Tried to increase and didn't go well. Need some help....

Hi there,

Thanks for your reply. The brand is the same one I have been on this entire time and years before. I request the same brand every refill as I earned that lesson years ago. Therefore I don't believe that is the issue....Uggh!

Yes so they say right? I always hear the first couple weeks are the worst but mine was getting worse as the weeks went by - not better...just doesn't seem like the norm. I would think week 4 would be easing up not getting worse. So confused.

Thanks for you help!

Did you decrease back down? Did the anxiety subside?

Yes I did, couldn't take feeling anxious all the time. Feeling less anxiety now, 

What dosage are you on now? 

Did it take a bit before you readjusted after going back down? Just wondering if that is why I feel so off. Body trying to readjust to the decrease?

37.5. Anxiety better, not gone but better, 

yes, felt sadder, but not as much racing thoughts.

Hi Tracy,

I did decrease back down this past Monday. The nausea and feeling if being sick have subsided. It was 100% worse in week 4 than it was the first couple weeks of increasing. Felt like it was going the opposite direction as everyone reports. Side effects the first couple weeks and then subsides. Mine was getting worse week by week. The anxiety wasn't that bad on the 75 it just got to the point I felt so sick that it was debilitating literally! Now that I have decreased back to 50 i am having worse anxiety than I was before I tried the increase. Feel like I took a huge step backwards with trying to increase. I was on 75 for a month and was feeling much worse than I did in week one and two. Yesterday my heart was racing all day and I was very teary and just felt off....that is why I posted as I am at a loss. How long were you on 50 before going to 75? Did you notice it getting worse as soon as you increased? I didn't, like I said it got worse the longer I was on 75 instead of subsiding? Guess I am just not the norm or a freak of nature!

Hi Holly,

I increased almost 4 weeks ago from 50 to 75. I had some side effects first two weeks and my anxiety is much worse than when I started. Yesterday  was really terrible lots of anxiety and crying. We are getting to relocate and I'm leaving a job a love and all of my family to take care of my husband's elderly dad. I don't know if this medicine is making it worse or just my life in general. I had been on 50 mg for 10 years with no problems. I don't want to give up because I will be at the 6 week mark[u] soon and still wonder if the sick feeling and anxiety will subside.  I pray you and I can both overcome this. This is the worst feeling in the world. [/u]

The nausea is #### isn't it. There must be something you can take for this? Peppermint Oil in water? Some sort of ginger based product? Pharmacist must know of something?

Phil

Hi again,

I was taking pepto and peppermint. It was so bad that I missed three days of work and was actually vomiting while at work the few days prior to taking the days off. It was very bad. Not just a bit of nauseas feeling that would come and go. It was all day long and very intense. This went on for over a week...?

So sorry Tracy... It is indeed awful. Sounds like you have a lot going on to cause your anxiety. Have you spoken with your doctor about this? What does your doc say? You do sound like me. Everyone else say a couple weeks of the increase you may get some slight side effects but then it should be better since you have been on the medication already. Even my psychiatrist said she didn't think it was the med as it is usually just in the first couple weeks.....

Sounds like the meds are making your gut much more sensitive. Really horrible for you. My sister has similar problems; we are both seriously gluten and wheat intolerant.

Phil

Holly,

i am trying just 50 tonight. The shelf life is short in your system.Since it was making my anxiety worse I don't think my body had adjusted to it yet I was on 50 for 10 years and did very well at that level. The only reason I increased was to deal with all the upcoming changes. It is frustrating how  increasing it made me worse than I was before. I'm praying going back to 50 will help the anxiety subside. 

Give it a shot. I felt more like I did prior to the increase today. It isn't great but Not as bad as I was feeling at the end of week four. Yesterday was horrendous

I am hoping It is just my body re leveling to the 50. Let me know how it goes for you. Was your day Really bad again today?

I also just had some digestive issues about 8 months ago. Had to have gallbladder removed. Maybe that also has some contribution to the bad issues I had with the nausea. My system has been through the ringer. I had started vomiting 6 times a day for weeks before being diagnosed. I lost over 50 pounds in about 6 months.....

I as well have been on and off this med for the past twenty years. Mostly on as every time I tried to get off I relapsed. I have never had to go higher than 50. Just doesn't seem to be managing the anxiety as well but I had a bad year of health problems.

This weekend was the worst ever at week 4 which tells me my body can't handle 75. Crying constantly, having terrible thoughts, and feeling like I was loosing my mind. I am taking 5 mg of Valium until I level out going back to 50. I have to work and can't go though the day with this anxiety. I do feel like when I woke up today I wasn't as anxious as Saturday or Sunday. Felt slightly like my old self when I was on 50. I will pray for you that you can adjust as well to,the decrease. I'm glad to know I can connect with someone who is having the same issue as me. 

I have lost 7 pounds since the increase 4 weeks ago. The nausea was terrible on week 4. 

I went through this too when I increased, coming back down to 37.5. I thought I was going crazy with anxiety and constant mind chatter. Sadness worse. Wish I had never started on this drug!

How long ago did you decrease? Are you on the 37.5 now? I imagine you had gone to 50? How long did you stay on the increase? Are you feeling better? Sorry for all the questions.... Just not having a good morning.....

This is not a flippant remark. The nausea I have experienced has been beneficial (strange description) in that my decreased appetite over the last few weeks and some other gut issues linked to gluten/wheat intolerance, have enabled me to lose weight. I am overweight so this is actually good. However, I'm monitoring this very closely as rapid weight loss can be caused by 'other matters', but I am told I don't have anything sinister to worry about. I can afford to lose another stone (bringing me down to 13.5 stone) before I need to be careful, however I suspect this will not happen as my appetite is gradually returning after nearly 4 weeks on 50mgs.

Fourth day of 37.5 after 22 days on 50. No, not feeling better as yet, I want off this med. have been taking it gradually for four months of hell.hope you feel better, sorry so negative. Bad day too

I made it through Monday.  Still feeling some anxiety but nothing like this past weekend. Week 4 on 75 mg was the worst anxiety I ever had. I'm praying leveling back to 50 I will soon feel like myself again without the nervousness waking up and nausea. How was your Monday? 

I agree! I was able to loose some unwanted pounds but can't stand the sick feeling. 

Dis you start the med 4 weeks ago or were you on 25mg prior to that? I can and would expect the nausea starting our but for it to get worse 3 to 4 weeks in seems odd. Especially as I increased by 25mg after being on 50 for 6 months. It seems that should not be this severe with that long of time on 50 and only jumping to 75mg. Id rather be fat and happy 😌

Yay! Happy you made it. I am off on Monday and Tuesday so it was my day off today although I did go into work for about 3 hours. Extremely anxious this morning and been having a Lot of heart racing. Been taking more Xanax than I was before the increase and it is barely touching the anxiety. Felt a bit better for a couple hours in the afternoon and then the depression set in late afternoon evening. Had me crying. I made an appointment today to see my doc tomorrow. Yesterday I was more normal but back down again today 😪

No worries. Hard to stay positive when your days are awful. I hope it will settle for us both in time.....

Started on 50. I take other meds that don't help the nausea, have Diverticulitis and I'm gluten intolerant! Plenty of chances of having a fragile gut and I react to almost all meds sadly. Strangely the nausea often decreases if I eat something good. However, I'd much rather feel 'hungry' like I used to rtaher than nauseaus.

Woke up very anxious the morning. I'm taking Valium when I need to to combat the effects of going back to 50. Please let us know what your doctor says. 

Hi Tracy,

How was your day? I was a total wreck again this morning. Just wanted to update you on my visit. Psych said it doesn't sound like I can tolerate the higher dose. She said I could be feeling worse until I level back out some on the 50. She said that it may take another week. She suggested adding wellbutrin to hit all transmitters since the sertraline only effects serotonin. Shevwrote me a script for that and an extended release Xanax for now. May wait and see how the next week goes before adding in another med. Ugghh! I am having the swab test done to see which medication would be best suited for me. It takes about a week to get those results. Figured it was worth a shot? Hope you had a better day.... Keep in touch!

How are you doing Lorraine? Hope you had a better day 😄

Hi Tracy, use the xanax for now, if you add another med, how will you know which one is helping? 

Less anxiety yesterday by far, but couldn't sleep last night😬😬. My husband has to go away on business for three nights and I hate being alone at night. So I worried that all night. Yikes!

Today was better not as much anxiety. I can still feel it at times during the day but nothing like when I was on 75. I guess you and are alike that we can't tolerate the higher dose. Good to know about the leveling back out. Thank you for sharing about the Wellbutrin. I'm praying for the day when I can feel myself again. I pray that for you too! Keep me posted. 

Glad to hear you had a bit better day. Fantastic. I had a decent amount of anxiety but my mood and attitude was much better. I actually somewhat felt normal

With the help of Xanax as needed. No crying or really down periods during the day. Lets hope for a good tomorrow! We can do this!

Hey Lorraine,

I am using the Xanax. That has been my life line recently. I was on the 50 for about 6 months and still wasn't as good as I would have liked

That is why I tried the 75mg. So that is why doc suggested adding the wellbutrin as the 50 just wasn't enough but I can't tolerate the 75. Will let it go at the 50 for a bit and then maybe consider the wellbutrin too depending how this plays out over the next week or two. Hope you had a good day!

Mornings are still not easy. I hate waking up feeling anxious. I still feel better though than when on the 75mg of Zoloft. Since I went back down to 50 I have had joint aches. I wonder if that's a side effect of decreasing. I wanted to ask what does Wellbutrin help with?

It is another antidepressant, to help boost the Zoloft. Comes with side effects as well. Just got up , another sleepless night. Hope this is just the effect of lowering dose of Zoloft. Feel pooped out,but my brain worry overload 🙄