Re: Sinking deeper, forgetting who I am.
Originally Posted by
bewilderedkettle
Why isn't the Sertraline working? I'm in such an awful state, I thought I'd be making some headway by now. I'm losing my ability to cope, and I'm worried where this is leading.
Antidepressants ADs are not fast acting meds. Anxiety and depression are the emotional expressions of an underlying brain dysfunction, atrophy of the two hippocampi cause by high brain stress hormone, particularly of cortisol killing neurons and inhibiting the growth of new ones. ADs work by stimulating the growth of replacement cells (neurogenesis). They, and the connections they form across brain regions create the therapeutic response, not the ADs directly. The cognitive/behavioural and mindfulness therapies also work by stimulating hippocampal neurogenesis.
The problem is that new cells don't grow overnight. It takes about 7 weeks for them to reach full maturity. Unfortunately, there is no way of speeding up this process, however, some improvement may occur from 4 weeks at a therapeutic dose (50mg+ for sertraline). All we can do is go with the flow and treat any side-effects that occur. It is not unusual for anxiety and/or depression to get worse in the first few weeks. Talk to your GP if things are unbearable as there are way of moderating these side-effects.
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The opinions expressed above are based on my observations and, where applicable, interpretation of cited data and are general in nature. Consult your physician before acting on anything stated.