I Finally Gave Into Sertraline..

[Bumble-Bee18]

Okay so when diagnosed I said no to antidepressants, I said I could deal with this myself and would be fine.
Obviously that was before I knew what I was up against! Started on the meds a couple of days ago, feeling more down than ever and apparently these may make you feel worse before they make you feel better!?
Is anyone else on the same things? And for how long? Im only eighteen and its my birthday at the end of this month and that means no drinking and no going out unfortunetly, a bit of a bummer for a young girl I think.
Also is anyone else around my age? I find that I am quite young to be diagnosed!

 

[sillybearmama]

I know that for the anti-depressants (prozac and sertraline) I have been prescribed that the doctors told me that my symptoms could worsen slightly before I started to see improvement. I didn't have an intense worsening of my symptoms, only slight worsening. I would say when I startes sertraline it took 3 1/2 to 4 weeks before I really started to feel better. I think that you should pay careful attention to yourself and if you keep feeling worse and worse then I would definitely call your doctor. You don't want to be complacent and ignore something that might be going on, I am one to always say better safe than sorry. Only you know your body and mind and can judge the severity of how much more depressed you are feeling.

As for your birthday that is frustrating to not be able to celebrate how you want. Hopefully you can plan something fun with friends or family in place of going out and drinking. I am 27 but looking back I certainly had symptoms when I was 18 they were just not as severe as they are now so I was able to sweep them under the rug and play them off as something else.

 

[Gamereign555]

Yeah, I often wonder if that drug would have worked out for me. But I only gave it 2 weeks before switching to a new one.

 

[Kris1984]

Therapeutic Effects of antidepressants take an average of 4-6 weeks for the full effect. At first you may feel slightly more relaxed but the full effects do not kick in for a couple of weeks. Hang in there and always contact your primary care provider should you experience any worsening depression or thoughts of suicide.

 

[ronin47]

I had a somewhat different experience with anti-depressants than most people do, but I've heard many people say they can in fact make you feel worse before you actually start to feel better. My roomate told me about starting on anti depressants and said her mood took a huge nose dive initially. Try to hang tough there though, I was formally diagnosed with PTSD when I was 19 and started on Sertraline as well not long after. It worked wonders for me. I felt completely normal except for the fact I had much more energy and wasn't dragging around huge emotional shackles. I was resistant to medications at first as well but I relented when I decided the professionals who were taking care of me were worthy of my confidence and understood me well enough to make good recommendations about such things. Now that I've experienced the benefits I have no regrets.

 

[lost4awhile]

I have been told that the more prone to panic you are the more likely you are to have worse anxiety or depression or irrational thinking, etc.(any or all side effects). I have tried almost all the regularly prescribed antidepressants and it's best to start off slow(you cannot go slow enough) and with the aid of benzodiazepines for the side effects if you are normally nervous. Then again once you are on them...nothing really seems different. There is no miracle. You still feel sad as you used to, you just cannot cry. You still feel happy as you used to, you're just not elated. None really changed or helped my ptsd and I have tried them a full year or more, increasing dosage even. If anything the only real difference was going to sleep right away when I wanted, sleeping deeply, and awakening with a pounding heart and jitteriness. I am not a fan. Working out and coping through the moods you feel, even when on antidepressants is the best way I have lived. Get rid of excess energy by working out, if you are sad then force yourself to accomplish, and if you are overwhelmed then take a time out for however long you need.