CAN ANYONE GIVE ME ADVICE

[sanmure]

I am new to the forum, suffered from terrible panic attacks and anxiety for years off and on, but over the last year they have got so bad i cant even go to the shop, which is only 5mins away. My husband sadly passed away 7yrs ago after a long illness, he was so terrified that he wouldnt let me leave him on his own for the last 10yrs of his life, for the first year on my own i coped ok, but over the last few years my problem has got worse. My GP has me on Diazepam 2mg and now after a year has given me Sertraline 50mg to take as well, but i am scared to take them, is there anyone who has been on this medication, and can advise me, i love life but feel like a recluse. Some of the internet stores are really frightening regarding Sertraline.

[Cookster99]

Hi there,

I've been on Sertraline 100mg since January. I, like you read all the gumf on the Internet and decided to go up in stages. I started on 25mg and have been on 100 for two months now. The side effects have gone and I think they are doing something as like you, I find it very hard leaving my house. A couple of months ago I had trouble even leaving my bedroom but I'm improving now.

I hope this puts your mind at rest, ignore the sites, they are not as bad as they're made out to be.

Love Cookie xxx

[sanmure in reply to Cookster99]

Thankyou Cookie will give them a try and see how i get on, hope you do well on them as well, keep in touch. Will let you no if i get out of the front door, Take care love sanmure xxx

[Hidden]

Dont take notice of all the side effects, everyone is different. You need what is right for you have faith that they will help. Side effects wear off anyway. Lots of folk are on Sertraline and a friend in Holland who is well informed in care etc. sent me a messge to say they are one of the best for depression etc. cotonroad

[sanmure in reply to Hidden]

Will give them a try, thanks for the advice, being positive seems to be the answer, sanmure

[pinkarchitect]

Hi there, I feel so sad for your loss, you must feel incredibly alone. You're not, there are many people in similar situations and there are lots of people, lovely people ready to help. You don't need medication, you know yourself its not really the answer thats why you haven't taken it yet. Go online and look for a herbal remedy called NewRelax by Potters, they are very light but take the edge of nerves and tension and maybe enough to give you the courage to tackle the small trip to the shops. Because thats ALL you need COURAGE. I would also see if your doctor could also refer you to counselling to tackle your inner demons. The ones holding you hostage. Positivity is the way forward, also go to 'hypnosisdownloads.com' an excellent site with a huge range hypnosis mp3s. Good luck and smile.

[sanmure in reply to pinkarchitect]

Thankyou so much for your help, you are so right as to what you have said, and i will look into the advice you have given me, will keep you posted on how i get on. nice to have people to talk with. take care x

[teajay]

My ex-husband has been taking Sertraline for several years. It helped him a lot. In fact it was key in helping him with his fear of heights and social anxiety. His employer worked with him considering his fears... He is a foreman for a construction company... they fix roofs and so sometimes they would work on high rise buildings in San Francisco... also on bridges. It was getting to the point where I think his job was on the line. Three weeks after he started taking Sertraline he called me out to his job site he was on this huge lift waving from the top of a huge skyscraper... He has been like a different person... he's a real people person at work and he never used to be... also he didn't go on vacations because he was afraid to fly.... he's been so many places by plane I've lost count. We are still friends and I am happy to see him happy....and fear free..

[sanmure]

Dear teajay, thankyou for your answer, its so nice to hear a positive outcome to the drug, glad things worked out for him on such a massive scale to his life. I can only hope that in time my life will change as well for the better, theres always the fear of how your body will react to a new drug. will see how i go. Take care x

[Holisticstress]

Please be careful when trawling the Internet webpages sometimes

People have axes to grind- look at scholar pages The big thing to

Remember is you can not get addicted to antidepressants you may feel a bit off for the first week while your body and receptors get use to the meds please go with it as in the long term they do help. Good luck

S

[Michael1969]

I took sertraline for 5 years and stopped recently.....Bad idea.....train wreck!

SSRI's do work but are a little tricky to wean yourself onto.

Everyone is different.

I'm asking my doc for an SNRI this week as I don't like the current escitilopram that I asked for.

Most important advice I can give you is to keep in touch with your doc and be absolutely honest about how the meds are making you feel. Also ask for help if you are experiencing nausea or increased anxiety...Docs can often augment meds.

Don't do what I did for 5 years and just put up with whatever you are given. Seek to find what is right for you and don't stop until you find it.

I'm on pregabalin at the mo and at high dose....

it's very good....This time round I'm asking for different meds and am determined to get it right.

Remember you are the customer when it comes to doc visits. Ask and you most often will get.

Also a bit of research goes a long way....Use the Internet

Anyway hope this helps and I wish you all the very best for the future.

Best regards

Mike

[sanmure]

Hi Mike, thankyou for your advice you are right in what you say. When the Sertraline had me so ill after 5 days i phoned my doc and told her that there was no way i could carry on taking them , the side effects were terrible for me, i took my first tablet of Mirta,rzapine 15mg last night and i slept for 11hrs, so far i feel ok but will not get to excited till i get through the next 13 days. I am staying positive in mind as i think you need to, since my husband died at 56 through illness, the last 7 yrs have been a battle to get used to being on my own after 37yrs married. My anxiety got worse over the last year, panic attacks have got so bad i dont even go out any where at the moment, and my doc now thinks i may have been suffering from post traumatic stress since my husband died ,due to the circumstances of that day and the 6weeks leading up to it. I cared for my husband for 10 yrs thats when i think it really all started from,think i should stop now, thats enough of about me, you take care. Hugs Sandra