Sticking to sertraline, its side effects and why people are on it in the first place.

Well done for posting this, I feel like I should print off copies to hand out to people

I totally agree! An honest and true account, which mirrors exactly how I feel. I will stick with the Sertraline - hopefully it will get better.

Thank you for posting this. I've had a 'close friend' turn against me because, and I quote, "You make me so angry, you have nothing to be depressed about, you're not the only one to ever have been upset about something and you'd feel better if you just took on a bit more positive energy."

OHEMGEEEE. I'd totally feel better if I just looked at the glass as half full, right?

I'm not knocking positive thinking, it has a very valuable place but if you're suffering with crippling depression, it's only a small part of the story. Making people feel small and pathetic, as this individual did to me isn't going to help anyone with their recovery.

I've just been prescribed sertraline, after resisting anti-depressants for years. Here's hoping it helps! It's really good to come on here and realise that I'm not alone. The past 12 months have been the hardest of my life and it's been nigh-on impossible to see a future at times. Thank you to everyone who posts!

Thanks guys. I also wish everyone I knew could be handed a copy of this. But they'd probably still be none the wiser.

Yes! I've had similar. I want to scream at them that I really need support right now but I can't make them care.. It's also so frustrating that people think there needs to be a cause. People are telling me the things I'm doing that have set all this off. They don't know a thing. I'm not even sure myself and I'm being told it's my job.. lifestyle.. But I quite like the things I do and am happy doing them. So that's not it at all! And yes..positive thinking! Though it's easier some days than others isn't it. It's just a case of telling yourself good days can and will happen.

To be fair, I used to be quite naive and wondered why people fell into depression when they had quite happy lives with no problems, but it's not til you have the illness that you finally realise that people can go from being relatively content with life, to then breaking down for some reason or other and falling into this hole that seems impossible to get out of.

It gives me comfort that people are pleased to have read this. Talking about depression is the only time in my life I've opened up to people.

I have never really been depressed, so this is all new to me. I have always been a "pull yourself together" sort of person, with others and with myself. I had a number of life changing events last year - my eldest daughter's marriage broke down and she has come back to live with me with my 2 very small granddaughters and I moved house after living at my previous home for 25 years. These things combined triggered everything off. I should never have moved house and have, in fact, put the new house back up for sale. I am tired of feeling so down and tired all the time, I have always had such a zest for life, but all that seems to have gone and I wonder if I will ever get it back. I feel so negative about the future. On day 4 now of Sertraline and feeling like s***. I took it before bed last night and, despite terrible sweats during the night, managed to sleep quite well. I thought by taking it at bedtime, I wouldn't suffer the effects when I got up in the morning - wrong. I feel absolutely awful today. I am going to give it 2 weeks, but if things don't improve, I will have to come off the tablets or change to something else. Is there light at the end of tunnel?

Sorry to hear this. I was much the same. Never understood the whole depression thing at all. I just thought live life! Good and bad happens but so be it. Then this happens and some days I also feel like I'm never going to be my old self again. I've been on sertraline nearly 3 weeks. The side effects are so horrible to start with and I just thought why am I making myself feel worse by putting my body through this medication which seems to have no good impact. But then a couple weeks in I perked up and had one day of euphoria I swear I was high! Had so much energy and felt so good in myself. Only lasted a day but it proved to me it's worth hanging on even though I'm not great recently. The worst thing is having no energy and not enjoying anything.. But one thing you shouldn't do is stop taking these! It can take around 6 weeks to help so just keep going.. If you stop prematurely the side effects are a whole lot worse! I have spent too much spare time reading forums and have concluded this is therefore not an option.

Well, I'll give it my best shot, but when you feel even worse on the tablets than you did before, it isn't easy. The problem is in the first few weeks, they make you feel even more anxious and that's happening to me at the moment. I am working and am finding it almost impossible to get up in the morning and get ready (make up, what clothes to wear, etc). My GP wanted to sign me off work for 2 weeks, but I find coming to work helps take me out of myself, even if all I feel like doing is putting my head on the desk and going to sleep. I'm taking next week off as leave, so I hope I might be able to catch up with myself a bit then.

Hi All Fellow Sufferers

I have been on Sertraline now for just 3 weeks. I have been signed off work too and was supposed to go back to work today, but I could not handle it. I felt terrible the first few days of taking Sertraline but improved in the last two weeks. But thinking about going back to work just set it off again, I could not sleep, feel tired and listless,cannot concentrate. I am not sure if I am feeling better as I don't seem to be feeling either happy or unhappy. I feel I am going through the motions and I am on automatic pilot. People think I am getting better and are trying to encourage me to go back to work but I do not think I am ready yet. Luckily my GP is understanding and keeps telling me not to rush things and that it will take time. I think I have been depressed all my life if I am being really honest as I seem to have bouts of really bad depression - feeling suicidal and arranging my funeral all the time then doing really strange things like I do not have a care in the world and feeling on top of the world- the life and soul of the party but I too was one of those people who just got on with things and was terrified to go to the doctor. I did go previously to a different doctor but she wanted me to go to group counselling- But I am quite a private person and could not stand the thought of sitting in a group and discussing my problems- simply because I did not know what my problems were so did not go to the group therapy, but the last year things just seem to get on top of me and I realized I needed to get some help. I did think I might be Bi-Polar but my doctor wants to treat me for the depression first to see if this will help me. I know what you mean about people not understanding because if you do not look ill they think you are ok. People who are depressed are so used to hiding the fact (I know I hid my depression from friends and family over the years as if it was something to be ashamed about). I have told my family and friends that I am being treated for depression and they are all surprised - the questions I get all the time is 'why am I depressed' If I knew why I would be able to explain it but as I do not think it is just one reason I cannot answer, so they find this hard to understand. Anyway It is nice to be able to discuss it with other people you understand.

I will stick with the treatment for now.

Jane2105 I really hand it to you! I wish I had it in me to get up and go to work like you've managed... I've tried and the only successful attempt I've had was when I was having a reasonably positive day as far as my emotions but even then I didn't make it in until 1pm as I couldn't get up; when I tried working, I couldn't focus on anything though and ended up just sat there laughing to myself at how useless my head was. I really hate how this drags you down.. I enjoyed being back at work too, its a distraction, and seeing people and interacting is really good, but I ended up having to admit to myself that I wasn't ready. I feel so useless as my doctor suggests it will be around 6 weeks before he thinks I should go back. I sometimes feel physically fine but then when I decide 'right, let's do something..' there's just this feeling of heaviness and tiredness that holds me back from doing anything, I'm so fed up with this head of mine!!!

Monray, I had the same. I had my family pushing me to go back, and I'd decide a day three days ahead, then when it crept closer, the anxiety worsened and I started to feel nervous and couldn't take it. So I pushed back the day of returning again and again; then as mentioned above, I finally managed it one day, but then I realised the next day that my happy streak was not continuing and I'm back to feeling useless and incapable of doing anything!

I feel like my experiences are pretty similar to yours! I've always suffer from anxiety and low mood, I used to be able to combat it though through my stubborn decision to not break down in front of other people, and from being too scared to go to the doctor. I hated the thought of taking drugs to dictate my emotions, and I thought that if I tried to get help I'd be told 'you're fine' and then I'd be even more lost if I felt like I had a problem but noone believed me; so I told myself that although I knew I was probably not 100% 'right' and felt things other people didn't, keeping up with exercise and social interaction and having a cry when in my own company was sufficient for me... Then I'm not sure what sent things over the edge, but things got ridiculously bad and I only got help after a failed suicide attempt. At which time, my family and friends then had to know about my mental state.

My family think I'm fine because I can do 'normal things', when inside I feel like **** and barely have the strength to do things, hence sitting down all day. I can't get anything to make my brain work, so sitting there doing nothing is more satisfying than finding a task to do. I breakdown when I'm by myself, I've never been someone to let others know my emotions as it makes me feel weak. Similarly to you, only my doctor and people I've spoken to about therapy truely know how I feel. The thought of opening up to family makes me cringe.

Don't rush back to work, as much as I wanted to and tried, it really made things worse - you have to try and put aside the guilt you feel for being off; with me, I've had to accept that people are now a bit confused at my long period of absence and my secrecy, but they don't understand what it's like and I would be bouncing back to work if I could, I just cannot. It's hard coming to terms with people thinking 'depression is just people that are sad' and 'they're having a free holiday'.. just thinking about the comments I know people will be saying makes me feel pretty sick.

Loco_estrella

I think one of the reasons I got anxious about going back to work is I feel that everyone will now think I am Unbalanced, and I am afraid if anyone asks me how I am, I might just go off on one. Since I have told my family and friends, no one has got back in contact with me to ask how I am- I have been left to deal with it- I don't know whether they just don't know what to say or they are afraid to talk to me in case I make them feel bad for not noticing I was depressed.

I did feel guilty at first about not going to work then realized that the only time they have contacted me in the three weeks I was off, was to ask a question about work- they did ask how I was doing after this, But I felt they did not really understand or believe that I was depressed. If they did not want to ask something about work I wonder if they would have contacted me?- So no I do not feel guilty about having time off, I don't care what they think either. Maybe that's half the problem worrying about what others may think about you instead of worrying about yourself more.

Anyway keep your chin up - you will get through this and find out who your real friends and colleagues are

Here here. thank you so much for posting this. Good luck to you.

I have been on sertraline for a couple of years and it has helped enormously , I started on it because of my physical illnesses that i couldnt cope with, then i had a marriage breakdown and the dose was upped. Today a year later i have been to see the GP and he upped the dose one final time to 150mg a day . I am not sure if it wears off or your body gets used to it after a time or just that my depression has become worse , but i am scared now as this is the highest dose, what happens if it doesnt work

I am also on amitriptyline and have been for the same amount of time, this also is supposed to help with depression and my neuropathic pain as well as the panic attacks and sleepless nights, but this has much worse side effects than sertraline.

I am finally giving in to counseling, which has been set up for me via my local blind association , i feel i don't want to talk about my problems any more or face them , i just want to be happy again, but I seam to be running out of options now .

Sertraline did not seem to be working for me the anxiety had become worse in the last three weeks since

I started taking them,

However today I am feeling a little better so perhaps they are starting to work, Also did not get a headache

today when i took the 50mg dose, See how I feel in the next few day's

I think it's a phobia for all of us of relapsing and falling back. It's frustrating not feeling normal again.. I'm finally seeing improvements though. Less lazy, feel less like there's a heaviness in my mind and body pulling me down. I think I'm able to enjoy more and concentrate a little better but still a long way to go.. And it goes without saying that things that make you sad will continue to do so. So it's a case of being able to see past these and keep going, seeing positives to every outcome. Being able to say these words I guess proves I'm getting there.

I hope people get better.. I'm also having to try therapy which I'm pretty doubtful will work but we'll have to see. As long as we don't give up, we're doing alright!

This forum has helped me greatly, at first I thought I was pretty pathetic for using it but opening up to other sufferers and reading other peoples experiences on sertraline has been a life saver. If other people weren't admitting their issues with it's side effects I think many of us would have given up on them. I wouldn't wish this on anyone but I wish I had a friend going through this too that I could talk to as no one else understands what it's like. The thing is, I may well have a friend that is, but because of the stigma attached mental illnesses, people are too scared to let it be publicly known. It's a shame, as it would definitely help people get better sooner. With all the campaigning in the world, I still doubt opinions will change, though

Hi Everyone,

I have just joined this forum after being put on Sertraline by my GP this morning. I have suffered with depression all my life and no one understands how I feel. My family don't want to know me apart from my son who I know will support me no matter what.

I am off work because I cannot cope and last time I was off work no one spoke to me when I went back, so I am dreading going back when the time comes. Has anyone else had this problem with work?