#sertral

[thisisdefinitelyaboutme-blog]

I’m one third into my switch-over to Sertral/Sertraline from Prozac/Fluoxetine now.

At the moment I’m on 20mg Prozac, 100mg Sertal and 100mg Lamotrigine/Lamictal.

Notable side-effects:

almost fucking impossible to fall asleep and stay asleep.

poorer concentration 

increased sweating (just when I thought that wasn’t even fucking possible anymore. Thank fuck summer is on the way out). 

stomach cramps (only so severe that I needed to stay in bed once; otherwise it’s just been a bit uncomfortable).

forgetting to eat/decreased appetite.

appropriateness filter broke some more.

teeth clenching that is not significantly worse than if was when I first started switching over to Sertral. 

increased fidgeting, restlessness and sexual arousal.

[thisisdefinitelyaboutme-blog]

I finally seem to be adjusting to the Sertral. I’m sleeping better - or rather - I have managed to sleep decently three out of seven nights in the past week which is a huge improvement over the first five weeks into the switch-over from Prozac to Sertral. 

The nausea has also decreased. I still get bouts but it isn’t a case of me wrestling the physical need to vomit all day long anymore.

Eating has remained difficult. Hunger doesn’t really kick in and I can only manage small portions when I do eat. Most days I’m managing two mini meals a day and some nutrient-deficient snacks together with about eight cups of coffee and at least two 9% beers. I’ve found the will to start cooking again, so at least half the mini meals I’ve been had this week have been healthy. I have had a couple of takeaways though too: that’s a developing habit I want to weed out immediately. 

[thisisdefinitelyaboutme-blog]

The nausea comes and goes now. It comfortable to blame both my medication as well as my head full of fuck (besides the drinking, which to be fair has not been unreasonably excessive). 

[thisisdefinitelyaboutme-blog]

I’ve managed to remain somewhat stable today. Taking my meds on time and sleeping off two and a half hours of the day must have helped.

Eating is still difficult. I’m trying to get myself to care about making meatball sauce, but it’s really, really hard. So far today I’ve managed one tea cup of muesli, rice puffs and chocolate chips and even that took me almost 20 minutes to eat after getting full half way through. I remember reacting like this to Prozac when I first started it. Hopefully once my body is more used to the Sertral my appetite will come back. 

[thisisdefinitelyaboutme-blog]

My partner and I had a row a short while ago thanks to a blend of exhaustion, sensory overload, work stress, mental illness and medication adjustment. This is very unlike us. 

He yelled at me, and in that moment I was both terrified and irate. So I yelled back (before bolting from the room, crying alone on the bathroom window sill and dissociating while blankly gazing outside). He has apologised since and so have I.

I’m not sure what this was about, or why I feel the need to write about it. 

I guess I just want to keep tabs on this.

[thisisdefinitelyaboutyou-blog]

Five days into 50mg Sertral and I’m noticing that my dreams seem a bit more vivid and I’m sweating more profusely. I’m still on 40mg Prozac at the same time: this amount will be gradually reduced until I’m taking 200mg Sertral instead. That’s along with my 100mg night time dose of Lamotrigine.

The Sertral aren’t covered by national insurance, so I have to buy them at 30 quid a pop. That means that within a few weeks I’ll need to have 60 bob to blow on meds every month. 

In between therapy, evaluations, emergency expenses and (foolishly) planning a trip abroad in October, I’m starting to feel the pinch. I suppose this is not entirely my fault: I was only put on Sertral last week, well after I made my holiday plans. Same goes for the emergency expenses that came up and to some extent the amount of therapy I’m needing. I’m back to having weekly appointments and sometimes even that doesn’t feel like enough. 

I need to start budgeting again. I’m the queen of budgeting. 

[thisisdefinitelyaboutyou-blog]

I spent most of the day brushing sweat off my face to the extent that my nose and under my eyes are a bit sore to touch now. I’ve been moisturising regularly but I suppose your average tub isn’t built to fight off Sertral sweats. 

Because of course, the one day I start transitioning from Prozac (fluoxetine) to Sertral (Sertraline) is the same day the office air conditioning unit that’s been acting up for a while decides to go completely bust... on a day that feels like 37°C. 

Besides increased sweating I haven’t noticed any significant side effects thus far, but I’ve only just started on the lowest dose of Sertral possible so it’s far too premature to speak. It’s intended to eventually substitute my Prozac completely but I’m being transitioned off one onto the other gradually. I was very reluctant to fuck about with my meds. My current medication schedule took years of tweaking to find the most effective doses and combinations for me.