Sertraline 50 mg and dihydrocodiene

Mental health
1

I have been taking dihydrocodiene for very severe pain for a few months now and myGP has prescribed Sertraline 50 mg for anxiety and depression , I find that all I want to do is sleep , is this normal or is it the effect of the mix of the two tablets , I have only been on Sertraline for one week , but I find I have to go to bed in the afternoon I am so tired and sleep for about three hours 

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i have been on sertaline 6 weeks now hun. started off on 50mg the first couple weeks i couldn't sleep but everyone is different some side efforts are drowzniess . i am now on my second day of taking 100mg and im extremely tiered. but this anti depressant is a life saver. stick with it x

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Hi Catherine 

i don’t take sertraline but my partner did for 18 months (alongside some very powerful arthritis medication) the first week or two the tiredness was overwhelming but it improved steadily. I know it feels impossible at the beginning when all you get are side effects from the antidepressant but they truly do settle.

i take 120mg of Duloxetine alongside 140mg of Morphine Sulphate daily which was a nightmare at first but again it did slowly slip into place. Please try to stick with it to give the Sertraline a fair chance, if you need a sleep in the afternoon and are able to do this maybe try to just accept if for now. I’ve been on many antidepressants so can say hand on heart it will get better...

wishing you all the very best and hope you feel a bit better  soon 💟

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Does your GP know you are taking both types of pill together?

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I should hope so Steve it was my Gp who prescribed both of them , but I go back to see her next week and I will check it out 

Thanks Catherine

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Thank you very much Nicole , my Gp has increased the dosage of Sertraline to 100mg today after being on 50mg for two weeks , I hope that as you say Sertraline is a life saver as it was coming to the stage with anxiety that I was scared to go out anywhere , have had to cancel holidays due to this constant fear , so I pray that Sertraline works for me 

Regards Catherine 

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Thank you very much for your encouragement I am going to persevere with Sertraline , believe me I have to as I cannot live my life the way I have been living the last year x

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hi Catherine, glad to see your doctor has increased your dose i do promise it will only get better please stick witb sertlaine. its one of the best anti depressants out there. 2 weeks on 50mg is the average pass of side affects doctors usually tell you to take them up to 6-8 weeks to feel the full effect. i managed 5 but it just wasnt that strong enough for me. its day 8 of being on the 100mg. and WOW i feel incredible. just gone out today and brought myself a new car 😊 please do stick with the sertaline. things can only get better. but remember u are a strong person deep down . reach out to be at any time. i have a good set of ears if u feel u are struggling. x

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Well done for keeping on Catherine; please shout if you need a chat or want to let of steam. I was once housebound by anxiety - I really feel your struggle... heartfelt good wishes and please keep us updated 💟🍀

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Thank you Nicole for your support I am looking forward to the day that this fear of the unknown will not be uppermost in my mind , I went off work a year ago due to anxiety and depression , Gp put me on venlafaxine first but it was awful then fluoxetine not much better , I tried self help methods and I realised that my world was getting smaller and smaller due to the fear I had of going out , now my Gp has given me Sertraline and I am determined to stick with it I feel it’s my only hope . Due to stress etc I retired last July and from being in a very responsible position to doing nothing is hard , but I have seen a psychiatrist and she said not to take on any work that requires responsibility , I just want to be able to enjoy my retirement and be able to go on holiday with my husband , we had a cruise booked last year and had to cancel as the panic and anxiety were awful . We have a family wedding in July and already I’m worried if I will be okay , sorry for all the rambling Nicole I just cannot believe I have totally lost my confidence , but I’m praying I get it back with Sertraline xx

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Thank you very much Sadly I really appreciate that , how did you get over your anxiety ? I do manage to take the dog for a short walk at night , but I’m definitely going to persevere with Sertraline take care , Catherine 

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Catherine I’ve pondered answering this question because the truth is quite difficult but I decided to just be honest - I had a major breakdown and ended up hospitalised for many months my mood became so severely low it was dangerous, I just couldn’t cope with the relentless anxiety. My physical health was at rock bottom too. Long story short though, recovery, it took time for me, some medication changes,small improvements in my health and very slow exposure to the things I feared ( I had  agoraphobia by this point) to this day I’m still not able to comfortably wander off but I’m a million times better than I was. I should mention that I’m bipolar so my experience is obviously very much influenced by the severity of extremes felt with this disorder...

‘I think getting out with your dog whenever you’re able is a fantastic thing to do and if you keep it up it will help enormously- the more we give up/avoid the more the anxiety gets a hold. Maybe if you feel a bit stronger one day go a little further than usual, it sounds so simple I know but I understand the nature of the beast so well - every little step you take is a step away from letting the anxiety control you.

i don’t know if you’ve been offered CBT but some people find it a very useful and simple therapy to help challenge and confront the irrational nature of their anxiety. 

I wish I could give you a succinct answer on how to get over your anxiety but it’s different fir us all; I do wholeheartedly believe you will though. Take whatever support you can, don’t discount therapy as an adjunctive to medication, I believe the conseseous is that they work better together. I also found reading other people’s stories helpful, if you look on Amazon there are loads of biographical accounts of getting through anxiety disorders. Also I’d say try not to hold it in too much, tell your family, friends what you’re going through they may help in situations you feel uncomfortable- I kept it all in which just perpetuated the feelings and made me want to hide away.

i genuinely believe you’ll get through this Catherine and the medication really will help you do so if you can just stick with it - it kinda stops your body being able to feel the anxietybwhich in turn helps you face the things, thoughts, situations etc that make you anxious with a much better mindset.

shout me anytime if I can help in any way, my best wishes to you

Sara x

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Thank you for your honesty and advice Sara I will certainly give it my best shot , I have read some Self help books and do have an insight into this awful condition but I truly want to say I appreciate you sharing your experience and every blessing a day at a time xxxx