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POST ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT SERTRALINE HERE!!!!!

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taylor41
taylor41

Hello everyone, my name is Taylor and i was put on sertraline 8 weeks ago for severe anxiety, my story is posted in another dicussion just go to my profile if you wanna see it. I was on 25 mg for 4 weeks and I will be on 50 mg for 4 weeks tomorrow. These forums and the friends I have made on here have been a godsend. I wanted to open up this discussin board to those who have found success on sertraline and got back to their old selves. A lot of us on here need the encouragement and I felt if you all could flood this discussion with positive stories it could truly help a lot of people. I know a lot of people when they feel better they leave this site, hopefully there are at least a few that can shed light. Thank you all and remember. KEEP FIGHTING, i am also here for anyone who wants to talk. 

12 likes, 176 replies

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  • m70646
    m70646 taylor41

    Posted

    Hi I’m day 38 and can see light at the end of the tunnel. I was put on meds to control anxiety induced IBS.  And had every side effect known to man. The trouble with these meds is as you get better you Stuart to notice other side effects that weren’t as important as the ones that just stopped, so you feel that there is always something. 

    I can honestly say these meds are working for me, and can now deal with the problem that is my IBS, the symptoms are still there but I see them for what they are and rather than giving in to them, I can now challenge them.  I’m still exhausted and fighting through fog but that mostly due to the IBS.  I still have flutters of panic but know that they will pass.  I’m better than I was week on week.  Stick in there xx we will get our lives back xx

  • raj29314
    raj29314 taylor41

    Posted

    Hi Taylor, This discussion was over a year ago, just wondering how you are doing now?
  • ella02879
    ella02879 taylor41

    Posted

    Hi all, 

    I’m in need of some serious reassurance.

    I have been taking 50mg for a month. The first 2 weeks were horrendous and ended up having to go home to my parents and be babied by them.

    The third week, although constantly checking my mood, I had some relief.

    However, this 4th week, the anxiety is not too bad but the depression has returned in full force.

    I guess I would love to know your stories and wether this is normal.

    It is such an isolating illness.

    Thanks,

    Ella

    • brandi58444
      brandi58444 ella02879

      Posted

      Hi Ella,

      We all understand your story! You are not alone., even though it’s so easy to feel like no one understands. 

      I’m sorry you’re having a tough time right now. 

      When I first started sertraline, I couldn’t think of any possible benefit to the drug. My anxiety skyrocketed. I have bouts of depression but I think it stems from my anxiety. 

      My Dr gave me clonazepam to help my increased anxiety and that was my only saving grace. I was able to return to work after 3 weeks. I was able to drive again. I was able to go out and do normal things around other people. But for those 3 weeks (while I was trying a few different medications to see what did and didn’t work for me), I was hibernated in my house. 

      I’m on my 5th week now of sertraline and haven’t taken my clonazepam AM pill since Saturday. I still need to take my PM one tho. This means the sertraline is starting to take effect. 

      My anxiety is still there and I’ll always have to live with it; but it’s getting easier to control.

      Trying to find the right dose is a challenge in its self. 

      This has been the longest road for me. I’ve always had anxiety (also had really bad PPD 11 years ago after having my son and that’s when it all started. 

      Please know you are not alone. I felt reading forums like this really helped me. I’m reading ‘Idoits guide to mindfulness’ right now. I like it so far. Practicing mindfulness is helpful for me. 

      You will overcome this. You will be yourself again. This is just a little bump in the road and you won’t be defeated ♥️

    • m70646
      m70646 ella02879

      Posted

      Hi Ella

      I completely get where your coming from. 

      I’m now into week 6, but have had a proper up and down battle on these meds. I found like you come week 4, utterly depressed but when I sat and reflected in it, I thought I was depressed because I was so tired and the anxiety was quiet, so I was forcing myself to get up and keep busy. I could of happy sat there all day and not moved, which meant I was totally chilled.  I had a few little hiccups Cos I kept telling myself get up keep busy but honestly I wish I had enjoyed the chill time more. Week 5 and I still have times of sitting and feeling dozy, but my head is saying I need to get tea sorted, I need to this and that and I’m finding it easy to get up and do it. 

      I can hand on heart say these meds are working, even though I’ve cried a lot over the last 6 weeks thinking why did I go on them, I was too sunburn to go through all these side effects and give up.

      My new battle is over my stomach and IBS do my symptoms now are really attributed to them. I couldn’t see that before and blamed everything on the meds.

      It’s no walk in park and each week is a new battle but each week you are getting better than the week before.  Baby steps and don’t beat yourself up. All we want to do is get better as quick as possible but realistically if it takes a few months, it takes a few months... that’s a few months compared to the rest of your life. 

      These forums have been a godsend and really helped.  We will get through this together xxx

      Marie

  • brandi58444
    brandi58444 taylor41

    Posted

    Hello everyone. 

    I’m on my 5th week of sertraline (4th week on 50mg, first week on 25mg)

    The past few days I feel like Im going back to square one. Anxiety coming back, racing thoughts. I should also note that I’ve been taking clonazepam .5 mg broken in half AM and PM to help with the side effects. The clonazepam is making me irritable now after the 4th week (before it was a godsend, with my anxiety). 

    I just got back from the Dr and they’ve increased my dose to 75mg and I’m to continue to take the clonazepam AM and PM. 

    Maybe 50mg isn’t the right dose for me and 75mg will be better. 

    What are your experiences with 75mg? 

    Some helpful stories would be good right now. 

    Thank you. 

    • jenna324
      jenna324 brandi58444

      Posted

      Hi Brandi 

      I was on 50 for 8 weeks and felt 50% better. I still had tons of anxiety and bad thoughts. I upped to 75 and I’ve been on this dose for 2 weeks. I feel a lot better. Less anxiety and overall mood is lifted. I still am not 100% but I can honestly tell you I am better than where I was 4 weeks ago. I will continue on 75 for another week or so and if needed I will increase to 100. 

    • brandi58444
      brandi58444 jenna324

      Posted

      Hi Jenna and everyone else too! 

      I wanted to do a quick update. I’m still on sertraline and I’m now on 100mg for 2 days now. Was on 75mg for just over a month. I was still feeling quite anxious so talked to my dr and decided to increase to 100mg. It’s only been 2 full days and I am feeling fantastic. My mood is so good. My anxiousness is there but it’s not taking over me. 

      I have been on sertraline since January and when I started, I thought there was no hope for my anxiety. I was stuck. This medication took over 9 weeks to fully kick in for me and for me to start benefiting from it. But I knew I had to give it time. If this is you too, hang in there please. 

      I have also been doing a lot of self help. I started working out, reading mindfullness books, meditating when I can. Focus on your breathing. 

      I quit scrolling Facebook. I can’t deal with negativity and Facebook is worse than the news at this point. I have learned to drop anything or anyone that gave me bad vibes. That includes my best friend that never took the time to understand what I was going through when I was bed ridden from my anxiety. 

      I’m learning on how to be a more positive person; to have more positive outlook on life. 

      I started a journal on what I am thankful for. 

      I started acupuncture. I’ve only had 2 sessions so I can’t comment on how it’s working for anxiety. 

      This medication definitely takes time, but it’s worth it, for me. Patience is something I don’t have so this chapter in my life has been extremely hard! 

      B. 

  • ashlee19745
    ashlee19745 taylor41

    Posted

    Taylor, are you still on here? I'd like to hear from you and how you're doing. I just found this post and I'm new to the forum.

  • tracy_10106
    tracy_10106 taylor41

    Posted

    I have been on Zoloft off and on for about 23 years. My dosage gets to 150 mg and after a while it seems to stop working. I wean myself off and wait a while then start all over again. 100mg seems to be the best for me. If only the feeling would stay that way. I have severe OCD with anxiety. I’m 53 and the anxiety gets worse the older I get. When you get too much Zoloft your house and life go from clean and normal to “I just don’t care”. You need a happy medium. Life isn’t about NO depression or anxiety. When you get too much Zoloft you have no feelings at all. I have tried other SSRI’s with no luck. I always come back to Zoloft. Dry mouth is my main complaint about it. Everyone has anxiety and feeling sad so we still need to feel those things. Just not let them consume us. I have just gone from 100mg to 150mg. I hope I don’t bottom out for a while. I also suffer from severe insomnia and upping the dose seems to help that. I get a “lag” in the afternoon that I have to fight to stay awake. Does anyone else get that? 
  • jessica65315
    jessica65315 taylor41

    Posted

    Please I’m so worried has anybody had goosebumps on sertraline I keep worrying it’s sertitoning sydrome x
  • hannah26260
    hannah26260 taylor41

    Posted

    Hi Taylor I know this is an old post but I do wonder how everyone is doing.

    Iv been suffering with depression on and off for 17 years,

    I came off sertreline about 2 months ago and this month has been the worst.

    Not only have I been suffering with low moods but i think it's now affecting my cycle, iv skipped a pmt this month and I actually thought i was pregnant because of how iv been feeling, low moods, emotional, angry terrible bloatedness and iv gained half a stone. For me I tend to eat more when I'm low which then makes me feel worse.

    Every day is a battle and I'm constantly looking for answers.

    I go from thinking iv good food allergy or ibs and constantly looking for reasons as to why u have constant stomach pains and reasons as to why I haven't come on my period. Can depression really affect all these things?

    Do i go back on sertreline or do I stick with trying trying to fix myself naturally.

    I came of them as my libido was so low and my partner has a very high sex drive and was causing problems because I wasn't interested and it started feeling like a chore to me 😔.

    I also have a bad eating problem, always looking at diets and ways to loose weight as the minute I feel bigger than I want to be I feel even lower.

    I know deep down I'm not big (size 10) but I look in the mirror and see big. I don't eat much but still seem to be putting on weight. I even thought maybe I'm prememeporsal however I'm only 36 so surely it can't be that.

    It's such a viscous circle and I'm emotionally drained.

    I'm a single mum of 2 and my youngest has autism which is and Every day challenge.

    I don't have any family around me and very few friends.

    I don't really socialize because of how I'm feeling and I'm always comparing myself to everyone else. I hate this about myself and I desparatly want to change it. Do I go back on my tablets is the one I'm battling with at the moment.

    • brandi58444
      brandi58444 hannah26260

      Posted

      Hi Hannah,

      I would say absolutely it can affect those. I understand about the low libido and understand the non-common ground between couples because of it and thinking of it as a chore. 

      If the sertraline was helping you and the only reason you went off of it was because of the tension with your partner and the low labido, I personally would go back on it. Hopefully you can talk to your partner and discuss that the medication helps you so they should be understanding of that. 

      Maybe try a different SSRI? 

      I hope you can work it out. 

      I started meditation (never in a million years thought I would do this). I also started reading about chakras to understand the energy flow through the body. I found a lot of self help  books online and at the library. Hang in there, I’m sending positive ones your way. 

  • jay_babes
    jay_babes taylor41

    Posted

    Hi my name is jay i only joined yesterday so new to all this, so made no friends on this forum,lol, but i have to be honest i have a lot of illnesses and been through a lot in my life but i always try to come out smiling, my motto is there is always someone worse off then you plus smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone, does not always work but it helps, i suffer severe migraines no cure, severe ibs, depression anxiety, panic attacks, and a whole lot more i like to keep private, i was diagnosed with depression 8 months ago , it was not a shock after what i have been through, the shock is the lack of help i have had trying to deal with it, people saying they will help promising and dont, this has happened so many times i hve given up trusting people, except my family and partner and a few close friends, i am on this drug 50mg for the 4 weeks now on 100mg and my migraines have gone through the roof, so it may be great for depression but not for some one who suffers a long term illness, is there anyone this has happened to, i really need HELP,
    • brandi58444
      brandi58444 jay_babes

      Posted

      Hi jay 

      First off, good on you for thinking the glass is half full. We need more people in the world like this. 

      Second, have you gone on a medication strictly for migraines? My boyfriend suffers from them too and needed to go on a medication with trial and error to find one that worked. 

      4th and 5th week on sertraline for me I was still feeling awful side effects but hung in and eventual they did subside. However, I’m on 100mg and I don’t think that’s my dose. I either need to go down or up a dosage. I don’t know if it’s too much or too little. 

      I’ve definitely Improved since sertraline but it does take patience and also a mind set that the medication will not cure you. You have to do a lot of mind work also. Meditation guys. When people think meditation, it often comes along with the image of walking barefoot in the grass while smoking marijuana and chanting OM in deep breathing. That’s not the case. You will still be you. You will just be a more mindful you. 

      YouTube guided mediation. It takes practice but so worth it. 

    • jay_babes
      jay_babes brandi58444

      Posted

      Hi Brandi thanks for that i really needed it i have been laid up all with migraines not got out of bed , lots of vomiting, well at least i have lost a few pounds, well i wish i could help you on the migraine front but i have suffered over 30 years and was under the top specialists, i have had every drug on the market there is no cure for me i even went down the private road costing thousands, no joy i have been on trials , acupuncture botox, you name it i have had it, then one doctor made sense i have an eating disorder have since i was 17, and that has a lot to do with it and smoking, good health good mind , but its not so easy if you have had the life ive had, then i got ibs, but that still did not stop me its only since i moved 6 years ago into the country , thought it would be so different from the eastend, boy was i wrong, so isolated here, that is when i was diagnose with depression and started panic attacks, and a whole bunch more, i never in a million years thought this would happen to me, i am normally a fun loving full of life crazy person not in the mental state ha, my profession for gods sake is a hairdresser, beautician, and nail tech, now i am well im  not sure that is why i am on sertraline , and that is why i think my migraines are out of control, but i do agree with you on meditation , its great for the mind, relaxing though the idea of running barefoot through fields and smoking marijuana sounds great to me lol  

    • jay_babes
      jay_babes brandi58444

      Posted

      Hi  Brandi i have got back to you in a very long heart felt email and lots of information but for some reason they have taken it off to to look and it to see if it ok to send to you with there terms and conditions, personally i do not know what i have done wrong, i just told you about my migraines ,a little about my life and what i have been through with my migraines over 30 years and treatment and all my other illnesses and why i am on sertraline now, i did joke about being crazy i did not mean anything by this i was talking about my personality sorry if anyone took offence, i have mental illness and take it very seriously, but it is also good to have a sense of humour , i hope they do send the letter it will help a lot of people i know why i can not be cured for migraines but the specialists were brilliant i would not be where i am now without them, doctors are great they try their best to help you so medicines work some dont, it depends on the individual, and a lot of people try alternate medicine there is nothing wrong with that either , i use both, and i have been through so much in my life, and i like to think i can get pass this , and help others 
    • brandi58444
      brandi58444 jay_babes

      Posted

      Please don’t apologize for anything, jay. We’re all in this together. It’s better to make jokes instead of taking life too seriously!

      That’s too bad your message couldn’t send.  

      I’m sending you healing energy. As an empath, I have the need to fix and help everyone. 

      Have you tried to meditate? 

    • brandi58444
      brandi58444 jay_babes

      Posted

      Haha it does sound great doesn’t it! 

      You are so strong to go through all of this and to talk about it, you need to give yourself lots of credit for that. 

      I hope you’ll be able to find some relief in all this soon. Don’t lose sight of that humour you have and stay positive even when it’s tough. 

    • jay_babes
      jay_babes brandi58444

      Posted

      Thanks for everything and getting back to me trying to stay busy and positive this weather  is great for the body rubbish for my migraines ha, i have been trying to sort out my medication due to how i feel seems to help not sure if you meant to do this but it works for me, and i do other stuff exercise but i was interested in meditation, i have heard its great, but i dont know much about it so can you help please
    • brandi58444
      brandi58444 jay_babes

      Posted

      Hi jay. 

      If you go on YouTube and search “guided meditation” there are thousands that you can listen to. You will be able to find the one that you like. It all depends on the voice/tone of the person for me. Look into Guided meditation for anxiety and panic. Even meditation for migraines. 

      Also if you like to read - google “open PDF” it’s a website I just found that you can search tons of categories and if you find a book that seems interesting, you can download the PDF smile 

      Another thing - I have the podcast app (iPhone) I don’t know if android does. But it also has meditations on it as well. Great one is “10 minute meditation podcast” by adrien cook. All of this is free!! 

      B. 

    • jay_babes
      jay_babes brandi58444

      Posted

      Thank you so much that is a great help, you tube would be the best for me as i am 54, and i have only just learnt to use a lap top and that was just to buy stuff on ebay ha, and i only have a blackberry lol, but it will be fine , i am sure i will find some great dvd as well , hope your well , and things are looking up for you, 
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