Just been prescribed sertraline and dont know what to do ?

Treatment and medication
1

hi there, im a 29 yr old female who suffers with panic attacks, im currently unable to work, and unable to hold any sort of normal social activity without feeling anxious, having a panic attack and having to leave.

its got to the point now where i rarely go out and have become socially agrophobic. Im usually a confident person, although generally nervous but i feel like i have half of me missing, my life has turned up side down and i want it back.. i had my first panic attack in feb 2008 and since then been on the decline. the doc has prescribed sertraline 50mg - im scared to take these because of all the horrible side effects i read about, i dont want to feel any worse than i already do.

I just want the constant feeling of \"dread\" to go away and let me live my life again.

any advice would be helpful please?

thx

2

Hi there

I would advise you to take them. Side effects I had in the first week were tiredness, nausea ( 2 days only) and disrupted sleep patterns.

2 weeks on my mood has stabilised and I have less anxiety. The tiredness is a little better and the doctor said the sleep disruption is normal and will settle down. I am getting a little more sleep day by day.

If you are depressed and anxious and you have tried all the normal things such as therapy, meditation, lavenender oil, st. john's wort etc as I did and nothing really helped then anti depressants are the next best step. They will help you get your life back and that has to be worth it.

Good luck

3

Hi just read your message. Don't be put off by the side effects it's only for a few days. I have been on Sertraline for 9 months and have got my life back. I was suffering the same as you, and thought I would never be normal again. Give the medicine a chance you will be glad you did. The side effects are a small inconvenience for a shot time only. In comparison to feeling normal. Good Luck and hope you feel better soon. Lucky

4

Thanks very much for taking the time out to reply. very much appreciated it. I'm going to give them ago..

smile

5

hi have been on sertraline for 11 days now.

thought was doing ok after suffering major panic attacks but after 2 days of felling not to bad had a terrible attack today.

just wondered if anyone else has had same .

just want to feel back to normal !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cry:

6

Hi there,been on 75mg of sertraline for almost 4 months and i was the same as you felt great at first then started to have bad days.My doc put me on these tablets for panic and aniexty,it was really bad i just couldnt function at all staying in bed as this was the only place i felt safe,didnt go out for weeks and was off work for 3 months never thought i would be normal again.But i honestly can say that after about 6 weeks on sertraline started to feel good again the bad days just got less and less ,still get bad time on the odd occasion but it passes quickly and its not bad days its bad moments.Stick with it ,it has worked for me,i am now almost back to normal thankfully.Hope this has helped ,just remember you are not on your own and these tablets take time to work fully :D Patty

7

thanks for that,

you just feel terrible,

its really frightening.im normally quite an out going person ,and to be struck by panic attacks and a feeling of agriphobia is horrible.

the doc has give me some sleeping tablets to try and help tonight.

you just feel like you will never be normal again. :shock:

8

Hi Helen, and hi to everyone else.

I've been worrying about the same thing, and I bet there are lots of us out there. I actually put up my own post about this a few weeks ago (experience.patient.co.uk/discussion.php?t=35405). I still haven't started taking them, but I'm thinking about it a lot. I just want to feel better, but I'm worried about how much can be affected by drugs and how much is really down to issues i need to talk about and fix. I'm, already seeing a counsellor, but sometimes that goes well and other times I feel as though nothing said has really been of use... and I'm not sure if that's because I don't raise the real issues inside me. i just find it all very hard to communicate.

My overall worries are how the side-effects will effect me and how dependent i will be on them. Reading the experiences of others here, it looks as though started them may well be for the best. But I can't help thinking that if I give it a few weeks and months, and just try to focus on what I need to change, then can I just make it through? I'm worried about being able to do my job if I'm suffering more with increased anxiety and the overall feeling of depression and lack of worth while I settle into taking Sertraline. I'm just as worried about coming off them and how hard some people have said that can be.

9

Hi

I have been taking these as well for 3 days now, i had sides but they all seems to be going now, i have taken only half because i was worried of the sides

im going to have some kinezology session and other alternative treatments as well

hope everyone is getting better here:D

10

Hello everyone,

I also have been taking sertraline (100mg daily), for a couple of years now. At first i started on a low dosage and then worked my way up until i felt more comfortable in myself. My GP diagnosed me with depression and post traumatic stress in 2004, and although it wasnt easy, i decided to start taking the tablets as i had been living like a hermite, afraid to go out or be near people for the previous four yrs. Plus, i would feel so empty or would be unable to control my emotions for days or weeks at a time. Which mostly left me completly exhausted.

Due to all this i had to stop working, fight for the benefits i was entitled to and try not to feel so guilty for being unable to work (as i had previously been employed for over 20yrs). But this was really differcult. As it really played on my mind and i felt that people could see how ill i was, which made me even more afraid to leave the house, incase i bumped into someone i knew and they could see that i wasnt quite right.

However, what i have learned from this, although i have good days and bad days. These are actually just moments in time. I have found that there is no better help, than the help you can give yourself. I had to hit rockbottom before i accepted that i needed medication, and now that i am on it, i still have the occasional attack and when i do it gets me down but through CBT, i have learned to control and live my life as best as i can. Plus, ive been able to tell all my friends and family, so that if i am ill, i can ask for help - as this was also something i was unable to do, until recently.

However taking the tablets was just the begining, as i was also referred to have Cognitive Therapy and other counseling. Plus, i found a local lady healer and had reiki healing for over a year, which was really hard but helped me to release the trapped emotions inside me. I also found yoga has really helped me. As using the breathing techniques, has helped me to unlock my emotions and keeps my body more agile - especailly as i am unable to walk very far alone and need a car to get from A to B. So any kind of exercise is a bonus.

Finally if you do feel panicky, make a note of it immediatly afterwards. What scale was the panick attack from 1 to 10 (10 being unable to breath - collasped to the ground) and (1, a mild breathy but quick panick)

What was the trigger? Were you outside surrounded by people - was it too crowded? Were you dressing, eating or worried about something etc.

And finally the outcome, how long did the panick attack last. Did you have to go to sleep - or were you ok, did you managed to breath your way through it and clam yourself down.

After making these notes, you can really see for yourself, how the panick attacks and worrys are imapacting on your life and maybne this will help you with your decision.

Stay safe and be kind to yourself

11

this is going to sound really stupid,

have been on sertraline for 14 days now,

still having anxity attacks but trying really hard to continue as normal.(of which believe me isnt easy ).

doc says must keep going and they will work !!!!

silly things set me off .had to take guinea pig to vets tonight as really poorly.

vet told me i would have to take it to their bigger practice near by.

had a complete heart attack at the thought of having to take it,managed to get it there but dreading the thought of having to pick it back up.isnt it silly...................

do other people have these silly thoughts when you start off? do they get better , as im fed up with it.

12

I started on this drug 1 week ago and will have to see what happens, the Yoga as mentioned previously is good, especially the breathing exercise, i did yoga for 1 year 7 days a week and never felt better. I cannot motivate my self to start again.

I also have a book called Self Hypnosis & scientific self suggestion, this book deals with your real Enemy {The Sub Conscious Mind} this is where all the troubles are and you have to totally relax to try and get messages through to it to carm down.

I have had attacks for years now, get stressed out very easily and at the moment have never been worse.

Dont forget the effects of {Fight or Flight response}The body chemicals go hay wire and the adrenalin flows when we dont need it to,

I will let you know how i go on.