Three days in...not a fan

[evilbob333]

this is the first time i've had ADs and after three days i dont feel too cracky!

Its half 3 now and im wide awake, despite having felt shattered all day. I also seem to have had a 'spike' in anxiety, feeling very very much more anxious, which is feeding my depersonalization feelings.

Not too keen on these drugs...dont know whether to pack it in or carry on...what do you think? Advice is welcome!

[pooh]

hi bob

an intial worsening of symptoms is very common with any meds you start to take. You dont' say what you are taking but i know when i started taking prozac about five months ago i was prescribed diazepam for the first two weeks to conteract this very thing. It takes a good while to level out if you are on the right drug therapy but well worth the perseverance.

take care and welcome to nmp

Pooh x

[evilbob333]

Cheers Pooh, i'm taking sertraline 50mg.

Eventually did get to sleep but woke up this morning and before i could even open my eyes the adrenalin was going ten to the dozen. Feel like i'm going mad...thoughts racing, horrible thoughts coming...like a normal anxiety attack multiplied ten fold. I rung my GP, sure its the drugs...never felt this bad before them...i was gonna ask him about diazepam...feel like that'd be just the ticket.

Almost wish i'd never started taking them...really feel like its worth binning them off...or is it worth fighting through?

[Dahlia]

Hi Bob

As Pooh says, all anti-depressants can cause an increase in anxiety in the first couple of weeks. Definitely get some diazepam from your GP - whenever I have started any anti-depressant my GP or psych has always given it to me. You could also talk to him/her about maybe starting at a lower dose, and working up? I am pretty sure I started on 25mg, to try to keep the initial side effects to a minimum (which worked).

You do always question at this point whether it is worth carrying on taking them. I have just switched from Sertraline to Effexor, and my psych has made me promiseI will take them for 28 days regardless of how bad they make me feel initally :-S. So far I've been lucky with the 'heightened' anxiety aspect, though.

Have you ever been on an anti-depressant before? My friend started Prozac for depression last year, and it was his first - and I talked to him every day for the first couple of weeks, when he was feeling quite strange, and reassured him it was normal. He stuck with it and within a month was feeling much better.

Good luck!

[evilbob333]

It is the first time i've taken an AD. Its funny cos i don't know whether is the drug acting on me or whether its me just anxious about the drug acting on me? If you follow?
For example after reading about the side effects i started worrying that i'd have suicidal thoughts and wouldn't be able to control myself, or getting anxious that i won't be able to sleep. Its probably not the wisest thing to give to someone who has anxiety and obsessive thinking, seeing as i've read all of these things and now i'm getting anxious bout them etc!!! Mind you if didnt get anxious about that then i wouldn't need the bloody pills in the first place!

I'll keep on trucking with it...just not in a nice place at the mo.

Cheers

[lennons_mammy]

I know how you feel I have been on these for 6 days now to help with my anxiety and agoraphobia and they have made me anxious as well. I used to be able to make it down to the shops at the bottom of the road but the past couple of days I have been feeling really anxious walking down there and then yesterday I had a panic attack in the shop. I am just going to keep going with them and hope that it settles down after a while.

[djcat71]

Hi there,

I'm on day 5 and i'm not the biggest fan either - but I'm going to stick to it - my doc gave me Clonazepam *although I much prefer ativan/lorazepam - only because I've never taken clonazepam and i'm worried how my body will react :unsure:* but I'm going to try to take that when i get all panicky.

I am here for you if you want to talk about your side effects - I'm new to the AD meds as well so these side effects are an "interesting" experience (and by interesting i mean sh***y.):weep:

[spotty socks]

Hello
The first week can be tough when taking a new antidepressant, whilst your body gets used to it. By the second week things start to settle. You don't get the full benefit until you have taken them for 4 weeks. You need to be on them for 4-6 until you can be sure they are the right drug for you. I am on sertraline and it works for me, i have been on others in the past. Different people react differently to different drugs, what works for maynot work for another. Stick it out and if you are no better after 4 -6 weeks talk to your doc.
Take care
Spotty socks