1 year off sertraline - still experiencing withdrawals.

[m&m]

Hi Rachel,

If everything I have been reading about w/d and a/r is true, looks like you are more than half way there in terms of healing. Do you have a good support system in place?

Terrible that your GP's "book" said that it is impossible that the meds caused your new condition after starting them, seems they have incorrect info. Here in the US, I have actually spoken to medical staff that acknowledge these meds cause serious problems (i.e. depression, etc).

Sorry you are stressing out with the health anxiety. Some people say the best way to put that fear to rest is to simply go get checked out. What type of cancer do worry over?

Welcome

[Rachel]

Thanks so much for your replies Sheila and M&M

Sheila - I do have health anxiety which I'd never experienced prior to taking antidepressants. I haven't really read about neuro- emotion but I'll take a look on this site later for more information - very helpful.
Some time ago now I took one capsule of pure cod liver oil, high strength, each capsule providing around 200mg of omega 3. About half an hour after taking it my heart starting racing, my chest hurt, i couldn't breathe properly and i felt really dizzy.Was this a reaction from the fish oil or subconscious panic about ingesting any tablets?

M and M I worry about all types of cancer- my gums are bleeding today so I'm convinced I have gum cancer. If my stomach hurts it will be stomach cancer. Wherever I have the pain i start thinking I have cancer. I haven't really seen the doctor much during this spell of wd due to feeling let down by them but you're right - maybe i should go and get checked out just in case. My husband believes me reagrding the wd but that's it really. He's putting up with an awful lot - me mentioning my symptoms all the time must be so wearing. I so hope you're right regarding being half way through the worst of it. I really really hope so!

Thanks for your support, Rachel

[PAROX2010]

Terrible that your GP's "book" said that it is impossible that the meds caused your new condition after starting them, seems they have incorrect info. Here in the US, I have actually spoken to medical staff that acknowledge these meds cause serious problems (i.e. depression, etc).

My family doctor is aware of the problems to decrease doses of SSRIs, but, like almost everyone, the method 10 % ignores (when I explain it peered). She said that many patients who return after 3 or 4 months off, because they had joint, muscle ... However, he believes it's because the original problem returns.

My doctor said that patients with diabetes and / thyroid medications take forever, and do not protest or complain about taking them. Instead, we ("the mentally ill") regret taking lifelong medication, and we leave the medications.
That happens, he says, because we are mentally ill ... what irony. I do not know whether to laugh or mourn.

[Junior]

My doctor said that patients with diabetes and / thyroid medications take forever, and do not protest or complain about taking them. Instead, we ("the mentally ill") regret taking lifelong medication, and we leave the medications.
That happens, he says, because we are mentally ill ... what irony. I do not know whether to laugh or mourn.

You know, the problem with that thinking is that most genuine mental illness is cyclical and not there all the time. Think about bipolar, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder (recurrent episodes of depression). Such people have periods of normality so it seems their brains are operating normally during that time. So medication that continues to chemically alter brain function obviously (to me anyway :-p) isn't needed when they have no symptoms. Actually bipolar might be an exception - my sister has this (naturally occurring not the version they diagnose when people react to meds) and when she tried to come off lithium (but then, lithium is a salt and not an SSRI) spent a year in and out of hospital.,.. Anyhow taking something when we are not ill seems counterproductive to me. Interestingly, before SSRIs were invented, they used to take us depressives off tricyclics once the depression lifted. This happened to me in 1989 and I was fine for the next 8 years....

[PAROX2010]

Think about bipolar, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder (recurrent episodes of depression). Such people have periods of normality so it seems their brains are operating normally during that time.

Hello Junior:

Yes, you're right, it depends on the pathology ....
The doctor's comment does not pertain to my case. I started taking antidepressants for stress. I never had depression. I had sadness, discouragement ... but depression is something much deeper that sadness....

Greetings from the antipodes of Australia,

[Junior]

Hello Junior:

Yes, you're right, it depends on the pathology ....
The doctor's comment does not pertain to my case. I started taking antidepressants for stress. I never had depression. I had sadness, discouragement ... but depression is something much deeper that sadness....

Greetings from the antipodes of Australia,

Grrrr. I hate it when I hear of people being put on these powerful medications for plain old stress. Counselling and support is what is needed. Not pills.

And yes, major depression is worlds apart from normal sadness. That's why I hate it when I hear 'they' are trying to turn grief into a DSM category

[Rachel]

Hi Sheila and Luc, ha! no haven't come across any cases like that - I guess most of the records I look at are pre 1900 and only certain information was collected byt the enumerators. It's always really interesting looking up household of large families who had servants and maids and butlers. Our members often upload scanned photos of their ancestors and this can really bring them to life again. Many of the families we locate stayed in the same town/village all their lives - i guess people didn;t move back then! Sometimes you can feel really moved when you discover how many children people had who died in infancy. Can you imagine in the modern day if there was a real chance your child might not make it past 10 years old. Can you imagine what fun our descendants will have tracing us - multiple marriages, moving every few years, different occupations. I think it will be interesting for them tracing us. I know in the UK census for 2001 many people listed their religion as Jedi (from star wars)
Since I had a foot soak of Epsom salts and my anxiety went up after this my sysmptoms have gone completely over these few days - i've been normal - perfectly normal! just tired which is fine. Wow! Enjoying the pain free/anxiety free days. It's strange as I've been on antibiotics for a few days for an infected ingrowing toenail(yuck!) and I was really nervous about taking them, so far no problems and they are massive pills 4 times a day. I just hope i can get off them ok and not suffer wd from stopping them.
Hoping all you fellow withdrawalers are ok today x

[Sheila]

She said that many patients who return after 3 or 4 months off, because they had joint, muscle ... However, he believes it's because the original problem returns.

And thus the damage caused by the psych med gets misattributed…..