Having suffered with sleep problems for several months and reluctant to go down the route of sleeping tablets on a regular basis, went to my GP at my wits end.  She prescribed Sertraline anti depressants to regulate a sleep pattern but they apparently take a while to work.  I have been doing some research and it appears that one of the main side effects is...insomnia!  The dilemma I have is, do I persevere with the medication even though the side effects are not good and I feel like a zombie during the day and still not  sleeping at night, or follow my instincts and not take them.  I have to say I feel a bit more relaxed as I have been dreading going to bed every night knowing I will be awake for most of it, but the sleeping hasnt really improved.

I am 53 and going through the menopause but the HRT I have been on for almost two years has sorted out the flushes and mood swings.  I did wonder if my doctor thinks I may be depressed, but I feel that I am only so miserable because of tiredness.  It would be interesting to  learn if anyone has  had any success with thes tablets..

Hi Jaycee

I take ADs for depression. At the moment just on St. John's Wort. Although I still get problems with insomnia, it is better with the tablets than without!

A surprising number of people take ADs for severe insomnia. There is one, Diazepam I think, which is specifically suggested for the condition. Hope you start feeling better soon. As you say the medication will take a while to work. Getting through the menopause is an absolute pain but you do feel better eventually!

Hi

Thanks for the response.  I did actually have a prescription of diazepam, which I used sparingly, but didn't want to become dependent on them.  I'm not sure how AD's can work for insomnia when so many people report that they cause it.  Obviously I am still having side effects as I have only been on the tablets for 8 days, but can you tell me if you lose the muzzy feeling in your head eventually or do you just become accustomed to it?

Thanks

Insomnia as a side effect of ADs will depend on the type of AD prescribed. There are all sorts of strange side effects with ADs, many of which are rare. Some ADs will even show "depression" as a side effect. I have no idea why this happens, only that ADs work for the vast majority of people who need them although it may take a while to find the right medication.

The muzziness in your head should clear fairly quickly. If it doesn't mention it to your GP. In my case severe muzziness is a symptom of my depression. As I get really bad vertigo, made worse by stress but there nearly all the time, it was brilliant when I no longer had the muzzy feeling.

There are other tricks you can use to help you improve on the Insomnia. Most of those are listed somewhere in the Advice folder on the main board page.

Hi Tabbs

That's really helpful.  In fact, my head actually feels quite a lot clearer today so I am pleased I didnt give up the medication a couple of days ago when it was really bad.  I wonder if my GP is thinking that by reducing anxiety levels my sleeping would improve, so I need to give it a fair try.

I will definitely check out the advice folder as you suggested.  Once again, thanks for your support.

Jaycee.