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Please help - really bad experience on Sertraline :-(

Posted , 4 users are following.

J20122012
J20122012

Hello, I was recently diagnosed with mild depression following relationship counselling, I was prescribed Sertraline and have only had 6 days @ 50mg and have have the worst time of my life. I noticed the effects straight away, increased anxiety but yesterday afternoon came over with a deep depression, spent most of the night rolling around and feeling suicidal, worse than I have ever felt before................been back to GP this morning who has taken me off tablets but just looking for some support, has anyone else experienced this?

I think I've always been borderline depressed but manage it through sports and other things, I suffered some bad experiences through recreational substance abuse in my teens (now 37) which has left me with low self esteem and the Setraline felt like that again.

I want to avoid drugs where possible and use therapy/counselling - my life was ok ish upto 2 weeks ago, albeit on slow path to divorce, and feels lmy whole world has turned upside down.

Like I said, just looking for support :-(

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • ellen82139
    ellen82139 J20122012

    Posted

    Hello,I understand where you are coming from,you have been through/going through quite a roller coaster ride at the moment.

    counselling is good,although there is probably quite a wait and I'm sure you feel like going now,do you have any supportive family/ friends you can offload onto.I did do a counselling course within my nursing,if I can help in anyway please personally message me to keep out of the public eye.

  • ssk1
    ssk1 J20122012

    Posted

    Hi

    Sorry to hear that you have had such a bad experience. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in September. I tried initially without medication as I'm ttrying to get pregnant and opted for counselling and cbt. Like you I have self esteem issues and as a teenager suffered from eating disorders (I'm 33now). My doctor has been conscious of my problems for a year now but I finally admitted to feeling so bad in September. 3 weeks ago I felt so low that I agreed to try sertraline. It made me feel worse for the first week something my gp did warn me about. I've also been physically sick a lot which is not good as I'm not eating much anyway and have lost over a stone in 2 weeks. He has suggested carrying on for another 2 weeks to see if the initial reaction goes away but if it doesn't to stop them 3 days before my next appointment so that he can switch the medication then. He has also given me some low dose valium to help with my anxiety as I have suddenly developed anxiety when travelling and I fly every week for work.

    I haven't told many people about my diagnosis but one friend who has some experience of talking to people suffering through his work asked me if having the diagnosis has helped. I thought about it a lot and actually realising that I'm not being stupid and that it is a genuine illness has made me feel better. Sharing experiences on here too and hearing other people's stories has also helped. I hope that you will find the support you need

  • claudia90123
    claudia90123 J20122012

    Posted

    Hello there. 

    yes, I think past recreational drug use that has an affect on serotonin can make it more difficult to tolerate SSRIs and increase the risk of serotonin syndrome. So for example cannabis would, cocaine wouldn't. Don't beat yourself up about it though. There are other anti-depressants that work via different mechanisms. You could talk to your doctor about putting you on either an SNRI (which affects serotonin and noradrenaline so you might still have a few problems, but it would be much better), an NRI (noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor) or something else. GPs will always start you on an SSRI, but there are other options these days. If you can manage it with counselling and exercise, great! I hope you can. I believe the wait for counselling is much shorter these days. When I was first diagnosed a loong time ago it was over a year, which was tough, but now it seems to have got down to about 6 weeks, although it depends where you are.

    Do keep an eye on it though, depression can get worse when you're not looking. Don't be put off medication because you're afraid of your experiences with sertraline; if you do get to the point where the exercise isn't cutting it any more there will be more suitable drug options for you. I think anyone on here will tell you that finding the right medicine can take a while because it's all a bit experimental. Also sometimes you do have to plough through some horrid side-effects at first, but if you're getting side-effects with no benefit, that's not good.

    Anyway, drug info over. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. Be kind to yourself. Remember you're going through a lot and also ill, so don't feel guilty about not measuring up to people's expectations. Give yourself whatever you need until you're better. Keep us posted x

  • claudia90123
    claudia90123 J20122012

    Posted

    Oh, I should also add that it's common to get increased anxiety when coming out of depression, whether naturally or with the help of anti-depressants, because your body is revving up again. It's recognised that in this period people can be more at risk of suicide because they can feel more unstable than when depressed. So if you find yourself feeling anxious it doesn't necessarily mean you're getting worse, it might be the opposite. Your GP should be able to help you with it, mine gives me diazepam for those times, but fingers crossed you'll be fine.
  • J20122012
    J20122012

    Posted

    Thankyou for the replies X

    I definitely think that my past drug abuse has caused the bad reaction, I was really worried before taking them and the way I am feeling is very similar to the negative way drug abuse made me feel. I took the last Sertraline tab 7am yesterday but am still very much feeling the effects (6 days use in total) although I am up and about and feeling ever so slightly better. It's just hard because I had a nice life, we went for relationship counselling and it has opened Pandora's box :-(

    • Digsby
      Digsby J20122012

      Posted

      That sounds tough. You mentioned a slow road to divorce - is that an inevitable consequence of Pandora's box being opened? Claudia's advice is spot on. I hope you have some support just to get you through this rough bit of the ride. The right medication and therapy will help things to settle down while you are working through your health needs. Do whatever you need to distract yourself and get through the day in a safe and healthy way. I've been on a couple of different meds in the past year but I'd say that CBT and mindfulness has helped me deal with my depression the most and get to where I am today. My marriage of 20 years broke up in 2011 which came as a complete shock to me. I pray that there may still be hope for yours. Hang in there buddy - you are not alone and will find support here whenever you need it.

      Take care of yourself, Digsby

    • J20122012
      J20122012 Digsby

      Posted

      Hopefully it won't end in divorce as that is what I'm trying to avoid by dealing with some of my issues. Very disappointed with the Sertraline experience :-(
    • Digsby
      Digsby J20122012

      Posted

      I'm glad to hear there's still hope. I'm sure your marriage can work if you both want it to. I tried Sertraline for 8 months before giving up but I didn't experience any bad side effects (my previous medication did nearly kill me though!). It is very frustrating but there is no magic cure. I do believe that there is a treatment that is right for everybody though. Hang in there until things start to improve. Best wishes.
  • chris14174
    chris14174 J20122012

    Posted

    I'm on sertraline and I'm still not great at the moment. Been on it a long time.I wanted my gp to put me back on duluxetine but now waiting a review as he refused x
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