Sertraline success for the second time!

oh bless you it must be so hard trying meds and then having to change. i did feel some relief on 50mg the first time i was on the medication but it took about 8 weeks and i only felt around 60/70% back to normal, it wasnt until i upped to 100mg that i started making real progress. because of that, this time round i upped my dose a lot quicker to 100mg. i have written how quickly i upped my dose both times in my response to Sandi above ^

i think if you are seeing any improvements, whether its sleeping better or feeling slightly more energetic then these are great signs.

sometimes the progress is so slow that you dont really notice it. i wasnt sure it was working for the second time and was panicking searching online for peoples experiences to see if it had worked again for them. it was my family and friends who noticed improvements. one improvement that was so small was that i got to a point where i felt i could leave the house without having benzos in my bag 'just in case'.

keep going and im sure you will get there x

Kate I'm so glad you mentioned that about not realizing you were improving at first and family and friends noticing. We noticed - as did her friends - improvements with my daughter as well, around the 5 week mark, and were amazed that she couldn't see it! It made me think, ok are we wrong? Are we imagining this? But after being almost paralyzed, unable to get up in the morning, unable to watch tv, or even have a rational conversation, she was doing all that in addition to texting friends and being more open to seeing them.

Now that she has had a setback, - even though she is not all the way back to where she was before so there are still improvements - she really doesn't see that the meds have worked at all. So of course it is harder than ever to convince her to have hope that in the weeks to come she will be better. And with her questioning any progress, it makes us question it too! Like maybe the changes we all saw/and are seeing are...all an act? But correct me if I'm wrong, I don't really think when you are depressed you have it in you to "fake" progress! Am thinking that because you are still depressed, and not "back to normal" that it is difficult to see past that to small victories like "I'm actually able to watch tv"

She is at the 8-week mark. That is why my other post was about setbacks...trying to get a sense of a roadmap here.

Actually I may have the timing wrong, I think we saw improvement at almost 5 and a half weeks, then at 7 weeks she had a major setback that coincided with going back to work and realizing quickly she wasn't able to work yet. feeling grief at that loss and the humiliation of having to bail on her projectl, and tell her colleagues the reason. AND worry that she'll never be able to work there again (it's a place where she works on freelance projects) and embarrassment with not wanting to face her friends after telling them she was returning to her city and apartment and work. i think all of that would set anyone back, regardless of medication!

Hi Kate, I am really hoping to recover on Sert. I haven't been myself since April 😦 I have had more energy this week and managed to fall asleep on my own 4 times this week. I haven't done that since April so I trully believe in SERT. Mu head feels clear and not foggy. I am finishing week 3 on 50 tomorrow. My doc will be upping me to 100 next week and I know it sounds bad but I can't wait! I don't even feel emotions 😦 I hope they come back with mood!

you definitely cannot fake progress when you're going through depression so everything that improved in the 5th week will have been legitimate but unfortunately the first few months are a rollercoaster ride. in the week i felt good early on, i went to the pub with my friends laughing and joking and to the salon to get my nails done on my own etc. then the next week i had panic attacks and crying spells every day and felt very hopeless.

i also think that when you are feeling so low, you're cautious of saying you feel better. being able to concentrate on the tv is a great sign. at first i couldn't even do a puzzle or read a magazine x

it doesn't sound bad at all! of course you are excited to get back to yourself! keep pushing through and dont be too disheartened of you still have some bad weeks. as i said it took me 13 weeks to really turn a corner. improvement in sleep and energy are positive signs that the medication is beginning to work x

Hi Kate, when did interest in stuff come back? Did your feelings come back?

I am just re-reading all posts here & I remember saying to a Consultant that my works had sent me to, "what do I when I go back to work" she said, on the coffee break tell them all exactly why you were off for so long. This way its out there & they will not be wondering should they ask, what to say etc., . My colleagues were unbelievable, I got a few hugs, offer of help to ease my work load until I had settled back in etc., Also it surprised me how many came to me one on one & said they have relations etc., who have anxiety & depression. so while it was hard to say it, as I said they totally surprised me. Please tell your daughter not to be worried about what others think, I for one would give her the biggest hug & congratulate her on keeping going. I would even give Mum the biggest hug just for being what everyone would hope a Mum would be x

Thank you Jean, very inspiring words. It was hard for her but I encouraged her to be honest - it took her all day to be able to do it but when I heard her on the phone with the owner of the company and heard her say the words I have clinical depression it brought tears to my eyes. The owner and other colleagues all responded by saying we love you and one said oh yes I struggle too and see a therapist. Am thankful many people have an understanding of mental health issues today. xo

Ala1483, I am interested in that answer also. Although my daughter is better than she was (no more suicidal thoughts, better able to function), she says every day that she "feels the same" - i.e. that there has been no change in her mood, motivation or attitude. Everything negative, no joy or interest in anything or anyone. That breaks my heart and scares me. I want my baby to get her smile and joy of living back. Am wondering if this has to come from therapy or will the meds eventually help to get her back there?

Hi Sandy, what dose and how long has she been on it. Meds should allow her to feel like her old self... and therapy helps to indentify triggers etc. However it's my second depression in my life, this one was triggered by my problems with thyroid so therapy may not be rhe the answer this time.

She's on 100 mg and is at 8 weeks on therapeutic dose (I'm counting from when she was on 50 which is therapeutic dose - started on 25 for 4 days, then 50 for a week, then 75 for a week and then finally 100)

She is also on Buproprion (Wellbutrin in US) I think 150 extended release

its hard to say because the progress is so slow. i would say maybe around the 10 week mark i started to enjoy some of the things i did before but there is no way of putting a pinpoint on the time as its so gradual. i also used to respond that i felt the same every day to my parents until probably the 10/11 week mark where i started to notice the progress id made but it was still minor and only on looking back so you really see the difference x

and yes i have all my feelings back. i still cry when im sad and cry my eyes out laughing!

i second this, i was scared to go back to work as i thought i would be judged and feel embarassed but everyone has been amazing. at the end of the day we are all human and like you said almost all if not all of your colleagues will have been through it or know someone who has x

That sounds right to me - am guessing it is very gradual and subtle. I liken it (am just guessing here - would never presume to know...) to maybe like when you have physical pain like a backache. Every day you wake up in pain, you get used to just having that back pain. But then one day it hits you - you say hey wait...I just realized...I don't have that pain any more...and you may have been walking around pain free for several days without realizing it because you just weren't fixated on the pain.

I feel badly because my girl probably thinks we're watching her every second looking for signs of improvement...which of course we are. And I have to get a grip on the fact that this is not a sprint...it's a marathon. With steps backward along the way. But we're in it to win it. I pray that these are the right meds for her. It will break my heart if she has to start all over with something else.

I take such heart in these posts from those who have been there/are there. Y'all rock.