Need advice, thanks in advance

Posted , 6 users are following.

Hello all, i have posted on here before but lately i have been experiencing trouble swallowing...i have had anxiety on and off for the past 15 years or so. Im a 41 year old male in fairly good shape. I was on Cymbalta for about a year but gave it up back in July because it was doing more harm than good. Only 30mg, so i cross tapered with a low dose of generic zoloft (Setraline) because the withdrawals became difficult. Fast forward till now, The past 2 weeks i have noticed when during a panic attack or right before it hits, i cant swallow and have to almost force myself to do so and it becomes difficult, i reach for a water and it seems to go down but in all my years with this disorder, i never had that symtom and its freaking me out.... I hope someone on here can advise me..... Is it the Setraline, at this point im getting concerned. Thanks for your time

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Rodger, I to have had this issue in the past. I had it after hearing someone discussing swallowing difficulties, days later I thought I had an issue and was practising swallowing and found it difficult. Subconsciously I had almost made myself struggle to swallow and it was a real physical symptom to me at the time. I was unaware of the psychological connection. More of a psychosomatic symptom - with anxiety our bodies can run on fight or flight.mode and magnify the efforts of.what should be an effortless task. Anxiety can affect every act of the body especially when its zoned in on something. That being said its worth being looked at.

    I hope this message finds you well ❤

    • Posted

      Hi Samantha, i want to take this oppurtunity to say thank you for your input, it means alot. 
  • Posted

    Hi Roger,

    I've been on 50mg Sertraline for Nine weeks, and though I've had no trouble swallowing. I do notice I get a dry mouth hence was told to drink lots of Water, I'm no doctor, but if you haven't had this symptom before, then I'd assume Sertraline is the cause.

    Let me know how you get on 🖒

    • Posted

      Hey Davey, thanks alot for your reply and for sharing your experiences, i truly appreciate it. Hope you are doing well.
  • Posted

    Hi Roger, I have this problem at the moment too. The more I think about it the worse it gets. When it happens to me I drink some water and say to myself "see i can swallow, this is just anxiety and it's nothing dangerous". It works for me. I agree with Samantha if you really feel like you need and want to go and get it checked out. Best wishes to you x

    • Posted

      Hi Sazzy, thanks a bunch for sharing your experiences with me, it means alot. Hope at some point this goes away or subsides, it really can be scary. Again Thank you
  • Posted

    Yes, difficulty swallowing happens to me whenever I'm anxious. It was one of the first symptoms of anxiety for me, of course I didn't know that at the time. It's been happening since I was a teenager. I find that constantly sipping water helps until the fear passes.

    • Posted

      Hey Nick, thanks alot for the reply, it means alot. Glad to know im not the only one going thru this, it truly is scary but thanks for reassuring me and giving me some advice. 
  • Posted

    Hi roger

    I have the same problem before anxiety and panic. It's been happening on/off for years. But lately it's all the time when I'm anxious. It also feels like I can't get air when it happens but then I drink water and it's fine so I know it's anxiety. Now when I feel it coming I try to relax and let it pass

    Hope you feel better

    • Posted

      Hi Patty, i want to thank you for your response, it truly has helped me and although its extremely scary, we all seem to still be here to share experiences so i gather its not that life threatining, just really unconfortable. Thanks again

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