Sertraline sucess?

thank you sue for replying I do really appreciate it. x I was meant to start sertraline weeks ago but after dropping my citalopram down to 20mg I felt loads better then I just seemed to crash suddenly a few days ago, pretty badly too. I've somehow managed to convince myself I wont feel better and cant seem to get it out of my head now.

the past few days have been a real struggle.

your reply has made me feel better so thank you. I just hope soon I start to see some improvement.

thank you so much for your reply. it really helps to know that it's worked for people when you feel this low. I'm glad you found something that works for you. is sertraline the first Ad you have tried?

hi , yes it is . i really thought i was never going to get better but the sertraline has made a big difference.

that's really good. I hope it works for me too. I've woken up today with the shakes really bad and terrible anxiety. I know anxiety can be bad in the mornings but this is pretty scary. did this happen to you?

were you on a different med before sertraline?

hi, i was only taking herbal remedies for anxiety , this is my first time to take an AD. My anxiety was always at its worse in the morning when i woke , awful infact! i would do deep breathing exercises just to help me get out of bed. SLOWLY breath in to the count of 4 then breath out to the count of 4, do this a few times and feel your tummy inflate as you breath in, i still use this technique if i get a bit of anxiety, which i am still a bit prone too , but its not as bad as it was before i started the sertraline. SLEEPING well and exercise and relaxation are also really important , and avoid alcohol , reduce caffeine . i didnt physically have the shakes, but i certainly 'felt' shakey , for me it was horrendous knots and sense of dread in my stomach to the point of making me sick, and feeling detached from reality , stuck with negative thoughts in my head ; the anxiety then led to very low mood, hence why i made the decision to start an AD.

the negative thoughts are the worst.

I dunno why but I cant get it out of my head that I will never get better. it's hard to deal with, and same here with the feelings of dread. they make coping really difficult.

today so far has been a nightmare so I'm not coping very well today.

did you feel worse before better when starting them?

I havnt been able to eat but I'm making sure I drink plenty of water as I feel a bit sick.

did you get bad side effects?

sorry for all the questions I'm just looking for reassurance really I think x

the negative thoughts are not your thoughts but the anxiety making you think that way, there is no point in fighting them or trying to push them away, just let them be and tell yourself it is just the medication making you think this way, it means that, in a kind of perverse way that it is working already, once your mind gets the message that you are not concerned about them and you know that regardless of how you feel at the moment you will not be like this forever, they will realise you are in control not the other way round. With regards to feeling sick, if it gets too bad you can take a travel sickness tablet and if you do not feel like eating then buy some meal replacement shakes, they taste a lot better then they use to and will still be giving your body some minerals and vitamins, you will be fine, this is just the course the medication takes unfortunately

thank you sue. I think the reason I keep thinking thatvwayvis because everytime I felt I was making progress before I would always come crashing back down. and I've been feeling like this for 7 months now. everytime I have the thought my mood completely drops and I get that horrible dread feeling. how do I let them be? it's pretty hard.

that's a good idea with the shakes atleast I will be getting something in my system. and that's better than nothing x

hia, my mood was so low when i started the AD I dont think they made it worse, but i still kept t thjnking i would never get better and that the AD's would not work. my anxiety increased abit too, but i tried to keep reassuring myself that i would be ok. THE initial side effects on the SERT WEre HEADACHES, increased weird tension felling in my tummy )slightly different to anxiety and i was more tired, so was actually sleeping better! my massive appetite was also a little effected and periods of feeling slightly sick MOST of these have now gone completely , and were nothing compared to the low mood. FOR my mum, the first 4 weeks were really tough, feeling more low and anxious, spaced out, no appetite, however, all of these have now gone and she feels great now, she has been on sertraline for 9 weeks. 😃 she took diszepam to manage her anxiety whilst the SERT HAD time to kick in. she came off the diazepam on week 8. 😃

its really good to hear that you are in a better place mentally too. even if it's a struggle at the minute.

your mum sounds like she is doing ok on it so that's really good too.

thank you for your reply. x its hard to stay positive when you feel this anxious.

I think I might take a diazipam later before bed just to help me try and relax.

your post has definitely helped me calm down a little x

my anxiety is through the roof atm . to the point where I'm struggling. will this pass do you know?

yes it will pass. are you doing things to help ur self relax naturally as well as the diszepam ?

I'm trying but it's difficult. just sat in a bath for a few hours just to pass the time. the diazipam helps the anxiety but seems to lower my mood for some reason.

DIAZEPAM wont help your mood , but should ease the anxiety . hang in there, it does take time. are you reviewed by your doctor regularly?

I also have beta blockers but only take 10mg as I'm not sure about them tbh. they stop me shaking but that's about it.

he says he cant see me until the 7th of September now.

is it important I regularly see him?

it is not important to see your GP every week, usually they like to check a patient who is brand new to antidepressants in the first 2 weeks, then after 4 weeks then just a medication check every 3 months but if you feel you are struggling and feel you need to see them before September then ask for an emergency appointment or even a telephone consultation,. I know how hard it is when you have really high anxiety, you do not want to be any where and I used to pace a lot but believe me it does calm down, diazepam used to do this to a certain extent but I found it also made my mood lower and would give me a thumping headache, strangely paracetamol used to take the edge off my anxiety, it didn't take it away completely but did make it bearable, you will feel many times over the next few days like throwing the tablets in the bin but trust me if you can hang on in there it does get better

thank you sue. you really are helping me feel a bit more positive x you know what I am gonna try paracetamol and hope it helps the anxiety. that's a really good idea.

if I need I will make an emergency appointment too. sometimes it helps even if it's just talking to a gp. tbh my gp basically made me feel like i was never going to get better so left not feeling good.

it's a shame the diazipam does that because it really does help the anxiety.

I know I really want to throw them away already but I wont and as hard as it is gotta keep taking them x

and pacing! that's all I seem to be able to do atm x

If you belong to a fairly large GP surgery there will be one that specialises in mental health, ask for an appointment with that one, they will not mind you swapping, you have to feel comfortable with your Dr to be able to build up some trust

my doc is normally quite good but he made me feel a bit crap last time I saw him so I'll definitely ask to see somone next time who does know more about mental health .

I feel like I've lost a bit of trust.