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Positive Story :-)

Posted , 5 users are following.

Yorkshire
Yorkshire

Hello :-)

I just wanted to share my positive story with regards to Sertraline. 

This time last year I was suffering from terrible anxiety & low mood. It got to the point where I  struggled to leave the house and to care for my child. I was being physically sick with anxiety and didn't eat for 11 days - this was when I agreed to take Sertraline. 

For the first 2 weeks I felt pretty terrible, heightened anxiety, nausea, couldn't sleep etc. week 3 & 4 I started to feel better but then my mood dipped again in weeks 5 & 6 - which was really disappointing as I worried they weren't working. During the initial weeks, distraction and company was the best thing for me - I even started colouring just to distract myself. 

From week 7 I was more back to 'me' and felt so much better. The side effects I have had whilst on them have been tiredness, numb teeth and they did effect the intimate side with my partner. 

In July, I had felt fine for 6 months; I had completed counselling and felt I was ready to come off them. 

I went to the doctors who agreed. I decided to wean off them at a much slower rate to what the GP suggested; I have barely had any withdraw effects except tiredness and I am quite irritable. 

I am currently on 12.5mg every other day, I am feeling the most side effect with this drop, extreme tiredness and a bit achey - but it's manageable, I can work, socialise and look after my child fine. 

In a couple of weeks I will take 12.5mg every third day and then every 4th and continue that way. 

Sertraline has been life changing, it doesn't work for everyone but it has been great for me!

4 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • gingemac1977
    gingemac1977 Yorkshire

    Posted

    what a lovely story to read yorkshire. i am still currently on sertraline, 150mg and have been for the past 10 months, i started on 50mg and then gradually increased the dosage after talks with my doctor, i'm not looking at decreasing or coming off mine yet, this is my 2nd stress, anxiety and depression free month so i'm enjoying it for the moment and relying quite alot on the sertraline doing it's job, i'm worried infact terrified of trying to come off it if i end up back at square 1, i never want to be in that dark place again, it's completely changed my life and made things so much easier for me and my partner, we get on so much better than what we did and i can't let that slip back to what it was, me constantly emotional and depressed, even though i still have the odd bad day, it's usually around my time of the month which i know is normal for some women so i'm not worried about that, before sertraline i was like that every day!! thanks for sharing your experience :-)

     

  • paul07701
    paul07701 Yorkshire

    Posted

    Well done Yorkshire. What dosage were you on before reducing? Thank you, Paul
  • Yorkshire
    Yorkshire

    Posted

    Thank you!

    An update - I ended up feeling worse on the days I was taking 12.5mg, to the days I was not having any. So last week I stopped taking it all together. 

    It's been a week now and I feel pretty much back to me!

    For 5 days I had withdrawel effects: achenes, emotional, tired, numb teeth, lack of concentration, glazey eyes where you can't focus. I didn't feel great but still able to go about my day (as in my original post work, child etc). It was nothing like the initial side effects when you start sertraline.

    7 days on - I feel 'normal' back to how I was before I had my 'breakdown'. :-) 

  • louise37763
    louise37763 Yorkshire

    Posted

    Hi Yorkshire,

    I was just wondering how things went after you stopped taking sertraline?

    I stopped over a month ago and have felt really good until about 5 days ago. ( just to mention I was taking sertraline for late onset post natal anxiety) I started having some mild intrusive thoughts and then had a small episode of a tingling flush. Ive since felt a bit "off" not terrible and certainly able to function.

    I guess my question to you is did you experience anything like this and did it eventually go away?

    By the way sertraline was also very positive for me and helped me so so much.

    louise

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