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Sertraline and breathing

Posted , 7 users are following.

Hoopz
Hoopz

I wondered if anyone has experience what i am going through at the moment. I started on sert 25mg in Dec last year and have increased slowly to 150mg. I was put on this for very bad panic attacks,anxiety and fatigue. ( burn out) I had all the nasty side effects with every increase but they calmed down eventually .

My panic attacks have stopped but I feel like I'm short of breath. I have had this on and off all the time. I feel like I'm trying to eat air. I also have tinitus which I had before but now it is louder. I don't know if the breathing thing is anxiety. Deep breathing helped in the early days but doesn't seem to help much now. I also am still very tired. I can do a bit more now than I could before...i was floored by even going upstairs. I have also been out now ..not alot though. I feel like I'm making some progress but so so slow. Doctor says if I'm not feeling better by my next visit we will talk about changing meds. This scares me to death after reading people's experiences on here. I don't know if an increase to 200mg will help or a change ...i suppose this is making me anxious. Can I add I am 61 and have been off work for nearly 6 months with this terrible illness. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

1 like, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • debbie_84339
    debbie_84339 Hoopz

    Edited

    Hi hoopz 

      I too have tinnitus.. I am decreasing my Zoloft!!   Honestly..  I think we are on too high of a dose !! I had a online dr and she kept increasing it .. she wanted me to go to 200 and I felt so bad ( still do at 125 ). I went to my regular dr and he told me my dose is way too high !!  If anything I would advise you to start decreasing!!  BUT TALK TO YOUR DR FIRST !!!  The fact you have been on it since December like me ..  we should be feeling better... not worse !   My anxiety is still so bad !  The breathing problem..  I get short of breath too . I blame it on the anxiety. I suffer horrible nightmares too !   I have had it with this med !!!

    • Hoopz
      Hoopz debbie_84339

      Edited

      If I busy myself my breathing doesn't bother me ..unless I do too

      much. Problem is I have no energy or enthusiasm to do anything. I look like a tramp .. hair needs cutting...i need the dentist.. ño make up on most of the time which is unheard of for me. I look and feel about 95. So i sit messing on my phone and then I'm conscious of my breathing. Can you relate to this?

      🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

  • eve51406
    eve51406 Hoopz

    Edited

    Hello Hoopz

    It seems that our troubles began around the same time! 2017 was a year of eye problems, dental implants and I already had tinnitus with some high frequency hearing loss. My crash came after started to wean off setraline 50mg and seemed ok. I saw a locum GP who frightened me so I increased to 50mg again. This gave me an additional T noise, GP advised increase to 100mg. After one tablet I now had multiple noises in both ears. I had a complete breakdown, suicidal, tremors, couldn’t get out of bed or eat. 

    5 month’s!!!!!! on things are a little better, not so depressed but still with anxiety. It’s as though a lot of things I thought I had managed well now impacted. Marriage separation after 40 odd years, some of them were odd! My mother had died too and now, total implosion. 

    I’m in my 60’s too but I’ve resisted medical attempts to increase dosage or change meds. I just wouldn’t survive a regression to such severe side effects. 

    Have you tried talking therapy? I’m a Counselling Therapist and I’ve managed to slightly work a little now but only in the afternoons.

    I’m still trying hynotherapy which helps, I’ve spent a fortune. People are fed up with me being this way even though I live alone. I’m fed up with myself and it’s frightening to feel so awful some days.

    It’s probably been a long route to your burn out so try to allow yourself enough time to regenerate. 

    Eve 🌸

  • eve51406
    eve51406 Hoopz

    Edited

    Here’s ps. I think when we’re anxious we focus on our bodies in a way that we didn’t previously. You probably hold your breath? test it. I’ve become obsessed by one of my dental implants and it freaks me out. There’s nothing clinical wrong with it, it just feels so alien. 

    Anxiety plays some horrible mind games but it can be overcome. We need to find a way forward. 

    Eve 🌸

    • Hoopz
      Hoopz eve51406

      Edited

      You are right. Also I think when you have so much time on your hands you tend to dwell on things. Like my tinitus and breathing don't bother me when I'm watching tv or cooking the tea etc but if I'm sitting still in the quiet it's a different story. I also think lack of sleep is playing a major part with me. I'm sleeping better but I don't think for long enough. I also wake up sweating to death with my pjs literally soaked. So i think sleep deprivation and dehydration are playing a significant role in my recovery. I think I will start taking a mild sleeper tonight with a pint pot of water and see if I can improve my sleep pattern. Thanks for the input. This forum is a life saver.

      🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

    • eve51406
      eve51406 Hoopz

      Edited

      Hello again

      There’s a previous post of mine to you that is waiting for moderation! Not sure why. There is some additional background of mine that might resonate with you.

      Eve 🌸

    • Hoopz
      Hoopz eve51406

      Edited

      Thanks Eve for taking the time to reply. I saw you have a post pending moderation. I will check it out tomorrow.

      🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

    • Hoopz
      Hoopz debra34304

      Edited

      They are just pheneghan ..i havnt taken one for months cos I've been sleeping better. I think I'm not sleeping long enough.

      🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

    • Hoopz
      Hoopz debra34304

      Edited

      It's difficult to know whether to increase the dose or decrease.

      I took a pheneghan last night and slept 8 hours. Today however I have had car trouble and had to send one of my son's in a taxi to get me a new battery and spark plugs. I put the battery in and with some difficulty changed the plugs. My anxiety hit the roof. I couldn't breathe and had palpitations which pushed me onto the floor. It's strange because I like doing manual stuff and it wasn't energetic. The car is now driving like a dream but I'm still very jittery and my tinitus is deafening. I feel like i cant win

      I'm getting so fed up.

      🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

    • eve51406
      eve51406 Hoopz

      Posted

      Hello again

      I do feel for you in your stress reactions. Read my now moderated post if you feel up to it later. 

      Tinnitus is horrible and mine goes ballistic for no reason at all. 

      A positive thing though, well done for being able to change the battery. I wouldn’t have a clue, it’s challenging topping up the screen wash!

      I’m guessing you don’t live in the South of England as I do. It’s a set back but you’re not right back to where you were in December. Eve 🌸

  • kerry83144
    kerry83144 Hoopz

    Posted

    Hi, just wondering have you had your bloods checked, and chest checked? Just to rule out anything. My mum had the same thing, never smoked but had been diagnosed with asthma at 60, she now has inhalers and feels much better.
    • Hoopz
      Hoopz kerry83144

      Posted

      Thanks for the input. I had my bloods checked when I first started going to the doctors with anxiety. And i was given a ventolin inhaler because i was so short of breath. I didn't think it was anxiety at the time and even though the doc said anxiety I was in denial and thought something else was up. I had an ecg which was fine and bloods which were normal. Then I went for a chest x-ray and the doctor came to my house to tell me I had nodules in my lungs. I was convinced then that I had cancer ( worst case scenario) and i had to go for a ct scan ...This was clear which was a huge relief. I then started having prolonged panic attacks...hence sertraline. I am attempting to drink more water. I seriously think that waking up wringing in sweat and having a really bad bum most mornings is dehydrating me. This can make you feel awful so today I start with tons of water..i will see how that goes before I see the doc again. He won't give me another inhaler because he thinks it's all anxiety.

      Getting really p****d off now to be honest. Been off work since

      🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

  • gabrielle34731
    gabrielle34731 Hoopz

    Posted

    I downloaded a couple of YouTube videos by physios  who teach you how to relax the muscles in the front of your neck. I found that when I had extreme tension in the front of my neck that I felt like I was choking and gasping for breath. These exercises have definitely helped me on two fronts 1. Helping the muscles to relax and 2. Helping  me to realise that it is just tension and that I'm breathing fine, just focusing way too much on it. Hope this helps 😁

    • Hoopz
      Hoopz gabrielle34731

      Posted

      Thanks..i will check it out. If i sit on the couch with my head back it feels like my throat is closing up ..its horrible

      ☹☹☹☹

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