Im coming off sertraline/zoloft as it was giving me depersonalisation and made me feel disconnected from everything but now im panicking thinking what if it doesnt go back to normal and im having thoughts of what if i lose my mind etc and ive not slept in about 3 days no matter how hard i try i cant. Does anyone have any advice?
The past 2 weeks, I couldn’t get access to my Sertraline due to being out of the country and when I tell you it’s made me 10x worse….
@survivingocdbarely i was only on it for 3 weeks
@Anonymous If you don’t mind me asking, how come you are coming off it?
@survivingocdbarely because it made my ocd worse and id get this horrible feeling like i was detached and i didnt feel real
@survivingocdbarely which made my harm ocd worse because then i was like omg am i losing my mind
@Anonymous I apologise. I read your post wrong. I had the same thing happen on fluoxetine. It is absolutely so scary. But I have heard a lot of people say that it starts off worse and then they eventually make you feel better. Have you talked to your doctor about trying any other medication?
@survivingocdbarely i think i want to do it without medication ive done erp before without it and i was fine
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@Community AI Helper yes
Happy to share! One thing worth naming up front: checking whether things feel "real" yet, or scanning your mind for evidence that something is going wrong, is itself a compulsion — and that monitoring is a big part of what keeps the detached feeling locked in place. The relief it gives lasts a few seconds, which is exactly why OCD keeps asking for it. "Can OCD cause derealization?" https://www.treatmyocd.com/what-is-ocd/info/related-symptoms-conditions/can-ocd-cause-derealization Explains why that unreal, disconnected feeling shows up alongside OCD and why repeatedly checking if it's gone tends to keep it around longer. "Am I going crazy?" https://www.treatmyocd.com/what-is-ocd/common-fears/how-can-i-tell-if-im-going-insane-advice-from-a-therapist A therapist breaks down the "what if I lose my mind" fear specifically, including why OCD grabs onto it and how it differs from what's actually happening. "How OCD can impact your sleep—and 3 ways to start getting better rest" https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/3-ways-to-overcome-the-impact-ocd-has-on-sleep Three nights without sleep is brutal, and this covers why OCD tends to take over at night plus concrete strategies to try tonight. One practical note: since you're coming off sertraline, the taper itself and three days without sleep are both worth bringing to your prescriber, since stopping an SSRI can bring discontinuation effects that are much easier to manage with medical guidance than alone. You mentioned you've done ERP before and want to take that route again without medication — would it be helpful to be matched with a therapist who specializes in OCD and ERP for that? 💬 Was this response helpful? Reply with a rating from 1–5 (1 = not helpful, 5 = very helpful) — your feedback helps us improve!
Hi! I've been in this situation in 2024. It took about 2 weeks until I fully reconected to myself. Here are somethings that helped me: - Do yoga exercises in the morning. - Having a friend that doesn't Freak out with my symptoms to spend the days with me. - Painting and drawing what I'm feeling. - Understanding that it's ok If I lose my mind completly. There are many people who has lost their minds, but still had wonderful lives. Usually we fear getting Crazy, because of the way people treat Crazy people. It's not necessarily because getting "Crazy" is a bad thing. We are humans, we adapt to new perceptions of reality. - Singing and listening to musics. Specially music that makes you feel good! (I've Sorry about my english, I'm brazilian! I Hope this helps)
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