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What if I can get over this without Sertraline?

Posted , 3 users are following.

Ty90s
Ty90s

Ive just been prescribed with sertraline by my doctor after speaking out about how I feel for the first time since I was around 16/17 and first felt this way. I'm now 23 and can no longer cope with my daily anxiety. I feel really lonely, constant lump in my throat like I'm going to cry (if I'm not already crying) and behave quite obsessively in relationships because my self esteem is so low. I don't know if this is depression or just a low point in my life right now and I'm really scared to take this tablet if this is something that might go away on its own? I've never taken any medication apart from anti biotics and my contraceptive pill so this makes me really  anxious. No one in my family knows because I'm too afraid to tell them, despite the fact some of my family members struggle with their mental health, so the potential side effects worry me. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • Cuffy
    Cuffy Ty90s

    Posted

    Dont be concerned about taking it, the first couple weeks might make symptoms worse until the side effects wear off. Sometimes a med may not work or suit somebody but there are plenty of others. If you are depressed then you will need to deal with that first then the anxiety, luckily its the same medication for both. Has your doctor referred you for CBT , there are many obsessive anxiety disorders, i suffer from OCD and take sertraline.
    • Ty90s
      Ty90s Cuffy

      Posted

      Thank you so much for replying. My doctor has advised me to go to counselling as well as taking the tablets and I've since self referred to a service. I'm going to call them on Monday to arrange because I think opening up to someone that doesn't know me will help. My obsessive behaviour relates to me constantly wanting to know where my partner is, what he's doing, if he's still interested in me, if he'll end things etc. I don't always voice it with him because I don't want to push him away but it eats me up inside especially because I know I have no reason to doubt him - but can't help thinking like that. I have my good days and bad days sometimes I don't think this way about him but I need a lot of reassurance. I didn't bring this up with my doctor so I hope to discuss this during therapy/counselling 

  • Cuffy
    Cuffy Ty90s

    Posted

    Have you ever had reason to dis trust him?

    Do you do anything to make the anxiety go away and does it only work temporarily, such as check his phone or ring or bombard with texts when feeling at your worst?

    Are you in the uk?

    • Ty90s
      Ty90s Cuffy

      Posted

      I've had reason to dis trust exes in the past but no not him. It's still new only 3 months.

      I'm not a smoker but I've found that when I do smoke, that can help (both cigarettes and cannabis). I do it on a rare occasion but I know that I need to find a healthier way of dealing with it. I've tried both sleep and normal meditation too but that didn't work for long. Do you have any suggestions? Sometimes I shake, I get a sick feeling almost daily sometimes to the point of throwing up (this is rare but it has happened) and I overthink. Yes I'm in the UK are you?

  • Cuffy
    Cuffy Ty90s

    Posted

    Yes im in the Uk was just going to say expect a lengthly wait on the NHS for referral, took 4 months for me whilst i plummeted deep into depression and giving in to my OCD. I cant diagnose you of course but the sickness etc will definitely be anxiety I think, can do strange things around the body. Does not sound like OCD but there are many Obsessional thinking anxiety disorders.
    • Ty90s
      Ty90s Cuffy

      Posted

      Yeah they did say it may take a few months for a referring but where I work offers over the phone therapy so I'm going to try that in the meantime I think. Thank you so much for all your help it really means a lot when you feel you have no one to speak to 

  • dawn0904
    dawn0904 Ty90s

    Posted

    Can I ask you what contraceptive you take and how long you have been on it?
    • Ty90s
      Ty90s dawn0904

      Posted

      I take microgynon and I've been taking it since I was 16 so 7 years now

    • dawn0904
      dawn0904 Ty90s

      Posted

      I’m not sure what that is but the reason I’m asking is because I never had any anxiety and I was taking depo provera shots for birth control and I had my shot in April and the following day was put in the hospital with severe chest pains and at the time no one could figure out what was wrong until it was put together and the birth control caused me adverse reactions and caused me to start having severe anxiety. Found out thru a lot of research of my own that birth control causes anxiety now and they never admit to it being the cause. I would suggest looking into it. I stopped mine but I am also on sertraline now because of what the birth control did. But I’m hoping to come off the sertraline the first of the year. It is helping but like u, I have never been on any prescription medication my entire life except my birth control. Just something for you to look into and consider that it may be causing more problems than you may realize 
    • Ty90s
      Ty90s dawn0904

      Posted

      I'm sorry to hear that. There may be a connection I'll need to look into it deeper as there's nothing on the leaflets that say it may cause anxiety or depression.

      I'm glad to hear you're similar to me in the fact you've never taken any medication before and that it's working for you.. I know that people do react in different ways I just hope not to get bad side effects. I take my first one on Tuesday.

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