him

I've been sober for about a year and a half .. I'm not gonna lie its been the toughest years of my life. Even being sober for so long I was still foggy, tired and just jot getting any better. I tried everythimg I could to feel better. I thought that once the years went by and I stayed sober that I'd start feeling better.. It never was..
about 3 weeks ago I finally gave in and saw my doc about getting help for it. Physically I'm well, but mentally a wreck. I couldn't take it anymore and he started me on sertraline..I'm currently at 2 and half weeks and I do feel better.. But I kmow its not overnight . I'm just hoping I feel somewhat normal. I'm so tired of feeling this way..its now Christmas eve and all i hope for Christmas is my head to feel normal... Hoping everyone is young well



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least

I was put on sertraline (Zoloft) a number of years ago and it took me a few weeks to feel the difference. And tho I didn't notice it day by day, it was like one day I woke up and realized I didn't feel so depressed anymore. It wasn't like a 'high' or anything like that, it was just that I no longer felt the crushing despair I had felt for so long.

I'm a firm believer in the positive effects of medicines to treat depression. The difference between then and now is like night and day.

I hope you find it as helpful as I have.

anxiousrock

I'm currently taking sertraline after taking so many others for depression and anxiety and so far it is the most effective for me. I'm on a fairly low dose still too.
sometimes it is exactly what you need!

Gabe1980

I am too and it's really helped make my anxiety more manageable....I built up the dose over a few months and notice the difference now.

I hope you continue to feel better and better.

Merry Christmas xx

Dee74

I'm glad you saw the doc Him - i hope you'll start to notice real change soon

MythOfSisyphus

I'm glad you reached out and got help @him! Hopefully the wheel will turn for you soon.

BullDog777

Some people need it. I know a good buddy of mine that's like "can't get out of bed/ suicidal depressed" without it. This is a wildly successful guy who runs a production company and is a recovering addict like most of us. His brain chemistry just doesn't work right without it. It's so clear to me he needs it to function, I don't get the stigma that surrounds those who need mental health meds. You're doing the right thing by following your dr's advise.

I wish you the best of health and am glad you sought the help. Help...that word. It's funny... for such a simple word, it seems like it's one of the hardest for people to mutter when they're in trouble. Good on you for being so proactive. Merry Christmas & Happy holidays.

fishkiller

I hope things improve for you.

1.5 years is great but I know just not drinking isn't enough. Good job reaching out and not falling back into the bottle.

Mizz

Its wonderful that you have reached out here and can get support!
I am sorry you are feeling so low. I do hope the anti-depressant starts to help.
What are you doing in terms of physical health? Exercise?

Sending all positive thoughts your way.

Alpine

I am happy you reached out. I was struggling for many years with depression and anxiety, well before I started to drink. A good friend suggested I go to my Dr and ask about sertraline. It has helped. At first I was very stubborn and embarrassed to ask my Dr. Hang in there.

him

Thank you all for the positive messages.. coming here and reading the stories and suggestions and that im not the only one that feels this way helps me alot. It took me a long time to finally get the mental health help i needed. I thought i was doing everything right but nothing was working anymore. The only time id feel slightly better was the one hour Id workout and the 4 hours that id sleep each night. I couldnt sleep, i couldnt even keep appointments for job interviews..let alone sit still long enough to read self help books. I had tried zoloft earlier this year. But like everyone else I felt worse initially..but then again i only took it for about 3 weeks and i couldnt bare the side effects. This time around im going to stick to it as long as it takes and start feeling normal again. Today was the first time in a long time that i drove further from home in about 2 years without feeling like pulling the car over and crying. Thank you guys for the replies ..

Patcha

Four hours of sleep as a chronic pattern won't boost your recovery. Maybe talk to your doc about that, too. Glad you're hanging in there. Recovery is hard work and it's high maintenance.

Anna

I'm glad you're starting to feel a little better and I hope things continue to improve.

least

I remember having side effects of the sertraline but it's been so long since I've been on it, I can't remember what they were. I just know my shrink told me that it would take a few weeks to feel the effects and to not let the side effects stop me, unless they were life threatening.

I'm glad it's helping you.

There is one side effect of taking it that's one of the last listed side effects, and that is "bizarre or unusual thoughts or dreams". My sister calls it The Zoloft Cinema. I have some very unusual dreams. They're not disturbing, just strange. Zoloft Cinema, indeed.