Serotonin syndrome

[[Ne...]]

My new pdoc said I have had it.  Anyone familiar?

[[Da...]]

Never had it myself but it's usually caused by SSRI meds such as Prozac, Lexapro and Paxil. It was virtually unheard of before this category of psych meds was developed. What, if any, other meds are you on?.

[[Gr...]]

Yes.  I've had it.  It's the reason I've been going off my AD for the last four months.  It will go away quite quickly if you have stopped taking whatever drug caused it. 

[[Ne...]]

When the syndrome was at its worse I was on trazadone which I'm told by pdoc is also a big one for causing it, tizidine, and Ativan.. no SSRIs.  I became suicidal with run away fears and was hospitalized where i was placed on cymbalta (ssni) a mood stabilizer(don't remember) and an anti psychotic they continued the Ativan but at a greatly reduced dose.  This made my 'serotonin syndrome' symptoms way worse.  Or was just WD from fast taper idk.  The hospital was an inner city nightmare place the likes of which I've never seen before.  I was inpatient for ten days and never even had my blood drawn as an example.  Was told I'd get no help from them for anything physical and was discharged in a full out psychosis with a bp of 185/110.  Quit everything but the cymbalta but tapered off that after 6 weeks of being discharged.  Seems even pain meds raise serotonin levels for me dangerously as I was given so much Vicodin during an over night hospital stay due to some physical issues I have... psych ward again within days after.. skyrocketing bp and sweats again.  Yet after large doses of haldol and reinstated Benzos (had almost three months Benzofree) I was released five days later and once again faced hallucinations post hospital at home.  This time I got very angry. 

I had been given copious amounts of psych drugs from 2010-2015.  By 2016 I got off em all but the Benzos.  I clearly saw Benzos weren't my friends either so started the journey to be Benzos free.  Prior to 2010 I was stable without psych drugs.

I currently am on trazadone to sleep(on them since Nov 23rd) and flexeril for my spinal injury.  Third day of cutting trazadone from 100mgs to 75mgs.

Clarification from this new pdoc was nonexistent.  All he kept saying was but you feel better now and so.. you have a sensitivity to Benzos.  I clearly stated no I've been in WD.  Pdoc silent then but u feel better now right. 

[[Ne...]]

Oops.. wasn't on trazadone back then but TRAMADOL.  Sorry.  I'm just trying to understand what I've gone thru in order to prevent it from reoccurring.  Just started trazadone end of Nov.  Sorry for confusing poat

[[pa...]]

I thought serotonin syndrome was fatal??

[[Ne...]]

It is a potentially fatal syndrome yes but most of those diagnosed do not die.  . How badly did all this truly mess up my brain chemistry because I really am concerned since my physical withdrawal wd symptoms relapsed  when I was given pain medication for my spinal injury. 

[[Gr...]]

OMG what a crazy trip you have been on.  Yeah so anything messing with serotonin is something you need to be getting off or avoiding right now.  I highly recommend tapering off all things instead of CT-ing anything.  So yes trazadone and cymbalta are known serotonin aggravators.  Regarding vicodin, I didn't know that, but it makes so much sense, since the week I got mine this last time, was a week I took maxalt, pristiq AND vicodin cough medicine.  I had no idea about the vicodin and I had taken the maxalt and pristiq together before. 

 

Another thing to avoid is OTC cold medicine with decongestant.  You can take the ones with antihistamine(maybe- I'm not a dr.) but definitely the decongestant can give you serotonin issues as well.  Another thing that caused problems for me was a old antihistamine called seldane, I'm not even sure if they give anything like that out anymore, but I would be super careful about antihistamines as well.  I avoid all the daytime antihistamines, but I'm not even sure that I know exactly what I am avoiding in them.

 

Are you taking the vicodin every day or as needed?  Can you substitute some ibuprofen or something? 

 

[[bl...]]

I had this 10 years ago from taking 5htp at the same time as an SSRI - it scares me that 5htp is sold in herbal shops with no advice provided. It is potentially fatal due to an excess of serotonin, I was crawling the walls my dr prescribed nitrazapam which I took for 2 weeks then was in cold turkey for 6 months and a rocky road.