My Dr. prescribed me setraline for anxiety. I started 25 my yesterday and I felt so high. I came home and cleaned my entire house spotless. I couldn't sleep last night and didn't go to work today. I feel so out of sorts. I spent the whole morning crying, crocodile sized tears poured down my face, I feel worse than I did when I didn't take it. I want to quit everyone says it gets better but I don't know how I am going to make it through alone. I don't have friends and my bf just broke up with me. Which makes it all worse. What should I do?!
Hi Sam
I know it must feel hopeless but I promise it will get better, your system needs time to adjust to the medication, one of the side effects is increased anxiety. I've been on Sertraline before and they were helpful but it took a couple of weeks.
Just try to keep as busy as you can which hopefully will make you tired enough to get some sleep and use this site when you need to talk if you don't have anyone else.
Distraction is a brilliant tool with anxiety so whatever hobbies you have or want to take up then try and throw yourself into them.
Let me know how you are getting on and private message me if you want to chat more.
Lucy
Sertraline can make you worse before you get better. I had the increased anxiety, it drives me insane.
Also on my second day I spent the whole day crying, over what I couldn't say but I was a shaken mess. By the 5th day, I genuinely felt so calm and collected. It was an amazing transition.
I have stopped taking them temporarily as I am struggling with dizziness (sinus problems not helping).
One thing I found was taking it at night helped a lot. I could sleep through the initial tiredness and wake up with some energy, though the morning anxiety was dreadful.
Think you need to persevere and give it time but ask the GP for something to calm you down as well while adjusting just to stop the panic?
Hi Lucy
I went to work today and I didn't take the medicine this morning. I think that taking it at night will help tremendously. I just hope that I can actually sleep on it.
Work kept me so busy but I still had to stop and go outside to help calm the anxiety. It's worse being at home with nothing to do.
Thank you for the invite to PM you and I will take you up on the offer. I could really use someone to talk to who knows what I am going through.
The increased anxiety is making me go crazy. I keep thinking maybe I should just stop taking it but everyine reassures me it will get better. I really hope there is a light at the end of this so very dark tunnel.
I am going to try taking it tonight as I didn't take it this morning. My anxiety by 1700 today was dreadful. I don't know if I'm going to be able to deal with it getting worse.
If you don't mind me asking, how long were you on it before you stopped? I don't want to have to take this for the rest of my life... Is it a hard thing to stop? I've hear that the withdrawl process is awful.
The increased anxiety is definitely hard to deal with. It's not the usal panic attack, it's like you physically can't calm down. I am in the same boat of being alone taking it to and it's scary being home alone in a blind panic with no idea what to do.
You just have to tell yourself it's the tablet and try and distract yourself with any means possible. I found a stupid game to play and just focused on that instead, or went for a walk to burn off some energy.
I stopped after 2 and a half weeks as I couldn't take the dizziness and headaches, I was on the couch for 2 days straight through it, work was impossible on them and I have bills to pay so being unpaid wasn't helpful as it added stress. It wasn't long enough to say they had definitely helped, but I am trying them again after my operation as I need something and they are meant to be the best for anxiety. They are just a slow burner.
Side effect wise for stopping, you need to taper off. I stopped cold after 2 and a half weeks thinking it would be fine and it was grim. It was like the worse flu I have ever had. Sweats, shakes, confusion, upset, vomiting, migraines etc. My mental state was battered and my anxiety was worse than before I started!
Leveled out again after 2 weeks being off them. Sticking to Propranolol now for when my anxiety hits.
I wouldn't advise stopping. Taper off regardless of how bad you feel ;/