Sertralien protracted withdrawal?
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hello,
I have suffered with anxiety after having my first child in 2014. in 2017 i was put on Sertraline that seemed to work after around 6 months i came off the sertraline with no issues.
fast forward to september 2019 i was suffering with panic attacks and my gp decided to put me back on sertraline. unfortunately this time i had a reaction to the sertraline. breathlessness , hallucinations,dizziness etc and had to stop after 6 days. i felt dizzy for around a week after but started to feel a bit better however my arms started to feel weak. i returned to work but 4 weeks later i had to be taken by ambulance to hospital with tachyardia,temp dizziness, arm cramps quite badly, high pulse and bp. i was seen and after a few hours of monitoring blood tests etc everything was ok. i returned to a&e a few times over the next few days due to the same things happening and was told they thought i was getting shingles. this never happened and i tried to ride the problems out eventually after around 3 weeks i felt a little better and returned to work. my arms were still cramping and i then started to have brain zaps i had a 24hr ecg fitted which came back normal. around 3 weeks ago i woke with severe pain in my arms and felt like i was free falling and jolting in bed. dizziness returned and my back felt like it was having a spasm. it felt like i was having a seizure
. i was taken back to a&e and the doctor said i had the flu. i returned home but felt no better and saw the gp. the doctor gave me 2 tablets of 2mg diazepam which really helped the muscle pains/spasm. i then returned to the docs once they had ran out as i felt poorly again dizziness etc i also seem to get random hives that go after abour half hour. this doc said no more diazepam and told me i was severly depressed. i am not i am a happy upbeat person but every frustrated with the physical problems i have been having since i took the sertaline in September. he finally agreed to give me something and prescribed me promethazine hydrocloride and agreed to speak to other docs. the promethazine (anti histamine) helped a bit but i noticed my heart rate drops a lot so only taking sparingly if really needed. i have retuned to work but still not 100%
does this sound like protracted withdrawal?
the docs are adamant this is not a real thing but i know my body and have never experienced anything like this and it has only happened since taking the sertraline.
i do not take any other medication and feel like i am fighting a losing battle with the doctors.
any advice?
many thanks for reading...
p.s i am only 26 with 2 young children and work..this is taking over my life and i need to get back to normal asap. i would rather deal with the panic attacks as i could control them before.
0 likes, 6 replies
Claire088 elissa98401
Posted
i feel your pain love ive been on sert 50mg for a year i buy diazepam etc online to help myself now im having withdrawrals its horrible xxx
elissa98401
Posted
thanks for replying and i hope things get better for you. it is just awful and so frustrating that the doctors just don't listen! i was only on 50mg aswell it had such a bad effect on me. the diazepam definitley helped me on my worst days but the doctors are so reluctant to give me any more. i understand about the addiction side of things but i only want to take one when things get really bad to help ease the symptoms.
sue74917 elissa98401
Posted
Hi as much as you probably do not want to hear/accept it, I think all the physical issues you are having maybe anxiety related, the fact that diazepam calms them down it is an indication they could be. You say you had control over the panic attacks so your mind has decided to treat you to other things you feel you cannot control
sometimes for reasons we cannot pinpoint medication that worked so well for us in the past does not do the same again, I myself have had citalopram in the past and it worked great, this time it was not to be and made me quite ill for 6 months.
maybe its time for you to go back to the Dr's and explore other anxiety medications you could take
Claire088 sue74917
Posted
yes thats my plan im just gettin christmas out the way as i dont want to be ill with the kids etc xxxx
elissa98401
Posted
hi Sue thank you for replying, i have been referred for cbt therapy which i am happy to do. Without sounding dramatic this experience has scarred me for life there have been days i have actually accepted that i am dying i have felt that horrendous. i think i was a little vague with my comments about diazepam what i actually meant was this helped the seizure/muscle cramps pain but did not help with the brain zaps. it did help me with the jolting in bed which was very scary. i still feel out of sorts and experience vertigo regularly. i am definitley not denying that i am still experiencing some anxiety but my anxiety has never produced such severe symptoms. this experience has truly scared me.
i am hoping the cbt helps with my underlying anxiety but truly feel that the symptoms i have been experiencing are from the sertraline.
thank you so much for replying and i really hope you feel better soon.
Claire-i hope you have a wonderful Christmas
elissa98401
Posted
just a little update-
i started to feel somewhat better but the bad wave has hit again. the mornings are the worst i wake up feeling sick, shaking,off stomach etc and all day i have muscle pain and weakness. i am back at the doctors next week although i doubt they will believe me again.
i have done a lot of online research into protracted withdrawal and i do believe this is what i am experiencing. i believe i have to just ride it out as inbetween i start to feel better for a few days. it is so hard and is the worst thing I've ever experienced. i am going to ask for a few more diazepam to help.me through my worst days as i feel like my nervous system is doing over time! i really hope this new year brings us all good health.. i was hoping to wake up feeling normal but unfortunately it doesnt look like i am going to get my new years wish.