ananke Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 I've been on 100mg for just over two weeks and for want of a better word, i feel strange. i think its actually on the list of symptoms, feeling strange. the only way i can describe it is a kind of tired sluggish weirdness. i'm used to tiredness and apathy but it feels more trippy somehow?? also, i dont know if its because my stomachs upset or heart palpitations but that general chest area feels strange. not necessarily painful, just different. can anyone else relate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickler Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 You are taking with food, right? I may know what you're talking about, but thought of the trippiness as a *good* thing, while it was occurring. Kind of a "dude, I feel stoned.". I remember Lou Reed's " take a walk on the wild side" being just the grooviest ever, and I was just...mellow... Yeah, went away, psych meds lose entertainment value quickly. My apathy does feel less painful now than it used to, and is certainly less crippling than when at my worst... But still fuckin' apathetic, and I'd like to, y'know, have something approaching a normal energy level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ananke Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 uhh... usually? my GP didn't mention it when i started taking it, and i take them at 11 am. i'll try to eat them with food if that helps. that actually sounds kind of nice. this is more like post-panic attack exhaustion trippy to be honest. urgh, i can't wait to find out if they actually, you know, help the depression. as much as i love nausea its kind of why i take them /snark oh god yes. i think out of all my long list of crap symptoms, loss of energy and concentration are my least favourite. then again, none of them are really my favourite. how long have you been on sertraline for, if you dont mind me asking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickler Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 This time around? Since 2010 , I think. The first time it was the suspect cause of my case of alopecia aureata, this back in '99 Alopecia aureata was probably actually caused by naggy ex boyfriend, as my hair is not falling out at all now, and I am on a higher dose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickler Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 The thing with food? I thought everyone got heartburn from hell from taking SSRI 's on an empty stomach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverOblivious Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Nah, even at times where i had a full stomach i got heart burn. Some medications have more side effects than actually positive effects, if you're having a bad time, contact your doctor and tell him or her about it. don't need to suffer in silence. Also, i've taken sertraline and it totally didn't do anything for me, i think it's mainly because people were screaming 'you have anxiety', and so was i. when it turned out to be some form of psychoses, and other medications were much more suitable for me. well what i would like for you to take from my fable, is that medications lead to different effects to different people. and simply, if the negatives weigh out the positives, attempt to seek professional help from your doctor or another medical professional. i'm guessing if they prescribed you the medicine, they wouldn't want you to suffer due to it. But I totally agree with you, when i was on sertraline, i felt funny chest feelings, palpitations, funny feeling stomache, etc. mainly because those are pretty much reversing anxiety/depressive symptoms (like butterflies in the stomache, breathing, fast heart beat). it's all natural, and happens to a lot of people on sertraline - however, like i said before, if it gets negative, like in my case, where i had psychoses, and it turned out i was getting even more depressed, drastically forgetful (like forgetting where i was or what reality was etc), and drastically changing stomache health, or even dizzy spells or crying spells or head jerks etc, then it's best to reconsider your medication and whether it's right for you. not saying you are psychotic, aha but it could easily be that the medicine is not the best option, because a lot of people on here, have also had negative experiences with zoloft. but then again, for others it has worked pretty damn great, no head aches, etc just really good symptoms all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverOblivious Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) Adding to that, 'trippy' is exactly how i would describe the experience of taking zoloft. but tell me how bad the concentration problems are, can you focus on the words you are reading, and understand them? or is it more to do with events like opening the blinds but not doing it as carefully as you used to, etc. What events are causing you most distress? or are on your mind right now? it's best if you can write them down. I'm asking this because generally, we tend to think that medicines lead to bad effects, and it there could be nothing wrong with the medicine at all. especially if we already have a worried or depressed outlook in other areas of our life. (i know i do). Less take the symptom of concentrating first. And in this instance, if you are not concentrating on things that a "reasonable person" should be concentrating on (i.e. words in a sentence), ask yourself whether it is realistically something the average individual would be concentrating on (i.e. Realistically speaking, would my best friend be worried if they couldn't understand a sentence because they couldn't focus on the words on the page? would they get stressed and lay down and have a rest due to 'giving up'? or would they take it in stride and refocus on something that does matter to them?). If most of the answers suggest that the symptom is something a reasonable person would be negatively affected by, then consider talking it out with your GP, as soon as possible. Than i would consider this something i would mention with my GP. But if it's something like not paying as much attention to things that i did before or events where i was being super careful with objects or blinds, ask yourself whether a 'reasonable person' would have been worried about that event anyway, would it matter to my best friend? would they take it in stride and overcome it or feel too distressed to do what they need to do afterward? . Clarification is key. Edited June 5, 2014 by AverOblivious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ananke Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 well as far as concentration goes, it took a couple of tries to even read that reply. my biggest problem is long passages of text which require focus to understand. as someone who is going back to education in september, its a bit of a problem. i've had concentration problems for ages though, and i did mention it to my GP when she prescribed sertraline to me. i was told to exercise and see if the medication helped. stickler, sorry about your ex. that sounds horrible, although i'm glad it seems to be working for you now. i've never gotten heartburn from meds before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverOblivious Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 well as far as concentration goes, it took a couple of tries to even read that reply. my biggest problem is long passages of text which require focus to understand. as someone who is going back to education in september, its a bit of a problem. i've had concentration problems for ages though, and i did mention it to my GP when she prescribed sertraline to me. i was told to exercise and see if the medication helped. stickler, sorry about your ex. that sounds horrible, although i'm glad it seems to be working for you now. i've never gotten heartburn from meds before lol exactly what they told me. exercise didn't really help for me, since i already exercised more than 'just having a jog' even while i had my other illnesses. let's hope it works better for you on the other hand . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sync Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 When I first started my sertraline I had a very strange feeling for the first week or so. It was kind of like my brain was made of liquid and I could feel it sloshing around? I couldn't focus very well and felt fatigued in an incredibly strange way. It did go away. Did you start on 100mg right away or did you go up slowly? I'd talk to your pdoc about it if you're concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ananke Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 I can sympathise with the fatigue and focus. Mine wasn't that bad but I definitely felt spaced out. I was on 50mg from October to December, and started 100mg a few weeks ago. So I guess it was right away, but I already knew roughly what side effects I'd have. It's nowhere near as bad now, although at the moment nothings really happening. Fingers crossed the next two weeks prove otherwise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnxietyGirl74 Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Hey, can't speak for any of the other symptoms but for the fatigue and focus, changing to taking Zoloft at night has definitely started helping me. I am much more awake and focused during the day. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonicwhite Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 It's for depression correct? When I first started it it was for OCD and boy did I feel it work right away. I lost track of my weight and I was starting to gain like crazy but it was doing a number on my OCD.....It's only been two weeks so just try to stick with it. I think maybe these are side effect that should go away and you will feel the benefits of it. 100mg is a high dose but there are higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverOblivious Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 It's for depression correct? When I first started it it was for OCD and boy did I feel it work right away. I lost track of my weight and I was starting to gain like crazy but it was doing a number on my OCD.....It's only been two weeks so just try to stick with it. I think maybe these are side effect that should go away and you will feel the benefits of it. 100mg is a high dose but there are higher. odd. :S i took it and it didn't really do anything for my ocd obsessions or compulsions. i have a feeling i have ocd symptoms rather than ocd itself, i think i would need to check this with my pdoc next time i meet him.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ananke Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share Posted June 26, 2014 It's for depression correct? When I first started it it was for OCD and boy did I feel it work right away. I lost track of my weight and I was starting to gain like crazy but it was doing a number on my OCD.....It's only been two weeks so just try to stick with it. I think maybe these are side effect that should go away and you will feel the benefits of it. 100mg is a high dose but there are higher. odd. :S i took it and it didn't really do anything for my ocd obsessions or compulsions. i have a feeling i have ocd symptoms rather than ocd itself, i think i would need to check this with my pdoc next time i meet him.. i always find it strange that people can take the exact same medication and have totally different results. sonic, i'm glad its helping your OCD. I've been on it for a month now and although the depression does feel more manageable, its not doing anything for my anxieties. i'll stick with it for a bit longer but it might mean i'll have to switch to something else. aver, what do you mean by OCD symptoms? definitely check with your pdoc if its worrying you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverOblivious Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) It's for depression correct? When I first started it it was for OCD and boy did I feel it work right away. I lost track of my weight and I was starting to gain like crazy but it was doing a number on my OCD.....It's only been two weeks so just try to stick with it. I think maybe these are side effect that should go away and you will feel the benefits of it. 100mg is a high dose but there are higher. odd. :S i took it and it didn't really do anything for my ocd obsessions or compulsions. i have a feeling i have ocd symptoms rather than ocd itself, i think i would need to check this with my pdoc next time i meet him.. i always find it strange that people can take the exact same medication and have totally different results. sonic, i'm glad its helping your OCD. I've been on it for a month now and although the depression does feel more manageable, its not doing anything for my anxieties. i'll stick with it for a bit longer but it might mean i'll have to switch to something else. aver, what do you mean by OCD symptoms? definitely check with your pdoc if its worrying you. like my OCD is more of a symptom caused by another illness, like schizophrenia, rather than OCD as an illness. i hear it's possible to have 'OCD symptoms' in schizophrenia, like if you think god is watching down on you literally for example. and you do a repetitive action as an OCD symptom of schizophrenia, it's not necessarily only to get it 'just right' like in OCD - but if it would be done to please some sort of higher power (under a more literal threat from the higher power). while in ocd, i imagine it's more of an anxiety thing and they don't necessarily believe that they are 'being watched' by something. but i'm not 100% sure if it's the case with me or not until i meet a pdoc. but a lot of signs have been popping up that i may only have ocd symptoms, also, i don't get nervous and anxious as much as the typical OCDer or at least i don't have much physical symptoms. only really had proper emotions and anxiety to some degree after antipsychotic medication, so something must be up when it comes to my OCD diagnosis. i will definitely be checking it up with him next time we meet. Edited June 26, 2014 by AverOblivious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonicwhite Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Well I was having depression due to the Pure O OCD......I managed well by rethinking that way i thought after I figured out OCD little scemes to try to get you to ruminate......The only time it really worked for the anxiety where the little blips of clarity that I got but I still had to rethink how I was ruminating.....I think I have overcome my OCD because all it is is trying to find a answer that will unlock your obsession so you no longer think about it. I just said eff it I accept that I'm dead and going to hell. Once I started to reverse the way I thought I started beating the OCD. Now that is just my way of managing it. I don't know if that will help you.......Also can you get on a benzo? Is it anxiety that's bothering you in turn causing depression? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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