First post so please be kind and apologies if it’s in the wrong place. And apologies for the long winded post - I’ve nowhere else to get it all off my chest
I’ve just started taking Sertraline after years of depression and trying to be the typical male and ‘powering on through’ Was initially ‘self medding’ with booze but thankfully realised a couple of years back the stupidity of that.
Anyway, about a month ago out of nowhere I had a massive panic attack and ended up in A&E because I had no idea what was happening and was convinced I was having a heart attack - my panic was made worse because I didn’t want to ‘pop my clogs’ in the house (wife was out when it started) and I was terrified of something happening to the kids if I did. Also didn’t want my poor wife to arrive home to me laying dead on the floor. Imagine how foolish I felt when A&E confirmed it as a panic attack!
So after a few days on diazepam with no real improvements and several more panic attacks I had a chat with a mental health nurse and it was decided to put me on Sertraline (I’d have agreed to anything to stop feeling the way I was)
Only been 4 days on them and while I’ve had nausea and runs, those I can deal with as I’ve ulcerative colitis it’s the increased anxiety that’s smashing me -though to be fair I was warned that could/would happen. Got to the point I had to leave work today as I was convinced again I was having a heart attack (tight chest sensation) Spoke with the doc who did his best to put my mind at rest but hasn’t really helped.
I’m really just looking for someone to tell me this gets better. I feel utterly useless, I’m mainly working from home and my wife (who has been an absolute godsend) is stuck looking after the kids and running the house as I’m just pretty much sitting panicking and listening to meditation vids on YouTube.
I’d genuinely appreciate input from anyone who’s been in a similar boat and has come out the other side.
Many many thanks in advance and apologies again for the wall of text.
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AnxiousFella
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Hi. I really feel for you. I also suffer from depression and anxiety and the first panic attack I had almost scared me to death. My problems have stopped me doing so many things throughout my life that everything thing has come out completely different from what I really wanted.
It sounds like you have a very supportive and understanding wife, which will be a godsend. Together you will see your way through this.
It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks for new medication to kick in and work properly, but if you are really worried, go back and tell them that you are not happy taking the Sertraline and ask them to change it. You are not useless, you are just going through a bad time at the moment. It takes a lot of guts to admit that you have a mental health problem, and putting it all on here is very brave.
I have to bottle most of my feelings as my parents and sister don't believe that depression exists and that it is just an excuse to take time off. I will not confide in my adult children as we all live quite a long way from each other and I don't want them worrying. My husband has no time for it at all. He says just about every stock phrase that it in the list of things never to say to a person with depression. One time when I did mention how I was feeling, I just got "oh god here we go again, poor me syndrome". From that, I guess he just doesn't understand or worse still, he simply doesn't care. Savour your lovely supportive wife. Share with her your fears and how you are feeling. You will get there and it will get better because you have the one real thing that you need which is support, understanding and love.
Sorry to hear those closest to you aren’t as supportive as they should or could be. Sadly some people don’t or can’t understand a condition without having experienced it themselves. Hopefully your hubby comes to realise how debilitating anxiety and depression can be.
I'm sorry this is happening to you, but you are very lucky to have a supportive wife. I have taken several anti-depressants and most of them made my anxiety worse. I don't know why they do this. Anyway I hope you get to feeling better.
Very sedating so I'm cutting back on my dose. Psy nurse said the sedation should get better in time.
Hi. I’ve been on sertraline for 7 weeks now, initially on 25mg but I’m on 50mg now. I had the most awful side effects and felt like quitting so many times. I had headaches,shakes,night sweats, loss of appetite,increased anxiety. It does get easier. Just take a day at a time. I’m still not sleeping as I was before and I’m still waking during the night. I’m furloughed from work as is my husband. How long have you been on it? What dose?
I take mine first thing so I’m not struggling at night and I found it easier with food. I had diazepam for the first few weeks to take with it to counteract some of the side effects.
Hi - I was initially on 50mg but it was knocking me completely off my feet. Between nausea, tiredness and increased anxiety I was basically bed bound the first couple of days. Cut down to 25mg temporarily which has eased things a bit though the constant anxiety is still there - going to give it a couple of more days then try the 50mg again.
I can only say mine eased after 3 weeks. Hope it works for you. I went up to 37.5 after four weeks when the side effects lessened. Then up to 50. Good luck
Hi
Sometimes it takes weeks for anxiety meds to work.give it a chance.try controlled breathing.i wish people would put their age when they post.are there any physical issues going on ? over 40yrs maybe low testosterone.i am on Visteral.iy has really helped.dont give up.Xanax helps but is addicting.hope this helps.
Hi, apologies I should have stated I in the original post that I’m 44.
Physically I just feel drained, have the ‘runs’ and of course when the anxiety gets the better of me then the chest pains, racing heart etc start.
Docs did warn me to expect an increase in anxiety symptoms to begin with but it’s hard as the anxiety feeds on my fears that I’m having a reaction to the setraline (even though I’ve spoke with the doc a few times and he’s reassured me what I’m experiencing is normal) I have a few diazepam left which I’m holding off using in case I need them when I go back up to the 50mg dose.
And just general thanks to everyone who has replied so far. Today has been a bit easier, switched to taking the Sertraline at night and while I woke a few times I am at least semi functional today. Anxiety is still there along with almost zero appetite but I guess I’ve got to accept it’s early days and things should improve over time.
Thank you for the kind words. It was actually more difficult than I thought it would be making my opening post - not sure how many time I typed it then cancelled it before actually posting.
Hello 👋🏻 I’m so sorry your suffering. And it is suffering. I was on sertrline but didn’t find it helpful. Now I’m on citilopran and have been for six years. Also find beta blockers helped. Propananol forty mgms. Helps my anxiety If u go to top of my page, there is a pinned tweet for a breathing image. It’s my go too. It’s so helpful. Hope it helps you too. Hold on in there. I’m sure something will help you. It took me a while to find something
hi fragile - that's a nifty little tweet. have that book marked on the pc and phone. thanks very much and glad to hear you found something that helped you.
It does not get better until you begin to see the underlying causes. You will be on many different drugs depending on what your body and mind needs. I stated on sertraline and finally the longest relief I have gotten came with Prozac. If you feel your medication is no longer doing the job got to something else that works for you. You also should talk to a Psychiatrist. There may be a underlying condition buried in your mind and once you begin to work with that you may find they become non-existent. I have luckily not had one for 3 years.
oh yea i agree - i don't intend to just 'pop meds' and hope it all goes away. spoken already with a mental health specialist and due another call Monday coming (lockdown makes face to face chats a no no sadly). some of the symptoms have eased - certainly the nausea and the anxiety isn't just as acute as it was the first few days. all i can do is take it 1 day at a time and see where it all leads. hopefully back to the person i was a few years ago!
Hey- anxiety attacks can be terrifying, and I can't imagine dealing with that along with a family and job. I had my first attack when I was 12- the first of a consistent theme that caused me to hallucinate that there were flowers growing under my skin. Medications, sadly, can take a while to work fully, and even though I've been on a pretty strong dose for a while I still have attacks, although they are milder and less frequent.
I also took Sertraline for a while, but it caused severe fatigue for me, about half a year after I started taking it. Even though there's a small chance that that could happen to you, just look out for that. Good luck.
they certainly are. i'm 44 and have experienced some pretty hairy moments in my life but nothing scared the bejesus out of me like the first panic attack. the feeling of being so out of control and no idea what is happening was like nothing you can describe. how is life for you now. have you found a treatment that works for you without the fatigue?
Yes it’s hard to start with, but you DO adjust. I’ve been on sertraline for 8 weeks. You need to be determined to get through the initial challenges, I’m taking it for depression- but the anxiety levels for the first few weeks were a real challenge. In the end I tried taking them before bedtime, which suited me far better.
I did find that as soon as I started to improve, the Dr upped the dose -thereby kicking off side effects again. I adjusted faster however.
I’m finally at the point where I only feel I have to remember to take the pill at bedtime and keep positive that Sertraline will be a good fit, my anxiety levels are about the same as life before Sertraline.
The truth seems to be 4 months until you can expect to notice improvements in depression, somewhat sooner for anxiety.
hi lanzago - yea i'm sort of feeling better as each day goes by. switched to talking the meds about 8-9 at night rather than in the morning which i think has helped. going to try 50mg tonight and see how it goes. Dr suggested a week on the 25mg then try upping it, so fingers crossed.
many thanks again to everyone for the kind words and encouragement. i think i've replied to each person but apologies if i missed anyone - the forum/chat layout takes a bit of getting used to!
going to give a the 50mg another go this evening and see how i get on. Dr said to give it a week on the 25mg, been 6 days on that strength and seemingly getting easier with each day (give or take a few moments here and there)
weirdly i've found the lack of appetite one of the most annoying side effects - well not just quite annoying as the increased anxiety - have lost almost a stone in weight since the first panic attack just over a month ago. on the bright side, couple of pairs of jeans i liked that stopped fitting and the wife was for giving to charity are looking like a goer again
I am glad to hear that sometimes there is a adjustment period. But if you are like me eventually the Serotonin will stop being as effective as it should be. Then find a new pill.
yea, sadly i've experience of that with my ulcerative colitis. meds seem to have to be changed every couple of years for me as their effectiveness wears off.
Hi there, if you read some of my previous posts it sounds like you experienced a very similar situation to me, massive anxiety attack (vomiting and crazy dizziness rather than heart) which was so bad I got me wife to dial 999 and ended up spending 5 days in hospital having various checks etc.
I then went back on Sertraline (been off them for years) and had horrendous side effects which I never had before when previously on them.
I know, as do so many other people on this forum from all the helpful replies you have, what you are going through.
Stick with the tablets if you can and ride out the rough 4 weeks or so as things do start to get far far better and you will feel like you want to feel.
Good luck stay with it and realise you are far from alone. All the best.
yea, i was so dizzy i was convinced i was going to collapse, no vomiting though but by god i felt like throwing up. ended up in A&E in an ambulance - was a horrifying experience when the first panic/anxiety attack struck. of course i then felt like a proper fool when the docs at A&E could find nothing wrong and suggested it was probably a panic attack!.....i remember looking at them thinking they were off their heads - all the while i'm saying to myself - they've missed something, I don't take panic attacks, thats for other people. I'm 44, i've been through some hairy scrapes in my day, i don't panic. silly me, little did i realise or know how wrong i could be. took a second attack a few days later and a second trip to A&E with the wife driving to convince me!!
yea i'm definitely going to stick out the meds and ride the rollercoast, so to speak. been out walking more, or as much as i can do under the current circumstances, which i think has helped a bit and been doing a few basic yoga excercises and some guided meditation for dealing with anxiety. not something i'd ever imagined i'd take up but finding both very helpful even on the 'good' days.
i know i've a long way to go before i get back to feeling like my old self but fingers crossed i get there.
hi i’m so sorry to hear that you’re going through all of this. I personally take 100mg of sertraline and i realized it was working for me but then I started to feel kinda of depressed again so my doctor raised my does to 150 so hopefully things go okay. I didn’t know that the side effects could be that bad. I feel sorry for you
yea, side effects can be horrible. seems to highten the anxiety levels to begin with - foolishly of course i read all the dangerous side effects and convinced myself the first few days i was getting symptoms of those which helped no end with the anxiety!! but i keep telling myself each day that passes is one day closer to feeling better. difficult to hold to that 'mantra' some days but i'll get all being well.
the nausea has eased off quite bit, first few days even yawning had me feeling sick. the anxiety also seems to at least be easing somewhat - thankfully i've not had to take any diazepam to help with that for 4 days now but i'll be keeping them to hand for a bit longer just in case!
hope all goes well for you now you've had your dosage increased. and thank you also for the kind reply.
well today was horrible. never got to sleep till about 03:30am, woke a few times then properly about 09:15......been so tired all day and if i've yawned once i've yawned a 1000 times! anxiety levels were about a 7 or 8 out of 10, kept having palpations off and on along that swirly tummy feeling but on the upside at least the panic attack that was trying it's best to 'come out' didn't quite manage it. and thanks to the link on Hidden 's page i was able to just keep things under control with breathing and drinking ice cold water - no diazepam needed.
well almost time for my next dose of sertraline - debated long and hard to drop back down to 25mg but going to stick it out with the 50 and hope tomorrow is a better day.
As always, thanks for the kind words. It’s strangely more reassuring hearing that what I’m going through is normal from someone who’s been in the same boat, rather than a doc or mental health specialist.
I am so glad that helped you. I have also had bad heart flips and palpitations today I think all of this isolation bus affecting us more than we know. I have managed to avoid panic attacks which were horrible, so I empathise, by being prescribed propananol. Which is a beta blocker. I was on 80mg twice a day for a year but was found to have bradycardia and had to be prescribed something for heart that didn’t go well. I tried to stop and ended up on 40 mgs twice daily. Consultant wasn’t happy but I could t stand panic attacks again. Now I also manage by accepting the feelings and not resisting but it doesn’t always work. I am sorry to hear your sleep was so sketchy. Try to nap when u can Hope the sertraline works for you soon. Keep safe and hold on in there 👍🏻😊
Does ice cold water help. ? I shall have to try that. Ty
i'd read it somewhere else that sipping a glass of ice cold water and focusing on the cold sensation can help 'distract' the brain long enough for the panic to pass. my be a placebo, or old wives tale but seems to help a bit.
Yes it does help with my anxiety. Helps focus. I have tried it since I posted the question. I used a lot of ice and sat with a cold drink of water. Thankyou.
another bit of a meh day after a couple of days where i nearly felt like my old self! thumpimg heart and the fluttery tummy once again, though strangely my pulse never went above 75 (maybe the sertraline is starting to work it's magic) and again, thankfully, i managed to keep the panic attack from 'breaking free' . so weird though how drained it makes you feel after an episode, guess that's just the come down from all the adrenaline that gets dumped into your body.
hey ho, new day tomorrow and i suppose i have to be grateful to some extent as technically i've only been on my full 50mg dose for a week now (previous week was 25mg) so the side effects do seem minimal so far.
When i first started on sertraline the first 2-4 weeks my anxiety was through the roof i just stayed at home avoiding everything but after that initial period it improved so much! I couldn’t believe id lasted so long unmedicated. Hang in there it does get better!
just checking back in for those interested. still seeing slow but, i guess, steady progress, 2 steps forward 1 back kind of thing. anxiety is easing quite a bit - thankfully. probably the worst 'side effects' i'm still suffering is the lack of sleep - and even when i do sleep i'm still waking up feeling groggy and jittery. contemplating moving back to taking the sertraline in the morning as it doesn't knock me off my feet now. it's weird feeling relatively great going to bed and waking up feeling rank! appetite hasn't picked up much yet and still have the 'runs' - dropped about a stone in weight in the past 3-4 weeks. have a call planned with the docs on monday morning so will see what they say about the sleep and other bits and pieces.
on the upside not had a panic/anxiety attack in over 2 weeks now i think
It may not always seem / feel like it but to me it sounds like you are doing great, it’s slow but as long as you see progress you can build on that.
I take my Sertraline (75mg) in the morning., always have and it has cleared my depression completely (combined with mindfulness) and my anxiety is down to about 15 - 20 percent at the moment which considering what’s going on in the world I’m happy with that.
Stick with it I’m sure another 2 weeks will feel even better, but good you can chat with the Doc on Monday. All the best.
Well after all the ‘steps forward’ the past 3 days have been horrendous.
Woke on Thursday morning to a horrible bout of the ‘runs’ which seemed to set my anxiety off which in turn caused more tummy upset - so a bit of a vicious circle ensued for most of the day. Friday was a little better but not much. Today is probably the worst I’ve felt. Gassy, nervous, twitchy, tired, achy, breathless, panicky - you name it, I feel it. Would love to just sleep through it but that ain’t happening. Heart feels like it’s pounding out of my chest even though my heart rate is normal.
Guess I just have to put up with it and hope it passes. But by god it’s tough to see any positives at the minute.
Hi, I’ve just found your post. I was prescribed sertraline today, after many years of denying I had had an issue with panic attacks, when driving on the motorway. Strange I know only when in a motorway and it is the most scariest times in my life to the point I have now avoided them, which I don’t want to do anymore. I just wanted to see if you had an update to how you are now feeling?
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and apologies if it’s in the wrong place. And apologies for the long winded post - I’ve nowhere else to get it all off my chest
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