Hi all,
I need some support... I have been off sertraline for 16 days. I did ween myself off them properly but this past week god have I felt the anxiety creeping in, I am so emotional I go from crying to literally wanting to expload everything is irritating me I don't see the fun in anything at the moment nd it's not fair on my children. I am not living with the constant fear of my health anxiety like I was before I seem to have control of this what I want to know is, is this a side effect because I do NOT want to go back on sertraline to calm me down but I'm at my Whits end to be honest.. I am ratty I am not good to be around at the minute and it's taking its toll not just on me but on my family as wellšš¢
Hi Waza. I have no experience in Sertraline but itās something Iām considering taking for whatever it is Iām suffering with. Can I just ask you a question? What were your symptoms of health anxiety? Did the Sertraline make a big difference for you?
I hope the withdrawal passes really quickly and feel ok after a few more days of digging deep.
Iām suffering in the same way and also stuck in āmedication limboā. Took Zoloft for about 6 weeks. Was feeling ok by week 5 but still suffering tremors and burning sensations in the back of my head so doctor took me off Zoloft. Was only on 25mgs. Took about a week for the tremors to stop and a few days the burning sensation in the back of my head stopped. About 3 weeks passed and I was feeling about 80% normal and very little anxiety. Was thinking there was a light at the end of this hellish tunnel. Unfortunately last Sunday I he anxiety came back with a vengeance. And here I am waking up super early mornings with horrible anxiety again. Constant worry, aches and pains. Irritated at everything and just feeling like hell again. Doctor wants me to try Buspar now but Iām super scared of side effects. Guess I should just try it and see. I really didnāt want to be a slave to medications. Iām 39 years old and never had an issue with anxiety until beginning of this year right after my gallbladder surgery. And here I am, six months later still suffering and dealing with this horrible anxiety and canāt seem to kick it. Medications arenāt my thing as Iām super sensitive to a lot of side effects. Plus medications give me more anxiety but I guess thatās just me. Just wish I knew of starting the Buspar would be worth it to me or not. I do talk therapy every week since mid March but it doesnāt really help very much at all. Good luck with your quest for feeling better. Itās a tough road but gotta keep moving for our kids.
Thank you for replying, i have just woken up this morning and already had a little cry š« but I have also just told myself that today is a new day and tomorrow is gone I going to concentrate on what I'm doing this morning for now.. I do hope you manage to get an even keel on your medication don't be so hard on yourself if it works for you at the time then it's what you need.. I only came off sertraline because I am in a better place I do meditation when I can I have me health worries under control it's the the high highs and the low lows I cannot cope with. I am going to make an appointment with my GP and see what she thinks. Thanks again and good luck š
Hi Jozzer,
I will start by saying yes the sertraline really helped for my anxiety I had constant worry about things being wrong with me especially after having my second child the worry of me getting an illness and not being here for my children. This thing that really worked for me was meditation and a lot of reading about what anxiety does to your body I needed answers for each sensation... Eventually i learned that you can't control what will be but you can control how you deal with it and I had CBT and this changed my life for the better because I started to make sense of the fact I was the one letting the worry and anxieties control my feelings... There is a book called feel the fear and do it anyway!! I would recommend it if you get chance read it. I do hope this helps you a little and remember you are not alone there's always someone to speak to on here.. these forums are amazing for that take care š
hi,
how are you doing?
did you change your medication?
Waza,
Our stories are pretty similar: although I have had health anxiety all my life, it got worse after the birth of my 2nd child. i was put on sertraline and was able to function well for several years. i still had worries here and there, but overall i was ok. During last year lockdown, i exercised, did yoga and spent lots of time outdoors, so I was in a great lace mentally and decided yo wean off. it worked perfectly, no side effects. This Spring i had some minor health issues and coupled with some stress at work, my anxiety came back with a vengeance. After trying unsuccessfully yo address it, i decided to go back on sertraline, but just after one 50 mg pill, i had very scary, horrible experience. My doctor advised me yo start really low and up the dose slowly. i still had lots of side effects. I am now on 50 mg, still have anxiety, intrusive thoughts & compulsions, but my panic attacks seem yo have gotten better, i feel that i can rationalize with myself better, sleep was better while on 25 mg, but got a little rough on 50 mg - hope itāll get better.
I hope you overcame the withdrawal side effects and are feeling well now.
Trisha,
I hope you are doing better. i am on the same boat, After 3 weeks on sertraline, I had good days and bad days, still hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Iāve experienced many side effects but kept going especially after noticing improvements with my panic attacks and sleep. After upping the dose to 50 mg, my sleep got a little tough again although I take the pill in the morning, but its the racing anxious thoughts that affects my sleep, so I hope itāll get better soon.
thank you for your reply, it is so hard to rationalise your thoughts when they feel so real. so I have been off sertraline for 18 day again and i am trying so hard but feeling like I am failing and falling apart tbh. I have been so emotional 
crying and worrying! I just want to sleep then I donāt have to worry.
I strongly agree with you, Waza. The intrusive thoughts or my worries seem so real, legitimate, that i have a hard time rationalizing with them. For example, I have always been bad with names, and accepted it over the years, but now if I do not recall someoneās name in a split second, I freak out, almost have a panic attack. The moment I calm down, I recall the name right away. My doctor said itās my anxiety that causes me to panic over things like this. Any physical symptom (mild pain, skin blemish, anything) can make me freak out and hyperventilate., so I really hope sertraline will help me calm down and not be that worried and stressed.
Waza, i was wondering how you are doing. My hope is youāre feeling better and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Looking forward to hearing how you are doing.
Healing from SSRIs is a long path, can take weeks, months or even years, but it will heal eventually.
Give it a while, relax, rest and repair. Also therapy is very important to overcome it.