Sertraline Serotonin Syndrome

[Colicab85]

Hi All,

I just wanted to know if any of you had ever experienced any kind of serotonin syndrome?

I'm beginning to think that I have a very mild form of it. The reason I am on Sertraline is because I basically begged the doctor, he didn't voluntarily prescribe it and wonder if indeed I need it. If I didn't need it and weren't depressed/anxious etc then surely taking them would increase my serotonin levels which would lead to the syndrome?

Although I'm on a low dose I have suffered from side effects from day one, i have been taking it for 3 months, and in some case's they have gotten worse. I have tiredness, headaches, all over muscle twitching, tremor's and shivers. I normally would assume that all of this is due to my anxiety but I feel great? So much better than I did.

I'm not really worried about these symptoms as they are manageable but I do wonder about it.

I am cutting the pill in half and have been doing for a few days to see if this helped.

Thanks.

[ServerError]

Sertraline, along with all other SSRIs, comes with a pretty unpleasant list of possible side effects. The good news is that the vast majority only experience the milder ones. It's generally considered a pretty safe medication.

Seratonin Syndrome is usually the result of combining the drug with another drug that interacts with sertraline in a certain way. I'm going to assume you're not doing this, which means your risk is extremely low.

What is common in the early stages of sertraline is increased anxiety. I would say I experienced this for about two to three weeks before everything settled down.

You may have begged your doctor, but remember that this doctor has a career to think about. If you'd begged for an anti-psychotic or some kind of heart medicine you don't need, you'd still be in there begging now. The doctor clearly felt that you may achieve some benefit from sertraline.

Try to stay calm, don't worry too much and give the sertraline time. If it doesn't feel like it's helping, go back to the doctor and explore other options. But in the meantime, I am very confident you don't have serotonin syndrome.

[Colicab85]

It certainly helped I think.....my state of mind compared to a 3 months ago is significantly better. I assume this is down to the Sertraline....or not, I dont know.

I'd just expect these side effects to have subsided, not gotten worse. My muscle twitches for instance are at an all time high, my calves and thighs are going CRAZY! And i have a permanent tremor.

SS (not the Nazi version) can display very mild symptoms i gather, it doesn't have to be life threatening.

I am taking my Sertraline with Lansaprozole, a Multi Vit and Magnesium just for info.

I'll see how I feel now I'm cutting it in half....see what happens.

Thanks for the reply.

[ServerError]

I've been on sertraline since March and still get twitches and tremors. I don't even really notice it anymore. Just try to ignore it and it will stop bothering you.

[Colicab85]

Thanks. The twitches are the hardest thing to ignore. The MND nightmare looms large in my thoughts due to a close friend (same age as me) in the end stages of the disease.

[JosieLouise]

Seratonin Syndrome is usually the result of combining the drug with another drug that interacts with sertraline in a certain way. I'm going to assume you're not doing this, which means your risk is extremely low.

This is absolutely the case.

Let me tell you a story. This time last year I began to suspect that the Citalopram I was taking for GAD/Health Anxiety and Depression was not having the effect it used to. So I went to my doctor, who suggested I switch to Sertraline and prescribed it immediately.

What this doctor failed to do, was advise me to first taper off my Citalopram before starting the new drug. He advised me to make the switch from 40g Citalopram (relatively high dose) to 100g Sertraline cold turkey. MASSIVE ERROR.

Within three days I was literally the sickest I've ever been in my life. I could keep nothing in my stomach. Even plain water was difficult. Without getting too graphic, I was having around 10 bowel movements a day, despite having eaten and drunk hardly anything. I couldn't do anything but lie with my eyes closed in bed. My brain zaps were so intense I couldn't stand up. It was a type of ill I can't really describe properly. Eventually after a few days I dragged myself to the doctor who ran tests, and after finding nothing that indicated stomach bugs or food poisoning, diagnosed Serotonin Syndrome.

I had basically been advised by my doctor to overdose on my antidepressants - starting another before the first was fully out of my system. Citalopram has a half-life of 36 hours, so after stopping all my medication completely it took a further 9 days for everything to leave my system. I started eating again (very slowly) and didn't do much physical for about a week (it's scary how quickly your strength declines when it has no food). I then began taking Citalopram again in small doses.

So the moral of the story is, if you had Serotonin Syndrome, I reckon you'd know about it. Or at least judging by my experience. You're probably just feeling the side effects more strongly than most. Perhaps if this continues, ask about an alternative?

[Colicab85]

Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate it.

I think you're probably right. Still feeling some side effects most likely.

Decided to not take it today, just to see what happens. Feel better tbh, but this is probably "in my head" if that makes sense.

Interested to see how I feel in a few days of not taking it.