Posted , 11 users are following.
one week on sertraline after switching from citalopram
I am really struggling with this and it's only been a week. my anxiety is so high and my mood is really low.
I dont think I've felt this low before
i know i need to give it more time but i really feel like giving up!
i know it gets worse before better but I didnt think I could ever feel this bad.
sorry to keep posting, feeling very desperate.
0 likes, 27 replies
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Jamespa Potatoghost
Posted
This is REALLY common. My anxiety always gets worse when i start. Im now on week 4 and after a rough first 2 weeks its started to calm and now feeling better each day. it can take a number of weeks, 8-9 even, before you feel the full benefit but it is worth holding on if you can.
Paul
Potatoghost Jamespa
Posted
thank you Paul. I'm glad to hear it's common. no matter how many times you remind yourself it gets worse before better it doesnt help in the here and now does it?
thank you. hopefully you see more and more improvement yourself.
lorna811 Potatoghost
Posted
Do not give up if possible. it really does improve over the next few weeks, if the anxiety is unbearable you can ask your Doc for a short term fix of something like diazepam i believe, i am not a doctor! Sertraline really helped me when i needed it and was on it for 2 years. if possible try to get some exercise every day as that also really helps. i hope it goes well for you.
SerotoninSurfer lorna811
Posted
Seeking reassurance from like minded others with similar experiences and at different stages of recovery is what this forum is all about. Reaching out and talking on here can make you feel less lonely and isolated by your condition. It's very early days for you in your particular medication switch and you often get pockets of feeling better and then go backwards which can be discouraging. The key thing is not to lose hope. Our mind and bodies have an amazing capacity to heal and you will get better. Best wishes and keep talking.
Potatoghost lorna811
Posted
thank you lorna I really appreciate it. I do have diazipam and a beta blocker to help but try to be as sparing as possible because they make me feel lower mood wise.
my mood has dropped so much today and am struggling. thank you for your reply and I'll keep posting how I'm getting on.
Potatoghost SerotoninSurfer
Posted
thank you seratonin I really do keep losing hope and it's so early on.
have you been through this yourself? hopefully you are in a good place now too.
it's hard to not think about all the negative thoughts 24 hours a day x
It's very true that's its reassuring knowing people have been through something similar. x
Melanie455 Potatoghost
Posted
stick with it ! diazapam helped with the anxiety until the sertraline kicked in for my mum , it took her 8 weeks, please stick with it. the first 5 weeks are hard going , but u will see gradual improvements by around week 8
Potatoghost Melanie455
Posted
hopefully your mum is doing well now. I am so close to giving up because of how much my mood has dropped today. I will keep going and wait to see some improvement. thanks again
mattslop1978 Potatoghost
Posted
Hi.
I had the exactly the same issue, i was on citalopram and it just stopped working so they swapped me on to sertraline I felt absolutely horrific on them at first and I was off work for 10 weeks in total while i built up to 200mg.
At the end of my citalopram is was suicidal and was under the crisis mental health team!!
Trust me they will start to work...... but its horrible in the mean time.
Take some time off work try your best to chill out (easier said than done i know) and keep talking to your family about how you feel....
There are so many of us in this position so remember you are not alone.
Matt
Potatoghost mattslop1978
Posted
thanks Matt. it's hard to remember that I'm not the only one going through this.
sorry to hear how hard it was for you.
it's just mood and anxiety that's worse, not many other side effects but very hard to deal with.
how hard was the first few weeks for you? just so I know if I get worse to not panick.
mattslop1978 Potatoghost
Posted
As Lois said it's like cold turkey, my symptoms lasted about 10 days of the switch over...And i felt like absolute crap!!!! the first 4/5 days i just sat on the sofa feeling very sorry for myself!!!
I started on 50mg then every 2 weeks increased by another 50mg until i was on 200mg.
Every time you increase dose you feel crappy.... but a lot less than the first time and only for a couple of days!!!!
I forgot to mention i also take propranolol (beta blocker) for the anxiety maybe something like that may help!
IT WILL PASS stay with it
Potatoghost mattslop1978
Posted
I'm gonna stay with it. all your guys support has given me the kick to stay with it x
were you not worried about increasing doses too quickly and missing the right one for you?
I also have propanalol too but find it makes my mood drop. so I take one in the morning and try and cope for the rest of the day if I can
mattslop1978 Potatoghost
Posted
Good man!!!!! i hope the side affects settle down soon....
I don't know why I wasn't worried about upping the dosage , I have a really good doctor and she reassured me that it was quite normal and that i would be ok! so i just took her word for it .
I found that when I moved up to 100mg and those side affects passed (couple of days) then i really did start to feel better.
That's crap about the propranolol as they really help me and just one in the morning is all i take!
Stick with it and all us lot on here will try our best to help.
Potatoghost mattslop1978
Posted
thank you Matt it's good to know how many people are willing to help when things are tough. when I'm better I'm definitely gonna stick around and help those strugglin as much as I can
ive realised that when my anxiety is high I dont concentrate on my mood as much but when its lower I.e after taking a beta blocker I feel my mood more if that makes any sense lol
it's good that you have a good doctor, I cant seem to find one that knows much about mental health. so it's hard to trust them so I'm gonna listen to people like yourself I think.
struggling but gotta keep going!
lois95799 Potatoghost
Posted
potato is not that the sertraline isnt working is that you are having severe withdrawls from the celexa that you took for over 4 years.dont blame the cert.praying for you.
lois95799
Posted
swappig meds is basically like going cold turkey.
Potatoghost lois95799
Posted
wonderful beautiful lois. thank you. I was so close to putting them in the bin earlier and needed to just get some reassurance that it's normal to feel this crap this early in x