Anxiety is back, low level

[apm]

I've had GAD for a few years, managed by SSRIs

Two years ago (November), the Citalopram bombed out, and I switched to Sertraline. Bitch to come onto, stabilised at 100mg daily.
Last year (November again), the anxiety came back, So dosage increased to 150mg daily. Again, stabilised.
Couple of weeks ago, some stressful stuff was going in for work (I was applying for a promotion I wasn't sure I wanted), and I had what I can only describe as a 'flash' of anxiety.
My sleep was disturbed for a couple of nights, but only other issue was a bit of edginess.
It has since got worse, with low-level anxiety alot of the time, and sleep not going well. Nowhere near as bad as last time, but there nonetheless.
So my question is- could this be a need to increase dosage again (max for these is 200mg daily)? FWIW, I was on the max dose for Citalopram. Or, is it just a flash/ blip and I need to tough it out?
I wasn't shortlisted for the promotion, so that stress has gone, although I am pissed off!
Also interesting that it seems to follow an annual pattern- always mid November... just coincidence? I think so, but not sure!

Thoughts welcome!

Many thanks,

Alex.

[LittleLionMan]

It’s completely up to you if you are comfortable with people taking pictures of your work or not. Don’t worry about it.

[apm]

Hi, I think you may be replying to a different post?

[LittleLionMan]

Haha, how has that happened?

Very sorry.

[Miu medical billing]

It's understandable that you're concerned about the recent return of your anxiety symptoms. While it's possible that you may need an increase in your Sertraline dosage, it's also possible that this is just a temporary blip related to the recent stress you experienced at work.
It's important to remember that anxiety disorders are cyclical, and it's not uncommon to experience periods of increased symptoms even when you're taking medication. In your case, it's possible that the stress of applying for a promotion triggered a temporary increase in your anxiety.

[Jimmy M]

Hi Alex - I am also on Sertraline 150mg and have been on it for over 10 years now for an anxiety disorder. I used to think every time my symptoms came back that the medication had stopped working. I have kept journals for years of my symptoms and thoughts at times when I am going through bad spells.

I am also going through a bad spell myself and from reading back through my journals November seems to be a bad time for me historically and right from about 18 months in on Sertraline I had a slight relapse and had begun questioning / worrying that it had stopped working.

What I have come to realise for me at least is that it seems to keep me on a fairly even keel most of the time but it doesnt stop these bad spells / relapses from coming, but it does seem to provide a bit of a safety net in that it seems to prevent things spiralling out of control too far and winding up with bad depression and it seems to make the recovery process quicker than it otherwise would be.

Its not a cure that gets rid of the anxiety disorder altogether but I think it does help especially when these bad spells come - sometimes due to life events or sometimes out of the blue for no apparent reason.

Hopefully December will be a better month!