so I'm 4 months post crisis event with severe depression, anxiety and mild psycosis. I've been on sertraline for about 2.5 months, starting on 50mg ofc. I felt effects after about 9 days and made me feel a little better for about 3 weeks until it suddenly stopped and I had a breakdown. I went up to 100mg and now the same has happened. I think that this is some placebo effect but I've never heard of it working like this.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? And what do you think I should do? Not counting as official health advice of course but I am a health scientist so I can confidently say that my GP is incompetent anyway.
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Blunderbuss_bumpkin
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Firstable wow you're my age and are already a a health scientist. Second i'm on sertriline too, 100mg, for so long and i'm a mess. I think it has some supporting role but we need something more and it can be not only meds but therapy, minset and environtment settings etc. As a humanitarian scientist i can say there are a complex of connected factors for the human wellbeing and when one is disregulated, all need to be stabilzed but the one that got disregulated might be the key
I see what you're saying and definitely agree, I'm fairly certain therapy is my path to freedom but of course I'm going to get all the help I can get. My sanity isn't very stable and a lot of the time I can't think straight which really sucks because I can't rely on the doctors to correctly treat me. My old professor and mentor had a saying: "never go to a doctor that knows less than you". Now that I'm more stable, I realise that I know how sertraline works and what response my body is supposed to have and that that hasn't happened so I need a different medication.
I am actually legally required to tell you that I am not a medical professional and that my counsel is not a substitute for official medical advice but if you've been on sertraline for 3 months and you wouldn't describe yourself as "stable" then I reckon you need to switch medication, it's simply not a matter of dosage like all my doctors seem to think.
There are many SSRI's and many more antidepressants so if it's not making you feel swell then look for one that does, but that's just what I think.
Hello 👋 I have been off and on sertraline for 3 years and all it does is make me feel flat. It doesn’t stop the thoughts, it just makes it so I don’t cry about it. I am now trying to focus on everything natural and healthy. I take magnesium glycinate, zinc picolinate, b-complex, and eat tuna/salmon, chia seeds & walnuts for omegas. I also walk daily with music. I find this to be just as effective. I am also looking into 5-htp and ginkgo biloba for focus… I can’t concentrate and am easily distracted.
Hey! Thanks for the advice, I think the issue in my case was the sertraline wasn't actually doing anything so no side effects and so no benefits no matter the dosage. My body has a very high metabolism and drug clearance rate so that may be why but I'm not sure.
I'll really take all the help I can get, I already do meditation and take basically the only vitamin supplements proven to do anything. I should be due to get onto some new therapy and medication soon but again I am so angry at my doctors for what has been gross negligence that I can't really trust them and basically have to sort my own treatment then prove to them I'm right so they'll give it to me.
Oh boy gonna make me dig up my Epidemiology of Nutrition notes. I take Krill oil, sometimes called cod liver oil, it doesn't sound very appealing but it's gotten a lot nicer in the past decade. You don't need much of it and contains many useful micronutrients but the krill oil itself has been found to have associations to improving cholesterol, CVD and is even believed to help improve depressive symptoms though the evidence on that is lacking.
If you're in the UK (especially the north and in winter) then Vitamin D is a must because even though the evidence on it's effects is quite weak, it is suspected to improve kidney function, decrease inflammation and may have effects on mood (though unlikely) and most people in the UK are vitamin D deficient.
Beyond that, there are many supplements that have shown to have associations with other diseases like glucosamine sulphate can be very good at slowing the rate of arthritis. Taking vitamin C 1-2 weeks before getting flu has shown to decrease recovery time by a significant amount. There is some belief that Iodine may help improve bone health but no-one is iodine deficient anymore. There may be associations between Lithium and thyroid function -> mood but that is a very recent discovery and can be quite dangerous because lithium poisoning is a very real thing.
From a quick look at what you are currently taking, it seems good and seems like you've done your research. There is some reasonable evidence for their positive effects, especially magnesium though to be honest very few people are magnesium deficient these days. I cannot recommend tryptophan supplements or any other amino acid supplements. I know specifically that tryptophan supplementation was tested for sport performance and had no effect what so ever for the very obvious reason of; our body makes it itself.
As far as food goes, I haven't heard about foods having any real impact on mental health beyond having a healthy diet and "mmm chocolate". I would say avoid caffeine, of course avoid alcohol and I would even say avoid carbonated drinks because I have some reservations about the effects of carbonic acid on the body but there is no evidence for that at all so probably just ignore me.
What I would recommend is Krill oil, multi-vitamin and then whatever you specifically need like vit. C, vit. D, glucosamine sulphate, magnesium and so on. From all my years of study, the one thing that always had positive effects and never had negative effects was exercise. From the sounds of it, everything you are currently taking seems to be working for you so at the end of the day, studies can say whatever they like but if you don't feel the effects then it's meaningless. Find what works for you and even if people say it doesn't work, if you feel like it works then go for it.
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