1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Sertraline

NEED ADVICE, 1st Time Medication Taker

Posted , 11 users are following.

JE87
JE87

Hello All,

I can't say that I've been depressed for my whole life. But in the last year and a half or so, I've had some depression and anxiety issues. My mother passed away last January, there was a lot of things that happened surrounding her death. Aside from having to watch the most important person in my life pass, I had to deal with losing our home because of legal issues, losing the 100k life insurance policy, and having to take care of my brother who is actually older than me... by myself. So while dealing with all of this last year, I was still OK, I guess so anyway. Sometimes it is hard to tell. I think some would understand me. But in January, me and my girlfriend broke up. And although she wasn't necessarily "good for me", I think it hurt me and put me in a REALLY bad downward spiral. I am constantly thinking negative thoughts, I have weird sleeping patterns, I feel very restless and cannot be by myself without driving myself crazy with my thoughts. I think a lot about her and my mother. So I went to my therapist, she suggested I see a psychiatrist just to see what he says. I went two days ago, and he listened to my story and my feelings. He feels that a serious of events have put me in a depressive state. He prescribed me Zoloft. Not to take forever, but until I get into a more "comfortable" place I guess. I have not taking it yet. And like many others, I read reviews and experiences, and get very scared. I know everyone has different experiences with them. I also don't want to feel like I'm covering up my issues with medication. I have been feeling hopeless. I'm not sure if I have to man up and handle things or just say "Hey... it's okay to just take this medication, get yourself to a better place, then see what happens from there."

I don't want to lose myself, feel like a zombie, or any other of these things I'm hearing. I'm just incredibly nervous. I need to get these thoughts about my ex girlfriend out of my head that are constantly nagging me, and I want to feel less likely to break down at the thought of my mother not being around. Is Zoloft something that can help with this? I just want advice, any advice. This is my first time posting anywhere about anything on a forum, lol... so just know that I really need to hear from real people. Thank you!

1 like, 20 replies

20 Replies

Prev
  • 1975
    1975

    Posted

    gingemac1977,

    Thankyou so much for your comment, it's so nice to hear about others going through the same thing.

    I am on day 5 now & side effects haven't been too bad- I have had the nausea feeling quite a lot but find if I drink lots of water & eat regularly, it's not too bad. (Was quite looking forward to losing my appetite & a little weight but it seem to be eating more than ever!!) suffered a bit with headaches too but am so glad I made the decision to start taking them as feel so much better in myself already & have had 4 brilliant nights sleep!!

    I do feel a little spaced out/fuzzy in the head but tbh the side effects feel very similar to being pregnant & I coped with that twice so sure I will be fine!!

    Thanks again for your message & hope you are feeling positive.

    😄

  • millz14405
    millz14405

    Posted

    Hi,

    I started taking Sertraline about five days ago. The side-effects weren't great (disrupted sleep, stomach upset, the jitters, etc. same as others I think) but to be honest they have been worth it. Without going into why I

    started taking it, I can say it's literally changed my life around. All my anxiety is gone. Literally - gone! It's really nice all round. My issues were predominantly anxiety related. But anyway, in short, heads up from me! I also now work harder because I don't panic, and relax more entirely because I don't worry about relaxing (I'm at uni).BUT I do feel a tad spaced out all the time, but personally I like having a break from the emotional wildness of life. I don't cry so easily, in fact I haven't cried yet. I don't seem to get so emotional. So it's a bit weird but I'm so much more creative and chilled and hard-working that I don't mind :-)

    x

  • gingemac1977
    gingemac1977

    Posted

    morning all,

    i'm going to be on my 8th week of sertraline as of tomorrow. since i've gone upto 100mg 4 weeks ago, i have noticed a huge improvement. has anyone ever noticed a marked improvement in their memory, as with my depression my memory was really bad, someone would tell me something and within seconds i couldn't remember or someone would refer back to a conversation we had and i couldn't remember any of it!! that is a side effect of depression i believe, but slowly i have noticed a difference and that it's getting a bit better these days. i came on my period this morning, around this time of the month has always been a really bad time for me, i normally get really down and tearful the week before i'm due on, this month, i've just been normal and myself, for a change happy. i can't believe what a difference these meds have made to my life and my relationship with my boyfriend. things were very strained before this, walking on egg shells around me, i was upset and over sensetive about the slightest thing, but that isn't me, i'm usually relaxed and have a good banter and laugh with my boyfriend, he's my best friend, all that has gone back to the way it was when we first met now and i'm loving it.

    i know i'm still going to have ups and downs, but honestly, it's worked wonders for me, and after spending so many years on and off different meds and none that made any significant difference, i'd resounded myself to being a miserable, depressed and over sensitive rat bag for the rest of my life, i've found a drug that has sorted me out and i couldn't recommend sertaline enough to people. side effects are well worth it for what you get back from it after a few weeks perseverance. i've found myself again and couldn't be happier at the moment, i've finally learnt to trust it and let it work it's majic, it's done the job for me, new users, stick with it, happy days ahead for you all :-)

  • Guest
    Guest JE87

    Posted

    Hi Je87 , Sorry to hear about your loss. My Mother passed away last year. Death is hard to deal with. I take zoloft 175 mgs and it does help me somewhat. I get the tremors that are annoying. I think to feel helpless or hopeless is ok a bit. I hope the zoloft helps you.
  • paula39295
    paula39295 JE87

    Posted

    I am sorry for your loss. I will keep you in prayer. She has not left you in Spirit,I will ask for the Angels to surround you with peace. It is important for you to resolve any issues you had with her

    EMDR is a treatment for this type of depression. Zoloft will only do so much. It takes time to process. I have found a book A Course in Miracles a great benefit to healing.

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.