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Sertraline cry for help...again!

Posted , 8 users are following.

jodie-91
jodie-91

Hello, I only posted on here a few days ago for the first time but since my side effects of sertraline seem to have changed. I'm taking 50mg per day plus 10mg of propranolol, day 15. My anxiety is with me almost 24/7, a horrible feeling in my chest/throat area and feeling like I'm not breathing sufficiently.

The tight pains in my neck seem to be getting worse and my legs are very weak, they burn even walking up a small flight of stairs, dizziness has increased and my headaches seem to have changed - it is now a throbbing headache and feels almost like swelling around my brain? Feel free to tell me I am being crazy and over thinking all of these symptoms but I am really struggling with constantly feeling not right

1 like, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • Cintapoppy
    Cintapoppy jodie-91

    Posted

    Hi Jodie,

    I only took one sertraline tablet and it made me feel really inwell, the side effects were so unbearable i refused to take any more. I am sorry to hrear you are having such a rough time with it. Maybe you need to see the GP or psychiatrist and what the side effects are and that they are unbearable. Not all tablets suit everyone. Are you eating ok? Plenty of fluids and no alcohol? Just checking.

  • dawn59070
    dawn59070 jodie-91

    Posted

    Hi jodie-91. I was exactly the same as you except no propranolol. The feelings you are getting are quite common with this medication. I am now 16 weeks in got upped to 100mg after 8 weeks. I now feel almost myself again. I also had cbt which also helped. Stick with it even if you feel like stopping, its worked great for me, you just need to ride out the awful side effects.

    Good luck, Dawn.

    • rachel62244
      rachel62244 dawn59070

      Posted

      Dawn maybe you could help me. I'm 7weeks on 50mg and 1week on 75mg still struggling with post natal depression and anxiety. Little moments where I'm OK but no where near myself. So worried it won't work. Doctor says aim is to get me on 100mg but slowly as my anxiety is bad
    • dawn59070
      dawn59070 rachel62244

      Posted

      Hi Rachel, sorry your not feeling too good. Stick with them its still early days yet. I'm on it fir anxiety and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I've been on them since jan, 8 weeks on 50mg then upped to 100. I'm more or less back to how i was before anxiety so fingers crossed for you. Let me know how you get on. X
    • rachel62244
      rachel62244 dawn59070

      Posted

      Thank you. I feel in a state on panic all the time for no reason. Sometimes I loose control and feel unreal when around people in shops etc, I darnt speak I feel so weird its awful feeling. I thought it was gone but it came back and its not going ! They keep saying I need to get up to 100mg but I'm so worried its just not going to work and I'll be stuck like this forever. Its all I think about 24 7. I'm so low.
    • jodie-91
      jodie-91 rachel62244

      Posted

      Hi Rachel, I'm the same, I went out for a quiet dinner last night with close friends and felt continuously like I had a strange sensation when trying to breathe, yesterday afternoon I had a racing heart and pains in my chest, numbness in my feet and hands and very recently, I've started feeling as though I have sleep apnoea when I'm just about to fall asleep - I dont, apparently it is all part of anxiety. I'm on week 3 of sertraline now and the problem isn't 24/7 for me anymore but when it does come on, it is more severe than before I started the medication.

      My GP is also a psychologist and she told me that when I feel like I can't speak/go into my self and zone out - I should really try and start a normal conversation with someone, just to get back to normality and apparently it will help. I have also been doing some breathing exercises - in my nose for 5-7 seconds and out through my mouth for 9-11, when I do these for long enough (eyes closed) it really has helped.

      Sorry you are feeling so low, but if you are anything like me, you might feel a little comfort in knowing your my alone with this!

    • rachel62244
      rachel62244 jodie-91

      Posted

      Sorry your going through this too. I'm so spaced out and my head is so heavy I'm so hurt by all of this. I want me back. U feeling any better?? I'm now one week on 100mg
    • jodie-91
      jodie-91 rachel62244

      Posted

      Hi Rachel,

      I was feeling better which surprised me because I have just had an exam and 2 assignment deadlines so i presumed I would feel worse however, the past few days I have been waking up feeling extremely light headed, I get a head rush every time I stand up and I am left feeling very dizzy for quite a while, yesterday this didn't go off until about 4pm. I also feel like my breathing is quite shallow (although my main anxiety issue has always been my breathing), I will often be looking at something now and after 10 seconds realise my eyes aren't focused and its a complete blur, plus, I tend to need about 10 hours of sleep a night since i have been taking these!

      My doctor has left me on 50mg per day for now but I'm a little worried as I won't be able to see her for a while now as I go on my next nursing placement and can't really take any time off for an appointment sad

      How are you feeling today?

      Jodie

  • Gem101
    Gem101 jodie-91

    Posted

    Hi I'm on 50mg sertraline and 10mg propnalol also and I would say I felt all the awful side effects for about 3 weeks before things started to ease and my anxiety was so awful just like you it was 24/7. I would say 6-8 weeks in I started to feel the full effect of this AD I know it's not nice but things do get better !

    Hope you feel better soon

    • john53632
      john53632 Gem101

      Posted

      Gem,

      Did you got to the doctors during the first three weeks? I was on prozac and had bad side effects and now moved to setraline and have bad side effects. The doctor recomend i change after speaking to them. What do you think I am worried if I go and talk to the doctor I will be told to change AD again. But not sure what t do about work really struglling and worried I am going to have to take some time off. I just feel more down cause the AD are making me phisicly ill. 

    • Gem101
      Gem101 john53632

      Posted

      Hi John yeah I did go back to the doctors during the time I felt at my worst and my GP advised me to give it more time as my body needed to ajust to this new med and said If after a further two more weeks there was no improvement then to come back

      I honestly do think it's just giving it time ! I would say though if after 6 weeks your still not feeling right then go back to your gp ! I know it's a roller coaster and feels like no light at the end of the tunnel but it will get better and you just have to have the right med for you. Like yourself I had to take time off work because it was the last thing I could take and i got so down feeling so crap all the time ! But I took each day at a time and things did improve. Wishing you the best and hope you feel better soon

  • cookierunner
    cookierunner jodie-91

    Posted

    Hi Jodie,

    I've been getting exactly the same symptoms but I've only been taking it for 4 days. The weak legs is awful for me because i'm a runner who's desperate to run!

    The headaches and dizziness i think can only be tackled with fluids and rest if the dizziness gets too much. Similar to migraines, I think its just dark, cool rooms, lying flat, fluids and rest.

    Hope this Helps :-)

    • jodie-91
      jodie-91 cookierunner

      Posted

      Hello, thanks for your reply - I'm now on day 16 and so far, I am feeling a little better today. I hadn't been taken any pain killers before because I don't like taking a mix of medicines but last night I had to take 2 paracetamol for the headache and neck pains and within half an hour they had gone - they have come back today but so far not to the same extreme.

      I spoke to my GP over the phone today and she seemed quite baffled by the muscles aches and doesn't seem to think they are related to the sertraline but I'm convinced they are and I have read a lot of other people's comments on here who have had the same symptoms.

      I hope that your side effects don't hang around too long and that your able to get back out running ASAP!

    • cookierunner
      cookierunner jodie-91

      Posted

      Your welcome :-)

      You should be fine mixing paracetamol ant sertraline, they work on different "systems" so interaction is minimal. However, be causious of asprin, this may cause brusing.

      I'm glad your heads doing better.

      Weird..... It must be becuase I've heard it as well

      Me too, I've got a dissertation to write and a job interview as well as working full time, I havent got time to be unwell....

      I hope so too. I'm starting to miss pounding the pavements..

      Hope you start to feel better soon. :-)

       

  • FDawg
    FDawg jodie-91

    Posted

    Hi Jodie,

    Firstly, you aren't being crazy. I am on Sertraline 50 mg daily and 80 mg Propranolol (40 mg in the morning, 40mg in the evening) for depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

    For the first 2 weeks of my treatment I suffered some pretty strong side effects the same as you. I thought I was going insane, I went from having 1 panic attack a day to 1 or 2 every hour. I felt exhausted and like it wasn't worth taking them. Eventually each day it got easier and easier as I accepted I would get a little worse before feeling the benefits. I am no increased to 100 mg sertraline which I start tomorrow, I know I will feel grotty for a few days but once I have ridden it out it is onwards and upwards. Ive been on Sertraline for 4 weeks so far and I am strating to feel it working and hope the increased dose will help even more.

    EVeryone reacts differently to AD's and try to remember that they take 3 - 6 weeks to build up to therapeutic levels. The first few weeks are hell for some people but this doesn't mean you are having an adverse reaction to them, it is just your brain trying to deal with the introduction of a new or increased chemical.

    One piece of advice would be to ask your GP if they will inbcrease your Proporanolol as this really helps with the symptoms of anxiety (palpitations, struggling to breath, tight chest, naueas etc) but again it won't sure the root cause of the probelm. It simply helps to make the adverse symptoms easier to deal with.

    Most depression and anxiety builds up over years so you have to stay strong and believe that no matter how bad the meds make you feel now that they will make you feel better. If they dont then you can discuss different meds with your GP.

    Good luck and stay strong 

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