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Please keep going

Posted , 6 users are following.

jay89994
jay89994

Hi everyone. It's very easy to forget about this forum once you start feeling better but I just wanted to come on to share my latest experience with sertraline and urge you all to keep going.

My depression returned this July and that familiar feeling of a dark cloud and fog around me weighing me down returned. I just wanted to stay in bed and doing the most basic of daily activities was an incredibly difficult task.

I went back onto 50mg of sertraline and after 6 weeks or so I was still feeling bad. I was what you could say a functioning depressed person. I was just about able to go into work but each second was a huge struggle, not least maintaining the facade of everything being OK. I wasn't doing well at work but fortunately it wasn't noticed. I felt my brain wasn't functioning and my thinking was foggy and sluggish.

I spoke to my GP who simply recommended going up to a 100mg. That was in early October.

Almost 6 weeks on I'm finally starting to see improvements. These have been very gradual but noticeable compared to the state I was in a few months ago. It feels the darkness is lifting and as though I can see the world in its normal colours rather than a dull and grey version of it. Not sure if that makes sense. I feel the tablets have given me the breathing space in my head to cope with the overwhelming feelings of apathy and isolation and sadness better.

Anyway I just wanted to come on here and urge those of you struggling to please going. It has taken 3 months of being on sertraline to finally see improvements. Please remember we are not our thoughts or this horrible disease we are far more. Depression can pass so please keep going and be gentle on yourselves. After the darkest night comes a brighter day.

2 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • SerotoninSurfer
    SerotoninSurfer jay89994

    Posted

    Thanks Jay for taking the time to provide some positive experiences. I wish you continued improvements and full recovery. I've been fighting an anxiety relapse for over a year now but i know that even 12 months is temporary. The good news and experiences inspire people stuck in the moment to look forward. This too shall pass 😃

  • deblou45
    deblou45 jay89994

    Posted

    this is great to hear and i hope i will be the same i am 2 weeks today after cross tapering has been hell

    • sandi77808
      sandi77808 deblou45

      Posted

      deblou45 hang in there it will get better. It pushes you down before it brings you up unfortunately but it will eventually work and do not be afraid to increase.

  • One23
    One23 jay89994

    Edited

    thanks Jay for the positive reminder. Has anyone here have vivid dreams that wreck the day because of no rem sleep?

    Also has anyone experienced Sertraline starting to work only after 4 months or so? How was it and did you recover fast after ..more good days ?

    Any help would be great. My son has been on Sertraline 100mg for about 12 weeks now and has just up it to150mg yesterday. I am trying to keep his hope alive by telling him your experiences.

  • sandi77808
    sandi77808 jay89994

    Posted

    Thank you Jay, this is what folks on here need, and your story is similar to so many (including my daughter) who start to see some small improvements by week 6 and feel so much better by 12 weeks. A woman named Kate posted on this site "My 13-week Sertraline success story" - it took 13 weeks for her both times she was on it, with a few years in between. It worked for her and then her depression returned a few years later and it worked the same way the second time. This story (you should be able to find it if you do a search) gave me so much hope when my daughter was in the grip of this horrible disease a year ago. I read it to her at the time. These success stories are truly what keep people going. And my daughter's success story mirrored Kate's - 13 weeks. She is now fully healed. Fingers crossed it does not return but if it does, zoloft is what she will go on again. I saw this saying somewhere and love it:

    Depression is a flaw in chemistry, not character

    Remember that! ^^^^

    Love and hope to you all and thank you Jay xoxo

  • jay89994
    jay89994

    Posted

    Thank you all, if sharing my experience gives just one person hope then it's worth it.

    I know I have a long way to go but I also know I feel much better than I did in July.

    The brain is a complex organ and even with everything we know today we understand it so little.

    Please please please keep fighting depression in any way you can and know it will pass. Everything that has a beginning has an end and that's true even for this horrible disease. Life is worth living and there is much beauty in it, we all need to hold on to the moments that brought us pleasure or joy no matter how long ago this may have been.

    4-6 weeks is optimistic you need to give them longer to fully kick in so don't despair if you feel it isn't working

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