Hi Everyone .
Not posted for a long time .Looking for your experiences with Sertraline. My PAF seems to be triggered by anxiety. My GP and Arrhythmia Nurse have suggested Sertraline to help calm the mind. I'm also having CBT therapy but it only helps a little.
Would be intersted in the good or bad comments you may have . Many thanks.
I had CBT and like you it helped by a small amount. I took Mirtazapine which is also a mild sopo rific and therefore helps with sleep without knocking you out. I took the smallest dose. Primarily it is for calming the anxiety.
Hi Thank you for your reply. It's helpful to know how people manage their health problems.
I have other health issues which have a big impact on the anxiety. I'm working through them one by one but as we all know it's very difficult to access healthcare. With regard to anti- depressants the jury is still out.
Stay well
I also used you tube Honest Guys meditation .Free with several to choose from. I never expected it to work for me but it did although it takes a while to have an effect.Give it at least a couple of weeks. I did it once a day in the evening.
Just had a quick look at your suggestion. Will certainly give it ago , looks to be more intersting than Calm. Take care
Tried it for 2 days. Felt worse. Went on to mirtazapine. Only used half a 15 mg tab ,then stopped after 2 months. Great for sleep. Now go to relaxation classes and Andy's Man's Club.
Hi Thanks for your reply.
Yep my CBT therapist suggest I should look at ways to relax and various options that may help. I guess life has not been normal since Covid came along ! Stay calm.
I selfishly actually miss the peace of early COVID. S I see you have very similar stomach/ digestive problems as me too. Wonder if there's a link with AF.
My Arrhythmia Nurse seems to think there is a link. I have also asked about a link to Covid in prep for my appointment in a few weeks time. Take care.
hi there …I was prescribed sertraline a few years back. Within a week or so I was getting quite troublesome episodes of PAF, esp at night. Had the out of hours doctor attend one night as I wasn’t coping well with the strong symptoms and he suggested that the sertraline may be the cause of the increase in intensity. He did say that it might settle down in time however I stopped taking the sertraline and the intense episodes tailed off and stopped. Everyone’s different of course …if you take it I hope that it helps you…I know plenty of people who take it with no issues at all. Hope that you’re soon feeling a little less anxious …I have GAD and I know how wearing it is. All the best.
Hi My heart problems PAF started 10 yrs ago . Ablated in 2017 with 80% success. However other health issues including anxiety ( mainly health) I'm reluctant to take Sertraline due to the side effects relating to the QT complex heart arrhythmias . Shall wait to hear what the team have to say during my clinic appointment end of March. Hope all goes well for you ....
Beware of mind changing drugs, every one has different side effects, some permanent, some dangerous. I know friends who have taken Sertraline and some tolerated it but some were left with far worse health issues. I would suggest a good therapist might be a safer bet. Ask your GP to refer you.
Appreciate your input. I have therapy (CBT) starting mid march so I hope this helps. My anxiety state is mainly Health Anxiety.
A number of people posting suggest meditation . Shall give it a go.
Take care ...
yes try hypnosis and meditation, counselling, in fact all other options before you take these mind changing drugs. I have first hand family member who has been damaged for life by them. But each person is different, just ask lots of ?s before you take the risk?
Talking is therapy, talk to those who care. Xx
have you considered CBD oil?
Thanks I'm aware and always read the small print and details regarding any drug .It's an absolute mine field so firstly I will go with the non-medication route to treat the anxiety.
Appreciate your input.
I started sertraline about 7 months ago. After having a heart attack July 2021, which has left me with PAF & NSVT I developed generalised anxiety. I was having counselling when I saw my EP and discussed it with him. Whilst anxiety isn’t a cause of the arrhythmia’s it can aggravate them he said and even though I was improving with counselling ( which I’d do again and recommend), he said medication was a good idea and he suggested sertraline as being the safest for me with all the medications.
Sertraline has given me the space to get my life on track. It does say that at first it can make the anxiety worse and yes it definitely did that which wasn’t good. But then it started to get better and I’m really glad I started with it and stuck with it in the first 2 weeks when it made things worse.
If you do try it ( which I was very reluctant to do) then persevere in the beginning if your symptoms get worse. It won’t last and it’s made me feel like me again and life is too short not to be able to enjoy it. I’m on 50mg, and always have been it’s the lowest treatment dose apparently.
Good luck
Sorry to hear of your health problems. Appreciate the information. Guess I need to decide on the options available. Stay well .....
A friend recently went completely off her mind when she was taking this drug. She was having hallucinations and self harming. The doctor said it was most likely a reaction to it and she was admitted to hospital for two weeks to put her on the right path again.
Hi Hope your friend has fully recovered.
Appreciate your input. Seems most respondants are against the use of Sertraline . I don't what have worsening symptoms due to being medicated with this drug ......
I have had bouts of depression since my teens and had always come off the anti depressants when I felt better sometimes after several years on the drugs. After my latest bout my GP suggested that I stay on the Sertraline long term as it seemed to keep me stable. Then AF came into my life the main symptoms were accompanied by incredible feelings of anxiety. Over time I realised this anxiety was physical rather than mental and as soon as the AF stopped so did the feelings of shakiness, nausea and butterflies. So my experience is that anxiety is a symptom of the AF (adrenaline related) rather than the cause and Sertraline definitely helps to keep me stable as I have had any periods of deep depression since I started taking it. I take 150mg a day and do not feel like a Zombie at all! I hope it helps to consider cause and effect.
Hi Thank you for your input. Pleased that you have a good response to Sertralite. I understand what you are saying about your AF however I would say that I'm sure Phycological aspects of anxiety is probably a trigger.
Just have take it and deal with it in the most approprite way. Thanks again ...
Try all alternatives for reducing anxiety before drugs, which I regard as 'emergency treatment' only.
Thanks Appreciated ...
what comes first, anxiety or atrial fibrillation ? It is hard to tell. As secondry mentioned try to avoid drugs as much as possible. You want to avoid dependence on drugs. PAF is not triggered by anxiety but is correct to say that anxiety and stress can trigger ectopics that could potentially initiate the PAF episodes. So even if it is really hard try to slow down and pace yourself in your daily life. I would avoid more drugs in the first place.
Hi Thank you , your response is appreciated.
AF is difficult to deal with. I understand what you say. I have not medicated for AF for the past 6 years it's only during the past 2 months that I have needed to use Fecainide as a 'pill in the pocket' . Covid and other health ,GERD / Reflux /groin hernia and IBS-C conditions the past 18 months have increased the anxiety levels to very severe. Not easy to manage.
Stay well ...
Hi there mate. Reflux can cause aspiration and irritation to the lungs, which then lowers your oxygen especially at night (silent reflux) and then this causes the heart to beat much faster. This is what happened to me for years in London. It was confirmed with a reveal device implanted in my chest for three years. Get your GERD fixed (suggest reading up on a guy called Byron Herbalist, who lives in NSW, Australia) and this will definitely help you with your heart. Also, when I have a lot of gas coming up that I need to burp, it causes me a lot of ectopics and beginning of AF. I believe all this gas expands the oesophagus to the point it irritates the vagus nerve next to the heart or the heart muscle itself causing it to spasm a bit. The reason I think this is that when I immediately burp out all the gas, my heart calms down on its own, just by burping.
Hi I understand what you are saying about reflux and the link to the heart which also for me relates to anxiety. I certainly agree with you I should fix the Gerd.
Take care ..
your condition is called gastrocardiac syndrome.
Thanks , makes sense after looking at Dr Google
hello I take 2,5 of sertraline daily,, I always take it with food usually breakfast.
I find I am much calmer and have no side effects at all, however have noticed in the past
That some people find them to upset their stomach and have written about it on here.
My advice is to try them, we are all different hopefully you get benefit from them.
Hi Pleased sertralite is working for you. I'm reluctant to take this drug however if all else fails I may give it a trial run. Appreciate the post regarding your personal experience. Stay well ...
My cousin and her mother used to say that sertraline helped their anxieties a great deal although my experience of them both was generally that they still suffered a good deal. A friend not recently said that it caused him terrible insomnia and uncomfortable agitation and made him feel general very unwell in the few weeks he coped with it. My own experience over a decade ago with the very similar SSRI drugs fluoxetine and the so-called “gentler” citalopram was similarly awful with several unpleasant side effects that persisted for a very long time afterwards.
It seems from reading, however, that most people cope well with SSRI drugs - which these all are - at least after a few weeks of side effects such as untreated anxiety, but that a small proportion react very badly. They are not very effective overall - perhaps 25 - 40% with a workable response. It’s also true that for some people stopping SSRI drugs after long term use is a long and difficult journey. I would tread carefully but think positively that it will help.
Alternatively, if you have the right kind of doctor, he or she might try you on something like diazepam, instead. This is a true “anxiolytic” as opposed to SSRI drugs which are essentially antidepressants and work no one knows how (the latest research showed the serotonin effect was likely irrelevant). The problems with diazepam are real and important as perhaps a third who take it are at risk of dependency if it is taken regularly . Taken sporadically, only as and when really truly felt to be needed, however, I can’t see that it is anything other than a rather useful and safe drug. It’s not wonderful but it can help. It can also cause a mild rebound anxiety a few days after stopping - something to watch out for and cope with, i.e. definitely not a reason to take another.
My own experience equally long ago with CBT for insomnia and anxiety was rather poor, but it is effective in about 40% of people, I gather.
Steve
why always trying to find pills to battle anxiety or health issues? Long-term used of drugs are mainly toxic for our bodies so please avoid them if you can. Try acupuncture, mediation and mainly exercise to reduce your anxiety.
You are so right! So many amazing natural alternatives that do work. I used acupuncture to great effect. 5HTP, Magnolia Bark, Linden seed tea, etc. None of these alternatives create addiction and dependence on them like SSRIs do. Took me over three years to taper off Sertraline until I could stop taking it. Was absolute hell. I wanted to die, that is how bad it was. Almost lost my marriage too, plus a lot of other bad things I won't say here...
I take sertraline( zoloft) everyday for depression and i havent had any problems but i am on a low dosase. ..25 mg.
I started Sertraline 2 months ago and on a very low dose (25mg). Background: SVT/AVNRT with ablation 5 years ago with GAD, and also peri menopausal (thanks, hormones!). Ectopics and tachy started up again and made me more anxious. I finally tried an SSRI after years of resisting- I meditate, do yoga, have a healthy lifestyle but just couldn’t shake the creeping health anxiety that has plagued me for years. I am not for ‘popping pills’ and researched, weighed the pros and cons, and decided to give it a try. Sertraline has helped me immensely and hope it continues to do so. The first week side affects are crummy- bad stomach and a feeling of being ‘on edge,’ but it stopped and felt completely back to my old self. My doctor had me start on a very low dose and I stuck with it, I feel great and haven’t had to increase the dosage. I hope you find some peace- you can always try it and if it doesn’t work for you, your doctor should safely help you decrease the dosage & come off of it.
Hi Thank you for advising your experiences. For me the jury is still out re Sertralite and I continue to research. Will meet with the arrhythmia nurse end of March so hopefully will have some answers and how we move forward. Take care ..
I have had a great experience with Sertraline. Just over a year ago, my GP advised a trial of it for anxiety and depression that became more bothersome despite meditation, exercise, journaling and time in nature. It took several weeks to notice the effect but the sense of calm and being 'OK' that emerged were incredibly wonderful. I take 50mg daily.
I had shied away from 'drugs' as a possible treatment but in retrospect I believe that it would have been great to start years earlier. My paroxysmal AF has been controlled with 50mg Flecainide 2x/day ( with 12.5mg/day Metoprolol to lessen chance of proarrythmia )
At my annual check-up, a blood chemistry test showed plasma Sodium was slightly low, which might be related to the Sertraline so my dose has been tapered to 25mg/day. So far, anxiety and depression are still in check.
I wish you all the best in finding what works best for you.
David
Hi David Thank you , please to hear Sertraline is working for you. I have a number of health problems including PAF , managing them all can be a challenge. Stay well .... Neil
Cardiologists are very quick to give SSRIs like Sertraline to us AF patients. Let me be very clear on this. Unless life-threatening, do NOT ever take Sertraline or SSRIs. They royally screwed me of years of my life, when there are so many natural alternatives that work even better than SSRIs and without the horrific side effects. Like Magnolia Bark for example, or using (in cautious doses) 5HTP. It was thanks to 5HTP that I was able to slowly taper the use of Sertraline. Over six years after my last poisonous pill of Sertraline and I am still suffering from what is called PAWS - Protracted Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome.
It should be illegal to prescribe these drugs to anyone. A psychiatrist in London I met briefly admitted that they did not know exactly what the drug did in the body, the gut (it screws the gut immensely) and the brain, just that it blocks the re-absorbtion of serotonin in the brain (but also everywhere else in the body).
You will feel better for a year or two and then you will start suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. I had never had panic attacks in my life until I started taking Sertraline. By the way, panicking during an arrhythmia is NORMAL. It feels like you are going to die. The idiots that use that as an excuse to prescribe these poisons should be given these same drugs to see how they feel getting off of it.
I may sound biased and maybe I am, but holy hell, what I went through to get off of this drug, is the worst experience I have ever had in my life. I could not experience orgasms (anorgasmia), I had electric shocks hit my head at random, I suffered tachycardias out of the blue (not good when you are an AFibber!!!), I suffered insomnia, anxiety, panic, I started having phobias to driving in tunnels and over bridges.. it was insufferable and I would not wish this on my worst enemy.
My two, suffering cents 😃
Thank you . Sorry to read of your problems with Sertralite. Certainly thought provoking !!!
hi there, I was going through anxiety due to a house move and my doctor put me on Sertraline, I am sorry to say but they made me quite ill. I only took three low doses over three days. I had awful tummy ache. And i threw up after my meals. They told me to come off them immediately. But the tummy ache went on for quite a while. I now take diazepam as and when which calm me straight away. But in saying this my daughter was on them for a very long time for a different thing and she never had any problems but I will never take them again. Good Luck.
PAF
Paf
PAF no anticoagulant!
PAF and Antidepressants 
