Switch of anxiety meds

[Stu888]

Hi I’m new to this site. I’ve recently swapped meds from mirtazapine that I was on for 7 months to Sertraline just 2 weeks now. I’m now at the lowest point ever as anxiety is much worse and not sleeping. Has anyone gone through this? I feel desperate and like I’m losing hope.

[Pugglesworth]

Hi Stu.

I recently changed from Celexa to Lexapro. The pharmacy changed manufacturers and I had an allergic reaction to an inert ingredient. The first few weeks were rough, but it's slowly getting better. It can take up to 8 weeks for a SSRI to 'setup shop'. It can also take up to 12 weeks to get to full effect. You might want to talk to your doctor about something to 'bridge the gap'. I'm taking Buspar (a SNRI) that helps at night.

SSRI's take a while. I use deep breathing, tapping, EMDR (with my hands and feet) and whatever else is in my bag of tricks.

Hang in there. It gets better.

[Stu888 in reply to Pugglesworth]

Thanks for replying. Yes it’s certainly tough but will keep going.

[LovePurple2]

Don't lose hope & & it's finding the right combo of meds to help you & you should call your doctor if you have any concerns with the change you're going through. I call my doctor if I have a concern just to have piece of mind! I just switched from Lexapro 10mg to Paxil 20mg about a month ago & the Paxil seems to be working better for me. I also take Clonazepam 0.5mg when I have anxiety during the day & a half at bedtime. My doctor wants to wean me off the clonazepam, once he gets my anxiety under control. Hang in there & it will get better & we are here for you!❤️🙏🙌

[Stu888 in reply to LovePurple2]

Thanks for replying. I’m seeing the doctor next Tuesday so hopefully will sort this out.

[LovePurple2 in reply to Stu888]

Glad you're seeing your doctor next Tuesday & it will be here soon! I have an appointment to see my doctor next Monday about going on another medicine to help with my daytime anxiety. I'm still staying on my Paxil 20mg I take at dinner time everyday. Keep us posted & I'll do the same! God Bless!❤️🙏

[Stu888 in reply to LovePurple2]

Good luck on Monday.

[LovePurple2 in reply to Stu888]

Thank you & you as well!❤️

[Gjkas]

Do you know why the Doctor switched you from Mirtazapine to Sertraline. ??.

[Stu888]

Yes I was getting restless legs at night with mirtazapine but in hindsight wish I hadn’t switched as last 7 days have been anxiety nightmare

[Gjkas in reply to Stu888]

Yes , I can relate to Anxiety Nightmares .

I was on Sertraline, but only for about a month. I was having bad nightmares with them as well. But my Husband is on them and he's fine. Just goes to show that we're not all the same.

I've been on Mirtazapine for 2 years and to be honest they are helping me sleep and I've got a bit of appetite now. Whereas before they put me on the Mirtazapine, my appetite was practically nil. Hope you can get some help from your GPS, to sort out your medication.

Take Care 😙

[Stu888 in reply to Gjkas]

Thanks for replying. My wife is fine too with sertraline. Bizarrely I took sertraline 3 years ago for about a year and had no problems. Now on taking them again it’s a nightmare!

[Gjkas in reply to Stu888]

Our Bodies are so unpredictable. We can be okay on a certain tablet,then it's stopped for a while. But we get put back on it and like you said it's a nightmare. Years ago I was on 120 mg of Amitriptyline each night because of nerve damage to my foot, due to a bunion operation that went wrong. 6 months ago my GP gave me 10 mg of Amitriptyline to be taken each night. But oh God I had Palpitations so bad i could hardly breathe. Mind you, i do have Valvular Heart Disease. So they are a definite no go...

Shame,.because they are a real good tablet for nerve damage. 😑

[Wxman in reply to Stu888]

This has happened to me with lexapro. Was on it for 6 years but my depression was still present but mostly in mild form so we tried trintellix but made me nauseous. Then I did a genome test showing I'd do well on vraylar which is an antipsychotic and it gave me horrible akathisia. I've been off it a month and my NP put me on rexulti and then slowly starting back on the lexapro but I'm not feeling any better and it caused my anxiety to spike. It's scary because I started having suicidal ideation and I'm just not sure how long it's going to take for the meds to kick in if ever

[hitbyasegway]

I switched from lexapro to Zoloft two weeks ago too. My anxiety is definitely there, some days worse some days better. My doctor told me to wait about a month before we reevaluate. Hopefully you find something that works for you! Keep us updated

[Stu888 in reply to hitbyasegway]

Thanks for replying. Good luck

[njstrength]

My two cents ... Mirtazapine is a sedating antidepressant and your new one is not, which is likely the cause of the insomnia. You should also likely have been tapered off the mirtazapine and not stopped cold turkey. You may want to check out some the online forum of surviving antidepressants for more info.

[Stu888 in reply to njstrength]

Thanks for that will check the forums.

[Stu888 in reply to njstrength]

Do you know if there are similar sedating antidepressants to mirtazapine? I’m seeing the doctor next week and not sure what they’ll suggest

[njstrength in reply to Stu888]

yes, trazodone. It did not really work for me ... I couldn't get the dose right, so stuck with mirtazapine, which no longer helps me sleep and I need to figure out how to get off of it. If you live in a legal area, medical marijuana can help wonderfully for sleep/anxiety with (in my opinion) less risk of dependence.

[Stu888 in reply to njstrength]

Thanks for replying. Will see what doctor suggests.

[Cupcake8341]

Hi, iv recentley come off mirtazapine After 1 year to be switched to sertraline but I’m too anxious to take them because of the side effects, did things get easier for you on the sertraline after a few weeks? Im currently debating no meds or a different med it’s all just awful

[Stu888]

Things eased up a bit on 50mg but anxiety got worse again and now on 100mg plus another tablet and hoping things improve. I think everyone is different so it is difficult to base your decision on other people’s experience, my wife has no problems with Sertraline. I’d suggest definitely seeing your GP and discuss your concerns with them.

I hope things work out for you. Good luck.

[PAST2FUTURE]

Hi, I had similar problem. Was on mirtazapine which stopped working and I was sectioned again. They put me on sertraline in the hospital, it completely made me worse with euphoria and and vertigo. Couldn't stand up without feeling sick, moved around my room on my knees. To this day that is one treatment I would stay away from personally, but we are all different and if it's not helping you talk to your GP.