Sertraline questions.

[Doomed2pain]

Been on 50 mg per day for just over a month. For the last 2 weeks my blood pressure has been low, last week I fainted which I never suffer from.

Anyway I left my script at my mum's by accident and didnt take any for 2 days. Now I feel awful, my brain feels sluggish, my intelligence feelslike it has decreased, I am reading and either not retaining it or not understanding what I have read. I have never had discontinuation affects from anti depressants before. Is this what it is, or could it be something else maybe?

All I know is I really do not like it.

If anyone has any ideas I would like to hear them.

Thanks.

 

[badfish45]

I'm guessing that it's from discontinuation affects. Are you back on them now?

 

[Doomed2pain]

Not yet, I can't get them until tomorrow. I know the bp and fainting aren't discontinuation as I was still taking it when all of that started happening. Don't know about this weird brain fuzz though. Got some tests on tues, bp, ECG and a full blood test so will mention it then and see what is said. I haven't felt any help from them, my gp said I may need a bigger dose, but they can't put it up until they find out what is causing my bp and fainting problems,so I may need to stop taking it anyway.

 

[badfish45]

I'd say wait and see what happens, but you shouldn't discontinue your use yet. Try to get that perscription back if you can, it would be a good way to find out.

 

[Doomed2pain]

I am getting the meds back tomorrow (left them at my mum's by accident)

I have never had anything like this before when stopping ad's and there have been times when I have had to tsp abruptly.

Thanks for the advice was just wondering if anyone else had experienced anything like this, I hope it goes away soon, I really dislike it.

 

[effie]

Hmm I feel fuzzy-headed and slow when I miss a dose of my venlafaxine, so it could well be discontinuation, although I agree fainting and low BP don't sound like they are caused by the sertraline (or stopping it..) I think your best bet is definitely to get all the tests done and talk to your doctor about it, explain exactly what's going on. Does the sertraline work well for you as an antidepressant?

Good luck

 

[Doomed2pain]

I haven't felt any improvement from it no, been on it for 4 weeks now. My gp said I may need to up the dose but she said it may be the sertraline that is causing the fainting and bp problems, in which case they wouldn't up it, they would take me off it.

I was on venlafaxine for a few months, I went up to taking 2 doses a day, but ended up stopping that abruptly, didn't experience anything like I am at the minute, woozy brain etc. I have never felt this slow and stupid before. I was reading really simple things but found that I couldn't understand what I was reading at all, it is weird. Still feel that way now.

Thanks for the replies

 

[fivelinefury]

hrm, I'm also on Sertraline. My psychiatrist started me on 50mg for 5 days (since I was already on another SSRI which wasn't working), and then went to 100mg, and have now been on 200mg for probably roughly 12 months. Unfortunately I think a lot of people need to wait up to like 2-3 months to start gaining the full effects of these anti-depressant meds. I know I noticed a difference after 2-3 weeks, but also had to wait about 3 months to really notice more. I must admit to being silly and not taking my sertraline for a day or 2 days in a row a few times, and think I know what you mean. I also get the cloudy/fuzzy head where I can't concentrate or take information in properly, etc. For me I put this down to days of skipped doses, but I also get the same feeling when my depression has increased again whilst being on the drug. Basically if you miss a day of an anti-depressant, just go back to the same dose as close to the usual time taken, to try and feel as "even/non fuzzy headed" as possible. Take care !

 

[Doomed2pain]

Well I took my regular dose hours ago, still feeling really weird though. Perhaps it is my depression biting me in the ass again. Bleh

Will mention it when I got for my tests tomorrow. Hope I can get some sleep tonight, when I can't sleep my anxiety seems a lot worse the next day, so not really looking forward to a busy drs surgery when not feeling my best. Does anyone else get worsened anxiety if they aren't sleeping properly?

 

[fivelinefury]

^ Yup, not enough sleep and/or disruptive sleep patterns will most likely not help anxiety or depression. Sleep is extremely important. Although sometimes (in my experience) people can experience a "vicious cycle" of where their depression/anxiety isn't allowing them to sleep properly, and in turn making the depression/anxiety worse. This improves over time though.

 

[Doomed2pain]

I have had severe sleep problems since my accident. I miss sleeping properly.

Feel awful today, so tired and sore. Brain's still mush. And I have to go into town to the bank with my mum. Arrrrgh, too many people to deal with :/

 

[fivelinefury]

^ hrm, that's no good hun. Be sure to stress to your doctor about the sleeping troubles. I have found, and been told by my old drug/alcohol counsellor many times that the incorrect amount of sleep (too much or too little) can, well I can't say be the root of a lot of problems, but will often elevate problems during the day. For me example, being sick with the flu at the moment as well as my usual anxiety/depression "struggles" caused me to get to sleep at around 3am, and get out of bed at about 3pm this afternoon. Maybe it is partly due to being sick at the moment, but since I couldn't sleep and was then in bed for 12 hours, I couldn't think straight, couldn't retain any information, was cloudy headed, despite the fact that i'm on 200mg Sertraline. Of course feeling much better now that it's 11pm again 8)

Due to your brain still feeling "mushy", I am quite sure your best advice (after doctors consultation), will be to increase your Sertraline from 50mg, most likely to 100mg, probably for 2-4 weeks and then see how that goes (I'm only guessing from own experiences).

Btw, there is nothing wrong with having to increase your dosage, if this is what is prescribed. Not everyone, but there are a lot of people out there that wont really benefit from 50mg Sertraline, and quite often with trial and error have to increase to see how they go.

I am even starting to question the 200mg I am on, which I believe to be the maximum recommended dose 8) But this is due to other meds, etc.

Write some stuff down for your doctor and/or whoever else you're seeing so you don't forget, and take care! Try to get some good sleep!

 

[Doomed2pain]

Thanks for the advice.

My dr knows all about my sleep problems, we are hoping once my pain meds provide adequate relief I wont have as many issues. On 30mg ex morphine twice a day, but I must admit I am finding morphine really rubbish for pain. Once I've got up a bit higher and still no relief, I will possibly try another med. Fentanyl was great for my pain but the patches really aggravated my skin and scarred it.

A for e sertraline, the ECG showed nothing to worry, my bp still isn't right but it isn't as low as it was last week, and I won't get blood results for 10 days. They are checking my liver, kidneys, blood cell count, infections and thyroid so maybe that will shed some light. But she won't up my sertraline while my bp is still low.

I find I get sick more now, but my condition has been known to affect the immune system so that could be why.

I hope you get to feeling better soon Hun, try watching tv maybe? I am watching tv with my little dude now.

Town was awful, feeling very jangled coz of how busy it was ( not very busy but this is me, anxious and panic disorder queen lol)