Sertraline antidepressants help request

[Dagworth]

Hi, are there any medical professionals here who can give me some advice about side effects of Sertraline and it’s effects on emotional blunting. 
 

Internet searches list a lot of stuff but it’s hard to know the facts from the fluff. 
 

Reply by pm if possible? 
 

Thanks

 

Andi

[StevieD71]

I'm not a medical professional but my in own experience with sertraline I did experience a degree of emotional blunting and detachment. It did help a lot with my depression to begin with, but in the end it was causing problems of it's own. I was glad to get off it and was pointed towards 5-HTP as a natural aid by a friend who works in counselling. I've been taking it for over a year now with positive results.

[Dagworth]

Mrs has just said that “you’re not you but you’re a different not you to the not you that you were before you started it” 

 

Andi

[StevieD71]

That sounds very similar to the way my wife described me.

[Joseph_Pestell]

How long have you been on them? Most such medications take a few weeks to get used to.

 

My ex-wife was very concerned about me coming off the anti-depressants (forced on me by incompatibility with other medicine). I think it was for the good. Pills can't do anything about the sh*t that life throws at you.

[Dagworth]

I’ve been on them since the beginning of last year and I can see big changes in my behaviour since then. I don’t like who the tablets seem to have made me 

 

Andi

[Joseph_Pestell]

8 minutes ago, Dagworth said:

I’ve been on them since the beginning of last year and I can see big changes in my behaviour since then. I don’t like who the tablets seem to have made me 

 

Andi

 

You definitely need to talk to your prescribing GP then, urgently.

[iak]

In what form are the changes? You say emotionally blunted? In what way?

Are the meds dealing with your depression? Do you feel "less" depressed? 

Have you been diagnosed correctly? Depression can co-exist with other mental issues, or indeed be a part of Bi-Polar disorder. Anti-depressants used without other medications in Bi-Polar can cause problems. 

I speak as a Bi-Polar sufferer who uses a high dose of Sertraline as part of his treatment. Yes, I  identify with what you say about Sertraline but it is better than staring into the darkness...

[Dagworth]

I’m being a bit vague as I don’t really want to put my whole situation onto an open forum but they seem to have made me a lot less able to appreciate the effects of my actions on others. 
 

I think the depression is possibly getting worse, I seem to have been getting slowly lower for several months. 
 

I described the feeling to a medical friend along with a comment that had been made that i wasn’t my normal self but in a different way to than before starting the tablets and this was their response 

“I think I get it. Before,  you were all emotional up and down,  but extremes of emotions. Now you are distant,  numb and again not you.  The you that I think of, is someone who is passionate about your interests and passionately Righteous when you see injustice.  But you can also be analytical,  very systematic about problem solving and sometimes the calming influence on those who are a little too excited about something.  The key there is that you usually tap into your emotions for the right things/ reasons.”

 

Andi

[Kickstart]

Hi

 

From someone who is on a low dose, for me I haven’t noticed a major affect on emotions overall. What it has done is stopped things spiralling out of control.

 

We are all different, and react differently. Quite possibly you need something different 

 

All the best

 

Katy

[didcot]

11 hours ago, Dagworth said:

I’m being a bit vague as I don’t really want to put my whole situation onto an open forum but they seem to have made me a lot less able to appreciate the effects of my actions on others.

I was on them for about 2 years and I can relate to what you have said. I felt totally removed from the "cause and effect" of my actions and emotions. When I first started them I shook so much I couldn't type and they kept me awake at night when I needed rest. Some of the other side effects weren't pleasant either. But I know people who swear by it. It can take several tries to get the right medication. I've tried a few!

I am now on a Mirtazapine/Quetiapine mix, have been for about 2 years. Not sure if Quetiapine would be on a GP's radar. They make me sleep, I take them before bed, if I get the timing wrong I can get restless legs. The only side effect for me is Mirtazapine slows your metabolism and causes weight gain. Other than that its the best I've felt for a long time. Hope that helps a bit.

[johnb]

Have sent a PM

 

John

[Dagworth]

Thanks for the PMs, very much appreciated. I have phoned the GP this morning and now waiting for a call back.

 

I just want to be ME again, not the uncaring callous shell that I seem to have become.

 

Andi

[Dagworth]

GP was very understanding I'm going to be weaning myself off the tablets for the next few weeks.  

 

Andi

[Tangoman69]

Andi,

 

Glad you’ve been assessed again and there is a plan to get you to where you want to be.

I’m on Sertraline, but a low dose, fortunately that haven’t affected me, well, not that I’ve noticed.

 

All the best 

 

Karl

Edited May 18, 2020 by Tangoman69
Misspelling

[johnb]

Don't be tempted to rush the weaning off, it takes time to get the stuff out of your system and for you r system to adjust to the changes.

 

You will get there though, just be patient.

 

Remember you've got friends on here, a fair few of whom have been through the mill. It took real nerve to start this thread, so that's a beginning at least. Don't hesitate to come back to us.

 

All the very best.

 

John

[Anadin Dogwalker]

I'll second Johns post about weaning off- about 50mg a fortnight, same rate as an increase. I've been on 200mg for 7 years now, and it took the full whack to make a difference.  I only feel anxious when I think about reducing the dose. Apart from a nauseous yawn in the first year, I've got on with it fine. My brother was prescribed it about a year after me, and it caused his sodium levels to tank and he collapsed at work with cerebral oedema. That put him in a coma for 3 days. If it'd happened at home, he'd have not been found in time. He isn't on any meds at the moment, a change of job did the trick. In my case (I'm a self employed vet) I'd been piggy in the middle in an uncivil war over a particularly toxic member of staff that my partner vet refused to fire, and good staff were leaving. When the miscreant left, the adrenaline wore off, I crashed and spent much of the next 3 months under the duvet. Sorting out the root causes, financial stress too, was all-important; taking the tablets is often the easy bit - as long as they're the right tablets for you.

KBO

Neill Horton

[didcot]

It might be worth exploring help from your local NHS mental health trust. Mine were great and sorted the medication. They have a better view of medication than the GP, but my GP was brilliant. Plus they had a nurse that I saw once a week who looked after me for several months. It's difficult to navigate the right channels to get to where you want to be when you are at your lowest.

There are other organisations like Mind that offer help. Previously face to face, but they have been cut back here and only phone consultations were available, which didn't work for me. I don't think Mind can prescribe medication. 

[YesTor]

9 hours ago, Anadin Dogwalker said:

...taking the tablets is often the easy bit - as long as they're the right tablets for you.

KBO

Neill Horton

 

On 17/05/2020 at 22:06, Dagworth said:

I think the depression is possibly getting worse, I seem to have been getting slowly lower for several months.  

 

 

12 hours ago, Dagworth said:

Thanks for the PMs, very much appreciated. I have phoned the GP this morning and now waiting for a call back.

 

I just want to be ME again, not the uncaring callous shell that I seem to have become.

 

Andi

 

I can echo @Anadin Dogwalker here one-hundred percent.  There are so many factors involved - is the medication the right medication for you?  Is the dosage the right dosage for you?  What else may, or may not, be having an effect on the medication and/or your mood/mindset?  We are all different and have different needs at different times, and even when you find the 'right' medication it may not be the same scenario in a few months time when things may have changed in your life.  Some years ago I went through a period of being prescribed 4 or 5 different types of meds - some made me feel absolutely awful, some worse than the condition itself, and overall it took quite a long time - not to mention elements of trial and error - to find something that 'worked' for me.  I've learned that treating depression, anxiety or related conditions is in most cases an art, as opposed to a science.

 

@DagworthThe key thing from your comments above are that at least you are able to recognize those changes within yourself and take action - and that's a huge positive.  Seek help wherever you can, or indeed feel comfortable doing so, even if it's a simple chat. 

 

I'm not suggesting that this is definitely the solution in your specific case, however all of this may come down to finding the right combination of meds with the right dosage, over the right period of time, and from my own experience I know that this can be an extremely challenging, and at times seemingly laborious, yet delicate balancing act.  If you have supportive family members that's going to be a huge help, but above all stick with it and keep battling on, and on particularly 'bad' days, try to constantly remind yourself that it's 'just one bad day' (easier said than done, I know!), and that things rarely stay the same, and that there will be better days when you'll be able to smile again and feel that you can get on with the things that you need to do to function, and of course the things that you enjoy too.  And it's on those better days that you'll gain strength and actually begin to feel the benefits (however small they may be) of your inner struggle.

 

Above all, take care and never be afraid to speak out or ask for help...
 

Al

Edited May 18, 2020 by YesTor

[The Johnster]

Been on Sertraline for just over a year now and touch wood I’m doing ok so far; it has been an effective depression suppressor most, but not all, of the time.  Previous meds that I built tolerance to over time were Seroxat, which muddled my thought processes badly, and Citalopram, which was just not very effective.  If you’re not getting on with your meds, your gp should be able to wean you off and replace them. 
 

Sertraline has been the most effective/least side effects so far in my case; everybody is different in how meds affect them and once you’ve found one that works for you, the long term problem if, like me, your issue is permanent and intractable, is that you build tolerance to it over time and have to take a chance on a new one.  In my case they seem to be as effective as they’re going to be for about ten years.  

[Dagworth]

Trying to put further my experience into words, this week has been like opening my eyes, looking up and realising that I've been walking down a tunnel and the lights are off. Looking back over that last year I realise that I have very little memory of it, what should have been a trip of a lifetime across the USA seems to have faded to nothing, I can see bright patches as if there were ventilation shafts over certain events but the rest is just dark. Does this fit with anyone else’s experience of sertraline?

 

Andi

Edited May 19, 2020 by Dagworth

[Joseph_Pestell]

4 hours ago, Dagworth said:

Trying to put further my experience into words, this week has been like opening my eyes, looking up and realising that I've been walking down a tunnel and the lights are off. Looking back over that last year I realise that I have very little memory of it, what should have been a trip of a lifetime across the USA seems to have faded to nothing, I can see bright patches as if there were ventilation shafts over certain events but the rest is just dark. Does this fit with anyone else’s experience of sertraline?

 

Andi

 

That just matches my experience of depression - with or without medication.

[didcot]

My memory is appalling. I will tell my wife something and 5 minutes later repeat it and again in another 5 minutes. In particularly stressful situations I will have no recollection of events. I have lost whole days like this. Words go mid sentence or I get up to do something and its gone. Ive even gone the wrong way to work!

Long term memory has suffered to a lesser extent, but I totally get what you mean, it can be foggy.

I was told by the doctors that memory is usually one of the first things to go with mental health problems. Medication can have an effect. Its possible that it could be a combination of both.

[tomparryharry]

6 hours ago, The Johnster said:

Been on Sertraline for just over a year now and touch wood I’m doing ok so far; it has been an effective depression suppressor most, but not all, of the time.  Previous meds that I built tolerance to over time were Seroxat, which muddled my thought processes badly, and Citalopram, which was just not very effective.  If you’re not getting on with your meds, your gp should be able to wean you off and replace them. 
 

Sertraline has been the most effective/least side effects so far in my case; everybody is different in how meds affect them and once you’ve found one that works for you, the long term problem if, like me, your issue is permanent and intractable, is that you build tolerance to it over time and have to take a chance on a new one.  In my case they seem to be as effective as they’re going to be for about ten years.  

 

I too, am on Setraline, also on a low dose. They have helped me to 'level out'.  As I type this, Mrs Smith commented that I appear to have regained my rationality, which is for me, a very good thing. 

 

My very best wishes to anyone who is going through this.  

 

Ian.

 

 

 

 

[Mallard60022]

Sertraline can be evil. Glad you are having a review and already looking at brightness. All the very best; have PMd .

Phil