Bouts of loneliness/depression despite medication

I take sertraline for what I would call mild depression but I don’t know if that’s right - I’ve nnever spoken in detail with a dr or therapist about it - only told my doctor how I felt and got prescribed anti depressants. I never felt therapy would help as there is no cause other than the ‘chemical imbalance’

I have been happy, probably happier than I’ve ever been, the last few months. I moved to a new part of the country where I live in a houseshare with my best friend and his friend. I’m going to uni as a mature student here next year, have a job I enjoy enough and pays the bills etc. My medication seems to have been working. I’m still usually happy as but recently, I’m getting bouts of feel very lonely and depressed. They last maybe a night or a day, but they feel overwhelming and I get thoughts of moving back home, I wouldn’t say I think about suicide in terms of actually doing it, but thoughts do enter my head (I don’t know if that makes sense. I don’t feel like I am going to kill myself). I don’t know how valid this loneliness is - like I said I live with my friend and his friend and hang out with friends of them often enough, go out for drinks etc - my social life isn’t busy but I’ve never been the type to have a crazy social life and hundreds of friends, I’m happy that way. But when these bouts of loneliness come I often find myself thinking of the fact I have no friends here who aren’t friends of friends... so I end up feeling like I’m just a tag along, a spare part. When I’m feeling happy this doesn’t bother me, but when I feel low (which I am tonight as I’m sure you can tell) it’s all I think about.

I don’t know how to handle these bouts - I’m on medication so I can’t go to the doctor and ask for that, I don’t know what else I can do. I know everyone feels sad and low sometimes but mine are intense and overwhrlming and I often overreact to things my friends do when I’m having a low day. I don’t know what to do?

Sorry this is a ramble and probably makes no sense, I just needed to get it out and speak to people who might have had a similar experience?

Hi and welcome to DWD.

Can I ask how long you've been on the medication? You could ask for some talking therapy too - it might help?

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Originally Posted by Suzi

Hi and welcome to DWD.

Can I ask how long you've been on the medication? You could ask for some talking therapy too - it might help?

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Hi, thanks for replying. I started taking it in 2015 I think, I stopped for a while when I thought I was in a better place but after a while it started again and quite badly, so I went back on. I stopped again earlier this year for a couple of months but again felt myself slipping so I went back on. I do think maybe therapy could help but isn’t there huge huge waiting lists, unless I pay? I have no idea how to go about either way, to be honest, so any advice on that would be good too.

Hi there, good to see you on DWD. There is lots of support on here so chat away :) How about making another appt with your gp and talk to him/her about how you are feeling?

Hi and welcome. Regular meds reviews with your doctor is important, particularly if you’re slipping, and ‘tweaks’ an be made so I definitely think you should make an appointment. It would also be worth asking your doctor whether CBT could help - it doesn’t focus on causes but rather on helping you change your behaviour and reactions to triggering situations

I completely agree with the others - you definitely need a Drs appointment - especially after so much starting and stopping. Remember it takes around 6 - 8 weeks for the medication to get into your system and the same for every change in dose. So if you are only on it for 2 months then chances are you may only have just got to the therapeutic stage before you've taken yourself off which will cause withdrawal and takes the same time to leave your system completely....

Hi welcome to DWD, I was on and off Sertraline for a a good few years before I went on to it permanently been on it for about 25 years now.

I agree with what Paula, Arty and Suzi have said, make an appointment with your GP and explain how you feel, then discuss the options. From my own personal experience repeatedly stopping and starting medication isn't a good thing as modern antidepressants are very slow acting typically 1 to 2 months and from my experience even longer before you get the full benefit.