Sertraline - my 8 week story

we have all found this thread has helped in so many ways, i am a year in with sertraline and cannot believe how hard the first 2 month was. if anyone needs any help or just wanting to know that it is def worth sticking it out.

hI THANKS

im not new to medications and have used sertraline a few years ago and have either forgotton or feel ive never experienced such intence anxiety fear etc etc ,4 weeks in and been feeling like im loosing my mind its so so tough i teally have felt like chucking the towel in , i know i have to stick with it so reading richards comments every day is helping me

love to hear more from you

thanks again

i was exactly the same, this is my 2nd time around and im bot coming off them again .

i dont know if its because the first time you dont know what to expect but the last time was awful. i like yourself wanted to through the towel in but your half way through now, and that is such a triumph.

the anxiety was the worst thing of all, and the anxiety made me sick with terrible indegestion which made eventhing worse.

so i started gaviscon and rennies and that helped with reflux so could tolerate food.

honestly itbis worth it, by week 6 i had started back at work and was in my way to being the old me.

each day i made myself go for a walk, and focused on small things, i woudl get up have a shower and dressed regardless of i ended up pottering around the house.

dont give up xx

Hi guys--I am so glad everyone is finding this thread helpful! I'm sorry to report that after my fifteen year run with Zoloft, I'm having to switch to Lexapro. I went up to 200 mg Z four months ago and continued to have anxiety and weepy spells. I was somewhat better than I was in September/October, but I am only about 60% back to my old self, and that just won't do.

I went down to 150 Z about two weeks ago and didn't really have any discontinuation symptoms. I was able to fly across the country and enjoy a vacation with my family. There were moments, for sure, when I felt the anxiety and sadness creep up, but for the most part I was okay.

For the next couple of days I'm going down to 100 Z, then on the fourth day I'm going down to 50 and adding 5 mg Lexapro. From there I'll go down to 25 and you get the gist.

I really hate to say goodbye to Zoloft, as it really did work wonders for my anxiety for so many years. I had very little side effects and it was great. I encourage anyone on it to give it a chance.

Pray for me and my Lexapro! The next step if Lex doesn't work is Cymbalta.

thankyou so much its helpful to know that is "normal" if you can call it that. the hardest part is you think one minute things may be getting a bit better then the next a shaking wreck and that feels worse

anyway thanks again and hope you are doing ok now and ill let you know how i get on

patrick x

Hello. I started Sertraline in January and I am very familiar with your experience. I didn't think anxiety and intrusive thoughts could get much worse until I began taking Sertraline. It was the people on this site who offered me excellent advice: that it does get worse at first, that it's "normal" to experience emotional and physical upsets while your body adjusts, and that everyone is different. Also, it took me 12 weeks to start to feel better, instead of the average 8 weeks. But I DO feel better. Some people told me they had "windows" of normalcy, and that is how it happened with me. Gradually the windows began to expand, and I am feeling better. It's hard to believe that I tried to cope with this without medicine. It's just not possible with me. I hope you continue to feel better and better, and that your side effects are few.

(By-the-way, I HAD to take Valium in the beginning. I just HAD to, in order to combat horrendous anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I don't need it now.)

thankyou

yes i also have to take valium to sleep nice to know that will end

good luck and thanks for the reply

thank you this gives me hope did you feel worse before better? the doctors say if it isnt working by 4-6 weeks then to throw the towel in but there is proof on here that it CAN kick in!

hi

like i say im about a week in front of you and things are tough .from what others are saying reslistically

between 8-12 weeks so weve just got to keep going .is your depression and anxiety worse?

i do have the odd day when things are slightly better then have a horendous crash

keep going x

hi richard yes im on day 15 of the 100mg dose but 4 weeks in now in total, i think because of a lot of online sites are saying 2-3 weeks to work that frightens me when in reality that probably isnt very realistic! since nearing week 4 my anxiety and depression has got worse, this is why i was thinking about throwing the towel in, its the sheer panic that arrives first thing on a morning when i wake up like an electric current coursing through me and then the negative thoughts, ive found im spending more time needing to nap now in the afternoon than i previously did, i did speak to another guy who said week 4 and 5 were his worst and to keep going and he didnt start to see any improvements until atleast week seven, so looks like we are either 1/2 or 1/3 of the way through!

Hi Snowedin

Just wanted to give you some encouragement; I had 6 good years of complete remission on Escitalopram (Lexapro). I found it totally effective at ridding me of anxiety with few side effects

Hope you are managing Ok - anxiety is quite possibly the worst affliction anyone has to bear.

xxx

thank you! yesterday was my first day--taking 50 mg Z with 5 mg L for a week before i increase L and reduce Z again. anxiety is so awful.

i have had this cortisol rush, too. i found the best thing to do is either go for a walk straightaway or lie on your back with your legs up in the air against the wall for 10 min. something about the bloodflow helps. have you tried beta blockers? i used one for a few days and it was great, but i had to stop taking it because i have asthma and the doc who prescribed it didn't realize it. i found it helped immensely. it was propanolol, i think.

I tried beta blockers years ago but didnt find they worked for me.

I am also on Pregabalin twice daily but it doesn't do anything for me. My Psychiatrist is putting my dose up to 150mgs from next Tuesday; that will be 4 weeks on Sertraline. Do you think that is likely to make me feel worse initially?

oh, definitely! it could take up to 8 weeks for anxiety and it will take awhile for your body to get used to the meds. just be patient!!!

hi

i to tried beta blockers last year also and found it made the depression worse . i did go down the route of seeing a phyc

privately who suggested i take pregablin which my doctor has held off on to which at this point im happy im somehow getting through without it, saying that i am very fortunate to have this great doctor who sees me at any point i wish and i dont think there are many of those about in my experience down the years

my opinion is and of my doctor is that upping your dose again just after 4 weeks is to soon its not kicking in yet

but thats just an opinion

i think its possible when you increase things will be a struggle

im going for 8 weeks on 100mg before i do anything else as i know its torture weeks 4,5 and 6

hope this helps you can do this!!!!!!!

Hi Patrick

I have been in a bad way (very severe anxiety, I dont suffer with depression) since Escitalopram stopped working for me in October last year, and I went back onto Paroxetine, which didnt work 2nd time round.

I think because of this that my Psychiatrist put in place a plan to increase my dose of Sertraline by 50mgs every 2 weeks; he also said we might need to go above the recommended maximum dose of 200mgs. I wonder if he thinks I will only respond to a high dose, given that 2 previous SSRI'S have pooped out on me. But having researched Sertraline, I would agree with you that the general concensus seems to be to take it gradually

My anxiety is already bad enough that getting through each day is a struggle, so I think I will speak to him next week and suggest staying at 100mgs for a while longer. I dont think I could cope with feeling worse than I already do.

How are you feeling?

hi sam

your lucky in way you dont get depression,,ive dipped again today so we will see it is expected but still a bummer keep strong

Hi Patrick

My anxiety is sooo bd today, I can barely function. I am sobbing as I write this I am so desperate.

I dont know what originally caused my anxiety and still dont. I was very happy, confident and outgoing and it came out of nowhere at 25.

Once I went onto SSRI'S 16 years ago I became symptom free and got my life back; good job, holidays and generally lived a happy life.

Now I am back to square one, since meds stopped working in October. I lost my job and life has become a daily struggle. I so desperately want to get back to where I used to be but I am so scared that I wont.

I asked my Psychiatrist if he would give me a benzo short term to help with my anxiety but he wouldnt.

I am just so desperate to feel some respite....thank you for your words of encouragement Patrick. I need to believe this will pass as its so horrible. I dont know how long I could go on feeling like this but I have to stay strong for my 11 year old son.

Keep fighting xxx

I dont feel very lucky at the moment .....:(

i realise that but you must hang on

you have pulled through before and you will again x

i really do know where your at

have you got a good support network around you? my freinds have been so strong and supportive even though it feels embarasing and you just dont want it . open up and be witb others even if you breakdown

it wont last forever, it cant ,not possible and i bet your sick off hearing that to

we can do this xxx

ps DO NOT DRINK for a while

i quit in january for the first time and even 1 drink now can destructive

I have some good friends, and am very close to my Mum, who lives about 9 miles away.

My husband finds it hard to deal with; its hard for him being at work all day, and then coming home to me constantly upset. We dont really talk about it, but he does try and get me to eat and does alot of the cooking as his way of supporting me. The hardest part is being on my own during the week.

I too gave up alcohol in January, but have had a few drinks since. I'm ashamed to say that yesterday, out of desperation I bought 2 minature bottles of red wine and drank them in the afternoon...probably why my anxiety is so bad today. But I know it was stupid and not the answer so I wont do it again. I now drink chamomile tea....probably about 10 cups a day!

When I first got anxiety at 25 I was tried on loads of different SNRI'S but nothing really worked. The scary thing is I spent 10 years suffering; thats why I'm so scared now. I really believe that my anxiety is caused by a chemical imbalance or some malfunction of the brain, as when the physical symptoms go I almost instantly feel well.

You are right....we can do this. We HAVE TO. xxx

i get you im the same this is my 5th episode since 30

always taken me a couple of years to recover im hoping this will be the last ,it will happen!!! is there anywhere you can make yourself go during the day even making the 9 mile trip to your mums every day is hard but better than being alone

hi again

you say intrusive thoughts were terrible do yiu mean depressive and suicidal also what dose did you start on and what are you on now

thanks