Looking for some encouragement please

hi jon sorry to jump on im heading onto week 5 tommorow 2 weeks of 50mg nearly 3 weeks of 100mg do you think thats still early days? im trying to reassure myself its still early but when you read online 4-6 weeks to feel better it panics me more as im not as of yet! would you say 8-12 weeks is more realistic? thank you

Hi Jon

Thank you so much for taking the time out to reply to me, and for giving me some much needed encouragement. I have just got back from a 3 mile jog, so I am putting your advice into practice!

I find that I am stuck in my head all the time, as my physical anxiety makes it impossible to distract, but I know I still need to try and occupy myself as much as possible.

I had 15 great years; 9 on Seroxat and then, when that stopped working, 6 on Escitalopram. I am just scared that a 3rd SSRI wont work, and I might have become resistant to them, as before this I tried Paroxetine again but it didnt work.

I will take heart that I am still in the early stages with Escitalopram, and try to keep positive.

I so desperately want to feel well again, for my families sake as much as mine. I will be turning 50 in June, and had hoped it to be a cause for celebration.....here's hoping that it still will be!

I hope you continue to feel better and better, please keep in touch

x

*Sertraline

Hi Chelsea, yes. The people who write these medical journals and advice leaflets have obviously never experienced anxiety or depression. It also sets unrealistic expectations as people think that they should be feeling significantly better by 6 weeks and often end up stopping the medication too early and/or swapping to a different medication which means you start the whole recovery process over again. In my experience and many others, it often takes up to 12 weeks and even longer. We all metabolise drugs differently but the 4-6 weeks quoted is way too short to be used as a general view. Fingers crossed and much luck and hope to you. Having a buddy really helps on these forums especially someone at the same stage of recovery so you can compare notes and support eachother. Some of the people on these forums are total angels....to me anyway 😉

Jon I totally agree - why do they all say 4-6 weeks? That is INCORRECT, in my experience with my daughter and MANY of the folks on here. They should say 12 weeks. Yes, you may start to see improvements at the 6 week mark, but you won't be back to your old self. It's slow and there are setbacks. Good days and bad days until the good days outnumber the bad. They also don't tell you that in the beginning...things can get a bit worse before they get better. My daughter said WHY don't they warn you about that? It could have been worse for her because she is so young. She was 25 and they say "in patients 24 or younger" it can plunge them down, and she was right on the edge of that age group. But they should warn everyone of the possibility. That's why I agree with you - I learned a lot more and got a lot more encouragement HERE than from doctors!

With the best will in the world, they dont have a clue. I asked my Psychiatrist if I was likely to feel more anxious in the early stages of starting Sertraline and he emphatically said no.

Fast forward to last week I was on the phone begging to be given something to provide relief; again I was met with a no.

There is no desire for knowledge like one has when they are in the depths of despair....just desparate for any shread of hope to cling onto, any nugget of information that may indicate all is not lost.

My Psychiatrist gave me instructions to increase my dose every 2 weeks by 50mgs until I reached 200, and maybe then to increase still if no response. This forum has made me realise that if I had followed his instructions I would have been on course for a hideous time that would doubtless have culminated with coming to the conclusion that Sertraline didnt work for me.

I am so grateful for the advice given on this forum that comes from people that have actually experienced the effects that this drug has on them, and how best to manage it.

👏👏👏👏

xxx

Is it possible to change your psychiatrist? A doctor who doesn't listen to patients isn't much of a support system. I could NEVER have gotten through beginning weeks of Sertraline without diazepam. Most people are prescribed something in beginning weeks. I experienced a horrendous increase in anxiety in the first two weeks, and then off-and-on anxiety/intrusive thoughts for two more weeks.

All of your symptoms are typical, but certainly not to be taken lightly. I really think another psychiatrist would be more sympathetic. God bless you.

Hey Chelsea

I was going to message you this morning to see how you were doing!

I have just managed to go for a 3 mile jog along the canal near where I live, which has helped a bit. OMG, my anxiety was so horrendous this morning.....I almost felt like I was going to explode. I hate it because I cant think about anything else and feel trapped in my thoughts. Its so exhausting and I look at other people and just wish I could feel normal

But you are right.....enough of this self pity! We are still relatively early on, and plenty of posts on here indicate that it could be a while before we see any significant improvement. We just habe to hang in there, and get each other through it!

Do you have a supportive partner? My husband struggles with it, and doesnt really talk to me about it, but he shows his support in other ways, such as encouraging me to eat, go for walks etc. Its his birthday on Wednesday and he has the day off, but feeling like I do I cant see that I will feel able to do anything much.

I'm loving that you played Duran Duran this morning......thats more my era than yours! 😉

Hang in there girl, we will get through this! xxx

Hi Sandi

You sound like an amazing Mum and I'm sure that your love and support also helped your daughter no end

I too am lucky to have a wonderful supportive mother, who just desperately wants to see me well again. Anxiety has had a big impact on my life in many ways; when I 1st got it at 25 I lost my job and spent 10 years switching from 1 SNRI to another with no success. I was then finally put on an SSRI (Paroxetine) which worked for me for the next 9 years, during which time I went back to work and restarted my career. After Paroxetine stopped working I had a further 6 good years on Escitalopram until that too stopped working in October.

I clearly respobd well to SSRI'S which is obviously reallt positive, I think I just cant believe I will be lucky enough to find success with yet another SSRI.

That said, Sertraline does feel different, so maybe I will be proved wrong. I also have to say that my anxiety has reduced considerably since this morning which also makes me dare to believe that it may work.

Its wonderful that people such as yourself continue to provide support and encouragement to those of us who are just starting out with Sertraline.

Thank you so much for being there. I hope your daughter stays healthy and happy and wish your family every happiness going forward.

xxx

Sandi, inspirational and so helpful to hear for those on recovery. It is sometimes so hard for our partners to empathise when they are so close to the storm and have to hold down jobs, look after kids. It sometimes seems like the person going through anxiety is the most selfish person in the world but they wish it wasn't so......this is where mum's like you can save lives.....it's amazing. My mum is the same as you.....100% supportive and always there for me. I'm a little embarrassed to tell you that i'm 46 years old but have been on the phone to my mum in tears on the way home trying to sort myself out and hide it from my wife and kids. Mums rule XxX

Don't be embarrassed Jon....I will be 50 this year and I have packed myself off to my Mums on several occasions during my latest 'episode', just to cry on her shoulder and be looked after.

As a Mum myself I just want to be well enough to be able to do the same for my children, should they ever need it. God willing, they wont.

xxx