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Severe Anxiety after starting Sertraline PLEASE HELP

Posted , 10 users are following.

mona41
mona41

5th day of sertraline 50mg and it has been/is a complete nightmare. I can barely keep myself together to write this text, I just want to lay on the floor and scream, it's like my soul has been ripped from my body.

I'm also on 30mg of Mirtazapine since 2 years and was off for maybe 4 months during this period, the withdrawals were a nightmare so had to start again to be able to function.

Now that I combine Sertraline (morning) + Mirtazapine (evening) my mental state has completely collapsed, it feels as when i withdrew from Mirtazapine.

I don't know if I can stand many more days like this, I really don't want more Sertraline since this all started 5 days ago.

What do you recommend me to do? Is it possible to abruptly quit Sertraline (50mg) after just 5 days?

PLEASE can anyone help me?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • pam01968
    pam01968 mona41

    Posted

    Hi Mona I am now on week 6 of setraline and the side effects have been horrific days where I was scared to get out of my house because of anxiety attacks.i started on 100 mg now I am taking 150mg and I am feeling better.the side effects are awful to start with but I encourage you to stick through it as everyone says it is a really good medicine for anxiety.Good luck
  • thomas96833
    thomas96833 mona41

    Posted

    Hello Mona41,

    Sorry you are feeling this way. It is horrendous, I know.

    Enhanced anxiety is a side effect of Sertraline, it's bascially Anxiety on Steriods which is annoying as that's probably what you are taking it to reduce!. It is hell, the good news is that it will get better, but the bad news is that it takes time. Maybe 3 weeks or so to settle.

    I had a similar experience with Fluoxetine. No sleeping, panic attacks 24/7, locked in a panic state and nothing to control it, shakes, dizzines, massive brain fog and confusion (I am only 25). I stopped cold after 3 weeks. The side effects were to horrendous.

    I felt 100% better after about 2 days though to be honest and I'd say it took me three weeks or so longer to completely get rid of all the side effects. Night sweats and fever like sensation being the last to go.

    The goods news for me was that compared to the 3 weeks of the chemically induced panic state, my own previous Anxiety kinda seemed trivial and actually subsided a little after stopping!

     

  • dodo81786
    dodo81786 mona41

    Posted

    Hi Mona , It takes from 6 - 8 weeks for sertraline to kick in . In my case it took till the end of the 8 weeks mark but I was getting good days more and more with some bad days in between until I can say it's fully kicked . I'm now starting my second year in it 100 mg so stick to it a bit longer and tell to yourself that it is going to take time .

    So sorry about your feelings right now but if u can't bear it i suggest go to your doc to see if he / she can give you something to help . Good luck dear and stay strong .

  • Cinderella81
    Cinderella81 mona41

    Posted

    Hi mona41,

    might worth to try 25 mg for a week or so and increase the size to 50 mg.

    I've been prescribed 50 mg but I only take 25 mg at the moment... I was too scared to take the whole medication as I've heard about the side effects.

    It might take little bit longer to get better but might help you. Hope you get better soon x

  • lattifa7777
    lattifa7777 mona41

    Posted

    Hi mona,

    I was in exact same boat this time last year.

    I wanted to kill my self it was so awful I just couldn't take it and certainly couldn't control it.

    I phoned Samaratines they were really good.

    I walked a lot , and sometimes during the night I would just walk and walk. The severe anxiety lasted 10 days, then it got les and less, I felt normal at 4.5 weeks, well 60%, then it got better and better, it was 6 months when I was better 99%. Now ide like to come off but I'm too scared. Just stick with it Hun plz plz plz.

    Just come here and vent and talk we are all here to help you. Xxx

    • pam01968
      pam01968 lattifa7777

      Posted

      I had posted earlier where I had been feeling better well after the post everything came tumbling down I have had horrific anxiety since.lol I am on 6 weeks of the setraline will this ever get any better???i am beginning to think I am stuck in a rut
  • vickylou
    vickylou mona41

    Posted

    Hi

    i started taking sertraline 8 days ago. Previously took 300mg trazadone for 4 years, then had a year on citralapam. Citralapam was making my anxiety far worse, I couldn't sleep and lost all interest in everything.

    8 days is not long enough to test how good sertraline is. However I've had no side effects, feel so much better, although I'm still suffering with insomnia.

  • hoodriver
    hoodriver mona41

    Posted

    dont quit it it will kick in in a few days, stay on the course which is th eopposite that you brain is telling you because its conditioned to get you to bail out and get away. stay calm and breath. life is about to be better.
    • pam01968
      pam01968 hoodriver

      Posted

      How long before you saw a difference in your anxiety
    • hoodriver
      hoodriver pam01968

      Posted

      I was pretty sick for years now that i think back. I didnt take anyting, I would kust wake up miserable and even though I'm out going, I would fight with social anxiety. 

      So work got crazy, i had lots of panic attacks and i kelp praying it would stop,  it didn;t I woke up with full blown anxiety everyonemore. Id have to go to the gym to calm my body but that was only temporary. I lost 40 pounds and couldnt eat. 

      So then i took the plunge and tookt he pill. It was bad so about 2 weeks then my brain calmed down. After 6 weeks i was great and after 1 year, even better. I still fele frazzled form time to time but I now have the drugs and read a to so have skills to calm my self or think different. Getting better is work and its on going. I will never be the same as i was and im very good with that. When i look back, i was never super happy and always anxiuos. Not anymore. I have 2 kids and life is busy. I will always fid a way to take of myself and be gentle with the self talk. I also feel great about helping others.

  • pam01968
    pam01968 mona41

    Posted

    Hey Mona how is your anxiety?I am having a horrible day!I so wish the Zoloft would start workibg
  • alissa30949
    alissa30949 mona41

    Posted

    Hi Mona,

    I guess the answer is everyone is different. I just started setraline about a month ago and for me it's great so far. I was previously on pristiq and that was doing nothing for me so we switched to this. I may not have had the increased anxiety but that may be because I was already on something prior If that makes sense. If you were on nothing prior it can increase your anxiety but it definetly gets better. Id say it took a few weeks for me on setalkne so far to feel a lot calmer. But some meds aren't for everyone. For example my bf did great on Paxil, me not so much. When he took setraline (zoloft) he felt crazy and suicidal where with me the drug has been great so far. So don't give up this one will either eventually help you and if it doesn't there are always so many other meds out there to try.

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