my first time on here (and not too competent on computers).

In 1996 I had depression after a year out of work. I didt ask for treatment and it lifted rapidly when back in work. In 2002 I gave up smoking and refused to start again. After a few months i felt worse and got panic attacks. I was then put on meds and had to start smoking again. Now I am changing from escitalopram to sertraline. I am now 76 and have given up cutting down since its not worth spending my twighlight years in discomfort. I am getting tension headaches as I experience flushes of adrenaline. This seems to be the residue of the panics I used to get. Later, if I may, I will put some questions to your forum --------- those that the typical GP cannot/hasnt got time to answer.

Thankyou.

Edited September 15Sep 15 by Lighty

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Thank you for updating your signature, I do need you to update if possible which dose of escitalopram you been on from 2023-2026, and which dose of Sertraline are you taking now. Direct link to signature Update: Update Signature (If it's too hard, you can just type it in a comment, but signature update would be preferred with a bit more details)

I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

10 hours ago, Wilf said:

In 1996 I had depression after a year out of work. I didt ask for treatment and it lifted rapidly when back in work. In 2002 I gave up smoking and refused to start again. After a few months i felt worse and got panic attacks. I was then put on meds and had to start smoking again.

yep sounds common how they always prescribe meds.

10 hours ago, Wilf said:

I am now 76 and have given up cutting down since its not worth spending my twighlight years in discomfort.

that's a valid reason to choose to stay on the SSRI for the rest of your life, I truly get it, I respect your decision.

10 hours ago, Wilf said:

I am getting tension headaches as I experience flushes of adrenaline. This seems to be the residue of the panics I used to get. Later, if I may, I will put some questions to your forum --------- those that the typical GP cannot/hasnt got time to answer.

yeah, so the thing is with those drugs, everytime you do a change, you irritate the nervous system more, even with both of those drugs you been on being SSRI's, they still work a little bit different on the central nervous system, so it's not the exact same puzzle piece so to speak.

How bad are your symptoms from 1-10 ? I would honestly say, my opinion would probably be to just stay on the Sertraline, just make sure to never change your SSRI to a different one in the future, you would be asking for more trouble if you keep switching your SSRI's.

Your symptoms currently are not your 'mental illness', they are symptoms of destabilization of the nervous system from the changes with the drugs.

You will slowly have your symptoms improve as you keep holding the same dosage with your Sertraline, it's normal for symptoms to get better or worse at times. The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind!

 

You are very welcome here and I hope you find the site supportive.

Edited September 15Sep 15 by Lighty

Hey @Wilf Welcome to the forum. Glad you found us. Ask away mate. :)

@Wilf welcome to the forum.

We'd be happy to discuss any questions you have as best we can. We're not medical professionals, and everybody is different in terms of how they react to these drugs. Having said that, across this forum and a multitude of other prescribed harm forums, we do have the benefit of thousands of patient experiences, so we can share what we have learned from that in the context of what's happening to you.

Unfortunately changing between drugs can be problematic just like cutting down doses can. Are you able to share the reason behind changing drugs at this stage?

Hello, I was on 10mg escitalopram and felt it was failing. Although 20mg is max dose, the licence means only 10mg can can be given to pensioners.

3 hours ago, Wilf said:

Hello, I was on 10mg escitalopram and felt it was failing. Although 20mg is max dose, the licence means only 10mg can can be given to pensioners.

Ok, thanks for explaining that @Wilf. I understand that you don't want to come off the drugs, which is completely fair given the toll it can take on us, but switching drugs quickly like you did can cause harm to our nervous system as well. How are you feeling these days?

Dear Sarah, Thanks for asking about my welfare. At the end of July I started changing from 10mg escitalopram/day to sertraline. For 2 wks I was given 50mg sert every day and 10mg esc every other day. Then 50mg sert only. I was impatient and raised it to 75, then 100 over 2 wks, and then after 3 wks more I raised it to 125 . I did this in the belief that I could increase at a much faster pace than reducing. I have been on 125 for a month now and starting to improve. The tension headaches have reduced although my head is still ringing.

I know that diagnosis and cause must be very complex. But I feel that ignorance breeds frustration which breeds anxiety. I read a simple explanation of how distraction works and it has been so useful to me.

I read that there is no cure for a damaged autonomic , but I would love to understand how and why ------ it might be useful in coping. At every turn I have been denied psychiatric referral which might have been good in coping.

I am lucky in that my case is relatively minor compared to some I have seen on here. I would like to see GPs read some of the testimonies on here --- it would open their eyes.

But I will keep on taking the tablets and wish everyone good luck.

14 hours ago, Wilf said:

Dear Sarah, Thanks for asking about my welfare. At the end of July I started changing from 10mg escitalopram/day to sertraline. For 2 wks I was given 50mg sert every day and 10mg esc every other day. Then 50mg sert only. I was impatient and raised it to 75, then 100 over 2 wks, and then after 3 wks more I raised it to 125 . I did this in the belief that I could increase at a much faster pace than reducing. I have been on 125 for a month now and starting to improve. The tension headaches have reduced although my head is still ringing.

This is definitely a much faster switch than we would generally advise, but I'm glad your symptoms have been pretty manageable and are starting to improve.

14 hours ago, Wilf said:

I read that there is no cure for a damaged autonomic , but I would love to understand how and why ------ it might be useful in coping. At every turn I have been denied psychiatric referral which might have been good in coping.

If by no cure you mean no magic pill or medical treatment that can fix us, yes you're right. But the collective experience of the community over many years shows that the nervous system does recover from these injuries over time -- though sometimes it needs a very long time.

14 hours ago, Wilf said:

I am lucky in that my case is relatively minor compared to some I have seen on here. I would like to see GPs read some of the testimonies on here --- it would open their eyes.

We certainly all wish that doctors, and the medical community more broadly, would take these issues much more seriously!

I hope your symptoms continue to progress in a positive direction.

Thank you again. One thing that really stands out is to go slowly and avoid changing regimes.

17 hours ago, Wilf said:

Thank you again. One thing that really stands out is to go slowly and avoid changing regimes.

Yes, absolutely. Any change needs to happen much more slowly than your doctor will tell you.