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[Sunnydays]

Hi,
Sorry to post this here ladies but I've been beside myself with my 20 year old son who has anxiety. Some of you may recall a post I made a few months ago when he had labyrinthitis which seemed to start this all off. His anxiety has got steadily deeper and the GP has recommended counselling and CBT alongside Sertraline. He has tried in vain to cope this week without starting on it and plans to start tomorrow morning but is already anxious about the side effects. He is to start with 25mg. Can anyone give me any guidance on what to expect with this drug so I can support him?
Thank you so much

[dazned]

No personal experience of this AD but have with alot of others. As with most of them unfortunately some feel worse before feeling better and this is what is so hard,but he may not be too bad just be aware it might be the tablets making him temporarily bad not his condition worsening. Once through the first couple of weeks things should steadily improve,easier said than done I know,been there got the T shirt. However he might not have any problems at all,hopefully. But forewarned etc. ... Good you are asking before hand,wishing him and you well.

[LW44]

Hi

ive been on sertraline 50 mg for nearly 10 years! missing days here and there throughout the month...not recommended by the way ! just my gp wanted me to come off as was well for 5 years.. he is only starting on a tiny dose..usual is 100mg... so hopefully side effects wont be too bad.. yes i went slightly worse before i improved.. diazapam can help through the first few days if needed.. but i have to stress within 6 weeks i improved a lot.. so if he can perservere.. also cbt is really really good... i had once was calmer and changed my mindset..cannot reccomend enough xx

[Sunnydays]

Thank you ladies for your replies

[Taz2]

My son suffered dreadfully with anxiety and social phobia when he was in his teens. He did try sertraline but had better results with Citalopram.  It took him a few weeks to begin the medication and the first day he sat there with the pill and the glass of water for over an hour before he was calm enough to take it. The usual side effects can be difficult to cope with but the first two weeks are the worst. If your son does experience these such as nausea, dizziness etc. then it may be worth starting him on a lower dose - say 10mg for a couple of weeks - which is what my son did. He also found that taking it in the middle of the day with food was better than in the morning or in the evening. I believe that anxiety after labrynthitis is really common.

Taz x 

[Sunnydays]

Thank you for sharing this information Taz. Are you able to say how long he was in them and if he also had cognitive behaviour therapy? I also wonder if he was able to work/college during the early days of the medication. We have spent a fortune on hypnotherapy and I think it has only had short term benefits.
We have identified that alcohol is very much a trigger and significantly set him back to acute anxiety.
Thanks for listening. It's bad enough having our own meno symptoms but worse seeing our children suffer, no matter how old they are.

[Taz2]

Hi Sunnydays - I will send you a pm with more details.

Taz x

[Sunnydays]

Many thanks Taz x

[CLKD]

I worried about side effects but once I found an AD which helped ease symptoms, I improved.

Has he tried relaxation therapy?  Deep breathing?

[Sunnydays]

Thanks CLKD,
breathing, mindfulness.... all been suggested to him plus support to help him do it. Although he's receptive to listening to the ideas (if explained briefly) he is inconsistent with doing any of them. As they say, you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink. That's very often how it feels!

[dahliagirl]

I know someone whose son had ME who tried mickel therapy (counselling) and lightning therapy (a more practical 3 day course).  It is all about recognising the effects of adrenaline and working round it.  I have been looking into it - it is really not cheap.  Also, you have to be open to trying it and working at it.

Worked for him though.

[CLKD]

When I felt better I forgot to practice 

[honeybun]

Young men especially think they are invincible.....or that they should be. And they rarely listen. I can see my sons eyes glaze over if I talk to him about health things. He agrees to things that I know will never happen just to shut me up.

Hope your son gets much better soon.


Honeyb
X

[CLKD]

Probably get the information, leave in his bedroom and don't ask if he is considering taking the advice.  Let him come to it in his own time pointing out that there is no reason to suffer 

[Sarai]

I was put on sertraline in 1997 for PND. And my docs forgot me and I stayed on it at 100mg. Back then I have no recollection of side effects at all.
BUT I decided to come off in 2010 with the GPs agreement, I took 9 months, but ultimately I ended up a very anxious wreck and after 6 months had to go back on. I stayed at 75mg this time. I am considered hooked and told not to try again.
I will say going on it the second time was dreadful and took months to get to normal, I had nausea, more anxiety, loss of appetite, lost my sleep pattern. These did pass but were horrid. Sertraline or any AD is a big decision, one I would not do if I had my time again.