Hi everyone,
I’m posting here in the hope that someone may have experienced something similar and can offer some advice or reassurance. I’m currently going through what has been the worst 8 weeks of my life, and it’s having a huge impact on both my family and me (I have two children under five at home).
Background:
I have a history of GAD and I’m currently on a waiting list for an ADHD assessment. From 2013 - 2025 I was on 20mg citalopram, which worked very well for my anxiety with minimal side effects (just some emotional blunting).
In Sep 2025, I tapered off citalopram with my GP’s support and by November, I was medication free for the first time in years. I was doing well overall - exercising regularly, not drinking alcohol, and managing my symptoms, although I still had some overthinking and occasional insomnia (which we attributed to possible ADHD).
What happened:
In mid Feb 2026, I became very stressed due to work and some family issues. Severe insomnia developed, and by late February, I was completely burnt out and highly anxious. Around the same time, I was also suffering from an overactive bladder, which made sleep even worse.
I saw my GP on 23rd Feb and was prescribed 50mg sertraline (instead of citalopram, he said he wanted to try this) and some zopiclone for sleep. Four days later, I felt significantly worse - more anxious, still not sleeping, and the dose was increased to 100mg sertraline (by only day 4).
Over the next two weeks, things deteriorated badly. In addition to insomnia and anxiety, I developed:
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Palpitations and high heart rate
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Severe fatigue
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Intense pain in my back, neck, and shoulders (the worst symptom)
On 14th March, I went to A&E due to palpitations. I had blood tests, urine tests, and an ECG - all came back normal, and I was told it was likely my body adjusting to the medication.
On 16th March, my GP advised me to continue and let my body adjust. I was also prescribed 50mg mirabegron for my bladder (which did help significantly - and that problem is now solved). By this point, I was signed off work and essentially unable to function - spending most days in bed or resting due to pain, fatigue, and lack of sleep. I was trying to ride it out and hoping one day I would just start to get better.
Ongoing issues:
By the end of March, there was still no improvement. On 30th March, my GP reduced sertraline back to 50mg, suspecting the dose was too high. Some symptoms improved slightly (palpitations reduced, anxiety slightly calmer), but the severe muscle pain and fatigue remained unchanged.
On 7th April, I was taken off sertraline completely and switched back to citalopram (10mg to start, and increasing to 20mg if required).
Since then:
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Sleep has improved (I can fall asleep more easily, but do wake up several times in the night and very early - but it’s progress)
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Heart rate has mostly returned to normal, unless I eat anything sugary (learned my lesson to stay away here for now)
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Bladder issues are resolved (down to the mirabegron)
However:
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I am still extremely fatigued
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I still have persistent pain in my back, neck, and shoulders
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I can only work part-time (4 hours/day) and struggle even with that
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I cannot exercise or live anything like my normal life
I’ve been trying to support recovery with:
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daily light walking
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physio exercises (for 3+ weeks) as suggested by an Osteopath
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healthy eating
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no alcohol or smoking (for over 18 months now)
There has been some improvement since stopping sertraline, but it feels very slow and inconsistent.
My questions:
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Could this all have been caused by the rapid increase to 100mg sertraline?
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What exactly has happened to my body/nervous system?
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Why is recovery taking so long?
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Has anyone experienced similar symptoms (especially the muscle pain and fatigue)?
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What helped you recover?
I would really appreciate any insight or shared experiences. This has been incredibly difficult, and I’m just trying to understand what’s happening and how to move forward.