Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi I'm on day 17 of 100mg sertraline,I don't know if they are working I feel like I'm not so depressed my anxiety has calmed down quite a bit I am still getting intrusive thoughts which I'm getting worried ain't going to go I just don't feel like me yet,am I expecting too much ? Are these the right tablets for me?
1 like, 11 replies
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LFCste Katyf
Posted
the recommended time frame for Sertraline to be fully effective is between 6 to 8 weeks stick with it the side effect do go in time it is a slow process unfortunately
but you will get there that I do know
Katyf LFCste
Posted
Thank you,I'm starting to feel a little bit like my old self it's a slow process,hope you are well
a-new-day Katyf
Posted
hi katyf, sounds like u are making good progress so sit back and let sertraline do it's job, you will get better and better dont worry, the intrusive thoughts will certainly go away
Katyf a-new-day
Posted
Aww thanks I'm just apprehensive that I'm not going to get back to myself I keep questioning if they are working but I have to admit I am feeling a bit better each day,hope you are well
vanessa45115 Katyf
Posted
Although the recommended time frame is 6-8 weeks to fully work, I'm almost to week 11 and still not right. The anxiety has lifted almost to normal but I still feel really sad more than I want to. I don't necessarily get my thoughts anymore, now I'm just dwelling on why they were there in the first place. If you can see a difference even in a good day here and there, they are working for you so please don't give up. Think of the end game.
a-new-day vanessa45115
Posted
hi vanessa it's normal to feel sad around now (a few months into your recovery) because you have been through a lot over the past few months, and there have been ongoing changes going on inside you, which leaves you feeling a little worn down, low and sad (but not defeated, that's the main point and something to feel proud of)
you should have a good read around the internet about intrusive thoughts, so as to get rid of the mystery about it all. i had a good read around and it does make a lof of sense why we get these thoughts, and it's extremely common in people, not just depressed and anxious people.
the problem is, depressed and anxious people can't deal with any mental stress, including distressing thoughts, so it ends up just going around and around in a circle.. whereas the non-depressed person can just say "whatever" and let the random thoughts which we all have (some of which are good, and some bad) just float on by, like they should, because they are just thoughts and nothing more (i imagine you can see this now can't you because your depression and anxiety is lifting).
google and have a read about what Martin Seif says about it all; read his intrusive thoughts news (letters), and also google some other different information about intrusive thoughts, so you get a bigger picture.. a wider view, which will help diffuse any mystery and stigma you have about negative intrusive thinking. (my take on it is: everyone gets negative intrusive thoughts, but the effects are really intensified if we have depression and anxiety going on, but once the depression and anxiety is dealt with, the intrusive thoughts start to quieten down and eventually head into the background, where they belong).
it's actually pretty normal to have them, it's part of being human.. eg, if you think to yourself: "i hate that person, i wish they were dead".. - thoughts like that only really become a problem when we have depression and anxiety going on, but otherwise, it's no big deal is it, and you realise that everyone thinks like that sometimes, and with depression and anxiety out of the way, you can finally see that thoughts like that are actually pretty funny, and dont mean anything at all.
vanessa45115 a-new-day
Posted
Thank you so much a-new-day. You're right about all of it but I hate that it's still lurking under a feeling good day. I'm also in CBT and finding it do help to some degree. I had this a few years ago and I had a relapse while still on my meds, about 5 months ago. I'm always thinking that I will keep having relapses years down the road and it scares me because my intrusive thoughts are not of the good kind.
Katyf vanessa45115
Posted
vanessa45115 Katyf
Posted
I'm on 150 and 11 weeks in. I will not give up on them because I know they are working, I just need a little more time.
a-new-day vanessa45115
Posted
vanessa are u taking anything else with sertraline? i think that's what i will do if necessary, because like you; i know the sertraline is definitely helping and doing a good job, but if it cant quite keep the anxiety down enough, then i would add something, rather than quit it and switch to something else (because i know sertraline is doing at least 80% of the job, so i would add some kind of anxiety related med to it, to hopefully get that last 20% .. so i can feel 100% again.. or as close to 100% as possible!)
vanessa45115 a-new-day
Posted
My psychiatrist gave me the option of adding something but I opted to wait until I have my thyroid out in October because he's almost certain that it's causing a lot of my anxiety and OCD. It's so hard to know what the right thing is and what the wrong thing is