Starting Sertraline with Emetophobia

thank you so much. i know it must sound like a silly phobia to most but it has ruled and ruined my life to the point where id rather be sick with infection than take antibiotics to make me better. i dont want to take the sertraline because i am terrified but dont see any other way. im at rock bottom. ive lost my friends, my marriage and im afraid whats next is i lose my son

oh no bless you im sorry to hear that I hope you're ok

it sounds like you are going through I really really tough time! I'm at rock bottom with you April so it's not as lonely down here as you think. and when you are at the bottom their is only one way you can go and that is up!

is this your first time on sertraline?

your phobia isn't silly at all everyone has them and if that's yours then we will have to try and find a way to work around it wont we.

have you considered anti sickness meds to help if you feel a bit queezy?

also taking them with food is meant to help if you feel sick taking them. a lot of people have said that helps x

sadly its not my first time. i had a mental break down last september after i attempted to take antidepressants due to low mood. i took with anti nausea medication but still managed to work myself up into such a state that i dry heaved and that sent me over the edge. i lost two stone instantly, didnt eat or sleep for weeks, was rocking and shaking, crying, hitting myself you name it. and the reason for all that was because a switch was flicked and i constantly feel im on the verge of dry heaving which you can imagine does me zero favours when im terrified of the act and sensation. so my life is in turmoil i dont leave the house i barely get dressed. im scared all of the time of this sensation i have in my throat which was triggered by attempting to take the poxy medication in the first place 😦

wow you are definitely in the wars with it at the minute bless you.

its gonna be hard because I can imagine just taking the med is going to make you feel terrible especially after what happened the first time you tried.

once the medication kicks in it will get rid of that feeling and the anxiety that comes with it so it's just getting round to taking it. that's the hard bit.

have you got any ideas or plans that might help with it

my thinking is.......bear in mind I'm not in your situation so it's easy for me to say.

you are feeling like it already before taking the tablet so the only way to get over it is take it if that makes sense.

like I said easier said than done though.

do you eat ok?

id say it is a huge step for me to be even considering the meds after what happened and for so long i have been flatly refusing it. no i dont eat well at all. my phobia is of vomiting but mainly the retching and gagging part when you feel you cant breathe like choking. ive had a hard time for 22yrs swallowing food especially in public and since this anxiety has slapped me i am finding it even harder to swallow even water or my own saliva. its exhausting. i feel so alone and in a horrible place. i cant find any chat rooms where people are being upbeat or optimistic which i know is hard because im not those things just yet but i cant be reading peoples suicidal imagery when im having my own so ive cut myself from social media and have nobody but one friend and my mum 😦

try responding your post as yours original is being moderated. it can take ages sometimes x

this forum is really good. I found that a lot more people who have recovered stick around on here to help those in need. their is some lovely people who hopefully will be along shortly to help.

that's exactly why I came here because it was difficult seeing so many negative posts and no success stories in other places and it really made me panick.

have you looked for people who have had similar experiences to you and can give you advise on the internet?

when the med starts working it will make your anxiety a lot easier to cope with for sure and this in turn should help the anxiety that comes with swallowing.

you can get sertraline in oral drops that you just drop on your tongue. ask for those instead of tablets as that might be easier to take.

i first tried one dose of fluoxetine 20mg severe dey heaving attack then one dose of sertraline 25mg severe dry heaving attack