Re: Sticking with Sertraline?
Originally Posted by
JamieRR6
I started sertraline 7 days ago, as recently my general anxiety has worsened to the point of verging on depression/breakdown. It was prescribed to me years ago, but I was always very anti-medication.
Anti med for psych meds, or generally?
I am on day 7 of 25mg, and to be honest this week has been unbearable. I know heightened anxiety is a known side effect at first, but I have found myself in a perpetual stake of sheer panic and anxiety. It has made my OCD intrusive thoughts get far worse, leading to more anxiety etc. I’ve found myself in crisis several times, having to reach out to helplines to get me through the week.
I have been in constant communication with my GP, who thinks I should get up to the 50mg therapeutic dose now and hopefully see the positives of the medication start working. I am quite anxious about how the increase will go, with this past week in mind.
Antidepressants, especially the SSRIs and SNRIs, can produce a range of side-effects at the beginning. However, not all may necessarily be down to the med itself, but be generated by the mind. Believe you will suffer greatly and an anxious mind is very capable of producing your worst nightmare.
Has your GP offered to prescribe something to help ease the anxiety until the side-effects diminish? If not, ask. White-knuckling through this is counterproductive.
Did anyone find the change from 25-50mg as severe as 0-25mg?
Instead of increasing the dose by 25mg maybe take only an extra 12.5mg for the first week. You should get your GP's okay for this.
Does anyone regret not trying to utilise natural means for getting through their illness before opting for medication?
If by natural means you mean therapy, then the cognitive/behavioural (CBT, REBT, etc) and mindfulness therapies can be very effective. The main problem is access. Waiting times can be long in many places.
Anxiety disorders (also depression) are the emotional symptoms of a physical brain malfunction, atrophy of parts of the two hippocampal regions of the brain caused by high brain stress hormone levels, mostly of cortisol, killing hippocampal brain cells and inhibiting the growth of new ones (see also (PDF)). Both antidepressants and the therapies stimulate the growth of new neurons. It is these neurons and the connections they forge which produces the improvement in mood, not the treatments directly.
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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.