Can anxiety caused by antidepressants let alone antidepressants cause derealization/depersonalization?

[Mimi1114]

I upped to 50 mg of Sertraline a little over 2 weeks ago and I am feeling both disconnected from reality and myself. Anyone else deal with this?

[AnonymousASB]

It can, your body needs to get used to the new way of functioning and all tgose bad experiences is just your body adjusting ❤️

[Jeff1943]

Anti depressants are structured to cure both anxiety and depression, I have never heard of them causing it.

Derealisation and depersonalisation is a trick our nervous system plays on us when we are anxious. The mind senses your anxiety and thinks you are in physical danger and seeks to distance you from that danger by making you feel 'not present'.

I had it over 40 years ago before it had a fancy name and I used to call it like "not being here" or like watching everything on a large tv screen but not being present.

The thing to remember is that these things are only symptoms of your anxiety disorder and when you address and fix your anxiety the derealisation will resolve. In the meantime I know it is irritating and annoying but it can do you not physical or permanent mental harm. So frame your mind to accept it for the time being, do not fight it, for fighting and obsessing only cause mire tension and fear. And it is fear that keeps your nerves sensitised that causes the derealisation.

When I overcame my anxiety disorder the d.r. resolved as will yours.

[Col19]

I'm in 120mg of duloxitine it gets in eventually

[Whiskers16 in reply to Col19]

I’ve been 120 duloxitine now for 3 weeks not seeing any change,when you say eventually how long are you talking

[Col19 in reply to Whiskers16]

Takes a little while to but when it does it works great

[Whiskers16 in reply to Col19]

So glad it worked for you.. I hope it does for me too as getting desperate now

[FearIsALiar]

It’s anxiety

[Kat_21]

I have always dealt with derealisation, even on all the anxiety/depression medications I've tried. I notice it's usually when my anxiety is at it's worse. But with your body getting used to a new dosage, I guess it could cause you to suffer from it until your body is used to the change. Hope it gets better!

[WritersBlocked]

This reminds me of a couple things. Starting sertraline, I was anxious about side effects. Thought about them all the time. I was on 25 mg to start and convinced it was hurting me. My doc upped me to 100 and anxiety went away. A year later, I’m complaining to my doc about the meds - it’s too much, causing side effects, I want to stop them. She suggests - at several appts - that I increase. I am reluctant. But I go to 150, and not much. I’m numb, I say - I’m convinced the meds are numbing me out. So she ups me again to 200. The stigma of such a high dose has me in knots! I can’t be this depressed. After a week, cue angel chorus. The bell jar is lifted. All that time, my depressed brain had been lying to me. The higher dose was a gift from God - I finally know what it feels like NOT to feel depressed. That was about 2 years ago, and going strong.

[formidible]

I think any antidepressants can make you feel like this. If it were me I'd contact your doctor straight away. I've recently increased my Mirtazapine and felt almost like this too.

[Earthchild10]

I can relate.. this is exactly how my anti anxiety meds made me feel.. completely numb. I hated it. And I stopped taking it