NEED ADVICE, 1st Time Medication Taker

Treatment and medication
1

Hello All,

I can't say that I've been depressed for my whole life. But in the last year and a half or so, I've had some depression and anxiety issues. My mother passed away last January, there was a lot of things that happened surrounding her death. Aside from having to watch the most important person in my life pass, I had to deal with losing our home because of legal issues, losing the 100k life insurance policy, and having to take care of my brother who is actually older than me... by myself. So while dealing with all of this last year, I was still OK, I guess so anyway. Sometimes it is hard to tell. I think some would understand me. But in January, me and my girlfriend broke up. And although she wasn't necessarily "good for me", I think it hurt me and put me in a REALLY bad downward spiral. I am constantly thinking negative thoughts, I have weird sleeping patterns, I feel very restless and cannot be by myself without driving myself crazy with my thoughts. I think a lot about her and my mother. So I went to my therapist, she suggested I see a psychiatrist just to see what he says. I went two days ago, and he listened to my story and my feelings. He feels that a serious of events have put me in a depressive state. He prescribed me Zoloft. Not to take forever, but until I get into a more "comfortable" place I guess. I have not taking it yet. And like many others, I read reviews and experiences, and get very scared. I know everyone has different experiences with them. I also don't want to feel like I'm covering up my issues with medication. I have been feeling hopeless. I'm not sure if I have to man up and handle things or just say "Hey... it's okay to just take this medication, get yourself to a better place, then see what happens from there."

I don't want to lose myself, feel like a zombie, or any other of these things I'm hearing. I'm just incredibly nervous. I need to get these thoughts about my ex girlfriend out of my head that are constantly nagging me, and I want to feel less likely to break down at the thought of my mother not being around. Is Zoloft something that can help with this? I just want advice, any advice. This is my first time posting anywhere about anything on a forum, lol... so just know that I really need to hear from real people. Thank you!

2

Hi, I was prescribed 50mg of Sertraline last November as I was suffering from work related anxiety.

When I first started taking them I felt horrible, after 4 days I had bad abdomen pain and didn't feel myself at all, so much so that I rang NHS DIRECT and talked thru not taking them anymore, but....I pushed thru because I admitted to myself that I needed extra help..

I had a LOT of side effects in the beginning..dry mouth, clenched teeth, no appetite and many others...now and for a long time I have had none. Ive reduced my dosage to 25mg as of a month ago and hope to wean.off by summer.

I (like many others I'm sure) was very scared to start taking these tablets but I am very glad I did now....it does all pass and you will feel better in the long run...

keep strong, we all like to think we are indestructible but were not..every know and then we need to admit to ourselves that we need extra help.

I am a woman of 38.

good luck!!!!

3

Meds is what you need, to get back to experiencing quality life, yes thats it quality life. If Zoloft doesnt work after a month, then start on another tablet, its your doctors right to get you onto the best mix. Good luck

4

If I was King of England I would ban Sertraline.

5

hi rob74885, did u have a bad experience on sertraline?

6

Hi JE87. Sounds like you've had a lot to cope with. I had all of the same worries as you, when I first took Sertraline. I was ready for the side effects and got some hideous headaches and a few other weird things, but I think what I learnt was we are all different so you cannot tell how it will be for you until you give it a go. Don't worry about trying it - if it doesn't work out you simply stop taking the meds, making sure you reduce the dose slowly. I have used Sertralibe twice and found it really helped. I'm currently not on it and finding things quite tough, but I don't feel ready to resort to the meds again. But dont feel guilty if you decide to take them. If it works it really will help you to sort out your head and to think rationally about stuff and not to get so anxious and wound up about things. Be kind to yourself and treat yourself as if you are helping a very close friend! Good luck!!

7

I think you would be fine going either way. I myself haven't had any serious side effects from sertraline other than drowsiness and like all anti-depressants, it takes a little while to get flowing and working in your system.

On the other hand, what you have experienced is very hard, and it woiuld not be normal to be all chipper about things following such travails. You might want to forego the med and just wait for awhile, use your support network, and give yourself a little time to establish new routines, activities, etc. and enjoy old ones of course.

My mom died of cancer (which I also got years later) in 2003 in my arms in North Carolina and nothing was harder..I am a Vietnam vet of quite a few years total visits and have held dying people before..not same with the the one person you love most in life. I can seriously empathize. I had serious issues myself during that time and after. I still miss my mom and am estranged from my brother, largely due to his actions and lack of care/support during that time.

I would say don't be afraid of addiction to the drug, side effects, stigma, etc. if you want to try the med which was, after all, prescribed to you by a doctor. But it might just be some time and space and change of scenery you need.

Not sure this helped, but hope you feel better soon.

D

8

I was prescribed Zoloft after a week of no sleep and obsessive thoughts that had me so scared and lost. I eventually went to my doctor and he put me on 25mg of Zoloft. I was on it for a couple of weeks and I'll be honest I had awful side effects. I had an eye twitch my anxiety level was higher then ever and I thought things would never turn around. I finally went to a therapist and she told me I had ocd. This helped me extremely I know you don't have ocd. However I then decided I was feeling anxious again and wanted to up my dose which brought back the bad side effects. I felt so naseous in the mornings I could never eat. I gave Zoloft about a month and a half and I was finally feeling normal again. I would say give Zoloft a shot and don't give up if the side effects are bad at first. Zoloft seriously has helped me tremdously. I have been on 100mg for 6 months and I have no obsessive thoughts and I no longer have to see my therapist. Seriously its worth a try I too was scared of taking it but I'm so glad I did. Just know many people know what you're going through just try to keep your head up set some goals and keep yourself occupied. Hope you start feeling better!

9

morning JE,

i can't even begin to imagine how hard things have been for you. when you get in a depressive state it's really hard to get yourself back on track without either therapy or medication, i've done both in the past, depression and anxiety are my issues, and they follow and haunt me throught my adult life and descend whenever they feel like it, cause absolute havoc and destruction to me as a person and my relationship with my boyfriend. then when it's done the damage, i return to my normal self. it's crazy........i've been on sertraline for 6 weeks now, first 50mg for the 1st 4 weeks and i didn't improve, i must say i'm one of the lucky ones, all i've had side effects wise has been mild compared to some posts on here i've seen, shakey, migranes/headaches, gittery and weightloss. i did get increased anxiety to start with but that settled down after a week or so.

I am slowly getting better, i usually have 2-3 bad days a week, and today is the first down day i've had in a week, so i can see an improvement. i'm upset i feel down today because i was doing so well and for some reason, i've woke up in a down mood and not smiling. no reason why i've been fine all week and felt good and happy, and today is a different story, i don't feel as bad as normal though, so suppose that's something, it's just so disheartening when you feel good one day and then crap the next for no apparent reason. when i feel bad and really down, i torment myself with negative thoughts racing through my head, i convince myself that everything is wrong in my life and to add the final nail, i convince myself that my boyfriend has had enough and he's going to leave me for someone better which leaves me feeling insecure and suspicious, which is horrible when you feel down anyway. my self confidence is shattered at the moment, i'm trying to trust the meds and let them do their job, but always in the back of my mind i'm just waiting for a bad and down day to rear it's ugly head, and when it does i recoil back into my shell and become withdrawn and irritable, no longer happy, confident and worry free. i'm not saying i want it to completely cure me, i know that's not possible and i know that every one gets down, but every week for me?? i feel like i've been dealt a duff hand in life and i'm worried that i'm going to have this battle for the rest of my days. sertraline has been the best medication i've tried so far, with a therapist there is only so much you can talk about, they try and give you ways to change your thinking which can be helpful at first but i find it a waste of time after a while, the bad thoughts ingulf the good and CBT sessions and i just end up low, low, low!! still, i have to still give it time. im on 100mg now, have been for the past 2 weeks, so having had a full week of feeling good, that's got to be an improvement right?? just wish i could have 2 weeks of feeling good and only 1 day inbetween, but maybe tomorrow i'll be feeling a bit more myself eh?? i have to trust the meds and let them do what they are supposed to do. i however, would stay on these for the rest of my life if i had to, to combat my depression, it has dominated my life for so long, that i've had enough, i'm ready for a fight with it. every time i want to do something with my life, i always have to ask the question, how will that affect my depression?? me and my boyfriend have talked about having children in the future, now as a woman and having female friends tell me how bad your hormones can be with pregnancy, can you imagine how bad i would be pregnant if i'm like this now?? i'd love to have kids, but that thought is terrifying me, i don't think there is a medication you can take when your pregnant for depression so i feel doomed at that thought!! depressive or what!! hope you all have good days today :-)

10

So interesting to read your post- I have come onto the internet to read up about Sertraline after being prescribed it by my dr but like you, am unsure whether to go ahead & take it. All your worries about takIng it are exactly how I'm feeling. I had almost decided to start taking it today after a week of feeling really low but after reading the comments on here, I'm now unsure again as worried the side effects will actually make me feel worse. Have you decided what to do JE87?

11

i wasn't worried about taking it because i knew i couldn't manage my depression without it, it's too severe and when you're down most days it's even harder to cope with, especially if you're in a relationship and it's causing major problems. It's hard to accept that it's something you have to do to get better but it's only like if you're overweight and you have to put yourself on a diet, or you have a really bad headache and have to take paracetamol, that's the way i'm trying to look at it, i don't have any other option really. i just know if i'd not gone on it, i'd be in a much darker place right now so i'm sticking with it. my GP has been great and i have an appt on tuesday to see her and i will be telling her that i've been much better, because all in all i have and the side effects last about 4 weeks and then they subside but like i said in my earlier post, i've been really lucky with the side effects, i haven't had any crippling ones like some people have posted about :-)

12

i've seen many people are struggling with no sleep, whereas i've been fine, probably slept better, i take mine as soon as i get out of bed every morning so i don't know if that effects anything?? i've heard some people split their doses, if they are on 100mg, they'll have 50 in the morning and 50 at night. i haven't tried that yet, don't really want to start messing about with the dosage as this one seems to be settling down okay how i'm doing it now so going to stick with mornings for the time being :-)

13

@1975 .... I'm still very unsure. I have a big weekend coming up, a couple of best friends birthdays. So I'm going to wait for this weekend to pass, see what else I can read up on, check back on this post, and take some time to sleep on it. By Monday I will make my decision.\

I went out yesterday with friends and had a REALLY great time. It made me forget about a lot of things. Like @david49878 said, it may be that I just need to be around my support system and get back to doing things I enjoy doing. So by Monday for sure, I will make a decision.

Everyone else, I appreciate your comments and feedback so much! You don't know how much it means to have real people who are willing to share their unique experiences. Thank you!

14

Hope you had a good weekend @JE87!! As I was going away at the weekend, I decided to wait until after to decide but after suffering panic attack on sat night (which I haven't had for several weeks) & just generally not being able to clear my mind of negative thoughts, I decided I need to try the sertraline. I took my first 50mg tablet this morning & had a great morning ( think the fact that I had finally made the decision to start taking them helped with that along with the great British weather & a beautiful sunny morning for once!). I have eaten lunch ( don't seem to have lost my appetite yet) but feel a little nauseous now. Out of all the side effects, thIs is the one I knew I would suffer with as I get terrible travel & motion sickness & can get nauseous at the smallest thing. So all in all, glad I started them & hope I continue to feel ok.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

15

hi there 1975,

if the side effects are anything to go by, if anyone is going to get a dickie tummy it's usually me, if i take anything, drink or eat anything that my system isn't used to or doesn't like, i'm usually the first one to start with problems!! that is a classic side effect of sertraline, i've been on mine for 6 weeks and only had that happen twice, so if your prone to certain things, sometimes it can psychologically talk you into having those symptoms, since i've been on it, i've been probably all in all, 75-80% better than i was, when i think back before i was taking sertraline, i was a nightmare but these days i'm not so bad, still get the negative thoughts and nearly had a panic/anxiety attack last tuesday but managed to catch myself and get control of my breathing before i went into a full blown one.

it will take time to get into your system, the panic attacks/anxiety won't last forever and when you come through the other side, you will be glad you took them and stuck with it. keep us updated. my main issue is depression and negative thinking that comes and goes every other day and i get anxiety attacks when it goes away, and then when it comes back again, although i was good last week, feeling okay upto now and hopefully will be okay for the rest of this week :-) good luck and keep us posted on how you're feeling, don't forget we are all in this together so share how your feeling and even that helps so much :-)

16

gingemac1977,

Thankyou so much for your comment, it's so nice to hear about others going through the same thing.

I am on day 5 now & side effects haven't been too bad- I have had the nausea feeling quite a lot but find if I drink lots of water & eat regularly, it's not too bad. (Was quite looking forward to losing my appetite & a little weight but it seem to be eating more than ever!!) suffered a bit with headaches too but am so glad I made the decision to start taking them as feel so much better in myself already & have had 4 brilliant nights sleep!!

I do feel a little spaced out/fuzzy in the head but tbh the side effects feel very similar to being pregnant & I coped with that twice so sure I will be fine!!

Thanks again for your message & hope you are feeling positive.

😄

17

Hi,

I started taking Sertraline about five days ago. The side-effects weren't great (disrupted sleep, stomach upset, the jitters, etc. same as others I think) but to be honest they have been worth it. Without going into why I

started taking it, I can say it's literally changed my life around. All my anxiety is gone. Literally - gone! It's really nice all round. My issues were predominantly anxiety related. But anyway, in short, heads up from me! I also now work harder because I don't panic, and relax more entirely because I don't worry about relaxing (I'm at uni).BUT I do feel a tad spaced out all the time, but personally I like having a break from the emotional wildness of life. I don't cry so easily, in fact I haven't cried yet. I don't seem to get so emotional. So it's a bit weird but I'm so much more creative and chilled and hard-working that I don't mind :-)

x

18

morning all,

i'm going to be on my 8th week of sertraline as of tomorrow. since i've gone upto 100mg 4 weeks ago, i have noticed a huge improvement. has anyone ever noticed a marked improvement in their memory, as with my depression my memory was really bad, someone would tell me something and within seconds i couldn't remember or someone would refer back to a conversation we had and i couldn't remember any of it!! that is a side effect of depression i believe, but slowly i have noticed a difference and that it's getting a bit better these days. i came on my period this morning, around this time of the month has always been a really bad time for me, i normally get really down and tearful the week before i'm due on, this month, i've just been normal and myself, for a change happy. i can't believe what a difference these meds have made to my life and my relationship with my boyfriend. things were very strained before this, walking on egg shells around me, i was upset and over sensetive about the slightest thing, but that isn't me, i'm usually relaxed and have a good banter and laugh with my boyfriend, he's my best friend, all that has gone back to the way it was when we first met now and i'm loving it.

i know i'm still going to have ups and downs, but honestly, it's worked wonders for me, and after spending so many years on and off different meds and none that made any significant difference, i'd resounded myself to being a miserable, depressed and over sensitive rat bag for the rest of my life, i've found a drug that has sorted me out and i couldn't recommend sertaline enough to people. side effects are well worth it for what you get back from it after a few weeks perseverance. i've found myself again and couldn't be happier at the moment, i've finally learnt to trust it and let it work it's majic, it's done the job for me, new users, stick with it, happy days ahead for you all :-)

19

How r u now?

20

Hi Je87 , Sorry to hear about your loss. My Mother passed away last year. Death is hard to deal with. I take zoloft 175 mgs and it does help me somewhat. I get the tremors that are annoying. I think to feel helpless or hopeless is ok a bit. I hope the zoloft helps you.