New Medication

I'll be perfectly honest and admit that discussing depression isn't the easiest of subjects. It has hit me quite hard since Carol died. I have had various forms of medication and  it's not just that form of medication I have had, sleeping tablets mostly. I was put on Zopliclone, but, having taken it for around 2 weeks, it hasn't really had much of an effect. I have got a routine to get myself to sleep before going to bed: a soak in a hot bath and then a hot, milky drink, of Ovaltine and then, just before I get into bed, take the medication. But I only sleep a few hours, probably waking at 2a.m. or a bit after and then I'm unable to get back to sleep. Usually I have to get up in the night to go to the toilet (just something you have to live with as you get older, I'm afraid.) I rang my surgery to get an appointment with my doctor on Monday, but then found I couldn't get one until later in the week, on Thursday, when a doctor would ring. It tied in with the delivery of the fridge/freezer. Then I got a call at mid-morning, around 11-11.30. I explained to the doctor what I needed, and he suggested increasing the dosage of the Zopliclone, and explained what was going on with my sleeping, or perhaps, not sleeping. Also, depression reared it's not insubstantial head (what Winston Churchill described as his 'black dog.') He suggested another anti-depressant (I forget which one) and said he'd send the prescription to Lloyd's in Sainsbury's, but after about 5 minutes he rang back to ask me if I was allergic to any medication, or any of the previous anti-depressants I had been prescribed. I said that, years ago, when I was prescribed another brand. it made me feel awful. I found it quite difficult to judge when to cross the road, so I didn't get run over by the passing traffic, and just a feeling of nausea and feeling light-headed. As a result, he suggested I came into the surgery for a proper doctor's appointment, and it was made for the next day, Friday, at 3.40, with my registered doctor. So I went for that appointment. I have now been given Temazepam 10 mg. Tablets to take just before I go to bed and Sertraline 100 mg to take in the morning. I slept reasonably well as a result, but in the morning I was reluctant to take the Sertraline because I wasn't sure what the side-effects would be. Having taken two at around 9.30, it took a while before they had an effect (I know that most medication don't really work for you until you've taken them for a period, probably a month, but I began to feel nauseous and later on I had to rush to the toilet. (There's no point in explaining in too much detail what I mean, but you can guess.) I think the Temazepam left me feeling slightly unsteady on my feet earlier this morning, and as such, I wouldn't have been safe to drive (which is what the warning is on the packet they come in from the pharmacy.) I was earlier put on Diazepam, which isn't a full-blown anti-depressant, but seemed to help me sleep, but, unfortunately, because they can become addictive, you can't take them for much longer than a month. I have to go back and see the doctor mid-january, to discuss any reaction I might have to any of these medications and to probably see if there is an alternative which I can take which isn't addictive or at least have side-effects.