1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Sertraline

My sertraline journey as a first time user of anti ds.

Posted , 10 users are following.

mich49
mich49

Thought I would start a discussion/ sounding board about sarting anti ds for the first time and my personal response to the drug. sertraline. Bit the bullet and finally visited the GP about my depression, anxiety and irrational thinking. 

Brief history, 40 something, untreated pnd in my twenties. Bouts of depression on and off over the years that came to a head recently with the desire to flip my car whilst driving to work and a bout of extreme rage in a shopping centre that had me almost running to my car. If anyone had got in my way or said something I was scared I would explode. Thought I was going bonkers though the part of my brain still working rationalised that if I thought it I was I wasn't. 

Completed various on line depression tests and scored really high, like I didn't know that! 

I had the tablets for almost a week before starting them and after reading pages and pages of people's experiences.

Started them on the Friday evening decided on bed time in case they made me feel sick. The only thing worse than feeling sick is being sick. I witness child birth almost daily so see a lot of body parts and fluids that doesn't bother me. Vomit however is the worst thing ever!! 

Took 50mg on the first night and slept no worse than I do waking at 3am which is usual for me anyway. The next day was weird though feeling a bit detached but could still function at work ok. In the afternoon started to get a dry mouth and stiff jaw. If anyone has tried mdma it's the same oral sensation without the high. 

Second night decided on breaking it in half to 25mg and building it up gradually. Same detached feeling in the day but could function with concentration and only getting a stiff jaw at the end of the day when I was really tired. 

Third time last night, again 25mg, same waking time and dreams were more vivid. Feel a little bit 'high' this morning and my jaw is stiff but I'm clenching my teeth. 

 

0 likes, 37 replies

37 Replies

Prev
  • mich49
    mich49

    Posted

    Woke at stupid o clock again! Don't know why I'm surprised that's been normal for me for a while. The panic attack last night wasn't to bad but I'm feeling the anxiety a bit this morning. Do we end up focusing to much on the drugs and what's going on in our heads? 

    Ive never told anyone how bad I'd been feeling and just put my outside face on and got on with it. I'm what you call a functioning depressive to the outside world I'm a different person to what I am indoors. Last week I had a massive panic attack at home and went to work early to put my work head on and get over it. It started a conversation that we would never normally have with work colleagues where I mentioned not feeling great. 

    One of the women I work with, on the outside has a wonderful life, suffers from panic attacks. Another woman is also on sertraline. Both women you would never think felt like that. We need to stop being so hard on ourselves and ride the storm knowing it will pass. 

    • jane05636
      jane05636 mich49

      Posted

      The worst part of this is waking up early in a panic. I have never experienced that before and it makes the start of your day very tough. I also didn't tell anyone how I was feeling for ages and struggled on pretending to the world I was coping fine: this is part of the problem. I thought everyone else manages and has no problems so what's wrong with me. But since I had my melt down I have realised so many more people are facing the same issues; and as you say people from the outside that you would never think. When I have told people about my anxiety they have also been surprised as they didn't think I would have the thoughts I do or struggle to keep myself in check. Another reason why anxiety and depression should just be part of everyday social discussions. It's all too common. Hope you feel better soon.
  • mich49
    mich49

    Posted

    Morning fellow journey ladies and gents. How are we all doing? Well I hope and the side affects are not to bad. The jaw for me is a lot more relaxed, thankfully, and the dry mouth not so bad. Have had to move the time I was taking it as was being hit by a wall of fatigue in the afternoon. You know the I've got to go to bed NOW feeling. Have moved it to when I wake up which is between 2 and 3 am. Hopefully that means the burst of energy I was getting on waking is now in the afternoon and the fatigue hits at bed time. Got a cold which is not really helping. 

    The bursts of anger I was getting are a lot less but I'm trying to not let things wind me up to explosion point. C'est la vie. 

  • mich49
    mich49

    Posted

    Hello again folks not posted anything for a while because things were going so well. That's the nature of forums people come on when looking for advice and don't bother when things are going well. Cannot believe it's been over two months on the old anti ds. 

    Went to the gp feeling great got my prescription on repeat and actually said to her cannot believe it took so long for me to seek help. The 25mg was doing the job and she was happy for me to manage my dose. 

    Well that was till this week! 

    Sleep has not been great for me for a few years but had settled a little on the  Sertraline. I didn't spot the warning signs of very bad sleep again and a general feeling of cannot be bothered. This all started on Monday and now today the anxiety and panic has hit me like a freight train. Not crying yet but having to try and talk myself down into a calmer state. I feel like a pressure cooker that's about to blow it's gasket! 

    Guess its it's time to up the dose. 

    How how did you folks feel when the time came to up your dose? 

    Pressure cooker?

    volcano?

    like one cross word would have you flying into an uncontrollable rage? 

    Crying?

    lethargic? 

    Dont care about your appearance?

    attention span of Dory (finding nemo) 

    or a combination of all at various times? 

Back to top
Prev

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.