Very worried.. Seratonin syndrome??

[Panda22]

Hello..

Someone just mentioned seratonin symdrome and now i'm freaking out. I upped my Sertraline dose from 25mg to 75mg, two days ago. Now i'm feeling that tingly feeling in my neck and shoulders, and a little more energy. Also like that 'good' seratonin feeling, i dont know how to explain it.

Anyway, am i at risk of seratonin syndrome if all i take is 75mg Sertraline? I don't take anything else, only vitamins and sometimes natural valerian to reduce stress.

I wish i never read up on it as now i obsess about it..

[Mindprison]

No, you're not at risk.

Serotonin syndrome is a very rare side effect that is primarily caused by taking more than one serotonin increasing drug at once. For example, mixing SSRIs with other SSRIs or MAOIs, SNRIs, tramadol and so on.

Technically, it's not impossible for one drug to cause serotonin syndrome, but such a thing is even rarer and there's not really a lot of evidence for it. I've found that a lot of so called Serotonin Syndrome cases are probably not true.

Serotonin syndrome happens the minute there is a raise in serotonin in the brain, which means it happens quite quickly.

I can't say i've ever seen a serious case of Serotonin Syndrome during my time here, most cases of it are rather minor. It would take quite a lot to cause a fatal reaction, I imagine. You've probably got a better chance of winning the lottery than getting it from a single drug.

I'm sure there are others more knowledgeable about it than me, but as far as i'm aware Serotonin Syndrome isn't something that happens often and even if it does, it's more likely to be a minor case.

[Panda22]

Mindprison thank you very much you explained it well

I guess there's no point worrying about it then, the 75mg i take is quite a low dose too and not taking any other meds

[MyNameIsTerry]

As you say it's not a large dose which reduces the risk even further.

But as Mindprison says, it's about combining two substances that act on the same system. That increases the dose hence SS can occur. But people on lower doses are logically less prone to the bad effects of that than someone who is maxing out several meds.

And don't forget many doctors combine meds anyway, some people on here already do this. Doctors just monitor for possible signs and advise patients what to look out for.

I've come across two potential SS cases on here and I've read a lot of threads per day, especially in my first couple of years. One of those was a doctor not following guidelines. In each case their symptoms were mild. SS isn't always the scary level warned about on drug labels. To be clear, neither of these were remotely like your situation. Your situation is the norm for antidepressant users.

[jrcoleman]

I would go off the Valerian root while your on the SSRI. You can do some research but I believe certain herbs such as Valerian and St. Johns Wart have been known to cause additional side effects or reduce the efficiency of the SSRI. Other than that, it doesn't sound like Serotonin poisoning at all, I have had it before and it makes you feel like you are truly dying.