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Should I go to the Doctor

Posted , 7 users are following.

richard7575
richard7575

So today is my 5th day on the upped dose of 50mg from 37.5mg but I feel worse than ever.  Should I make an appointment and go see my doctor.  I am more irritable and having more panic attacks than I was on 37.5mg?

1 like, 61 replies

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  • lindajm
    lindajm richard7575

    Posted

    I am only on my 6th day and wish I could give you advice based on experience. I have some of the side effects......insomnia, migraines, grinding teeth, tummy pains and neck pain but I have decided to ride it out for now. I don't take panic attacks though, so maybe you should give your doctor a call.
  • dorothy76530
    dorothy76530 richard7575

    Posted

    Hi Richard. My GP gave me Sertralin yesterday - I took my first 50mg tablet at 7pm last night. I did not sleep well but did not put that down to the tablets. Until this morning that is. Getting up and out for work was near-impossible, I felt so sick, groggy and scared. I am now sitting at my desk at work feeling very weird. Sort of like I have taken a bad drug or something. I am feeling confused and struggling to focus and even get my words out. I have a bad feeling in my chest and stomach - like an anxiety attack without the shaking and heart-racing? It's hard to explain. I feel a bit lost right now but looking at all these posts this appears to be normal. I am scared that it can last weeks though as I have to work and I am struggling to do anything. I want to go sit in a corner somewhere quiet and rock back and forth right about now. :-(

     

    • richard7575
      richard7575 dorothy76530

      Posted

      yes I know the feeling, yester day was day 5 on my increased dose to 50mg, from what I understand side effects will happen in the begining and agin if you up your dose.  The part that bothers me is that @ 37.5mg I though the panic attacks where behind me but now that I increased my dose I feel them more.  Now that being said I understand increased anxeity is expected in the first week or so, I was thinking of going to see my PCP on Friday to see if this is all normal but I do not want to bother him and get him aggitated that I need help. He is a good guy but I don't want to make him stop helping.
    • dorothy76530
      dorothy76530 richard7575

      Posted

      Hi Richard, how are you feeling? I hope you are doing better today. I took yesterdays' tablet at 3pm after I ate lunch. As a result, I felt really tired and slept from around 8pm until midnight, then was awake til 3am, then back up at 6am and back to slepp from 6.45am to 7.45am! It's like having a baby waking you up all night! I may take todays' dose a bit later, and see how that goes. I do feel a bit better today - less confused and nauseous. I did notice I was very restless in bed, tossing and turning which I usually don't do. Also, I have no appetite at all.  I don't get panic attacks, however I do get anxiety atacks and they already feel a bit 'duller' than before, the physical effects are not as bad as before. The main symptom I have right now is brain-fog and I feel very tired.
  • dianned
    dianned richard7575

    Posted

    37.5mg is my magic number!  In June I was on 25mg and that seemed to be fine but doctor thought I needed to start uping it.  I went up to 50mg and I felt like I was going back to where I started feeling bad.  I take 25mg in the morning, then cut a 25mg in half and take that in the evening.  It really works best for me.  I don't understand why the doctors want to put us on such high doses.  Wish you well!
    • richard7575
      richard7575 dianned

      Posted

      Does taking it in the morning and at night help you sleep or does it make it worse,  Currently I take the 50mg in the morning but wake up at 4AM with major sweating and anxious thoughts.  I can not fall back to sleep and lay their until 6AM when I have to get up for work.  I though to my self that maybe the meds effect wears off while I am sleeping and thats why I wake up at the exact same time everyday.  I also get stomach pains after taking my meds which is frustrating.
    • lindajm
      lindajm richard7575

      Posted

      I was taking mine before bedtime at the beginning and was only getting 2 hours sleep so someone on here advised to keep changing the times to find what suits me best as she found out 2-3pm worked best for her. I gradually broke it down 2hrs earlier per night. Turns out 4-5pm seems to be better for me. Only other advice I can offer is ask your doctor for sleeping tablets to see you through the first few weeks
    • richard7575
      richard7575 lindajm

      Posted

      I noticed alot of people take them around the afternoon time (2-4pm) which is something that I might try.  I just don't know how to do it.  Should I skip my morning dose and just wait until 2 pm to take it.
  • dianned
    dianned richard7575

    Posted

    Hi Richard .... I went through a period of adjusting, for me it was just a few weeks.  Everyone is different I had to come to realize.  What works for someone does work for me - I had to really evaluate how I was feeling each day.  Keeping a positive attitude with the help of my friends was great.  Also not letting negative people or thoughts take away from your life.  Some people take a pill you will be fine - I wasn't.  As far as why I split it up it just seemed to work better for me, I get sleepy in the afternoon but not enough to stop me.  I wish you and everyone struggling well! Namaste
    • richard7575
      richard7575 dianned

      Posted

      Yes I get really sleepy by 3pm and end up just laying on the couch.  Pretty sure my wife is not happy with me on these pills right now.  She is supportive but I know it bothers her because I am not like I used to be.  I wish the pills would work and I could get back to living life instead of watching it pass me by.
    • lindajm
      lindajm richard7575

      Posted

      Yeh that's exactly how I feel Richard. I actually sat my husband and son down and apologised for neglecting them lately but if they want me to feel better, they need to bear with me. My husband is also very supportive but it was me being anxious, feeling guilty. I so want to be back to my old self again, but talking to people on here has helped me realise it won't happen overnight. I was frightened to miss a dose Richard, hence why I moved the time 2hrs per day till I found a time that suits me. I still feel a bit spaced out but I know that will eventually go as I get more used to it
    • richard7575
      richard7575 lindajm

      Posted

      yes currently today my head is very foggy and the pressure seems extreme today, I sure that it is just my brain working on healing.  I sometimes fear never getting better because I have not seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet.  I do feel better toward the evening and the morning/afternoon is my rough time but I am not sure if thats because I am at work or something and feel kind trapped here.  I miss just waking up getting through the day and having fun with the family at night.  Now I just seem to go home and lay around.
  • janemorgan
    janemorgan richard7575

    Posted

    My advice to you is stick with it, these tablets make you feel worse at first but you will begin to improve, you just have to ride it out as best you can. Im into my fourth week and i get a couple of good days and then still a bad one but my doctor said i must give it longer. I hope it works out for you. x
    • richard7575
      richard7575 janemorgan

      Posted

      I am trying, it is really hard to stick with something you feel worse on and everytime I feel I get over one hump another one smacks me in the face. sad  I wish they could just make a pill that has no side effects or waiting time, I think this is why most people quit the medication.
    • lindajm
      lindajm richard7575

      Posted

      Yes, I have neck, shoulder, back pain. Had it for 4 days now. Hopefully it doesn't last too long. Don't give up Richard, keep going till your doc says otherwise. Remember, the posts you see on here are all from people struggling and trying to help each other. You won't hear all the success stories on here. Stick with it, and keep turning to this forum for support. I have found it to be very helpful and its feels better knowing your not the only one.
    • janemorgan
      janemorgan richard7575

      Posted

      Please stick with it Richard, i know its just awful but the doctors know best and listen to everyone on here and give it time. Be strong. x
    • janemorgan
      janemorgan lindajm

      Posted

      . Its reassuring to know there are lots of other people going through the same pain. x
    • richard7575
      richard7575 janemorgan

      Posted

      I agree it is reassuring yo know one is not alone, I think sometimes thats the hardest part loking around and thinking no one here knows what I am going through.
    • philip46747
      philip46747 richard7575

      Posted

      I take my pill at 1:30, usually after lunch, as to not get a funny tummy, please stick with it, it's a long journey but believe me it works, we are stronger than normal people, it's taken me 5 months to be pretty much back to normal with the occasional blip, but I started to feel more and more positive with less side effects from 3 months, it's subtle changes week by week.
    • richard7575
      richard7575 philip46747

      Posted

      Did your head feel like you had presure in it, currently I get this presure and get slightly dizzy?
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