Side effects

[Zed1063]

Good morning everyone. I would like to ask you guys something. I have been on anti depressants for 30 years and when I had my HA (April) I was taken off them, not weaned just stopped which has left me in a terrible state emotionally. My GP has put me on Serteraline and they seem to be helping my emotions but I have been having ectopic beats and been to the hospital several times to be told they are nothing to worry about, I have also seen my GP and he thinks, so does the hospital that it is side effects which will settle. My question is how long do side effects take to settle? or do I stop the tablets? I really don't know what to do or if we have to put up with the side effects until they settle. I have tried other tablets and are really sensitive to them. They tell me there is nothing to worry about but I can't help but worry!

[Tos92]

Hi Zed1063

Ectopic beats are benign for the most part.

The NHS states that it can take 1-2 weeks for the body to adjust to antidepressants.

nhs.uk/mental-health/condit....

I’m sorry they’re being problematic for you. I would say that if it is majorly worrying you, to request the medication be changed again by your GP. Unfortunately, as I’ve never been on antidepressants, I couldn’t offer any sound experience.

There are other members on here which are on antidepressants so I hope they come by to give you a deeper insight.

All the best.

Tos

[Zed1063 in reply to Tos92]

Thank you for your input

[devonian186 in reply to Tos92]

They are mostly benign but most GP's tend to be very dismissive about them, don't they. The natural anxiety of the patient is likely to make things worse.

[Tos92 in reply to devonian186]

devonian186 I experience ectopics as well, and yes, I have found doctors and cardiologists to be dismissive of them which isn’t always ideal. It’s reassuring though that they don’t put you in any immediate danger. I have found that once you notice they are there, it can trigger anxiety as the sensations become more noticeable. So you’re right in saying that the natural anxiety of a patient can make ectopics worse.

[Zed1063]

thank you

[Autumn_Leaves]

How many ectopics are you having every day on average? What investigations have you had so far? If you have a particularly high number of ectopic beats per day (as determined by tests) then you may be referred for an ablation. Otherwise there is no specific treatment for ectopic beats. As for your antidepressant medication, you need to discuss that with your doctor or consultant as it is not a good idea to go stop/start with these drugs. Perhaps a referral to a psychiatrist may be more appropriate for your depression and associated health anxieties.

[Blearyeyed]

How long have you been on serteraline ?It can take as much as 6-8 weeks for some medications to have an effect that you really notice or for the side effects to settle down , although if the GP has started you on high dose and you are having side effects but some improvement you can go back to the GP and see if it's possible to increase the dose. It all depends on how much the side effects are effecting your ability to do things and your quality of life.

If after eight weeks on a new drug you don't really feel like it's enough to help you but it's still giving you disturbing side effects, it's worth going back to the GP to ask if it's possible to try something else as two months is more than enough time to prove to the doctor if something is working or not in a way that is suitable for your needs.

Hope things improve soon. Bee

[cappachina]

I am not surprised that your emotions were all over the place Stopping a antidepressant overnight is hard and you will have had withdrawal symptoms for quite a while then throw in your emotions from your heart too I would talk to your GP about how you are feeling on the new tablet It may be things will settle and you will will start to feel better I have not been on antidepressants but my daughter has tried many and lots did not suit her There will be others you ca still trying this one doesn't work but I feel the shock of the heart attack then cold turkey off coming off the tablets is to ge expected Hope you feel better soon

[Ethel14]

I was taken off anti depressant immediately in 2014 after my heart attack as it contraindicated with my heart meds, I take 50mg Sertraline daily and feel great, just give it time. Hope this helps

[Ewloe]

I was put on sertraline for anxiety. My EP looked into which medication was the safest with arrhythmias before going for sertraline. I was also seeing a counsellor at the time who said sertraline can 2-3 months to be effective. For the first 1-2 weeks it made my anxiety worse but that’s normal until you settle on it. Anxiety/depression isn’t the cause of the arrhythmia’s but is a serious aggravator for what you’ve got a predisposition for that’s why if you have a heart condition they like it to be controlled it’s terrible they just stopped what you were on. You must have been feeling awful.

The lowest treatment dose of sertraline is 50mg daily which I’m on. And is working for me. Keep going with it. It’s worth it.

[Dorsetjohn]

I've been on Sertraline for 20 odd years with no problems, but, I find some brands really give me serious side effects and I have to request certain brands, if you google Sertraline side effects this is a known problem, the ones I have no problem with are Aurobindo and Milpharm, which are the same manufacturer and Accord, but the latest one that really upset me in many ways was Teva.

[1234_6]

Before I was diagnosed with the heart arrithymia I tried Sertraline for anxiety. It gave me constant panic attacks, made me shake & my teeth chatter uncontrollably with nerves, and made my anxiety so bad that i couldn't function with it or keep working so I complained to the GP and went back onto Citalopram. I'm just wondering if the anxiety Sertraline causes are what's making you feel and notice the ectopics more?

Also I note others have said Sertraline is being given as it's good with ectopics .... that may well the case ... but unfortunately I've found with MH meds that their prescription often follows a fad of GP's giving the latest new in thing "as its ment to be better" when those new meds sometimes aren't and don't always work for everyone.

Basically Sertraline seems to be a marmite drug - you either love it or hate it.

Give it a fair trial, but if its not working for you, then do asked to.be put on something different to try.

Good luck and do try to use everything else at your disposal to try andcrelax and stay calm too.

[bludnut]

Good morning Zed,

My wife has suffered from depression since childhood, and when it is realy bad she asks her GP to be put on medication.She takes this medication until she realy starts to feel she is getting better. Then without consulting her doctor ( he is aware of what she is doing), she gradually weens herself off the tablets. This whole exercise may take 12 months, but this is how she has learnt to cope with her depression. Stopping to take the meds all at once, has in the past caused her to feel worse than she did when she started taking them. That is why after consulting her GP, she does what I have described, he knows that she is reliable and if there is a problem then she will go and see him. Hope this bit of knowledge helps you combat your problems.

bludnut

[Petercat1]

Good afternoon,I have been put on Sertraline for depression, firstly 50mg then 100mg. I am on other meds too, and was having problems - not necessarily caused by the sertraline, but as agreed by my dr. I have decreased my dose to 50mg, just as a precaution to see if that helps.

I must admit that it is very unusual for a dr to tell you just to stop taking the ones you were on for such a long time - my dr said they like to give antidepressants for at least 6months, then if they want to stop them they wean you off gradually, if they don't wean you off gradually, your symptoms can come back and make you feel ten times worse than before taking them!

Can I also say that I have a long history of palpitation attacks that got a lot worse as I got older. I had an aortic dissection and valve replacement op 6years ago and in the second week of recovery in the hospital I had a palpitation attack - the Consultant put me on Bisoprolol and haven't had an attack since. Worth checking with your dr about this. (Not sure if palpitations and ectopic attack are the same thing however).

Hope it gets sorted soon for you.

Denise

[Smitty1956]

Hi, Zed1063,

I read your post and I immediately had a question. The question may be a result of my own lack of knowledge, but you never know. I usually have more questions than answers. 😊

I had a HA in March 2022, and the doctors and cardiologist at the emergency room/hospital made changes to my medications too—adding new ones and taking away things like vitamin C, etc.

You were on antidepressants for many years and it would seem that you would have needed to be weaned from those. However, I took an antidepressant (Paxil) in 2001-2005. I knew that I was feeling better in 2005 so I took myself off that medication in late 2005, and then told my doctor about that at my next checkup. He was okay with that decision at the time. I stopped all at once too, so maybe there are not huge side effects from stopping an antidepressant cold turkey???

My question is this: After a HA, some drugs, vitamins, etc. are stopped by the doctors, but are these stoppages all meant to be forever? Have you asked your doctor whether it might be safe for you to take an antidepressant again with your heart issue? Perhaps there is a new, or different, medication that you could safely take for depression?

Obviously, I have no answers, but I would discuss this with your doctor. I hope that you can get this all sorted as quickly as possible. Best wishes! 😊

[Metal_lady]

Side effects are common in the early days of medication. Please don't just stop taking the Sertraline though. It needs discussing with Gp. I'm on an antidepressant of the same family but I was lucky and had no side effects. Sometimes it can take trying a few before the one that improves your mood and gives few symptoms at the start.