Sertraline reinstatement

[arahant]

I am fighting with too much sleep sooooo much.
Before reinstatement, I noticed that I sleep very much, and I noticed that my anxiety comes back.
Then I reinstated, and I was hoping that the sleepiness would go away.
But unfortunately that was not the case.

I think (as somebody warned me) that I drenched all serotonine by using a really high dose of Sertraline (400 mg over several days).
Now I am really tired. I could easily sleep 16 hours a day because it's so boring and nothing drives me.

Because I think I used up all serotonine, I am currently not taking Sertraline anymore. Instead I use 200 mg Bupropion / day.

My sex drive is good, I have wood, and I have flirted very much today. And I had sex dreams and morning wood.
But as I said, my main problem right now is the urge to sleep.
Very, very, very annoying.

At first, it was only physical exhaustion that made me go to bed, and now it's a combination of boredom + physical exhaustion, I think.

The anxiety and sleepiness occured 1 year after PSSD occured.
I remember that when I used Sertraline (pre-PSSD), and I did not take it, I became very tired.
When I took Sertraline, the sleepiness went away. That's why I was hoping that reinstatement would fix the problem.

I think I will now wait 1 month because in the "Food for thought" article on Prof. Healy's website somebody said that he used high dose Sertraline for reinstatement, then quit cold turkey, and after 1 month, PSSD was gone for him.
That's what I will test now.

Sertraline definitively helped me with libido and sensitivity and orgasm. A few days ago I had an amazing orgasm with my gf. It was like universe exploded. But before that I was sertraline-free for 2 days. On Sertraline, everything feels numb, and I can not ejaculate. So I made "drug free weekends".

ps: If something exciting happens, I get awake again and work in my business, but if nothing happens, I just sleep.
I remember that first I was sleepy but still in good spirits. It was like "Noooo, I don't want to sleep now, but I have to..."
So it's NOT depression that triggers sleepiness, I would say.

Interestingly enough, " drug-free weekends" or sometimes called "drug holidays" is a management strategy that some doctors suggest to ease sexual side effects on SSRIs.
It looks like that worked for you and GF.

Regarding excessive sleepiness, you should definitely screen for narcolepsy.

Best of luck.

[FindGoodNickname]

I have an pulse oximeter here, everything is normal with my breathing / O² during sleeping. Is that what you mean?

But yes, my GI already suggested neurological intervention / test. I will attend it.

A crazy coincidence: I get a medication for high blood pressure (Ramipril) since 5 years, and I really need it.
I have stopped it, just to see how that affects my sleep.
And guess what? -> My blood pressure is still normal since 1 week.
But perhaps that is the effect of Bupropion?
Normally, when I forgot it, the next day my blood pressure what like 150 / 100.
Now it's between 120 / 80 and 140 / 90 since 1 week without medication. What a crazy situation.

Edit: I have taken Sertraline again because I was so desperate and lost and thought I was going to die because of the disabling fatigue.
Now I feel awake again.
I have already taken 200 mg Bupropion, and I have taken 50 mg Sertraline now.
I feel nervous, but at least I feel alive again.

Before taking Sertraline, I felt just exhausted, tired and emotionless (my gf called, and I didn't feel anything).
This fatigue thing (it started before reinstatement) is really the most shocking thing I have experienced in my life, and I have experienced many things already.

[JakeLawe]

Ok dude.

I'd say instead of sertraline give methylphenidate a shot for fatigue OR kratom (but be careful as you seem have an addictive personality) Also I've read Lyme disease can cause utter fatigue, you may wanna research on that and recapitulate if you could possibly have it as to get it treated.

Dude thank you for reporting, fatigue aside seems you're doing good.

I am interested in genital numbness relief. Talk to me about that please. Did you ever have it (genital numbness)?/ did reinstatement worked for this?/ any changes specificity for genital numbness after sertraline?

Thank you in advance.

Having someone to have sex with I'd say helps overall.

[FindGoodNickname]

Thank you for the recommendations and for calming me down a bit.

Today I have taken only 50 mg of Sertraline, and the effect is VERY strong. Like pre-PSSD.
A few days ago I used 400 mg. I think if I would do that now, I would get serotonine syndrome.

20 minutes after I took Sertraline, my sex drive came back (it's like that every day), and I started to masturbate. Unfortunately, there was already too much Sertraline in my body, and I could not have an orgasm, it was of course frustrating.
I can not really say about the genital numbness.

With Sertraline, I always felt a bit numb, and with PSSD, it beaome VERY numb of course (my penis felt like absent).
This is definitively better now with Sertraline reinstatement now.

I am awake since 1.5 hours already without feeling like I have to sleep. OMG...

Edit: I feel like high on drugs from 50 mg Sertraline, and I am still awake. I was so afraid that I would spend the rest of my life bedridden.

[GIXXER]

These drugs don't work this way. You make it sound like you've taken a pill of mdma, and your having a serotonin dump.

[arahant]

These drugs don't work this way. You make it sound like you've taken a pill of mdma, and your having a serotonin dump.

It is possible, in rare cases, there's a phenomenon called "activation syndrome", that may happen in some, especially if younger.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activation_syndrome

And in common cases, SSRIs can trigger mania (which is a euphoric state) in bipolar disorder, and it's kinda a "no go drug" for that, preferably selecting mood stabilizers.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.10 ... 015-0034-9

I am not saying that's the OP diagnose, but it may happen.

[FindGoodNickname]

I'm not telling lies.
When I first tried Sertraline, after 2 minutes, I had intensive shivers and a strong emotional effect.
It seems that I react very strongly to it.

Today I was totally talkative and awake, and it felt like 3 days in 1.
When I felt tired, I took 25 mg more Sertraline, and that made me ultra nervous, it was very stressful.

I wanted to stop Sertraline because of stress that comes with it, but that gave me PSSD.

ps: My high blood pressure is back. I was really surprised / afraid what was going on with me when it was suddenly normal without any medication.
But now after 3 days without Ramipril, it's 150 / 100 again.

[JakeLawe]

I'm not telling lies.
When I first tried Sertraline, after 2 minutes, I had intensive shivers and a strong emotional effect.
It seems that I react very strongly to it.

Today I was totally talkative and awake, and it felt like 3 days in 1.
When I felt tired, I took 25 mg more Sertraline, and that made me ultra nervous, it was very stressful.

I wanted to stop Sertraline because of stress that comes with it, but that gave me PSSD.

ps: My high blood pressure is back. I was really surprised / afraid what was going on with me when it was suddenly normal without any medication.
But now after 3 days without Ramipril, it's 150 / 100 again.

I reacted to sertraline almost immediately. Almost had a panic attack at ingestion and I've NEVER have one. It's the doctors and pharmaceutical companies that lie to the public in plain XXI Century saying it'll take "about 4 weeks to kick in".

Honest, we're living in the dark ages, there's so much stuff to do. 2021 is like 1600 or something, we need proper warnings etc At least living in 1600 I bet I'd still be fully feeling my dick.

Anyway, Sertraline also made me socially relax for the 4 days I took it, but I've found kratom also has this very effect, maybe even better. Funnily enough, both, sertraline and kratom seem to thin my hair, with kratom much much less so, though. Wonder if there's a link between feeling happy, extroverted and hair thinning.

Honest it you wanna quit sertraline and need an antidepressant i suggest kratom. it's anxiolitic, antidepressant, analgesic, stimulant, energy booster, anti-ocd, you name it but respect the plant and only take it as needed, there's people taking insane amounts and there really is no need.

The white strain can make one aggressive so watch out for that one

Just wanted say I get you about reacting so fast to sertraline, I don't think you're a rarity about it, in fact, I suspect about 85% of people or more can feel the effects of SSRIs rather within the first dose and within 30 minutes. YET the public is told other things, let alone we are warned of phenomenons like this linked to SSRIs consumption. Maybe in 2221 people will wake up to the realities of "psychiatry".

[FindGoodNickname]

I wanted to add that the amount of ejaculation is NOT what it used it be. It is really much less. Also, ejaculation width has dropped again.

[FindGoodNickname]

@JakeLaw Thank you for your reply.
If I would try Kratom, I would immediately get dependend on it. I was already addicted to Ephedrine when it was still legal.

I agree with you that it's the "dark ages" of knowledge of how medications work.

Perhaps it actually takes AI to find out all the mechanism behind it because it's so unbelievably complex?