I have to start taking Sertraline now. Doc told me to take one at breakfast time every day. Only trouble is that I have tried anti ds before in years gone by and I felt absolutely awful so stopped taking them. I believe if you keep taking them you will start to feel better. But I just couldnt cope with feeling so bad. I want to stop feeling depressed, really I do. But Im not sure Ive got the strength to deal with feeling so bad for a while till the tablets get into my system. What is your experience of sertraline? Daft thing is that whilst Im with the Doctor I am confident I will take the medication. Then when I get home. Fear takes over. Anyone else like this?
Well thats how antidepressants usually work. They usually make you worse before better, but don't worry! that usually means they are doing their job correctly. Now i'm going to get scientiffic about this, but it's important to learn how your medication works so you won't as stressed out. So i'll give you a basic understanding of how they work, so if they do make you feel worse, you won't be as freaked out. 5HT1A receptors are the main target for SSRIs " antidepressants" and are often found on the same neuron that is releasing serotonin (called autoreceptors). The reason the serotonin releasing neuron has the receptor is because it acts as a negative feedback system. When there’s too much serotonin in the gap between neurons, the releasing neuron needs to know so that it can stop releasing more serotonin. order to increase serotonin function, we want less activation of the receptors on the releasing neuron (auto-receptors) and more activation on the receiving neuron (postsynaptic receptors).
To overly simplify it…Auto receptors=BAD, Postsynaptic receptors=GOOD.
The goal then is to make the autoreceptors that inhibit serotonin secretion to become less sensitive to serotonin and we want to activate or make more sensitive the postsynaptic receptors. That's why Antidepressants make you worse before better, they can lower your serotonin levels for the first few weeks but once the mechanism of the AD is complete you should have more serotonin. Also, different antidepressants will have different effects on you. It's all about finding the right one. Nothing to be scared of at all.
Shirley
If you have been given a medication to take you follow your GPs instructions and take the tablets.
Your GP is there to help you get well, follow His advice
BOB
Hi
Any medication you take will have all sorts of possible side effects but the USUALLY disappear or lessen after a couple of weeks.
As we k ow that ADs can make us feel more down at first, put some extra protection in place...tell people so they can be there for you. Try to make the next few weeks as stressless as you Can, plan some strings you enjoy (even if it's just reading a new book or watching your favourite film )
Good luck. If you find the right med for you it can make all the difference x
Hello Shirley. Glad that you wrote in. Are the side effects so bad or are the fear of the side effects from the past experience that is the issue? Diane
Hi I know what you mean. The side effects and the time it takes for your body to get use to the drug can be really difficult. My grandson started sertraline with no side effects so maybe you will be one of the lucky ones. I think you should give it a try. Come back daily and tell us how it is going. Good luck.
Hi Michael, Thank you for your long post. Very interesting. Yes its all about finding the right one isnt it. Interestingly I was prescribed Prozac 20 years ago. No side effects or withdrawal symptoms and I was on it for 3 years! Prescribed it again about 10 years later and I had all the side effects etc. No idea why.
Thanks borderreiver, Yes I know I should be taking the medication. But Ive also got visions that I will be housebound for a few weeks with the side effects if I take it and Im almost housebound now because of my circumstances, not illness or anything and Im finding it so hard.
Thanks Sunnydays, Yes any medication can have side effects I know. But your idea of having plans in place is a good one, especially if I will be housebound for a couple of weeks. Its driving me crazy being almost housebound now. But yes the right med can make all the difference I know.
Hi Diane, Thanks for your message. Its the fear of extremely bad side effects from past experience that is the problem.
Was the brand of the old prozac you had the same as the newer one? sometimes that can make a difference. I was on setraline 2 years ago for the first time for anxiety. And although it helped my anxiety, it turned me into a apathetic zombie. Eventually after 9 months of taking it i stopped because i couldn't handle that apathetic feeling anymore. Fast foward 2 years later and my anxiety comes back due to a stressful event, so i decided to go back on setraline. I noticed that this time the setraline is making me feel the opposite of apatheitc, it's making me feel alive, energetic. I noticed that the new setraline i had was a different brand, although it was still generic.
I thought this was very strange, so as an experiment i took one of my old setraline, and it just made me tired and apathetic. People may say otherwise, but brand really does make a huge difference. The slightest change in the way the company manufactures their drug will have a huge impact. Also, since you were already on prozac, it has made changes to your brain and nervous system, and that could also be a reason why you got side effects the second time around.
Hi deb, Yes it can be very hard. Glad to hear your grandson got no side effects from sertraline. Yes I may be one of the lucky ones too. I am thinking I may start them on Wednesday because I have somewhere to go on Tuesday and I dont want to risk missing it. But yes I will report back daily and let you know how I am getting on.
Hi Michael, I cant be sure about the brands of Prozac that I took 10 years apart but I totally get what you mean of course . And that may well have been the case. The only difference that I am aware of however is the fact that when I was first prescribed Prozac it was for post natal depression . The second time 10 years later it was for anxiety.
I am sorry you are having trouble right now. My experience right now coming off this medication I would never recommend this to anyone. The side effects after you go through after you stop taking the medication is horrible. I recommend you find someone you can talk openly with and get your feelings out that way. Please do some research before you make a decision.