My Sertraline experience

Treatment and medication
1

I thought I would give my experience with sertraline and a little about my past to give hope to others. I am a 29 year old male from the UK. I first went on sertraline in

November 2014 when I had got on top of my alcohol and prescription drug addiction. I first went on to 50mg then 100mg after 1 year due to that doubting feelings and dark thoughts coming back. The first 2 weeks were not great with tiredness , racing thoughts , anxiety, anger to

Name a few. After the month mark, I felt I had a complete new lease of life. The dark clouds that had once plagued my mind with dark intrusive thought and the thoughts of " I cannot face the world today " vanished. I felt alive and my energy levels grew and I " wanted to go out " and make the most of my day wether it was to meet with friends or spend time with family. I have suffered with anxiety which I know is closely linked with depression since I was 19 years old and I masked this with drink and drugs for many years which I believe then led me on the road to addiction then followed final destruction.anxiety crippled me in parts of my early 20's but I did not want to tell anyone about it due to the stigma surrounding mental illness. I felt like I was going insane with my thoughts and never feeling " comfortable " , panic attacks and all the unsettling feelings that's come with anxiety and depression.

Fast forward to November 2016 I have had a few years on Sertraline and felt as though I wanted to come off it completely. I lowered the dose to 50mg over 1 month with my doctors guidance and stopped completely.

December 2016 - may 2017

In January of this year I started to feel a bit low again but didn't pay much attention to it. I felt good and bad in phases in the coming months until May when it came crashing down in 1 night. I felt anxious , lost , back where I had been originally with anxiety , depression. All

The intrusive thoughts were back and I was questioning my sanity again. An absolutely terrifying experience for anyone that can relate. I got an appointment with my GP straight away and started back on Sertraline but this time straight to 100mg a day. The first 4 days I was in bed , couldn't be bothered eating , hardly sleeping , crazy thoughts running through my head over and over like someone was playing a CD on repeat. I however weathered the storm and After 10 days I felt the clouds lift again, I honestly felt exactly how I did being reprieved from all the anxiety and deppresion a few years previous.

I wish to give some hope to someone out there battling this terrible illness. Please Weather the storm and I hope you get what I have out of this medication. I have been on them now for coming up to 4 weeks and feel like ME again and i'l add I am still abstinent from drink and drugs coming up for 3 years.

You are not alone 🙏🏻

All my love

David

2

Fantastic Dave, keep on the Sertraline on a maintenance dose just to keep you well, then if you feel your slipping again in the future the dose can be increased straight away to 100mg.

 

3

Well done you and keep taking the meds. I hate to hear of young people your age suffering with this illness. Take care and look after yourself.

4

Thanks for describing your experience of depression and this medication. I've been taking it a long while but eventually cut right down to 25mg 'cos my body just seemed as if it had got used to it. As you've probably guessed I went down and down hardly noticing untill my partner said to me I'd hit an all time low that was it - I realised just how much I'd been struggling. Decided to go back on them as I was originally. Gradually creeping up but not there yet........it's a long way up! It makes a refreshing change to read a post like this

5

Dear Dave,

Thank you for sharing.

So glad you got the help you need.

Pray you continue to do well.

Blessings-

6

Great Post!! 👍🏼🌹

7

Hello Dave,

Thank you for sharing your story, I'm a mum of two and am 34 years old. It's draws parallels with mine and has given me great hope. I had a nervous breakdown in 2013. After severe anxiety and panic attacks I finally accepted that I needed help and started sertraline, gradually working up to 150mg. That was 2014-2016. Then I weaned down over a year reducing my dosage to 75mg. The sertraline and counselling had transformed my life. I even went to university and completed my first year.

October this year I started to feel anxious then all of a sudden one night BANG. I went in full panic mode. For a few days I went from anxious to panic to anxious to panic. No in between, no respite, nothing. The way you describe your intrusive thoughts and repeating like a cd is spot on. I went to the doctors and he upped me to 100mg. I spent 4 weeks on those and went back to him again. I'm now on 150mg. Have been for a few days. Everything is causing me panic, the thought of getting through the day, turning on t.v, the door knocking etc. Mornings are the worse!

Reading your story has given me hope. I was worried that they wouldn't work because i was actually already on them and had a total freak out. But I'm fininding I'm slowly having moments of feeling ok. 

Hope you continue to improve and a massive well done on fighting your addictions. 

God bless,

kerry