Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Sunnydays on August 07, 2015, 07:28:47 PM
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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
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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. :hug:
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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
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Thank you ladies for your replies :)
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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 :hug:
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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.
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Hi Sunnydays - I will send you a pm with more details.
Taz x
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Many thanks Taz x
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I worried about side effects but once I found an AD which helped ease symptoms, I improved.
Has he tried relaxation therapy? Deep breathing?
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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!
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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.
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When I felt better I forgot to practice ::)
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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
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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 ;)
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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.
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I believe that if anxiety and panic disorders are caused by the body being unable to hang on to enough seratonin then the prescribing of an SSRI can be really necessary. Just as some people need to have B12 injections to avoid pernicious anaemia so, some of us, do need to boost our levels by stopping seratonin being reabsorbed. My son is one of these people. He has tried life without an anti depressant and that "life" becomes impossible. He (and I) are really grateful that there is something out there which means he can lead a normal life. Working, socialising, sleeping well and just enjoying each day. It's not ideal, obviously, but it's also not ideal that people have to resort to taking heart medication, insulin, blood pressure medication etc. when parts of the body are not working properly in order to live a full life. Disorders of the mind and mood need addressing by medication in a lot of cases. It's a shame that the side effects are so tricky, though, at a time when anxiety may be through the roof.
What worries you about having to stay on it Sarai?
Taz x :hug:
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I have to take a low maintenance dose of AD for Life. Fortunately the drug seems to stabilise my brain chemistry for several years before I need to change for another type. Initially I fought the thought but once I accepted that the drug helps then I got on with Life.
Anxiety is for me completely separate. It can overwhelm me within seconds. Being given coping skills helped initially but now I have to carry an emergency drug in case.
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CLKD. are you able to share what the emergency medication is for the anxiety?
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When I remember ::)
Valium as necessary worked
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Thank you everyone for your comments. He has started on the Sertraline, with an increase in dose as prescribed by the GP. He is happy in himself taking them - side effects have been nausea mainly but now he has one whole tablet, 50mg, a day, he is having trouble sleeping at night and frequent bouts of diarrhoea. Has anyone experienced similar and found that it tailed off? Other than this, they seem to be suiting him, but such loose bowels each time he eats aren't going to do him much good.
Thanks again.
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It's still very early days in starting medication things should settle down in the next week or so ,it's good that he's feeling OK in other ways i.e. mood so that's a big positive.
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If you think about a puppy - once it's fed it is put out to pee/pooh immediately i.e. food triggers the digestive system.
Anxiety can do the same. Encourages the gut to work over-time. How much does the dashing to the loo bother your Son?
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Mmmm I think it's one thing having slightly loose bowels but having water stools leaves him without energy. Plus potential embarrassment when out! I don't think it's anxiety causing it; the tablets seem to be having a positive impact but causing the diarrhoea. It is listed as a side effect especially in adolescents.
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Does he drink with the medication? Otherwise why would it affect adolescents in particular :-\ ?
Doesn't sound 'normal' to me ……… hopefully the better mood will outweigh the runs?
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Hi there Sunnydays
I have two teenagers at home a boy 18, a girl 17, earlier this year I paid for counselling for my boy, they had their brother die in Sept 2014.
My motto, on hour at a time if that's what he can manage or a day or more given this situation. College can wait? or else try part time? leaning is life long, he may manage afternoons perhaps.
Young minds is a good website for resources, Try to cut out alcohol, it is a depressant after all so will cause him to spiral. Good sleep if he can, good food, lots and lots of hugs and understanding.
Life is hard for our youngsters at times. Sod what is the norm at this time, do what he needs hour by hour of day by day.
I hope it helps
Mrs January xxxx
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Thanks CLKD, as you say hopefully the two will balance out a bit!
Mrs January, thank you for sharing such personal information. I will look up young minds. He has tried conselling but wasn't comfortable with it - it doesn't mean we won't try it again. And yes, I totally subscribe to sod the norms!
As for alcohol. I completely agree; a few weeks back he was just about ticking over and 'working with' his anxiety, starting to get out a bit and meet friends, however a couple of lads nights out drinking sessions seem to plummet him into deeper anxiety. So we were back to square one, but we're on the right track now I hope.
S x
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You could ask him how he feels alcohol affects his mood? Also, tell him that however much it seems important to fit in I never did: I didn't drink, shop lift etc. even if my 'friends' did …….. in fact when they went into a pub or headed for town I sent them on their way ;D and they were still friends. It may be worth while printout out too that friends might prefer not to drink if 1 of them suggests having a night out with the intent of avoiding alcohol ;)
However, there isn't much apart from tea/coffee in a Pub that I fancy :-\ ……….. orange drinks can become boring.
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He is a teenager and they want to do what teens do and that includes going out with pals and probably having a few too many.
He will have to find ways round this but it's not easy.
Teens need mates, but he will get there eventually.
Honeybun
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I took sertraline years ago when I had PND. Initially I took Amitriptyline for the PND because I had some issues with nerve pain too. I found the Amitriptyline very good and especially good at improving my sleep. The downside is that you feel slightly dreamy all the time, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if you suffer with anxiety.
But then a new GP decided the Amitriptyline was too old fashioned and swapped me to Sertraline. I didn't like it nearly as much. It made me feel wired and irritable all the time. I was on 50mg. After 8 months I swapped to Prozac which was no better. So I just went cold turkey and stopped.
Last year my GP started me on Sertraline to help with my anxiety and mood swings. I could only stick it for 26 days. I reacted badly to it. Felt much, much worse. So jittery and suddenly had insomnia. Could barely eat. Within a week I was having very dark frightening thoughts. But I think this is a rare reaction.
Went back to GP who agreed that I could swap to Amitriptyline which worked quite well.
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And, yes I do remember it also gave me diarrhoea too. I lost about 7lbs in 2 weeks. Food tasted very odd and anything sugary or greasy made me heave. Very strange.
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I think that our different reactions to SSRI's are due to our own level of serotonin. If our anxiety or depression isn't caused by our body's ability to regulate our levels then the additional SSRI will send it into overdrive. For instance a lot of serotonin is made in our bowel so by adding extra serotonin into our mix this can cause really loose motions and nausea. Some people have much better results on an SNRI but I guess it does depend on why we are experiencing anxiety etc. It's an interesting subject.
I found this when trying to find articles on IBS http://www.healthline.com/health/irritable-bowel-syndrome/serotonin-effects#1 Maybe I should put it into a separate thread too as IBS seems to affect lots of us?
Taz x
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:thankyou: Taz - starting another thread will help!
Interesting about the serotonin ……… my GP would never discuss what was likely to be causing my depression, I have it on both sides of the family so was 'pre-disposed' apparently >:( ! I would like to know which part of my body is upsetting my brain :-\