Momoffour: Struggling Post-Sertraline CT

[Momoffour]

@Altostrata I feel like I am getting worse and worse. But I will try that. I didn't mean to post my notes yet. 

[Altostrata]

19 minutes ago, Momoffour said:

11:00am 2 mg sertraline felt almost instantly better.

 

This means it's working. We just need to get the dosing right.

[Momoffour]

@AltostrataBut now I'm feeling bad and scared still. Really bad. So I guess feeling really bad/worse is normal after reinstatement?

[Momoffour]

I also just keep getting new symptoms that scare me. But they do seem to pass 

[Blossom71]

Oh @Momoffour I am so sorry things are rough for you. Hang in there while you get the dosing right x

[Momoffour]

@Blossom71 I'm trying I keep getting new scary symptoms. Scares me so bad. Makes me feel like I'm getting worse rather than better when it adds new symptoms.  I am hanging in there. Hopefully we find my improvement dose soon. Really doesn't help I have no solid pattern and my symptoms are all over the place randomly hitting 

[Blossom71]

I remember how awful the symptoms were when I first went on sertraline and the first 10/11 days were pretty horrific, and ever changing. So I feel for you.
I so hope it all settles for you soon. But know that I’m thinking about you x

[Momoffour]

@Altostrata I'm trying to find a smaller syringe because measuring 2.5 on my 1 ml syringe is hard with the tiny lines. I will try to order a smaller syringe and will updose when it gets here. Hopefully within a day or two. 

[Momoffour]

@Blossom71 thank you, I hope so too! 

[Altostrata]

@Momoffour, please take a breath and surf the waves. It appears your fear of your symptoms is adding to your symptoms. But as you can see, they come and go. Although alarming, this is typical of withdrawal syndrome.

 

It seems to me that reinstatement is working. You'll feel better intermittently until we get the dosage right, then you'll feel better more often. Try to stay calm.

 

See 

 

 

[Momoffour]

@Altostrata thank you. You're right I've got to stop freaking out about the new symptoms when they hit. I will work on that ❤️

[Momoffour]

@Altostrata is there a way to dilute liquid sertraline to get more accurate dosage? 2.5 is really hard to get on the 1 ml syringe and I cannot find a smaller syringe I've read about it. But the brain damaged feeling and not being able to focus isn't helping. 

[Blossom71]

What is the actual measurement you’re trying to get on the syringe? 0.1ml.   Is 2.5mg = 0.1ml?

[Blossom71]

@MomoffourIf you are trying to measure 0.1ml to get a 2mg dose, there might be a way of diluting the liquid further to get a more accurate dose.  I’ve looked at my syringe and i’d struggle getting that small of a dose accurately.

 

I’ve tried doing a search of the site and can’t seem to find anything about diluting further. @Altostrata do you know if there is any info? 

[Momoffour]

0.1 is 2 mg which is what I'm taking now. The little lines in between would be the 2.5 mg I need but it's way too hard to get that dosage accurate every time. 

[SonSetFree]

Is this the syringe you are using now?  See photo.  It seems that you can accurately get 0.1 ml from this syringe in the photo.  I found it on Amazon.  

[Altostrata]

The littlest ticks on the 1mL syringe are hundredths. If 10 ticks = 0.10mL or 2mg, 13 ticks = 0.13mL or 2.6mg

[Momoffour]

@SonSetFreeyes that's the one I use. However I'm at .1 ml for 2 mg now. And 2.5mg  is really hard to measure 

[Momoffour]

@Altostratawill do my best the lines in between are just so small so 3 of the mini lines up from .1 is 2.6mg? 

[Momoffour]

I was hoping I could dilute it. That's gonna be really hard to get accurate every day. But I will try 

[Altostrata]

Yes, just count the littlest ticks. Being consistent from day to day is more important than being precise.

[Momoffour]

@Altostrata I will see if I can get a smaller syringe tomorrow at the pharmacy and if not. Then next day I will do the best I can with the syringe I have. Thank you. ❤️

[SonSetFree]

Agree consistency each day is most important.  Put a piece of tape to mark where you draw your dose.

[zma1]

I’m sorry you are feeling bad. When you feel bad you can really convince yourself that you’ll feel like that forever. But you won’t! It takes time. 
I’m tapering off sertraline and it causes some major digestive problems and anxiety spikes. But I keep the dose steady until things seem to calm then I try a reduction, things go sideways and then inevitably it all calms down again. 
I’ve tried weed too but it’s too variable and way stronger than what it was when I was younger. It can cause immediate extreme anxiety and panic so it’s just no good when your nervous system is in flux. 
for the trauma — after your feeling more stable w meds— try EMDR. It cured my anxiety attacks in 2 months. I still have anxiety but it doesn’t spike out of nowhere and shut me down anymore. I had to deal with some trauma that I thought wasn’t really affecting me but it very much was. 
I’m a mom too. It’s so hard when your feeling emotionally off so I get it. Big hugs. 
oh! What helps — go to a park or just go sit in nature. Even just being in my yard can sometimes recalibrate my nervous system enough to go back to life stuff. ❤️

[Momoffour]

12:30pm ate a bite of ice cream (bad idea I know) anxiety, alert, plus the other stuff I was already feeling 

 

1:30pm things have mostly calmed down except for the alert feeling. And a bit of anxiety. 

 

2:00pm trying to clean so I'm shaky bit of weird vision Brain damage feeling. 

 

3:00pm ate a snack weird vision, brain damage feeling, pain in side (might be gas pains) collar bone pressure. 

 

4:30pm collar bone pressure, brain anxiety, 

 

4:40pm dinner. Chilli with some noodles on the side (probably not the best idea being gassy) but I eat what I can right now 

 

5:00pm still brain damaged feeling, rib pain in and out, bit of brain anxiety, gassy stomach feels full.

 

5:30pm gassy, brain damaged feeling, feel my heart beat in whole body (hard to explain) stopped quick 

 

6:30pm anxiety, brain damaged feeling, weird vision 

 

8:00pm ate a snack a bit ago so now some anxiety , tired. Brain damage feeling weird vision. Hoping tomorrow is even better. Gonna lay down soon waiting for anxiety to pass. 

 

8:30pm laying down. Anxiety hasn't fully passed yet just waiting.. going to try to sleep anyway. 

[Altostrata]

When did you take sertraline, and how much?

 

Please try not to pay such minute attention to symptoms that pass in a few minutes. That is a trick for surfing the waves. Report only those that are particularly intense or new.

[Momoffour]

@Altostrata I accidentally posted the other half of my notes earlier when I was replying to you. I took it at 11 am and 2 mg, and okay  thank you ❤️

[Momoffour]

@Altostrata I've seen it somewhere before. My liquid is 20mg per 1 mL could I not mix 20 ml of water with 1 mL of med to make it easier? Also if it's okay I might wait a week to go up so I can be prepared. 

[Heath]

@Momoffour Just stopping by to encourage you! It looks like you are in good hands here! 
So glad you were able to get liquid this will make it much easier and build your confidence in tapering. Get some 0 to 1 ml syringes and 1 to 10 ml syringes. Getting stable is first most important thing. I have a family too , it will all work out.  I’ve had brain fog too it sucks but goes away.  Take care of yourself children understand. 
Once I learned to accept some of these symptoms calmness began to come. 
acknowledge, accept, and float. 
take care! 

[Momoffour]

@Heath thank you for the encouragement, definitely getting better at handling whatever is thrown at me. I'm sorry that you or anyone else has experienced any of this. 💔 I'm glad it has went away for you. 

[Momoffour]

Went to sleep by 9 woke up at 2:30, 4:40 with fast heart rate laid there eventually fell back asleep awake at 5:40 am and up

 

5:40am weird vision really intense this morning brain damaged feeling, hand tremors, shaky, fast hear rate, feel like I'm starving  smoke a cigarette 

 

6:10am eat breakfast Cheerios with oat milk

6:25am take birth control 

6:30 anxiety, weird vision

 

7:00am weird vision, Feel weird/off sleepy 

Keep falling asleep.. brain damaged feeling 

 

8:00am weird vision is so intense today, brain damaged feeling also intense shaky, 

 

8:30am still weird vision, crying, anxiety 

Anxiety in arms. 

 

9:00am still anxiety intense, noise sensitivity, vision is a bit better Collar bone pressure, freezing cold 

 

10:00am drank probiotic smoothie, brain damaged feeling pretty intense, cold 

Going to eat lunch leftover chilli cause I can't do much else. 

 

11:00am anxiety, brain damaged feeling, weird vision. Hot spots in thumb Drinking a cup of water 

2mg sertraline no instant relief today.

 

11:30am some relief. Now just weird vision,  collar bone pressure. Relaxed and tired feeling. 

 

12:00 now some anxiety, brain pooping in left temple, crying brain damaged feeling, weird vision.  Bowel movement 

 

1:00pm some relief again but not from the brain damage feeling or the weird vision, brain anxiety also starving again so might eat a snack. Yogurt 

 

2:00pm tired, light sensitivity, weird vision. Anxiety. Fast heart rate, brain damaged feeling 

 

3:00pm anxiety, crying, weird vision, light sensitivity brain damaged feeling. Today is a bad wave day. 🥺 But it's okay I'm riding it. 

 

4:00pm weird vision, brain damaged feeling, collar bone pressure. 

 

5:00pm ate dinner, weird vision, brain damage feeling collar bone pressure. Light sensitivity

 

5:30pm had a small bit of a full window or so it felt. 

 

6:00pm anxiety, brain damaged feeling, weird vision, light sensitivity

 

7:00pm still some anxiety and same as 6pm

 

8:00pm collar bone pressure, weird vision, brain damaged feeling, light sensitivity,

 

8:20pm same as above going to attempt to go to sleep. Today was kind of awful. Praying tomorrow is better. 🙏🏻

[Altostrata]

Yes, you can dilute the liquid to make measuring easier, but you have to be careful about measuring both the liquid sertraline and the water you use to dilute it. As @Heath helpfully suggested, you might also get a 10mL syringe to measure water. 

 

If you want, you can mix 10mL water with 10mL sertraline liquid. You would have to take double the volume of this mixture to equal the same volume of concentrated liquid. Be sure to keep notes to remind yourself how to do this.

[Momoffour]

@Altostrataokay thank you. Tonight is the first night I cannot fall asleep 🥺 unfortunately I am sensitive to magnesium so can't take that. 

[Momoffour]

@Altostrata do you think 3 mg would be too much? Itd be easier that way. Not sleeping is gonna make this so much harder on me.

[Momoffour]

@Altostrata I feel like the last 2 days yesterday and today I've gotten much worse. Hardly any relief at all I've been trying to ride the waves and be positive but all I can do at the moment is cry. I can't distract myself with the brain feeling and weird vision and now my sleep is getting bad. I'm not sure what to do. 

[Momoffour]

I guess I will try the updose today. My brain feels so messed up I can barely keep the notes.