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Sertraline 100mg

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jamieajones
jamieajones

Hi I've been taking sertraline 50mg for 6wks and the first 2wks were horendous side affects. I was prescribed sertraline to help me deal with panic attacks and anxiety after I had a TIA mini stroke. I've now upped my dose to 100mg and feeling much better ,my only advice is try and stick with it early on as it will get better.

19 likes, 124 replies

124 Replies

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  • gingemac1977
    gingemac1977

    Posted

    hey LFCrick,

    where the guy that was starting to look forward to the future? i know how things can turn tables on you, it's not easy but you can't give up, what about your kids. do you think you're feeling worse because you've made the choice to cut down on the smoking and it's adding to your upset??? i do hope you haven't done anything bad as i was hoping the chats we had were helping you out?? hey let us know you're okay won't you and keep taking your meds :-)

  • Catfan
    Catfan

    Posted

    Hi, I've been on 100 mg sertraline for anxiety for about 3 months now but the anxiety still hasn't cleared up.

    I've seen a Life coach, I'm seeing a counsellor (6 sessions via work) and I've been using Paul McKenna's

    'control stress' book. I recently had a couple of good weeks and was hoping things were improving but I missed a tablet last Wednesday and haven't been right since. I can be fine all day then wham!. Granted the attacks aren't as bad or long lasting as they used to be but I feel that I'm continually aware of my thought process all day long to try and avoid thinking of things that can set me off.

    I also find that if I get a bad stomach of any kind I instinctively think it's the start of anxiety which then starts the attack. Even thinking that I haven't had an attack today can start it off. Is this because I missed the tablet do you think?

    PS I've read this forum and also hope that LFCrick is ok.

    • gingemac1977
      gingemac1977 Catfan

      Posted

      morning Caftan,

      yes it is a bit of a worry about LFCrick, i haven't heard a thing from him since his last post, when he seemed really down, i do hope he's ok.

      i am exactly the same, my thought process is bizarre and can make or break my day, i have negative thoughts, paranoia, worry and anxiety kicks in when i start thinking about things. i too have had a great couple of weeks when i first went up from 50 to 100mg about 4 weeks ago, but the past two weeks, has been not great, up and down, emotional too. i've convinced myself that my partner isn't interested in me anymore and get really down within seconds if he's not showing me what i believe to be enough attention. i'm up and down all the time, i've been taking my meds at (pretty much give or take 15 minutes) the same time every day, i've been excersising and looking after myself, but i can't seem to get through this bad batch.  when i was feeling good a couple of weeks ago, you'd have thought there was nothing wrong with me at all, i was back to my full self again, laughing and joking, not a worry in the world or any anxiety and all of a sudden i'm back to square 1 and it's so dissheartening. so i totally understand how you feel. i'd really relaxed myself and was trusting the meds and now, i don't feel stable enough to trust them at all, thinking about going back to my doctor to see if i can be increased to 150mg?? surely i shouldn't be getting worse instead of better when i've increased from 50 to 100?? what do you think of this?? good or bad idea?? thanks for your post, gives me relief knowing i'm not the only one in a feeling of sinking ship syndrome!!

    • janina51416
      janina51416 gingemac1977

      Posted

      i'v been talking to LFCrick. It has been a good experience. I started on 50mgs and I thought it didn't really help but other people ... friends , family, doctor did.

      On my visit to him he upped my dose to !00mgs a day and it helped more, but I was still really struggling.

      Because of the improvement I mentioned to the psychologist doctor about the situation and he has upped my dose to 150mgs. Scary Mary but the alternative is worse so I'm doing it. after 2 mths on 100mgs I started to sleep properly at night and my panic attacks have gone down. That in itself is a massive step forward in the right direction for me.

      I'm truly hoping that the improvement now continues. Its been a long hard haul of two years to find a medication I can tolerate.

      I feel its a good idea to increae yr meds if they have already helped. That is what I have done. I'll try to keep you in the loop and let yo know hoe I get on. It would be interesting if you did the same. Its really helpful to be able to share thoughts and experiences.... when ur alone with it all I think one starts to feel like ur going loopy.  Take care, hope u keep in touch :-)

    • gregbrighton
      gregbrighton janina51416

      Posted

      hi janina

      loving this discussion forum and just wanted to recommend to you that instead of constantly getting your story wiped why don't u write it in notes/book or word etc where u can save or add to it without it getting wiped, because of timeout issues on some of these reply/write, then u can copy and paste it at your leisure and also then have a hard copy for yourself.

      regards greg x 

  • LFCrick
    LFCrick jamieajones

    Posted

    WARNING: to those of you that get to a point where you consider stopping the meds. Don't do it. I ran out and didn't Go back to the docs. I finally went back after nearly 2 weeks when I realised the reason I had overdosed, self harmed, smashed my house up, upset my kids and family and pretty much had a complete breakdown, was no doubt due to having stopped taking them. Day 3 back on them now. Don't feel any better yet but wasn't expecting to. Although on the plus side I'm only on 50mg per day so the months supply I have wouldn't be enough to kill me if I took em all so no point trying! Would just end up sick as a dog like last time.

    Benefit o hindsight I suppose!

    To those who commented/showed concern I want to say thank you. Shows an enormous extent of passion and humility to empathise with a complete stranger. I apologise to any who worried. This last month has been a blur of nightmare after nightmare. What the future holds who knows but there must be a reason I woke up after that night!

    To any and all who read this in the future. If I can only offer one piece of advice it is this. THEY DO WORK! Trouble is when you are in the situation we all find ourselves in its very difficult to see the effects for yourself but others around will notice your improvement. Perseverance is the key.

    • gingemac1977
      gingemac1977 LFCrick

      Posted

      hey there, good to see you're back, was worried that you had done something bad last message on here i saw. you sound in good spirits, keep it up, i've been up and down weekly, haven't gone back to my doctors yet, just seeing how it goes for the time being, if it keeps on like it has, i'll be asking to go up with my dosage i guess, not the best, but if it helps me i will do that, sick of not knowing wether it's me or depressed me, feel mean on my boyfriend, he's amazing and so good with me. anyway, take care of yourself and good to see you back.

       

    • janina51416
      janina51416 LFCrick

      Posted

      I keep replying to yr post. I keep losing the mssj before I send. I give up. Iv had similar experience to yrs though not so severe. I was feeling desperate and looked up sertraline and came across yrs and gingemacs posts from a while back and felt very empathic.  Iv found yr latest and hers. I'm glad ur still trying. Me too. I already wrote my story twice and it got wiped so I give up. I'm seeing doc again tonight also hoping for further help. Iv done everything I can to help myself including therapy etc. although I'm sleeping better and not so suicidal the depression still same and constant. I'm surrounded by love and support but everyone very fed up so the guilt is awful. I feel I can't mention it any more so feel v alone with it all. It's the worst thing iv ever experienced in my life cos it seems never ending. My youngest son died in a car crash and then I got breast cancer and since then I just can't pick up. I tried antidepressants under pressure from docs and although they have helped me to sleep better and not cry all the time the depression and anxiety are still constant and the same. Iv tried other antidepressants but side effects intolerable. Most made me feel mad and tripped out. Family and friends loving and supportive but had enough now and I'm nervous of mentioning it. I feel stuck in a vicious circle which has helped a little but not enough. Seeing doc again this eve. I'm on 100mgs now. I was always against antidepressants and can't believe I'm in such a mess now. I totally relate to what you are experiencing and what you have been through. I have no answer sadly. I hope you keep in touch with me, sending strength and hope u keep trying, that's what I'm doing <3 stay safe both of you  stay="" safe="" both="" of="">
    • LFCrick
      LFCrick janina51416

      Posted

      I am so very sorry to hear about your loss and your health. I'm not surprised you're on here! I couldn't imagine losing one of my children, my heart truly goes out to you. I can only hope that we all can keep our spirits and hopes up that one day these dark clouds will lift and there will be a clear blue sky. As far as the pills are concerned I never really had any side effects until I stopped taking them. That's when I went a little bit mental. I'm only on 50mg a day but they obviously have an effect. I know how you feel about the guilt of "fed up" loved ones but I can assure you as much as you think that I bet they would argue thst not how they feel. I have spent a long time keeping myself to myself so as not to hurt those close to me, believing that with every cut of my arm or trip to the hospital they were getting more and more "fed up" with me and what I was feeling. Truth be told it's being/feeling that way that has made me worse. Keeping it bottles up and then exploding when all around me the love and support I have I could've just opened up and got help a long time ago. It's hard for people who haven't suffered with this illness to truly understand the devastation it can cause or to even imagine the sort of feelings it can create within us. All I can say is keep taking the meds, they help. Keep talking, keep spending time with loved ones, keep opening up and letting others help, this is a hard fight we all face and from personal experience I can say I've won battles and lost battles but I will one day win the war! Fighting for, and most importantly WITH the loved ones we have, the family and the friends, this is the way forward! 

      Sorry for the babble 😋

    • janina51416
      janina51416 LFCrick

      Posted

      So not babble :-) what you have said echoes all my own thoughts. i am keeping on trying. I'm terribly sorry I haven't replied sooner as I had problems with the time to do this and stuff to deal with which wasn't too good. I agree with everything you say and have also had my dosage uppd and definately feeling a bit better slowly but surely. 

      i'v only gone and replied to some of your other possts as well...

      I tried to stop the sertraline and it was dread. I soon started taking them again, it was awful. I have come off citalopram before going on sertaline but i did it very gradually and it took months, but I ended up at square one with tehe sleeplessness and the anxiety,panic attacks and never lifting depression. My doctor pretty much forced me to to keep trying. So here I am four months on and things aren't as bad as they were. I'ts still very hard but I too dont want to let myself and my family down so it keeps me going.

      Im actually sleeping for the first time in ten years... That is heaven.

      I hope we keep in touch and thank you for your wise and compassionate words.

      It's very hard with our illness because you can't see it and everyone thinks ur normal. It's impossible to explain and only those who have suffered it understand. Perhaps yr cutting is way of you manifesting to yourself that your awful pain is real. Also the relief is only temporary. Please please try to resist doing it. There must be some other way. When you feel like that write down yr feelings however crazy or silly they seem and perhaps that will give some release too. Reading it back to yourself very often puts things in perspective. You sound like a lovely person,  I really hope we stay in touch, your post cheered me up and inspired me. Stay safe and sending you all good things <3>

  • Chezumi
    Chezumi jamieajones

    Posted

    Hi there everyone, I've just started Sertraline to see if it works better than the Mirtazapine I was on before (I gained so much weight and was still having very regular panic attacks). I feel very nauseous and even if I only have a little bit of toast I have to settle down for a while as afterwards any movement just makes me feel more sick. On the plus side my appetite is pretty much non existant which is a pleasant change from the constant munchies I had on Mirtazapine! Does this nausea eventually pass? I previously had a bad reaction to Venlafaxine which made me VERY sick for months before I changed to something else and I'm worried I'll have the same problem with Sertraline sad 
    • janina51416
      janina51416 Chezumi

      Posted

      you have to give it a chance to work and we all know that one feels loads worse at first. if U are going to carry on feeling nauseous and it doesnt go then u'll have to think again. My nausea went down and not too bad now, but this is four/five months in. I hated Mirtazapine. I couldn't stand the rushing in my head and feeling wired and like i was going to explode. I got off it very quickly. I was having constant panic attacks permanent anxiety and the depression never lifted at all. Sertralin seems to have helped me so I'm persevering. Good Luck.
  • LFCrick
    LFCrick jamieajones

    Posted

    On a side note I've recently changed the time I take the med. I was taking it in the evening so I didn't have any side effects at work. I suffered quite badly with insomnia. I have now changed to taking it when I get up in the morning, there haven't been any side effects but I am findin that towards the middle of the afternoon my mood really drops quite considerably. Not due to go back to the docs yet so can't discuss with him but for the last two days I have been taking another pill in the evening to try to lift my mood back up. In all fairness it does seem to be working. Gonna continue like this and see what doc says when I go back
    • janina51416
      janina51416 LFCrick

      Posted

      I did the same twice now, and have noticed an improvement. i'm just 4 days int 150mgs a day..... keep going, you seem to be finding your way and in my opinion doing really well. I have definately noticed an improvement with a higher dose.
  • LFCrick
    LFCrick jamieajones

    Posted

    It would also appear tht into the evening I get worse 😞 cutting again 😢
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