by that consider pharmacological therapies only as a last resort. of course when people have been taking meds for a longer period it may be hard to come off without discontinuation symptoms. yet i also believe that it is worth it in the long term.

what is also often neglected by western doctors is the importance of nutrition which can have a significant effect on our well being. so having a well balanced diet may deliver all we need to repair damages and keep us healthy. plus regular exercise and stress reduction techniques such as meditation as well as a social environment we feel welcome and appreciated.

studies show that psychotherapy is more effective in the long term than medication and in my opinion medications are prescribed much too easy these days and sometimes even hinder progress as symptoms may subside which does not solve the issue. of course there are lots of reasons to prescribe medicines but in my eyes should only be done when:

- the issue impacts the quality of life in a major way so the person can not function or take care of daily responsibilities

- the issue is of physical nature (e.g. genetic) and can not be cured with therapy

- all other efforts of therapy have failed

last but not least i think it is important to understand our "issues" and once we understand them and know that they're not helfpul we can start and change our programming. this takes time but seems to be the best way.

kind regards,

d