Anti depressants

[Msk305]

I started taking sertraline 50mg a few months ago and have slowly increased to 100mg in the past couple of weeks. Not experienced any weight gain (bit worried though cos my gp said it was weight neutral?! Which according to everyone else doesn’t seem to be the case?) I did have crazy hot flushes in the beginning but that seems to have passed now. I have vivid dreams too but they aren’t nightmares.

I didn’t feel like anything had changed mentally though for a while, until I got to 75/100mg and it was like the fog was clearing, I feel less burdened by my thoughts/anxieties all of a sudden which is so refreshing!

 

[Amber90]

I'm currently on Day 3 of taking S. I'm currently experiencing some of the side effects, which I am hoping will wear of as per my doctors advice. I feel dizzy, drowsy, no motivation, headaches, loss of appetite, clenched jaw, keep zoning out and I cannot sleep for the life of me - did anyone else experience the same?

I think I'm going to go back to the doctors to get signed off from work for the week until these start to settle down as i'm sat at my desk on the verge of falling as sleep and I don't want to talk to anyone at all

I had these exact side effects, I've been on them about 5 weeks and I felt amazing in the first week, I slept better than ever etc. Literally at week 5 and I'm so low, have to put a face on all day at work, feel like I'm being a burden to my husband. Used to love going to the gym can't even face it. Literally just want to hide away! I've put 5lb on this weekend - husband keeps telling me to call the Dr but I don't know what it will achieve been on Fluoextine before that didn't help at all either! Setraline is just making me low sad and feeling worthless.. but the jaw thing was awful also had pupils like I had been popping pills!

I also ended up in A&E two weeks ago after falling after a few drinks and blacking out - came home with a head injury a swollen head and black eye, spoke to my GP who advised that whilst on Setraline 4 glasses of wine will feel like 8 to your body!

 

[chocolate choux]

Just going to throw my story out there because I wish I’d heard something like this years ago... I’ve struggled with my mental health for most of my life (stemming from a traumatic childhood). It finally got to the stage where I was an adult and was struggling, so I went to the doctor, who prescribed antidepressants. I tried them for a few weeks, felt no different, went back to the doctor and got a prescription for a different antidepressant. This went on for SIX YEARS. I tried a huge list of them, tried them for the recommended few weeks/months, took them consistently, listened to my doctor, did everything I was supposed to do. But I never felt any better. I felt like I was completely broken, because antidepressants are supposed to help with depression but they weren’t helping me. I felt incurable and lost hope

After six years of this I stopped functioning and had a mental breakdown. It was only at this point that I saw a psychiatrist and was put on an atypical antipsychotic which is normally used to treat schizophrenia. No, I’m not schizophrenic, but it worked! It wasn’t a miracle cure by any means, but it helped level my mood out which had a wonderful knock on effect. I still have struggles (medication can’t cure situational tit unfortunately, nor can it erase trauma) but being on this medication has been the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health

Just wanted to post this in case anyone else was finding that antidepressants weren’t helping despite trying different ones/dosages and feels as incurable as I did. There are other options, talk to your doctor and don’t give up hope

 

[PoleStar]

I feel like I could write the book on anti-depressants as I've been on them for 24 years. I have suffered with anxiety and OCD since childhood and then developed depression in my late 20s. I have had numerous attempts to wean myself of them with very little success. The longest I've managed to come off them is about 3 months and then all my old symptoms returned to haunt me again. They are addictive, despite what doctors maintained for years to the contrary, and I am pleased that in the last couple of years the medical profession has finally started to admit to what I and 10,000s of others have believed for years.

 

[Annim]

I am on Citalopram and pregnant. When I was pregnant for the first time I was off the meds. The pregnancy hormones messed up everything and I ended up not sleeping properly for 3 weeks. Kept having panic attacks at night and ended up in therapy for a year. Having to learn to sleep again. So this time I was told its my decision but sometimes it is better to stay on meds through pregnancy instead of coming off them.

 

[Rinitiaa]

I was on 150mg, started off 50 then you have to work up to your prescription by 50s every 2 weeks, i felt abit shaky and tense for a few days at a time but it supassed. The withdrawl is much worse (i once went 5 days without, long story) and i felt really sick and my legs twitched alot. Anyway when i fell pregnant i was told to go down to 50mg but was advised by doctors and midwives that i can continue to take the 50mg as the ends justified the means** (baby healthy all the way through came out fine is thriving) however i am coping with 50 so i wont increase. Good luck, i hope these are the ones for you or you find what works.

** and what i mean by this is that i would have been more at risk (MH wise) not taking them than taking them - your doctor will advise you on this.

 

[Badabing101]

I’d like to share a positive story too. I’m on 150mg of sertraline to help manage OCD.

I’ve been on them for 6 years after the birth of my daughter and they have been truly life changing - but it took a while to get to the right level / therapeutic dose for me. They’ve really helped me whilst I’ve been having therapy for OCD and I am very good at managing my OCD now and I am symptom free (have been for a couple of years).

I haven’t gained weight as a result of them, but I would like to taper off. I’m a bit apprehensive to do it, but I would like to try. It’s going to take ages as I want to take it very slowly.

They were truly life changing for me when I needed them the most. Good luck!!

Also wanted to add that at the beginning and when I increased the dose I did have side effects ... high anxiety, sleep issues, tummy probs, dizziness and headaches but they passed within a couple of weeks.

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

I’ve taken Paroxetine, Sertraline and Citalopram, between the ages of 16 and 18. Paroxetine is, I don’t think, prescribed to adolescents anymore, or maybe not at all, but there was a panorama investigation into it being prescribed to teenagers and that generally being a really bad thing. I took it for three ish months, and it was awful. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t focus, I was seeing things, increased self harm and so on. I had thought I was struggling with my mental health when I agreed to try them, but I genuinely thought I had lost all control of my mind and emotions. The only way I can describe it is to say I felt I had truly gone mad, but I realise that’s really negative language to use so I do apologise for being unable to think of a better way of wording it. I went back to the doctor week after week begging to come off them. they insisted on the 3 month period when it would usually settle down. When it didn’t, they stopped me ‘cold turkey’, which was another two weeks of feeling even worse. Sertraline and Citalopram were much better for me in comparison, but not without side effects. One of them I went up to the max dose but the only thing both of them did for me was make me feel numb. I remember being tormented by the fact that someone would say something really funny to me, and I’d laugh, but I’d feel nothing. Can’t even describe the feeling, but it eventually wore me down and I stopped taking whichever the final one was that I took. I experienced an inability to orgasm with all three, and I gained weight (but have never been slim and my weight has always fluctuated, this may or may not have been a side effect.

It’s funny how people’s experiences can all be so different. I don’t think I’d ever try an SSRI again, I’m too scared to go through the side effects. I realise that ‘being unable to feel a deep down belly laugh’ sounds a pathetic thing to cling onto, but it’s just where I am. Which is a shame, as my anxiety has probably never been worse than it is currently and I am really keen to bring down the constant feeling of dread and panic a bit, in order to then feel strong enough to deal with why I’m anxious.

my husband, on the other hand, has taken an SSRI for all the time we’ve known each other and then some, and whilst he does have some side effects (night sweats, he is a bit flat emotionally, but I’m not sure how much of it is his loveable grumpy old man personality!) it’s worked really well for him and helped him overcome his very crippling anxiety. He has been slowly reducing the dosage to see how he gets in, but if he had to take them for the rest of his life I don’t think it would bother him.

 

[blossombloss]

Just going to throw my story out there because I wish I’d heard something like this years ago... I’ve struggled with my mental health for most of my life (stemming from a traumatic childhood). It finally got to the stage where I was an adult and was struggling, so I went to the doctor, who prescribed antidepressants. I tried them for a few weeks, felt no different, went back to the doctor and got a prescription for a different antidepressant. This went on for SIX YEARS. I tried a huge list of them, tried them for the recommended few weeks/months, took them consistently, listened to my doctor, did everything I was supposed to do. But I never felt any better. I felt like I was completely broken, because antidepressants are supposed to help with depression but they weren’t helping me. I felt incurable and lost hope

After six years of this I stopped functioning and had a mental breakdown. It was only at this point that I saw a psychiatrist and was put on an atypical antipsychotic which is normally used to treat schizophrenia. No, I’m not schizophrenic, but it worked! It wasn’t a miracle cure by any means, but it helped level my mood out which had a wonderful knock on effect. I still have struggles (medication can’t cure situational tit unfortunately, nor can it erase trauma) but being on this medication has been the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health

Just wanted to post this in case anyone else was finding that antidepressants weren’t helping despite trying different ones/dosages and feels as incurable as I did. There are other options, talk to your doctor and don’t give up hope

Thank you for sharing this. I've been on three anti-depressants since I was 21 and I don't think any of them really helped. For some reason I came across something about mood stabilisers and it sounded like much more of what I needed than what I've been taken before, but for some reason I'm too scared to suggest this to my doctor. I've recently moved and only really just joined a GP (for other reasons) I'm really fed up of having to explain things all the time and just feel I won't be believe.

Do you think it's just a case of asking the doctor, or should you present symptoms first?

 

[chocolate choux]

Thank you for sharing this. I've been on three anti-depressants since I was 21 and I don't think any of them really helped. For some reason I came across something about mood stabilisers and it sounded like much more of what I needed than what I've been taken before, but for some reason I'm too scared to suggest this to my doctor. I've recently moved and only really just joined a GP (for other reasons) I'm really fed up of having to explain things all the time and just feel I won't be believe.

Do you think it's just a case of asking the doctor, or should you present symptoms first?

No problem I think how you go about it depends on the temperament of your GP - some are more willing to follow your lead whereas some take it badly as if you’re telling them how to do their job. The way it happened with me was through a referral to the community mental health team, which enabled me to access more specialised support. It might be worth telling your GP that you’re still really struggling despite the different antidepressants and ask for a referral to your local mental health services. I doubt any GPs would have thought to give me my current medication because as the name suggests, they are general practitioners and not mental health experts, so I really do recommend trying to get a referral.

I think it’s important to put your ideas out there but also follow the experts lead. Many are willing to seriously consider your input but if they disagree, try to keep in mind that they’re experts (not that they’re always right though). Trust in their recommendations but also stick up for yourself. I’ve been offered antidepressants so many times but they've never worked, I’m open to trying new ones but when they recommend ones I’ve tried before I firmly say no.

Sorry for the long post, I hope you are able to make some progress and my inbox is open if you need a chat

 

[Badabing101]

100 % request a referral to a psychiatrist as they are the experts in terms of medication and diagnoses. It was through seeing a consultant at the Priory (I have private health via work) that I got to the bottom of my condition. Appreciate that not everyone has access to this type of support, but even if you can see a GP who has a special interest in mental health and would know more regarding medication that would help . Good luck

 

[blossombloss]

Thank you both! I wish I had asked for a referral when I had my work healthcare, will definitely consider that in my next role if the GP doesn't put me on to specialised support!

 

[Lilbear1]

Anyone else on amitriptyline?any side effects? I take them for long term pain and fibro but am thinking of coming off them.

 

[Trampoline]

I have been on not for long in ruined my sex life, I find fluoxetine better and fluoxetine doesnt make me put on weight quite the opposite x

 

[Mustard]

I’ve taken Paroxetine, Sertraline and Citalopram, between the ages of 16 and 18. Paroxetine is, I don’t think, prescribed to adolescents anymore, or maybe not at all, but there was a panorama investigation into it being prescribed to teenagers and that generally being a really bad thing. I took it for three ish months, and it was awful. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t focus, I was seeing things, increased self harm and so on. I had thought I was struggling with my mental health when I agreed to try them, but I genuinely thought I had lost all control of my mind and emotions. The only way I can describe it is to say I felt I had truly gone mad, but I realise that’s really negative language to use so I do apologise for being unable to think of a better way of wording it. I went back to the doctor week after week begging to come off them. they insisted on the 3 month period when it would usually settle down. When it didn’t, they stopped me ‘cold turkey’, which was another two weeks of feeling even worse. Sertraline and Citalopram were much better for me in comparison, but not without side effects. One of them I went up to the max dose but the only thing both of them did for me was make me feel numb. I remember being tormented by the fact that someone would say something really funny to me, and I’d laugh, but I’d feel nothing. Can’t even describe the feeling, but it eventually wore me down and I stopped taking whichever the final one was that I took. I experienced an inability to orgasm with all three, and I gained weight (but have never been slim and my weight has always fluctuated, this may or may not have been a side effect.

It’s funny how people’s experiences can all be so different. I don’t think I’d ever try an SSRI again, I’m too scared to go through the side effects. I realise that ‘being unable to feel a deep down belly laugh’ sounds a pathetic thing to cling onto, but it’s just where I am. Which is a shame, as my anxiety has probably never been worse than it is currently and I am really keen to bring down the constant feeling of dread and panic a bit, in order to then feel strong enough to deal with why I’m anxious.

my husband, on the other hand, has taken an SSRI for all the time we’ve known each other and then some, and whilst he does have some side effects (night sweats, he is a bit flat emotionally, but I’m not sure how much of it is his loveable grumpy old man personality!) it’s worked really well for him and helped him overcome his very crippling anxiety. He has been slowly reducing the dosage to see how he gets in, but if he had to take them for the rest of his life I don’t think it would bother him.

Have you considered trying CBD oil for your anxiety? I am going to try it, and have been doing a lot of research. There is a company called Simply CBD and they are based in Wales and very reasonably priced. By law, they cannot give advice, but there is a FB page called Simply CBD Users Support Group and you can post questions and get a superb amount of help from users and moderators. You could go in their for some advice, and then if you want to order some you go back to the company. They have quite a few different types to try. They also donate their profits to animal rescue work.

 

[Macadelic]

Hi! I am not a doctor, but in my experience I had significant weight gain. I felt better while taking it though! And I was advised by my doctor to stop taking any SSRI medication before trying for a baby. I hope you start to feel better soon, sending love and hugs.

I can also vouch for the weight gain. I gained 5st in about 10 months it was awful. Still finding it difficult to lose the weight after being off them for 9 months

 

[Trixabellee9393]

I’m on sertraline and have been for about a year. Initially I felt really poorly for about a week when I started them then it went and I’ve not had any lows as bad as I was having before. Not sure on the pregnancy thing as I’ve never had kids to answer a poster above about amitriptyline I was prescribed these when I had bad insomnia and they did work most nights however I had a really heavy head the next day like it kept falling backwards! Weird! So I only took them if I really needed too!

 

[blossombloss]

I find it so interesting that the drugs worked differently for everyone. I know you go to the docs and they tell you this but so nice on this forum hearing the different experiences.

Sertraline was by far the worse one I've ever been on, I remember my first week I thought I was genuienly going mad. I remember lying on my bedroom floor waiting to die or for the side effects to wear off, still no idea what it was til this day but everything moved slowly and I thought I was going crazier than before! Then being on them I didn't realise it for a while but I felt so numb and I couldn't even cry at sad things. I'm really glad they are working for you though Trixabellee9393 and I hope me sharing doesn't sound like discouragement, I've just never really had the change to talk about the different effects of the ones I've had.

 

[Blackbird]

I've tried so many different ones over 20+ years but have been on Sertraline for about five years straight 50mg daily).

I do wonder if the medication changes somehow between batches, as sometimes I'll have no side effects when starting a new pack, but then other times I'll get the headaches, sweats (during the day - the most inconvenient time), anxiety, sleeplessness, itchiness and nausea. Other times I'll just get one or two of these side-effects at random times. At times I take (prescribed) anti-nausea tablets to combat that and (prescribed) antihistamines at night with a sedative effect to help me sleep (and to combat the itchiness) ... but would make me feel groggy in the morning. It's a bit of a vicious cycle but I only take them when I need to. I also take a lot of Ibuprofen for the headaches.

Of all the ones I've tried over the years, Sertraline has been the best. It took a couple of weeks to get used to them - I felt suicidal in the first week, which was truly frightening as I take them for anxiety, not depression - but the side effects are not as bad as others I've tried. I do find that if I don't take them at the exact same time every day I seem a bit out of sorts and, like others have said, if I don't drink them with a huge glass of water, I get the most atrocious heartburn.

Edited to add: Weight gain! Yes, I have put on a huge amount of weight (about 10kg). I am a relatively newly diagnosed Coeliac and, while I'm still adapting my diet, eat like a sparrow ... yet the weight has not come off at all. But I'd rather have my anxiety under control, which Sertraline does a wonderful job of doing, than worry about not fitting into my favourite jeans.

With regard to Sertraline and pregnancy, yes it's a safe combination. But, Sertraline may not be the drug for you. I would suggest you try it - give it at least a month before deciding whether or not it's the drug for you. If you decide it's not, don't hesitate to ask your GP for something else. What works for one person might not work for you. I have friends who rave about Fluoxetine (Prozac); for me, the side effects of shaking, dizziness and vivid nightmares were too much to handle.

 

[Allthehashtags]

Hi all, I’ve been on 50mg of sertraline since the end of November 2019, the first 2 weeks were horrendous. My GP warned me that they would make me feel worse before they make me feel better - She wasn’t wrong!
I haven’t experienced weight gain, I lost weight in the first few weeks. I do get really restless legs & jaw clenching. My family have noticed that I’m not as emotional as I was before (I was constantly crying). I actually can’t remember when I last shed a tear. I almost feel abit disconnected from everything - if that makes sense?
The last week or so the negative thoughts have been creeping back in again so wondering if I should increase my dose or just see how it goes.