Sertraline PMDD, Anxiety, side effects advise pls
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi
I am seeking advice and other people's experiences on sertraline pls.
I have been through a lot of trauma through out my life but have always been scared to take antidepressants due to fear of side effects and addiction. However life has become so unmanageable: using alcohol to cope, isolating to the point I've lost all my close friends, I don't have any family support.
My self esteem is non existent which tends to make me extremely anxious around others constantly thinking that I'm not good enough or worrying what they are thinking of me, it has got so bad that at times I dread having conversations or making eye contact and get so anxious that I literally start thinking 'I want to die' or 'I can't cope' during the conversation or while walking down the road etc and when this happens I desperately want the ground to swallow me up 
I am currently off work and have been for months following an overdose to end it all. I rarely leave my flat as I have no desire to do anything and am scared sometimes of the anxiety attacks I get so often avoid ppl.
The only person I would spend all of my time with (at home) was my boyfriend who was very emotionally abusive so I ended the relationship a few days ago as it was extremely unhealthy and I'm determined to get try and get better!
Following the overdose I was referred to the mental health team and have an assessment for psychotherapy next week. I tried citalapram and although my anxiety decreased slightly, I had really bad insomnia and was constantly exhausted. I was then prescribed duloxetine but after doing some research I found it was highly highly addictive and caused awful side effects if missed a pill or tried to come off it so I refused to take it. I have now been prescribed sertraline and diagnosed with PMDD as all of the above symptoms are 100% worse when I'm due on!
I've started on 50mg a few weeks ago but again found I couldn't sleep which of course makes my moods/anxiety worse. So I have been told to go back down to 25mg and slowly work up to 100mg..
I'm at the point where it's hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel but I'm hoping they'll work but again am worried about side affects. I'm due to go back to work in a few weeks and don't want to be drowsy or suffering with insomnia due to the tablets.
I'm wandering what's our experiences have been with sertraline? Is 100mg to high a dose ? Has anyone suffered with some of the symptoms I've described and had positive results with sertraline?
All I want is to feel happy/normal without fear of talking to people, to have the motivation to get dressed and go out like I used to.
Any advise at all will be highly appreciated x
0 likes, 21 replies
maureen78375 Toooo_
Posted
Hi Tara
Stick with the setraline believe me we've all been where you are just now and due to the setraline have lots of better times than bad. But I think the insomnia could be down to the anxiety rather than the setraline. Hopefully the next coming weeks you start getting more sleep as the setraline kicks in more. And well done on getting rid of the partner. It's support you need not someone making you feel worse. Times will start to get better for you, it's just taking its time. Then we learn how to deal with our bad days. But hang in there. Take care things will work it even although you don't feel it just now. And remember there's usually always someone here to talk to if you have too. Every day is a day closer to normality. All the best x
Toooo_ maureen78375
Posted
Hi Maureen,
Thanks I will stick at it
I must say I slept quite well last night, funny enough since he's gone!! But I'll see what happens when I increase to 50mg, I seen my doc yesterday and she's happy for me to do that .
maureen78375 Toooo_
Posted
That's good you had better sleep. I used to feel like I had this and was all alone but once u open up and tell people you have it, you find out there's so many people who have it. Lots of people are embarrassed about it. I'm not i talk about it a lot it's always good to get how you are feeling off your chest xx
matt39801 maureen78375
Posted
Did anyone experience lower anxiety on 100mg after 2 weeks but increased crying spells ?
My anxiety is a lot better but feel extremely low and cry a lot
Matt
Toooo_ maureen78375
Posted
I agree, but there's such a stigma attached to mental health so i do find it hard to be open. But well done on owning it
rebecca65877 Toooo_
Posted
I started settling in Sept 2016. I started getting anxiety associated with my cycle after my third child and then I had SVT one day at work. This began a cycle of horrible panic attacks that became debilitating and I finally had to go on leave from work and make an attempt with an antidepressant. I was absolutely terrified to try it, it I figured it can’t get much worse than it already was naturally. The start up process was horrific, but the glimmer of hope was having short moments in the day where I would feel normal again. The side effects I would explain to the doctor or look up online, I couldn’t even find. At night I would feel like a rush of warmth running through me, but it was also around the time that I would get the panic attacks, so I don’t l ow if that was my body blocking the panic. The fatigue was crippling, and I have 3 children and a home to attend to. I thought for sure I would never get better and lose my job and just spiral. It took starting at 50, dropping to 25, then back to 50, then 75, then 100 which I found was too much, and dropped back to 25. Each adjustment was about every 2 weeks. I finally settled at 75 and just tried to ride it out. By January, I finally started having mostly consistent days of feeling normal. I still got a while could tell when I took the pill, like I would feel a tense feeling and slowly that would fade. I went from being totally against taking an antidepressant to now not caring if I have to live on one because I never want to experience what I went through during that time. I never got a formal diagnosis, but as a RN, I would say it’s some kind of post partem pmdd. I haven’t had a full blown panic attack since November 2016. I’ve had some moments and days where I feel off, but I have much better control of myself, and again, it’s typically around my period or ovulation which confirms to me that it’s all related. I have always been very calm and rarely get flustered, so going through that experience was so challenging. I did notice after this resolved that I am less annoyed by things, especially at work, which is nice. The side effects like headache, nausea, decreased orgasm, fatigue, etc...all subsided as I adjusted to the medicine. Obviously I wish this never happened and that I did t need to take a medication, but it is what it is and hey, as long as I feel normal with it, I’m not gonna try to come off and put myself at risk for a worse event. Besides, I hear menopause can be brutal, so I’m just gonna be prepared and stay on my Sertaline, lol. Try and stick with it, get a good support system behind you, don’t let anyone including yourself make you feel like you are doing the wrong thing. I have a completely different outlook on mental health after having gone through this. We are not crazy, our bodies go through changes at different stages in life and from our life experiences and everyone’s body handles it differently. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but any little glimpse of hope you feel during the day, hold on to that. As hard as it is, try to stay active and be around people who love and care about you. Good luck in your journey!