citalopram to sertraline feel horrible!

[adellevenn]

Hi everyone,


I have been on citalopram for four years which made me feel me again. However, after difficulty with my teacher training my panic and anxiety came on strong. I went to the doctors and because I was on the full dose of citalopram I was switched to sertraline.
I was told to take 1 cit and 1 50mg sert for 1 week and then two sert after, so 100 mg in total. The doc told me that switching was easy and I wouldnt feel a thing.
I started to pick up for about 2 weeks, then bang! My anxiety has been horrible since. I have never been suicidal due to the GAD but have been over the last few weeks. My appatite is completely shot and I normally enjoy food and a good diet.
I went back and doc increased to 150mg and I remained the same. I have been back to the docs since and saw a different doc who said I had gone too high on sertraline and that might be why my anxiety is so bad. But then went crawling back the next day because I couldnt cope and saw again a different doc who said to stay on the 150 mg. It is now week 5 and I feel awful. Will this get better? Has anyone had experience of this? Should I cut my losses and go back on citalopram? I appreciate any views

[TooMuchToLiveFor]

Sorry to hear you are feeling so lousy.....I can TOTALLY relate. I am just a little over a month in on Sertraline and it shot my appetite to bits. I have lost about 20 pounds since I started it...and I am fairly slender to begin with. I noticed toward the end of the second week I could SOMETIMES get something down by dinner time. I was mainly surviving on smoothies and Ensures. However, it has been slowly coming back, and the last few days I have managed a very small breakfast and lunch.
My anxiety was already very severe when starting, but got so bad in the first two weeks of the meds that I became completely agoraphobic and am still working through that. It is definitely better- with a long, long journey still ahead. (Started CBT too.)
I don't have anything to offer concerning the rest of it, but hope that helps some.

[Emphyrio]

Were you on 40mg of citalopram? If so, then the equivalent dosage is 100mg of sertraline. Citalopram is a fairly sedating SSRI, and it seems that Sertraline is fairly activating, so that may explain the increased anxiety. I personally would go back to 100mg and wait until the side effects have gone away (which they will in time). Give it a few more weeks and you'll start to feel better I'm sure.

[Hemps]

I am just wondering how you are doing? I was on citalopram for years and was swapped to sertraline. I am on 150. Was up to 200 but made me feel horrible. Doctor suggested I drop back to 100 but I was scared it was too much at once.

Did you go back to 100? I have been taking diazepam and zoplicone to help with anxiety and sleeping. I am seriously wondering if I should go back to citalopram as I have been struggling for months. I am better but no where near 100%.

I hope things have settled down for you.